“Everything in moderation,” you’ll hear some weight loss Kansas City professionals say. Yet, that statement can be very misleading too. Eating junk food, refined sugars and high-fat foods – even in moderation – can sabotage our best efforts to lose weight. If you’re truly serious about weight loss at this time in your life, you’ll see that you’ll have to eliminate this type of food from your diet altogether until you’ve reached your goals.
During the refining process, all fiber is removed and carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars that are assimilated quickly by the body. This quick absorption of energy causes blood sugar levels to spike and energy levels to soar – but only for a short period of time. As they say, “What goes up must come down.”
When we eat refined foods, our pancreas releases a dramatic surge of insulin hormone to bring blood sugar levels back under control. The liver then increases its uptake of insulin to convert glucose into glycogen and remove sugar from the blood – at an alarmingly quick pace. When your blood sugar goes below normal, you’ll feel tired, shaky and hungry. Soon, your energy and your mood are crashing and intense hunger pangs strike. This is when most people crave fatty, sugary, unhealthy foods. As you might surmise, this is not good for anyone on a program for weight loss in Kansas City.
Another problem with refined sugar / insulin response is that it causes other hormones in the body to be inhibited. Now the body is prevented from releasing its normal supplies of Glucagon and Human Growth Hormone – two triggers for fat burning and lean muscle mass growth. As you may know, building more muscle mass is the best way to ensure greater fat burning while you are at rest. For all these reasons, weight loss Kansas City professionals encourage their clients to abstain from all refined carbs and sugars during the weight loss stage. Once you reach the maintenance stage, you can add them back in for an occasional treat.
Weight loss Kansas City dieticians recommend that local residents eat a bit of good fat (found in olive oil, avocados, and nuts) along with carbohydrates to stabilize blood sugar levels. Eating a source of lean protein (chicken, fish, soy, quinoa, low-fat cheese, yogurt) with every meal will also stabilize blood sugars and slow digestion. Increasing your fiber intake is another way to slow the absorption of sugar. Eating unrefined carbs – like whole grain pasta, whole wheat bread, and multi-grain rice – will give you more gradual digestion and will be a more sustainable source of energy for you.
Visit our weight loss Kansas City webpage for more helpful tips you can use.
