Is your food starving you and making you fat at the same time?
There are numerous debates regarding food, diet and weight loss. Most people have come to except the weight loss theories based on the laws of thermodynamics which states if you take in more calories than you burn-off you will gain weight and if you burn more than you consume you lose weight. This seems logical but how many people do you know who have counted every calorie in and out and still not lost the weight they desired. Also how many people do you know who seem to put everything they can get their paws on in their mouth and never seem to gain a pound?
What it really comes down to is how much you consume verse how much your cells actually use and this is controlled by insulin. Yep, insulin is the key to fat storage or fat loss.
Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas that functions to get nutrients into cells. It’s most popular function is to lower blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. When you consume a high carbohydrate meal your pancreas releases insulin to move the glucose from your blood into your cells for energy storage. You will 1st store insulin in your liver and muscles as glycogen. When
your liver and muscle tissue are filled to capacity you will begin storing glucose in fat or adipose cells.
Insulin both promotes the storage of energy or glucose and inhibits the breakdown and release of stored glycogen and fat. A typical western diet that is comprised of high amounts of processed foods and grains that rapidly increase blood glucose levels and results in high insulin levels. Here’s the catch, when you consume high amounts of carbs on a daily basis it results in chronic high levels of insulin and leads to insulin resistance. What this means is when your liver and muscle cells are filled to capacity with stored sugar they stop listening to insulin and the only place you can store glucose is in fat cells. FYI, when you have high insulin levels you will also not able to use stored fat for energy during your workouts.
This is why you can eat a lot of calories in the form of carbs and still be hungry all day, your cells are starving because all of your energy is being stored as fat and is not being delivered to the cells for use. Insulin promotes fat storage and inhibits the breakdown of fat for energy. with low insulin levels you can eat less and not feel hungry because your body will be using stored fat for energy.
By adapting a diet with little or no processed foods or grains you can reverse this insulin regulated fat storage process. A diet that consist primarily from high quality proteins from organic or grass fed meats, high quality fats and nutrient dense fruits and vegetables will increase your insulin sensitivity, decrease chronic insulin levels and promote the breakdown of stored fat for energy. You can eat less and be less hungry because your cells will be supplied with energy from stored fat. On the other hand you can eat a ton of carbs and feel like you’re starving because it’s all going to your butt and gut as stored fat and not your cells.
