Everyone is aging! I don?t know a single person getting any younger, well at least not chronologically, and yet some age more gracefully than others. Even with a few gray hairs and a couple of laugh lines, they still have that sparkle in their eye, that spring in their step, and that fit physique that appears to defy gravity. How do they do it? Good genetics? Couldn?t hurt. A secret diet? Not likely. Two hours at the gym each day? Now who has time for that? What they do have, that you can also have, is a fat-fighting lifestyle. How do I know? I study these people. I interview them, I coach them, and I might even BE one of them! In this series of blogs, you will learn how to overcome your weight issues once and for all!

Food is the most powerful drug you will ever encounter. I learned that from Dr. Barry Sears, PhD. over two decades ago when The Zone was first introduced. Sadly, twenty-two years later we are still thinking of food in terms of calories, and weight loss in terms of caloric restriction. If we are going to get lean and stay lean, we must re-examine and re-dedicate ourselves to the concepts set forth by that brilliant, nerdy, genius of a man! Weight loss and optimal health are based on the complex hormonal responses that are generated every time you open your mouth to eat!

The story begins with carbohydrates. We all need carbohydrates in our diet to refuel our brains since the brain uses glucose (a form of sugar derived from carbohydrates) as its primary energy source. How your body responds to carbohydrate intake depends a great deal on your genetic make-up. Approximately 25% of the population cannot tolerate carbs well at all. These people get fat just looking at starchy foods. Another 25% of the population have no problem whatsoever with carbs. They can eat and eat them and not gain an ounce. We all know people like that and we generally tend to hate them! The remaining 50% of us are not overly sensitive to carbohydrates but we will gain weight if we eat too many of them. In all, 75% of us have to be careful about overeating carbs! Get it? You are in good company!

So what actually happens when you overeat carbohydrates? Basically, excess carbs are converted to body fat, but you knew that! There’s more to the story, however, and it gets worse. Any meal or snack high in carbs will raise blood sugar levels. The body responds quickly to high blood sugar by signaling the pancreas to release insulin, the hormone responsible for driving those elevated sugar levels back down. You see, as important as it is for the body to regulate core temperature and to regulate the pH of the blood, it works diligently to regulate blood sugar levels too. Well, that?s fine except that insulin is a fat-storage hormone. Worse yet, it also tells the fat cells to keep that fat locked up making it virtually impossible for you to use your own fat stores for energy. So? excess carbohydrates in your diet not only make you fat, they keep you fat!
Next week: The Glycemic Index in a Nutshell. Y’all come back now, y’hear?

Not All Carbohydrates Are Created Equally

Some carbohydrates are more favorable than others. What distinguishes one from the other is the rate at which it enters the bloodstream. Those that enter the bloodstream quickly are considered high-glycemic carbs, while those that enter more slowly are lower on the glycemic index. High-glycemic carbs cause glucose levels to spike and therefore signal the release of insulin. Low glycemic carbs have a more moderate effect on glucose levels and subsequent insulin release. Eating too many high-glycemic carbs will not only ultimately rob you of your health; they will invariably make you fat and keep you that way! (Refer back to my blog entitled Fighting Fat As We Age).

Basically all fruits, except bananas and dried fruit, and all vegetables, except carrots, corn and potatoes are low-glycemic carbohydrates. Virtually all grains, starches, and pasta are high-glycemic. For a complete list you can go to www.glycemicindex.com.

As we have learned, carbohydrates and the hormone insulin play a formidable role in the overall hormonal effect of food, but they are only part of the story. Hormones very rarely act alone, rather, they work in pairs; pairs that have equally important yet opposite physiological effects. The hormone that works opposite insulin is also produced in the pancreas, but is not nearly as famous. This hormone is called glucagon. While insulin is the ?fat-storage hormone,? glucagon is the ?fat-burning hormone.? The delicate dance these two hormones perform helps us to maintain normal blood sugar levels thereby allowing the brain and body to function optimally.

So, if insulin is released in response to eating carbohydrates, guess what stimulates the release of glucagon? If you guessed PROTEIN, you’re spot on!