Most people who are trying to lose weight are probably aware of the common advice to avoid carbohydrates, but many are unaware of why this reommendation is so critical and to what extent carbs need to be avoided. Although some experts will proclaim that calories are calories and weight loss is simply a matter otaking in fewer calories than you burn off with exercise and daily activities, not all calories are burned the same way. With some investigation, it quickly becomes clear that calories from carbohydrates are much more difficult to burn than calories from other sources carbohydrates have a strong tendency to promote fat deposition.
At the heart of the matter is the hormone insulin. The function of insulin is to stimulate the cells to take up sugar from the bloodstream (when blood sugar is high, as it typically is shortly after eating) and store it for reserve energy.
Surplus blood sugar initially is converted to a fast-energy source called glycogen, which is mostly contained in the liver and muscle tissue. The body can re-convert glycogen to blood sugar to be used for energy during short periods of physical activity. There is not very much room to store glycogen, so when additional reserve blood sugar needs to be stored beyond what can be kept as glycogen, insulin stimlates the remainder is converted to fat.
There is considerably more storage space in the body for fat than there is for glycogen. There are billions of fat cells in the body, each of which can enlarge to over 100 times its original size to accomodate extra fat storage. As an aside, this is why it is possible to get fat again after liposuction - even if you remove many of the body's fat cells, those that remain can enlarge considerably to store fat.
Insulin is extremely powerful in its fat storage effects. In fact, not only does it stimulate fat storage, high levels of insulin block the effects of the body's fat burning mechanisms. This is where the importance of limiting carbohydrate consumption comes into play.
High carbohydrate intake (and it really doesn't need to be very high) stimulates the release of large quantities of insulin. This high production of insulin effectively prevents the body from burning fat - for 24 to 48 hours! In fact, a single meal containing 20 to 25 grams of refined carbohydrates (about the amount in a slice of sandwich bread) can completely block your ability to burn fat for 1 to 2 days - regardless of what you eat and how much or how hard you may exercise during that time.
You may have doubts about that last statement because you may know of people who are losing weight even though they eat carbs. It is important to note that carbohydrate intake causes the release of insulin which prevents the body from burning FAT. Weight loss is still possible because you can lose retained water and the body will still burn some calories, it's just that the calories being burned are from the protein in your muscles and other lean body tissue rather than fat. Because muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in the body, burning muscle is particularly bad, because not only will it make you weaker, your metabolism will start to slow down and it will become more and more challenging to lose weight.
Because of the effects of insulin, minimizing carbohydrate intake is strongly recommended for sustainable fat burning and the most efficient and lasting natural weight loss. This is not to say that everyone will benefit from being on a high protein diet such as Atkins. Excessive protein intake can create its own problems that can ultimately interfere with ongoing weight loss due to detrimental effects on the liver. Instead, the best diet program in most intances involves eating plenty of fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds, and moderate quantities of protein from lean meats, fish, eggs, and dairy. The carbohydrates you do consume are best obtained in high-fiber forms from vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts, rather than from refined grains.
Certain low-carb diets I've seen actually suggest eating one carbohydrate-filled meal per week as a way of rewarding yourself for your efforts. I think you can probably find much better ways to reward yourself that don't have the potential to derail your weight loss program like this approach does. First, as we said, any high-carb eating can produce enough insulin to shut-down fat burning for one to two days. If you do the once a week "cheat", you are potentially eliminating your opportunity to burn fat for up to eight days every month - a reduction in your diet's efficiency of about 25%! The other issue is that eating carbs tends to cause carb cravings that could lead to more cheating and eventually cause you to abandon your weight loss plan altogether.
You probably now understand better why you really need to avoid eating refined carbohydrates if you are attempting to lose weight. In my experience, most people who stay away from carbs for two or three weeks will usually stop craving them and then avoiding carbs becomes a much easier thing to do. With some will-power in the early going, your diet will become second nature to you and you'll be prepared to meet your weight loss goals.
At the heart of the matter is the hormone insulin. The function of insulin is to stimulate the cells to take up sugar from the bloodstream (when blood sugar is high, as it typically is shortly after eating) and store it for reserve energy.
Surplus blood sugar initially is converted to a fast-energy source called glycogen, which is mostly contained in the liver and muscle tissue. The body can re-convert glycogen to blood sugar to be used for energy during short periods of physical activity. There is not very much room to store glycogen, so when additional reserve blood sugar needs to be stored beyond what can be kept as glycogen, insulin stimlates the remainder is converted to fat.
There is considerably more storage space in the body for fat than there is for glycogen. There are billions of fat cells in the body, each of which can enlarge to over 100 times its original size to accomodate extra fat storage. As an aside, this is why it is possible to get fat again after liposuction - even if you remove many of the body's fat cells, those that remain can enlarge considerably to store fat.
Insulin is extremely powerful in its fat storage effects. In fact, not only does it stimulate fat storage, high levels of insulin block the effects of the body's fat burning mechanisms. This is where the importance of limiting carbohydrate consumption comes into play.
High carbohydrate intake (and it really doesn't need to be very high) stimulates the release of large quantities of insulin. This high production of insulin effectively prevents the body from burning fat - for 24 to 48 hours! In fact, a single meal containing 20 to 25 grams of refined carbohydrates (about the amount in a slice of sandwich bread) can completely block your ability to burn fat for 1 to 2 days - regardless of what you eat and how much or how hard you may exercise during that time.
You may have doubts about that last statement because you may know of people who are losing weight even though they eat carbs. It is important to note that carbohydrate intake causes the release of insulin which prevents the body from burning FAT. Weight loss is still possible because you can lose retained water and the body will still burn some calories, it's just that the calories being burned are from the protein in your muscles and other lean body tissue rather than fat. Because muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in the body, burning muscle is particularly bad, because not only will it make you weaker, your metabolism will start to slow down and it will become more and more challenging to lose weight.
Because of the effects of insulin, minimizing carbohydrate intake is strongly recommended for sustainable fat burning and the most efficient and lasting natural weight loss. This is not to say that everyone will benefit from being on a high protein diet such as Atkins. Excessive protein intake can create its own problems that can ultimately interfere with ongoing weight loss due to detrimental effects on the liver. Instead, the best diet program in most intances involves eating plenty of fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds, and moderate quantities of protein from lean meats, fish, eggs, and dairy. The carbohydrates you do consume are best obtained in high-fiber forms from vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts, rather than from refined grains.
Certain low-carb diets I've seen actually suggest eating one carbohydrate-filled meal per week as a way of rewarding yourself for your efforts. I think you can probably find much better ways to reward yourself that don't have the potential to derail your weight loss program like this approach does. First, as we said, any high-carb eating can produce enough insulin to shut-down fat burning for one to two days. If you do the once a week "cheat", you are potentially eliminating your opportunity to burn fat for up to eight days every month - a reduction in your diet's efficiency of about 25%! The other issue is that eating carbs tends to cause carb cravings that could lead to more cheating and eventually cause you to abandon your weight loss plan altogether.
You probably now understand better why you really need to avoid eating refined carbohydrates if you are attempting to lose weight. In my experience, most people who stay away from carbs for two or three weeks will usually stop craving them and then avoiding carbs becomes a much easier thing to do. With some will-power in the early going, your diet will become second nature to you and you'll be prepared to meet your weight loss goals.
About the Author:
Dr. George Best writes extensively on the subject of natural weight loss. He has been assisting people with weight loss in his practice since 1992. For additional information about developing an effective natural weight loss plan, please visit www.TrainYourBrain4WeightLoss.com.
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