When you eat food, the body digests the macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins – actually many different amino acids – and fats. (Anything it can’t digest, like alcohol or fiber or toxins, either passes right on through or, if it makes it into the bloodstream, gets filtered by your liver, a beast of an organ if there ever was one.) We measure these macronutrients in grams and calories, but your body operates in terms of fuel. If you eat more fuel than your body needs – which most people do – the body is forced to store this excess.

 

Bear in mind that every type of carbohydrate you eat is eventually converted to a simple form of sugar known as glucose, either directly in the gut or after a brief visit to the liver. The truth is, all the bread, pasta, cereal, potatoes, rice (stop me when you’ve had enough), fruit, dessert, lollies, and soft drink you eat and drink eventually wind up as glucose. While glucose is a fuel, it is actually quite toxic in excess amounts unless it is being burned inside your cells, so the body has evolved an elegant way of getting it out of the bloodstream quickly and storing it in those cells.

It does this by having the liver and the muscles store some of the excess glucose as glycogen. That’s the muscle fuel that hard anaerobic exercise requires. Specialized beta cells in your pancreas sense the abundance of glucose in the bloodstream after a meal and secrete insulin, a peptide hormone whose job it is to allow glucose (and fats and amino acids) to gain access to the interior of muscle and liver cells.

But here’s the catch: once those cells are full, as they are almost all the time with inactive people, the rest of the glucose is converted to fat. Saturated fat.

Insulin was one of the first hormones to evolve in living things. Virtually all animals secrete insulin as a means of storing excess nutrients. It makes perfect sense that in a world where food was often scarce or non-existent for long periods of time, our bodies would become so incredibly efficient. How ironic, though, that it’s not fat that gets stored as fat – it’s sugar. And that’s where insulin insensitivity and this whole type 2 diabetes issue get confusing for most people, including your very own government.

If we go back to the earliest humans, we find that our ancestors had very little access to sugar – or any carbohydrates for that matter. There was some fruit here and there, a few berries, roots and shoots, but most of their carbohydrate fuel was locked inside a very fibrous matrix. In fact, some paleo-anthropologists suggest that our ancestors consumed, on average, only about 80 grams of carbohydrate a day. Compare that to the 350-600 grams a day in the typical Australian diet today. The rest of their diet consisted of varying degrees of fat and protein. And as fibrous (and therefore complex) as those limited carbohydrate foods were, their effect on raising insulin was minimal. In fact, there was so little carbohydrate/glucose in our ancestor’s diet that we evolved four ways of making extra glucose ourselves and only one way of getting rid of the excess we consume!

Today when we eat too many carbohydrates, the pancreas pumps out insulin exactly as the DNA blueprint tell it to (hooray pancreas!), but if the liver and muscle cells are already filled with glycogen, those cells start to become resistant to the call of insulin. The insulin “receptor sites” on the surface of those cells start to decrease in number as well as in efficiency. The term is called “down regulation.” Since the glucose can’t get into the muscle or liver cells, it remains in the bloodstream. Now the pancreas senses there’s still too much toxic glucose in the blood, so it frantically pumps out even more insulin, which causes the insulin receptors on the surface of those cells to become even more resistant, because excess insulin is also toxic! Eventually, the insulin helps the glucose finds it way into your fat cells, where it is stored as fat. Again – because it bears repeating – it’s not fat that gets stored in your fat cells – it’s sugar.

Over time, as we continue to eat high carbohydrate diets and exercise less, the degree of insulin insensitivity increases. Unless we take dramatic steps to reduce carbohydrate intake and increase exercise, we develop several problems that only get worse over time – and the drugs don’t fix it.

Ready for this? Let’s go:

 

1) The levels of blood glucose stay higher longer because the glucose can’t make it into the muscle cells. This toxic glucose is like sludge in the bloodstream clogging arteries, binding with proteins to form harmful AGEs (advanced glycated end-products) and causing systemic inflammation. Some of this excess glucose contributes to a rise in triglycerides, increasing risk for heart disease.

2) More sugar gets stored as fat. Since the muscle cells are getting less glycogen (because they are resistant), and since insulin inhibits the fat-burning enzyme lipase, now you can’t even burn stored fat as easily. You continue to get fatter until eventually those fat cells become resistant themselves.

3) It just gets better. Levels of insulin stay higher longer because the pancreas thinks “if a little is not working, more would be better.” Wrong. Insulin is itself very toxic at high levels, causing, among many other maladies, plaque build-up in the arteries (which is why diabetics have so much heart disease) and increasing cellular proliferation in cancers.

4) Just as insulin resistance prevents sugar from entering muscle cells, it also prevents amino acids from entering. So now you can’t build or maintain your muscles. To make matters worse, other parts of your body think there’s not enough stored sugar in the cells, so they send signals to start to cannibalizing your precious muscle tissue to make more – you guessed it – sugar! You get fatter and you lose muscle. Woo hoo!

5) Your energy level drops, which makes you hungry for more carbohydrates and less willing to exercise. You actually crave more of the poison that is killing you.

6) When your liver becomes insulin resistant, it can’t convert thyroid hormone T4 into the T3, so you get those mysterious and stubborn “thyroid problems”, which further slow your metabolism.

7) You can develop neuropathies (nerve damage) and pain in the extremities, as the damage from the excess sugar destroys nerve tissue, and you can develop retinopathy and begin to lose your eyesight. Fun.

 Eventually, the pancreas is so darn exhausted, it can’t produce any more insulin and you wind up having to inject insulin to stay alive. Lots of it, since you are resistant. Congratulations, you have graduated to insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes.

That’s the bad news. And it’s seriously bad. But the good news is that there is a way to avoid all this. It’s all right there in your DNA blueprint. First off, exercise does have a major impact on improving insulin sensitivity since muscles burn your stored glycogen as fuel during and after your workout. Muscles that have been exercised desperately want that glucose inside and will “up regulate” insulin receptors to speed the process. That’s one reason exercise is so critical for type 2 diabetics in regaining insulin sensitivity. It’s also the reason why endurance athletes can eat 400 or 600 grams of carbs a day and stay lean – they burn it all off and make room for more.

Resistance training seems to be as effective as aerobic activity, but a mix of the two is the best. And because you are now “insulin sensitive”, you don’t require as much insulin to store the excess, which “up regulates” all the fat burning enzymes, so you burn your stored fats at a much higher rate throughout the day. Important amino acids and other vital nutrients have access to the cells when insulin sensitivity is high, so you’re building or maintaining muscle and losing fat.

Second, cutting back on carbohydrates, especially the obvious sugars and refined stuff is absolutely essential. Make fresh vegetables the base of your food pyramid. I get rip-roaring furious when I see our government suggesting that we get 60% of our calories from carbohydrates. That’s ridiculous, bordering on criminal. Think about what is optimal for human health from a “primal” perspective. Look at the genetic blueprint. Look at the statistics and studies if you like – or simply observe what’s going on around you at restaurants, movie theaters and school cafeterias – and you’ll begin to understand the implications of a diet out of whack with our design. The evidence is nothing short of overwhelming: carbohydrate intake of the refined, sugary sort is enormously stressful to the body.

Not only should diabetics limit carbohydrate intake – everyone should. We are all, in an evolutionary sense, predisposed to becoming diabetic. Our genetic susceptibility to insulin resistance, inflammation, cardiovascular disease and obesity shows that any sort of refined sugar or grain is the last thing humans should be eating. Our genetic “primal blueprint” indicates that we are not meant to consume sugar.

 

If you’ve been trying to eat right to lose weight, but haven’t seen the results you’re after it might be time to check your stress levels. Stress, if left to its own devices, can harm your chances of successfully shedding weight and reaching your goals. It can also cause a host of other problems you don’t want to deal with!

So, why is stress a roadblock for weight loss?

Stress in and of itself isn’t a bad thing. It’s a perfectly natural response to the world around you. When daily stresses are allowed to build up, however, they can take a serious toll on the body. Stress can interfere with normal eating habits, it can cause physical symptoms, such as stomach pains, and it can even increase chemical levels in the body that get in the way of weight loss. As many people know, stress can also promote binge eating habits, as well.

Fortunately, there are fantastic ways to reduce stress naturally and help your weight loss efforts in the process. Taking the right measures to lessen the impacts of stress can improve your health, your attitude and even your next weigh in.

How can you effectively battle stress and your waistline bulge at the same time? Try these simple, but very effective measures:

• Get active – Exercise is one of the most effective ways to reduce the toll stress can take on the body. When you get up and get moving, your body will respond positively. Not only will you help yourself lessen stress, but exercise will also aid with weight loss. Work with a personal trainer or talk to the pros at your gym for assistance in creating an exercise program that fights stress and promotes weight loss.
• Get some sleep – Making sure the body is properly rested is an essential key in the fight against stress. When people are stressed out, they tend to sleep less. This, in turn, can lead to irritability and even more stress. Work on getting at least seven to eight hours a night. Exercising can help make this goal reality.
• Meditate – You don’t have to go to a yoga class or read tomes of books to gain the basic benefits of meditation. Just learn some very simple deep-breathing techniques and give yourself a few minutes a day to practice them. Clear your mind, breathe in deeply, relax and let go of the tension you’re holding. When this is combined with other efforts – exercise and rest – the positive impacts can really shine.
• Eat right – Proper nutrition is also important not only for weight loss, but also stress reduction. Consume less caffeine. Eat your fruits and vegetables. Avoid fried and processed foods. Before long, you’ll feel better about yourself and it will show in your weight loss efforts.

Stress has been linked with heart disease, stomach ailments, heart attacks and more. It can also throw a monkey wrench in your weight loss plans. Learn to ease it naturally to get on the right path for shedding kilos. Your personal trainer can help you establish an effective stress-reduction plan. Just ask them!

Your best friend works out six days a week, looks great and is almost ready for that upcoming marathon. You’ve been walking but you aren’t losing any weight. You’re ready to start working out, but that routine sounds too intense to meet your tastes. How can you select a fitness routine that fits you, your lifestyle and your personal physical abilities?

The key lies in selecting a routine that does, in fact, fit your personal needs. It’s best to seek out a program that makes sense for you. That friend of yours has probably been working out for quite some time. You don’t want to start with a routine that grueling or you’re likely to not make it past day one.

To find the right routine for you, consider such things as:

• The frequency of the routine – Sixty minutes a day, five days a week might not sound like a huge time commitment, but it can be tough to stick with. If you have a lot of demands in your life, you might want to find a fitness routine that requires less time but that can still deliver the results you’re after. It’s better to select a routine you can truly stick with than go overboard right out of the gate and fail to reach your goals.
• The types of exercise involved – There are many different exercise opportunities out there. Not every person has to take part in the same one to see results. An exercise plan should be tailored to suit the individual depending on their goals, experience and ability. Doing the same circuit at the gym that everyone else does isnt going to cut it.
• Your personal interest – It is vital to add into your program exercises that you actually find enjoyable. Choose an exercise that’s personally boring and you’re likely to want to quit before you even get off the ground.
• Its targeting ability – Most people have very personal concerns when it comes to fitness. Perhaps there’s a need to burn off a bit of Christmas cheer and tone the legs and arms. Maybe you’re looking to simply build a little muscle? Whatever the case, you will be more motivated to complete your routine if it will show the results you truly want. Remember, there are different routines that are meant to help participants reach very different goals. A marathon runner, for example, will need to subscribe to a different workout plan than a person trying to shed 10 kilos to look good for a wedding.
• Nutrition- if nutrition isnt part of the plan then chances are the plan wont work. Appropriate nutrition accounts for 80% of what results you can achieve.

One of the best ways to make sure you select a fitness routine that suits your personal needs is to work directly with a trainer. A good trainer will listen to you and find out what you are looking to achieve. They will also want to know what your lifestyle looks like, what your diet looks like and workout a plan that is going to be achievable for you and bring results without taking up all your time.

If you would like to know more about our new Metabolic Precision program please give us a call on (02) 60218833 and we will be more than happy to sit down with you and discuss how it works.

We guarantee that you will tone up and lose fat whilst on this program. It will educate you on how to eat and exercise for maximum results without going on a diet. 

 

I’d like to share six simple strategies with you for losing weight.

But first let me clear something up.

Weight loss can be put into two categories.

• The first is a fully concentrated effort. This is where you dedicate yourself to counting every calorie and slaving away in the gym. The kilos come off, but once you relax the regimen your weight goes right back to where it was.
• The second is a combination of simple lifestyle changes. This is where you change a few key factors about what you eat and how you exercise, without making it a fulltime job. This type of weight loss is gradual and permanent, since you are able to maintain it long term.

The five simple strategies below all fall into the lifestyle change category. These strategies may seem ridiculously simple, but do them over an extended period of time and you will see amazing, permanent results.

Strategy #1: Ditch Your Diet Soft Drink

Studies are coming out that link diet soft drinks to weight gain.

Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio concluded that those who drank two or more diet soft drinks a day had the largest waistline increases—about five times more than that of non-drinkers. They stated, “Data from this and other prospective studies suggest that the promotion of diet sodas as healthy alternatives may be ill-advised: they may be free of calories, but not of consequences.”

Bottom line: Artificial sweeteners are addictive, lead to waistline increases, and cause you to crave sugary foods. By cutting diet soda out of your daily routine, and replacing it with water, you will lose centimetres and kilos—effortlessly.

Strategy #2: Swap Sandwich Bread for Lettuce
Move over bread, lettuce is better.

It’s time to re-define your sandwich. While bread has tradition on its side, lettuce wraps offer you weight loss and increased energy.

Bottom line: Eating bread and other starchy foods always leads to extra kilos, so change your ways. Swap your sandwich bread for lettuce for 30 days and see how much you will effortlessly lose. I bet you’ll feel more energetic after lunch too.

Strategy #3: Trade Slow Cardio for Intense Intervals

Doing slow cardio will not give you results.

In order to really make your workout effective, you need to turn up the intensity. If you love the treadmill, then do a series of sprints throughout your workout. If you’re a swimmer, then push yourself extra hard every other lap.

Bottom line: Doing slow, easy cardio will not give you the lean body you want. It is a great start when begining regular exercise but soon becomes ineffective for fat loss. Only intense intervals and strength training will do that for you. Pepper your workout with bouts of intense cardio and watch as the fat starts to disappear.

Strategy #4: Avoid Sugar 99% Of The Time
Sugar will cause you to gain weight every single time.

There’s really no way around that simple truth. Sugar is standing between you and your perfect body. If you’re serious about looking and feeling great, then understand that sugar has no place in your diet.

Bottom line: If you avoid sugar 99% of the time, then you will be on your way to a lean and energetic body. If it’s your birthday or a special holiday, then partake in a small amount of sugar, but make that the exception and not the rule.
Strategy #5: Don’t Think You Can Out Train A Bad Diet

It’s just not possible unless you are one of the few lucky people that have an exceptional metabolism.

For example. If you were to stop drinking 3 beers a night you would lose a kilo in about 2 weeks. To achieve the same result via exercise alone would take 2 hrs of walking or 1 hr of intense exercise every day.

It’s so much easier to lose weight by eating and drinking less than by exercise alone.

Strategy #6: Exercise With A Professional

People who work with a personal trainer get better results than those who attempt to do it on their own. Just look at some of our clients and their amazing transformations, and you’ll see what I mean. Each workout will push you to your limits, challenge your body and deliver the results you’re looking for.

Call or email today and we’ll get you started on a program that will get you losing weight faster.