Gabby Dinner Nights
WYSTONE'S WORLD TEAS
GIVE PAWS BENEFIT
MARCH 11, 2012
VOLCANO
MARCH 28 2012
ARIA RESTAURANT
APRIL 05, 2012
COOHILL'S
APRIL 16, 2012
THE LITTLE NELL
MAY 26, 2012
Featured Recipes >more
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Elway's Downtown Prime Rib by Chef Robert Bogart |
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Beef Petite Tender with Chianti Black Olive Sauce by Chef Michel Wahaltere - miniBAR |
Heather Pratt, CNT
A New Year’s Resolution…With a Twist
Weight Loss Explained
I know, I know. You’ve heard it before. You’ve said it before! This year will be different. This year I will get healthy, I will lose weight, I will feel better. That new “guaranteed” diet will work different than the rest. But each year the same results… or lack thereof. The problem with all the well-intentioned New Year’s Resolutions to lose weight is not a matter of willpower or motivation, it’s a matter of misinformation.
For years we’ve been lead to believe that weight management is a simple matter of balancing the calories that are coming in with the calories that are being expended. But anyone who has tried this method knows, losing weight and keeping it off by cutting calories and exercising more is like trying to swim faster by wearing your boots. It just doesn’t work, at least not for long. Eventually the body rebels from this self-imposed starvation and any weight lost returns with a vengeance.
The problem with “calories in” versus “calories out” is that all of our metabolic functions, including weight management, are under hormonal control and there are so many different hormonal systems that can affect weight: A thyroid that is out of balance, adrenal glands that are fatigued, and perhaps most importantly, blood sugar that is out of balance. The balance of our blood sugar is the one we can exert the most control over each and every day. It also turns out that it may be the most effective way to actually lose weight and keep it off. To understand this, let’s take a minute to look at the hormone insulin.
When blood glucose levels rise because we have eaten a meal that contains foods that are quickly converted into sugars, the pancreas sends out insulin to help shuttle the glucose into the cells where it can be used for energy. Glucose left to circulate in the blood stream sticks to bodily proteins and causes damage to our eyes and our nerve endings, increases inflammation and (maybe worst of all) causes wrinkles! Because circulating glucose is so dangerous, getting it out of the blood stream is priority and insulin plays a significant role beyond merely being the delivery vehicle. Insulin tells the fat cells to lock their glucose reserves and directs the muscle cells to only burn glucose -- not fat. Ultimately the effects of elevated insulin increase fat storage and inhibit fat burning. What this means is that no matter how much you exercise and how little you eat, if your insulin levels are high, you can’t access your fat stores to burn them. So now, not only are you unable to lose any fat, but you are also unable to have adequate energy, leaving you tired all the time. Sound familiar?
The other problem with weight loss attempts is that the very foods we are advised to eat are the ones that convert to sugar in our bodies and spike our blood sugar. Foods like sugars, artificial sweeteners, all flours (including whole grains) and even fruit keep our insulin levels high, while protein, fats and fiber help to keep our blood sugar balanced. We have villainized fats and, in their place, substituted lots of processed grains, keeping our blood sugar high, our insulin high and our fat stores locked away. Not only does this pattern keep weight on, it also sets us up for bodily damage and a general sense of malaise in our bodies.
To remedy this situation it takes some changes, not a specific “diet” per say, but a new approach to everyday eating. Keeping the blood sugar balanced by building meals around vegetables and proteins with a dose of healthy fat is the first step. Eating at regular intervals is the next step and learning to let go of the addictions (like sugar and flour) that keep us in our unhealthy patterns is the final step. This last step is not always an easy one, but probably the most impactful and liberating step we can take. Start today, making small changes and educating yourself on the way your body works, because working with it rather than against it is a whole lot easier.
Start this year with a twist on America's favorite resolution and see just how easy it is to feel your best!
Additional Resources:
Book: Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes (Available at Natural Grocers)
Book: UltraMetabolism by Mark Hyman (Available at Natural Grocers)
Free Class at Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage: Cravings, Weight Gain, and the Blood Sugar Rollercoaster
List of locations and times
Free Pre-Recorded Class On Demand: Cravings, Weight Gain, and the Blood Sugar Rollercoaster
Listen on demand
Free Nutritional Health Coaching at Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage:
Stop in or contact us to set an appointment with a Nutritional Health Coach
A New Year’s Resolution…With a Twist
Weight Loss Explained
I know, I know. You’ve heard it before. You’ve said it before! This year will be different. This year I will get healthy, I will lose weight, I will feel better. That new “guaranteed” diet will work different than the rest. But each year the same results… or lack thereof. The problem with all the well-intentioned New Year’s Resolutions to lose weight is not a matter of willpower or motivation, it’s a matter of misinformation.
For years we’ve been lead to believe that weight management is a simple matter of balancing the calories that are coming in with the calories that are being expended. But anyone who has tried this method knows, losing weight and keeping it off by cutting calories and exercising more is like trying to swim faster by wearing your boots. It just doesn’t work, at least not for long. Eventually the body rebels from this self-imposed starvation and any weight lost returns with a vengeance.
The problem with “calories in” versus “calories out” is that all of our metabolic functions, including weight management, are under hormonal control and there are so many different hormonal systems that can affect weight: A thyroid that is out of balance, adrenal glands that are fatigued, and perhaps most importantly, blood sugar that is out of balance. The balance of our blood sugar is the one we can exert the most control over each and every day. It also turns out that it may be the most effective way to actually lose weight and keep it off. To understand this, let’s take a minute to look at the hormone insulin.
When blood glucose levels rise because we have eaten a meal that contains foods that are quickly converted into sugars, the pancreas sends out insulin to help shuttle the glucose into the cells where it can be used for energy. Glucose left to circulate in the blood stream sticks to bodily proteins and causes damage to our eyes and our nerve endings, increases inflammation and (maybe worst of all) causes wrinkles! Because circulating glucose is so dangerous, getting it out of the blood stream is priority and insulin plays a significant role beyond merely being the delivery vehicle. Insulin tells the fat cells to lock their glucose reserves and directs the muscle cells to only burn glucose -- not fat. Ultimately the effects of elevated insulin increase fat storage and inhibit fat burning. What this means is that no matter how much you exercise and how little you eat, if your insulin levels are high, you can’t access your fat stores to burn them. So now, not only are you unable to lose any fat, but you are also unable to have adequate energy, leaving you tired all the time. Sound familiar?
The other problem with weight loss attempts is that the very foods we are advised to eat are the ones that convert to sugar in our bodies and spike our blood sugar. Foods like sugars, artificial sweeteners, all flours (including whole grains) and even fruit keep our insulin levels high, while protein, fats and fiber help to keep our blood sugar balanced. We have villainized fats and, in their place, substituted lots of processed grains, keeping our blood sugar high, our insulin high and our fat stores locked away. Not only does this pattern keep weight on, it also sets us up for bodily damage and a general sense of malaise in our bodies.
To remedy this situation it takes some changes, not a specific “diet” per say, but a new approach to everyday eating. Keeping the blood sugar balanced by building meals around vegetables and proteins with a dose of healthy fat is the first step. Eating at regular intervals is the next step and learning to let go of the addictions (like sugar and flour) that keep us in our unhealthy patterns is the final step. This last step is not always an easy one, but probably the most impactful and liberating step we can take. Start today, making small changes and educating yourself on the way your body works, because working with it rather than against it is a whole lot easier.
Start this year with a twist on America's favorite resolution and see just how easy it is to feel your best!
Additional Resources:
Book: Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes (Available at Natural Grocers)
Book: UltraMetabolism by Mark Hyman (Available at Natural Grocers)
Free Class at Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage: Cravings, Weight Gain, and the Blood Sugar Rollercoaster
List of locations and times
Free Pre-Recorded Class On Demand: Cravings, Weight Gain, and the Blood Sugar Rollercoaster
Listen on demand
Free Nutritional Health Coaching at Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage:
Stop in or contact us to set an appointment with a Nutritional Health Coach
 |
Heather Pratt, CNT |
|
Heather Pratt is a natural born foodie with a passion for the medicinal effects of food. After several years in a field that just didn't 'feed' her she went back to school to become a Certified Nutrition Therapist. She works full time for Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage as a Nutritional Health Coach and regular contributor to the Natural Grocers Health Hotline magazine, where she teaches staff and customers alike how to use food and supplements to enhance their health. She also teaches nutrition at the Nutrition Therapy Institute here in Denver, to students studying to be Natural Food Chefs. Uniting good food with good health is her passion and she loves to share it with others. |