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Prisoner of Carbs

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Published: 24Jun2007
Word count: 565
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I more than understand the carbohydrate roller coaster that you may be experiencing. You hear that in order to achieve successful weight loss you should cut carbohydrates. Also, some readings suggest limiting carbohydrates while others say to eat more carbohydrates! Does the carbohydrate mystery have you completely confused?

You will be amazed to learn that you can eat carbohydrates and still achieve desired weight loss. Before you can convince carbohydrates to work in your favor, you need to understand their position, so I will recap lightly on their functioning role.

Function Of Carbohydrates

All carbohydrates are broken down into sugar and are directed to the bloodstream as blood sugar, also known as blood glucose. When the blood glucose level rises, the pancreas expels insulin to remove glucose from the blood, and directs it to the muscles and liver to be stored as glycogen, a useable form of energy.

The muscles and liver can only store a limited amount of glycogen, and once those stores are full, the remaining is stored as fat. Consistently high insulin levels can result in fat storage, water retention, and an insulin imbalance.

The consequences of an insulin imbalance are a rapid rise and fall of blood glucose. Your blood is rapidly saturated with glucose, followed by an immediate plummet, resulting in carbohydrate cravings. If you eat more carbohydrates to feed into the "craving," you start the cycle over. Therefore, insulin can literally make you or break you in your weight-loss efforts. Gaining more control over your carb intake can put you a step ahead.

Excessive carbohydrate intake, wrong macronutrient combining, and poor nutrition choices have an effect on how insulin is managed, or better yet, not managed. A high intake of processed food and poor food combining interferes with insulin control.

Normally, carbohydrates are used as fuel, but when there is an imbalance in how the body produces and manages insulin, it can lead to fat storage rather than burned energy. If this condition persists, it can lead to a wide range of illnesses and diseases such as diabetes. You will literally be a prisoner of carbohydrates if you lose control.

Signs of an Insulin Imbalance

There are several signs and symptoms of an insulin imbalance, such as:

Feeling sluggish

Weight gain

Carbohydrate cravings

Hypoglycemic conditions

Fatigue

Headaches

Irritability

Nervousness

Depression

Over time, an insulin imbalance can result in an insulin resistant condition, making it more difficult to lose weight. The pancreas begins expelling insulin anytime food is eaten, causing a constant high blood glucose.

Now the question is how to gain more control. The answer is to correct the insulin imbalance. Of course, genetics do play a part. However, the main correction will come in nutritional changes and a proper functioning thyroid, which can also be corrected through proper nutrition.

One might think that the solution for correcting an insulin imbalance is to restrict carbohydrates. Restricting carbohydrates is a set up for disaster! Rather than restriction, try management. Begin by limiting your processed food intake, start adding more green, red, and yellow vegetables, limit and control your complex carbohydrates, such as potatoes, yams, and rice. Use complex carbohydrates to fuel activity or to recover from workouts. Be sure you combine a complete protein with your complex carbohydrate to blunt the insulin surge.

Gaining control is all in the right food choices and food combining. Now to take control!

Karen Sessions has been in the fitness industry since 1988. She is a nationally qualified bodybuilder and holds two personal training certifications. She has written 6 ebooks on fitness and has helped hundreds of clients transform their bodies. http://www.lose-weight-forever.com "Use of this article is authorized provided it is reproduced in full, and all web URLS are active hyperlinks directed to the author"

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