Should we be calorie counting? If you’ve read my recent articles you’ll know that the best way to lose weight and keep if off is by making a lifestyle change. When people count calories to manage their weight they are usually following a diet rather than making a lifestyle change. The basis of a calorie controlled diet is that if you burn more calories than you consume you will lose weight. While that’s true in principle, the reverse is perhaps more likely - if you eat more calories than you burn you will gain weight. Calories are measures of energy but when it comes to weight management they can be meaningless if taken in isolation. Instead, we need to look at where the calories come from. Our calories come from three macro nutrients in the diet – fat, protein and carbohydrate. These foods are digested, transported, and metabolised differently and affect the body functions in different ways. This article is going to discuss the effects of sugar and insulin on the body’s fat stores. Some of the foods we eat stimulate the release of insulin more than others. Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas telling your cells to absorb sugar from the bloodstream. Carbohydrates like sugar, bread, pasta and potatoes can cause massive blood sugar spikes which trigger the release of insulin. Our body turns the excess sugar absorbed into the cells into fat and stores it away, increasing our stores of active fat tissue. If you avoid stimulating your body’s production of insulin the locking in of fat can be prevented and the body will even start to release fat from the cells to be burned as energy. In a nutshell, reducing your insulin levels will help you to lose weight. How do you reduce the amount of insulin your body produces? A diet of low GI (Glycemic Index - The speed at which the sugars are absorbed) and low GL (Glycemic Load - The amount of sugars in the food ) foods will have a low impact on the blood’s sugar level, eliminating those blood sugar spikes and the resulting increase in your body’s active fat stores. Examples of low GI and low GL foods are: Low GI - Cherries, grapefruit, prunes, broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms, yams and sweet potatoes. Low GL - Strawberries, blueberries, plain unsweetened yogurt, meat and fish, spinach and asparagus. Combining foods such as fats and protein with your carbohydrates slows down the speed at which the sugars are released into the bloodstream, also preventing sugar spikes and fat storage. Breakfast idea: Scrambled egg on wholemeal seeded toast with organic butter Lunch idea: Chicken salad Evening Meal: Prawns and stir fried vegetables Snacks: Hummus and oatcakes / Meat and nuts. Why not look up the GI and GL foods online? You might be surprised at what you find! Good luck
The Gym at Carswell 01367 870837 Please email: richard@thegymatcarswell.co.uk www.thegymatcarswell.co.uk