In my most recent blog I said that I would follow up and begin sharing with you some of the science behind the Food Lovers Fat Loss System™. To do this I am going to provide insight into four hormones that have a direct link to weight gain and our ability to maximize fat loss. The first hormone is one that you may already be familiar with: Insulin.

Insulin and Blood Sugar Levels
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood. The human body requires a steady amount of glucose throughout the day for energy, and that glucose comes from the foods—specifically the carbohydrates—we eat. Not all carbs are packed with glucose however. Carrots are 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose for instance. Apples are 33 percent glucose and 67 percent fructose. The difference being that all carbs are not created equal and it is glucose that has the relationship with insulin, not fructose. So the higher a food is in glucose the greater the potential it has in triggering the secretion of insulin.

Please understand that insulin is not a bad thing. It's actually a very good thing. As well, glucose is not a bad thing. Matter of fact, the consumption of glucose supports mental energy, better physical performance and your ability to burn fat more efficiently. So, in no way do you want to avoid glucose. You simply want to learn to eat it in a way that benefits your waistline and general well-being.

Back to insulin
I often refer to insulin as the fat-storing hormone because it is insulin that triggers the removal of glucose from our blood for storage in our liver, muscles, cells, and adipose (fat) tissue. What people with diabetes have known for some time is that if you consume too many carbohydrates at one time you can flood your blood with sugar, which then increases the amount of insulin in your blood and the amount of sugar that is likely to get stored as fat.

Here’s the relationship: most carbohydrates you eat are metabolized as glucose (sugar) in your body. When your body senses that there is glucose in your bloodstream, it triggers the release of insulin from your pancreas. The insulin then removes the glucose from the blood. Some of that glucose is burned as fuel to support all your bodily functions, and the rest is converted to glycogen (the storage form of glucose) and stored in the liver and muscles. But if there’s more glucose in your blood than you can store in your liver and muscles or need to burn as fuel, what’s leftover gets stored as fat. When that happens, I call it a food flood. By keeping your level of blood sugar from fluctuating too high or too low you prevent those spikes in glucose levels that result in the release of insulin and, therefore, more fat storage.

How much glucose?
I was recently asked, “There's another weight loss program out there that recommends no more than 15 grams of sugar a day. What do you think about that?” Here’s the deal, I don’t think much of a program that would restrict carbs or sugar to no more than 15 grams. Our body and brain’s primary source of fuel is carbs. We maximize fat burning when we are eating carbs. If anything, make sure you are getting at least 100 grams of carbs as part of your daily intake of food. By enjoying a fat loss plate for breakfast, lunch and dinner you are getting a minimum of 90 grams of carbohydrates, and between one of your snacks I’m sure you’ll get that additional 10.

In my next blog I’ll share with you the distant cousin of insulin and how this hormone [glucagon] also attributes to your making the most of your fat loss or actually hindering your success.

In Health,

Robert Ferguson, M.S., C.N.