Two Pillars of Weight Loss

BE Strong and Fit

Another great post by our good friend here at MOB, Kevin over at Strong and Fit. Yet one more reinforcement for those of you who are still sticking to your New Years promises about getting healthy.

Two Pillars of Weight Loss

Hey guys! How are your New Year’s resolutions coming along? I thought I’d give you a couple of tips on weight loss. Let’s call it the Two Pillars of Weight Loss. Here goes:

Pillar #1: Calorie Balance

If you want to lose weight, you’ll need to achieve a negative calorie balance—period. This means using more calories than you are consuming. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just lying, so don’t fall for any of the scams that promise results by just wearing a “super abdominizer belt,” etc.
This is operating principle behind diet pills (the few that actually work—most of what you buy over the counter are a waste of money). The few diet pills that work either suppress your appetite or prevent the fat in your food from being digested: same principle—helping you achieve a negative calorie balance.

Pillar #2: Hormones

The way our bodies handle glucose (sugar) is another important issue to understand.
Let me give you a scenario: Imagine I drink a soft drink on an empty stomach. I have set myself up to store fat. The sugar in the soft drink will rapidly convert to blood sugar. My pancreas will then start pouring out insulin, which will cause the sugar to be stored in my body’s fat cells.
Here’s a second scenario: Imagine I eat some chicken with a baked potato and broccoli. The fiber and protein will all mix with the baked potato in my stomach. This food will more slowly convert to insulin, which will cause a smaller insulin response. From a hormonal perspective, this meal is less likely to be converted to body fat.

This is one reason low carb diets (Adkins, the Zone, etc) have helped so many people—they factor in the hormonal aspect in addition to the caloric aspect.

Putting it together:

Pillar #1: You’ll have to achieve a negative calorie balance to lose weight—you’ll have to burn more calories than you consume.

Pillar #2: I encourage people to manipulate their carbohydrate intake and see what works for them. Many of us get better results by lowering our carb intake and going with a low or moderate carb approach. I also warn would-be dieters about simple sugars and highly processed carbohydrates—these must be minimized or avoided all together.

BE Strong and Fit

Feel free to stop by STRONGandFIT.net to learn more about weight loss, strength, and fitness.

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Posted by Kevin Sanders on Feb 3 2010 Filed under HEALTH, SELF HELP. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry