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Obesity Facts

There are several theories about obesity and fat cells. One theory suggest that if the mother eats too much during pregnancy, the baby she is carrying is likely to develop a very large number of fat cells. The other theory contends that the fat cell population in your body is determined not before birth, but in the first two years of childhood. In other words, if you are fed too much as a youngster, you will develop a great many extra fat cells. Either way researchers agree obese people have an abnormal amount of fat cells, twice as many and maybe more. Both theories say you have  greater odds of becoming obese. Fat cells will never decrease in number, but will shrink in size when weight is lost. This in turn makes it that much easier for the body to store fat.

Another factor to consider is the insulin hormone which regulates the blood sugar level. Insulin a powerful fat storing hormone that converts the excess glucose (blood sugar) into triglycerides (blood fat) and stores this fat in your fat cells. Processed carbohydrates trigger the release of an excessive amount of insulin because they breakdown to quickly and raise your blood sugar to fast. This causes a drastic drop in your blood sugar leaving you with low blood sugar leading to cravings, binges, and compulsive over eating. This spike and crash leaves you fat, tired, and hungry.  A few examples would be, cakes , cookies, candy, all sugars and foods with high sugar content, white rice, sugar filled cereals, and any food that has white flour in it. So with the insulin factor you get a triple whammy: (1) you already store fat easily with the abnormal number of fat cells, (2)if you are eating lots of processed carbohydrates the insulin factor is helping to store fat, (3) the processed carbohydrates are high in calorie and probably fat also.

Make sure that any grain is WHOLE grain, such as whole-wheat flour or sprouted whole-grain kernels. Many bread, cereal, and pasta products claim to be whole grain, but the first item or two in the ingredient list is often wheat flour, enriched flour, multi-grain flour, semolina flour, durum flour, unbleached flour, bleached flour, or even spinach flour, many of which sound healthy, but they’re all just refined white flours. Further down the list will be whole-wheat flour or bran. Scout out products that contain only whole grains, or, at the very least, list whole grains as the first ingredient. Studies have shown that whole grains may help reduce the risk of developing many major diseases including heart disease, cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and certain cancers. Whole grains are low glycemic carbohydrates which means lower blood sugar and less insulin production. Whole grains are a source of fiber, which grabs onto toxins as it makes its way through the digestive system. And fiber slows digestion making you feel fuller longer. Carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, and grains should give you the bulk of your calories.

Stablizing your blood sugar is a key component to controlling cravings, binges, and compulsive over eating and keeping weight loss permanent.


To be successful at losing weight, you need to change your lifestyle, not just go on a diet, experts say. This requires cutting back on the number of calories you eat by eating smaller amounts of foods and choosing foods lower in calories and fat. It also means being more physically active.

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