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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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