Carb Controversy

Have you ever thought that the key to losing weight was to eat as little as possible? Maybe just suck on an ice cube and gnaw on some celery to get that body you always dreamed of? I mean, that's how all the "fit" people got to where they are, right? WRONG! So so wrong. Starving yourself will result in lack of energy, dehydration, loss of muscle mass, and the tendency of your body to HOLD weight instead of shedding it. Ok, I'm about to get a little scientific on you, but I am gonna try to keep it as simple as possible, so stay with me!

... Glucose is vital to everything our bodies do. Cells cannot operate without it, and you may have noticed that if your blood glucose level drops below a certain level, you feel tired, weak, dizzy, and shaky. Too much glucose is also just as bad as too little glucose, and the careful balance of glucose is regulated by hormones created in your pancreas called insulin and glucagon. Glucose is a carb, so when we eat more carbs our blood glucose level rises, signaling the release of insulin to take up that glucose to be used in cells, transformed into glycogen OR transformed into fatty acids to keep the blood glucose level from rising too much. SO, if glucose is transformed into fatty acids and glucose comes from carbs, I won't gain weight and get fat if I avoid all carbs, right?! Not exactly. Stay with me here... glycogen (which we just learned comes from glucose) is stored in the liver or in our muscles. Blood glucose levels increase right after we eat and begins to fall around 3 hours after eating (which is a good reason to eat small meals every 3 hours instead of just 3 big meals everyday)... once those blood glucose levels fall, the glycogen stored in your liver will break back down into glucose to be released into your blood. The source of glycogen in your liver has a limit and is completely depleted after about 24 hours. So, once your body has gotten all the glucose it can from the liver, where will it get the glucose it needs to function? The glucose that was stored as fatty acids??? Unfortunately, no. Unlike the glucose to glycogen transformation, which is reversible, glucose to fatty acid transformation is IRREVERSIBLE. SO, when your body needs more glucose, and can't get it from the liver, it will start to take glucose from the glycogen in muscles, which is NOT good. To lose weight we want to lose fat, definitely not muscle!

SO WHAT THE HECK DOES ALL THIS MEAN?!

A. Starving yourself decreases glucose availability...
B. When your body needs glucose it goes to the liver first and then will start to breakdown muscle
C. Fat is the LAST thing you will lose if you starve yourself or consume a diet with extreme calorie restriction

But what about all these low carb diets??? Low carb diets appear to be good in the short run, but not in the long run. Most of the weight loss seen in low carb diets is water loss. Why?

Every 1 gram of glycogen is bound to 3 grams of water, so when glycogen is broken down, it is mostly WATER that is being lost.

There are lots of different diets out there, but I believe that the best way to achieve a healthy body is all about moderation. A diet too low in carbs is not healthy in the long run, but neither is a diet high in carbohydrates. Trying to find a balance with a moderate amount of carb intake is the best option, and getting your carbs from good sources is another important point. Sugar is a carb, but that is not where your carbohydrate sources should come from. Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are the best sources of carbohydrates. Moderation is a good thing to remember for all aspects of life, not just nutrition.

<3 Health and Happiness