Weight Loss Information |
The Evil of Carbohydrates (?)
In recent years, carbohydrates have been labeled as the nutrition 'bad guy' because of the increases in insulin that occurs during metabolic processes. The secretion of insulin is dependent primarily upon the concentration of blood glucose - an increase of blood sugar brings about an increase in the secretion of insulin. Therefore, one function of insulin is to lower glucose. Conversely, the body increases blood glucose levels by secreting another hormone called glucagon. If blood glucose levels remain high, and that energy source is not burned shortly after it is consumed, the excess glucose is shuttled off to the muscles for storage. If the muscles have reached their limit in storage capacity, and the body does not require extra glucose to sustain body activities, the excess converts to fat. Also, as insulin efficiently clears the blood of excess sugar, blood sugar levels oftentimes dip below normal and will produce the infamous 'sugar blues' or a 'downer', followed by a possible craving for more sugar consumption. Lastly, while insulin levels are high or active, the body will not burn fat as energy since the body is attempting to utilize as much blood sugar as possible. (Note that fat is not used as a primary energy source while eating an energy-sufficient, healthy diet and fat is used more heavily only during periods of fasting and extensive aerobic-type exercise.) Hence, 'high-fat-low-carb' advocates claim that we should not want: 1) Excess carbs to turn into fat (what do they think happens to excess fat and protein kcal?); 2) To feel groggy with low energy from the insulin ups and downs associated with high carbohydrate (sugar) consumption; and 3) High carbs in the diet since they prevent us from burning body fat. Although these factors are true, the extent or magnitude of their validity varies in accordance to a number of conditions, such as: i) How active is the individual? ii) How many kcal is the individual ingesting (including carbs) per meal? iii) What comprises an individual's food and carbohydrate intake? HOW ACTIVE ARE YOU? The more active a person, the more carbohydrate he or she should consume. Also, the greater the physical activity, the less insulin the body produces since muscles become insulin sensitive after exercise and glucose tolerance improves as a result. The Food Guide/Pyramid recommends about 50% of kcal in the average individual's diet to be in the form of carbohydrate. Therefore, if a person is very active, the amount should be increased to about 60% since nearly every activity uses a great deal of blood glucose and muscle glycogen for energy, but only a smaller percentage of fat. In fact, athletes who consume a high-carb diet (60%) can maintain higher-intensity exercise longer than those following a low-carb diet ( MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
Which is Better? Exercise or Dieting? If you want to reduce your body fat, focus on increasing the amount of exercise you get rather than decreasing your food intake. A recent national study was done using two groups of sedentary men, one group in their 20's and the other over age 65. How To Avoid Common Diet Scams As our country gains weight at an alarming rate, we are spending more each year on products that promise us easy, effortless weight loss. Each year in the United States, an estimated 35 billion dollars is spent each year on weight loss products. South Beach Diet The Review Diaries The Review DiariesShe Unlimited MagazineThere are masses of carbohydrate diets like the Atkins Diet and The Zone. Now Hamptons diet meets South Beach. A Personal Trainers...Holidaze Rules of day to day no longer apply as you surrender to the hearts and minds of those closest. Conversation, food and wine are intoxicating. The Type Of Food and Nutrition That Can Help You Lose Weight Fast The following are diet tips that can help you shape up and lose weight:1. Try and adopt a vegetarian diet. Obesity - How it Affects Your Health 1. Carrying around excess body fat will decrease your energy level. The Natural Truth About Quick Weight Loss Actually, I was reading about fad diet and suddenly I received a message in my mail "Lose 20 Pounds in 10 Days!"So I thought I should write some more on quick weight loss diet plans and how they're intended to fail miserably.I have already written a lot on such topics and I think you should read this article because they are flawed at the grass root level! along with this article to learn exactly what's wrong with quick diets. Failed at Weight Loss: Heres Hope All Diets Work: No Diets WorkHave you lost weight in the past only to regain it a short time later? Have you followed every diet including Atkins, South Beach, the Drinking Man's diet, the Peanut Butter diet, or even the Chocolate Diet? All of these diets work, and none of them work, meaning, you can and probably do lose weight on any of them, but you won't keep it off. Why not? Because the day will come when the diet is over and you're right back to your regular routine; the same routine that got you fat in the first place. Cross Training One of the biggest misconceptions about exercise is that there is "one" program that works for someone all the time. People think that they need to get on a particular workout program and just keeping doing that program over and over again. VPX ZERO Carb Fat Incinerating Protein - Go ZERO! It's always great to find a protein supplement with very low carbohydrate amounts, but it's even better when there are none at all. VPX Zero Carb Protein is perfect, it's got no fat, no carbs, and tons of protein. Fat Lady in a Thin Body: WLS Patients Feel Like Imposters Every weight loss surgery patient I've met said they at sometime during the weight loss experience felt like a fraud. A fraud is someone who pretends to be what they are not, an imposter. The Psychology of Weight Loss: Part 6 - Its Not About Numbers! IT'S NOT ABOUT THE NUMBERS!The health clubs are always racking their brains trying to figure out why they have such a hard time keeping members coming back. Most owners would argue that cash flow and profit margins are the most important reason to retain membership. Weight Loss: Keeping Your Results Over the Summer Having just returned from a week of basking on a beach, I couldn't help but notice how many over 30's were overweight and apparently doing little to help it.The other thing I noticed from chatting, was how many people had low carb dieted prior to getting to the beach, yet didn't seem to be following any diet now, except perhaps a weight gain diet. Finding the RIGHT Diet Pill Hundreds of products on the market today claim to be the best weight loss product available. How can you know which one is right for you, or which ones even work?Of course, the best possible way to lose weight and get in shape is to eat right and exercise. Measuring and Monitoring Your Bodyfat: Improves Overall Health With so many diets and fads being offered on the market today, it is no wonder why people are not just confused about weight loss and health, but in many cases, actually doing their body more harm than good. Unfortunately, one of the aspects of dieting that you see most often is the reduction or elimination of fat. How I Lost 51 Pounds In 4 Months Using The Simplest Diet Plan In The World Like many people I've been on dozens of diet plans over the years ranging from Atkins to South Beach to Weightwatchers to Jenny Craig and lots more besides. In fact, I've eaten enough cabbage soup to satisfy a small country! I'm 5 feet 10 and I used to weigh 230 pounds and needed to lose a good 50 pounds to get myself in some short of shape. What are Fats? Fat is fuel. That is basically what it is. Drinking Green Tea May Help You Lose Weight Green Tea Also Has Anticancer PropertiesGreen tea, which has been reported to have anticancer properties and to raise levels of antioxidants in the blood that may ward off heart disease, now appears to have the potential to promote weight loss. A new study in the March issue of the International Journal of Obesity concludes that green tea extract increases the burning of calories and fat needed to lose weight. 7 Tips to Help You Beat Your Sugar Habit Are you often overcome with an urge to splurge on candy, cookies, and cake - and do you then hate yourself for caving into your cravings?Do you pop by the drug store for paper goods but always leave with junk food, too? And do you feel like an incurable sugar addict with zero will power?Take heart. You can quit (or at least cut back on) both sweets and processed, "much-like-sugar carbs" such as white bread, white rice, and pasta. 5 Tips to Keep Your Mental Health in Shape as You Diet Losing weight and going on a diet can be quite challenging! As someone who has lost over 50 pounds, I will share a bit of my "dieting wisdom" with you.1. |
home | site map | contact us |