The Key To Successful Weight Loss - Balancing Blood Sugar Levels
By Isobel Whytock
When you talk about losing weight you're really talking about losing fat.
Successful weight loss is not just about losing that excess fat, it's
about keeping it off.
Diets, be they low fat, high protein, calories controlled don't work. As
soon as you come off the diet the weight just starts piling on again.
Diets are just a short term fix. They are often boring and may not give
your body the full range of nutrients it needs to keep you healthy. Diets
do not provide a long term solution to your weight problems.
The answer is really quite simple. It's eating foods that keep your blood
sugar in balance.
Why are blood sugar levels so important to successful weight loss? Every
second of every day your body strives for balance and if it cannot achieve
this balance your health is compromised. Failure to keep your blood sugar
levels in balance leads your body to store more fat and can increase your
risk of diabetes and heart disease. When you eat carbohydrates your body
turns this into glucose and it travels through the bloodstream to your
cells where it will be used for energy. Your very own rocket fuel!
Problems start, however, when your blood sugar levels go too high. The
pancreas produce a hormone called insulin whose job is to move glucose out
of the blood.
The more glucose in your blood, the more insulin you
produce. If your body does not use the glucose for energy then it will be
stored as fat. That's bad news but it can be even worse. Too much insulin
hinders the body's ability to breakdown fat that has already been stored.
That's certainly a double whammy. And let's not forget the risk of
diabetes and heart disease. So now is the time to consider the effect of
what you eat on your blood sugar levels.
Does this scenario sound familiar? You're running late so you pick up a
large latte and a bagel on the way to work. Around about eleven you're
feeling peckish so you have a coffee and a biscuit or two or three. For
lunch it's a cheese sandwich made with white bread and a large cola.
Around about three you're feeling tired so it's a large coffee.
Your blood sugar levels have been rising too high and then falling too low
all day. Your blood sugar levels have been out of balance all day. It's
not just the food consumed that's been playing havoc with the blood sugar
levels. The stimulants, including caffeine, found in cola and coffee
(remember decaffeinated coffee still contains stimulates other than
caffeine) force the body to produce adrenalin and this too raises the
blood sugar level.
So that's the problem, now let's focus on the solution.
Keeping your blood sugar levels nice and steady throughout the day is the
key to long term weight loss success. The goal is steady weight loss based
on an enjoyable, varied eating plan that you can stick to for the rest of
your life. You'll eat protein, carbohydrates, lots of fresh fruit and
vegetables and some fats. Remember, this is not a diet.
You've probably heard of the glycemic index (GI) which rates carbohydrate
food for its effect on blood sugar levels. A high GI number indicates the
food is fast releasing. A baked potato scores 85, a sweet potato scores 61
but whole-wheat spaghetti would be a better choice at 37. To keep blood
sugar levels steady, your carbohydrate intake should be based mainly on
slow releasing foods. If eating a fast releasing carbohydrate, and these
should only be eaten occasionally, then it must be combined with some
protein. There are many books available listing the GI scores of common
foods.
There is one problem with GI. It fails to take account of the quantity of
food eaten. Carrots and chocolate have roughly the same score, they are
both in the high 40s but you may nibble on one small carrot but, let's be
honest, you don't just have two pieces of chocolate, you have the whole
bar.. That's where GL (glycemic load) comes in. It takes into account both
the GI score and the available carbohydrate (total carbohydrate less
fiber) in the quantity of food being eaten. This is going to be the next
'hot topic'' in weight loss. There are already a number of books on the
subject plus there are GL tables on the Web.
Protein has a role to play, too. Combining proteins with slow releasing
carbohydrates helps you to burn fat. Your pancreas will produce a hormone
called glucagon and your body will break down your stored fat and burn it
for energy when it needs more than it is getting from the food you eat.
Okay, that's the theory but what do you eat? For a start, you are not
going to go hungry. You are going to eat three meals and two snacks a day
eating between 38-42 GLs a day whilst you're trying to lose weight and
45-50 GLs a day when you've reached your target weight.
For breakfast you must have both carbohydrate and protein. You could have
2oz of porridge, half a cup of blueberries, a dessertspoon of ground flax
and pumpkin seeds served with some skimmed or soya milk. Or how about low
fat live yogurt with half cup of blueberries (or strawberries or an apple
or pear) and a dessertspoon of ground flax and pumpkin seeds. Or try a
sugar free muesli, a dessertspoon of ground flax and pumpkin seeds, soft
fruit of your choice and skimmed milk or soya milk or natural yogurt. Or
would you prefer scrambled eggs on one slice of whole-wheat or rye toast.
Aim for a breakfast of between 9 and 12 GL.
For lunch and dinner, imagine a medium sized plate. Your going to fill one
half of it with non starchy vegetables such as salad leaves, aubergine,
broccoli, cabbage, celery, zucchini, cucumber, mushrooms, onions, peppers,
tomato and spinach. One quarter of the plate will be filled with protein.
Choose from tofu, skin free turkey, skin free chicken, fish, eggs, quinoa,
lentils and beans. You can have lean red meat no more than three times per
week. The remaining quarter is carbohydrate such as pumpkin/squash,
carrots, corn on the cob, pasta, brown rice or potato. Aim for each meal
to be between 9 and 12 GL. These meals may be smaller than you are used to
but remember you get a morning and afternoon snack too.
For snacks have fruit such as strawberries, apple, plums, cherries,
peaches or some melon. Eat with a few nuts (nothing added) or pumpkin
seeds. Or you could have some hummus and raw vegetables such as broccoli.
Aim for each snack, to be no more than 5GL
Plan your meals and snacks in advance so that you can make sure you are
keeping within your GL limit for each day.
Use GL and count your way to weight loss success and lifelong weight
management.
Isobel Whytock is the author for http://www.1st-for-weight-loss.com
where you can find many tips and inspirational articles on weight
loss. This article is Copyright 2005 1st-for-weight-loss.com and may
be reprinted and used on other sites providing this information and
credit remains on the article with all links intact.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Isobel_Whytock
© Copyright 2006. All Rights Reserved.