Weight loss past age 60 or so gets much more difficult. Ask anyone past 60 with weight to lose. Not so easy as when we were 30 or 40 or even 50. I know because I've been there, got the t-shirt. In my e-book on losing weight I explained a lot about metabolism--the fat storage system, the carbohydrate/insulin system, the information about calorie reduction. I even laid out a "diet" that makes sense. But I can't stick to that diet. Along comes late in the day munchies and cravings that cannot be denied.
I lowered calories. I lowered carbohydrates. I tried Atkins. (Gained 3 lbs in 10 days). I tried cutting more calories. I tried eliminating a lot of fat--not low fat because I know it's not healthy. (Got that t-shirt, too). While I lost some weight it wasn't much or enough and I was left feeling incompetent, like a failure, stupid and guilty for and ashamed of my psychological flaws that made me eat ravenously at night.
Along come Ori Hofmekler, an Israeli fitness expert and scientist who pointed out something that is pretty obvious when I was reminded. For me, anyway, BREAKFAST MAKES ME HUNGRIER! I knew that when I was in high school, with a mother insisting that breakfast was good for me.
Over the years, I bought into a lot of conventional wisdom that was just plain wrong. This may be be just another bit that needs re-evaluating. Those cravings --always at night, right?--maybe are not personality flaws so much as they are a result of normal physiology.
So here's the theory, first, of intermittant fasting. When you fast, your body uses first your glucose stores, then your fat reserves for energy. The more you shift from sugar to fat used, the more fat you will burn, i.e. weight lost. The longer you fast, within reason, the more body fat you will lose. Often, a 16-hour fast is enough. Intermittent fasting not only reduces body fat but also helps control insulin sensitivity, which can promote long-term fat loss.
Along comes Ori Hofmekler in the video I reference before explaining more about this. Look at it again if you need reminding. Or here's my take.
We have an autonomous nervous system that controls all functions that are not under our conscious control (for the most part). It'd be a pain if you had to think about making your heart beat or your kidneys work all the time. And the autonomous system has two parts, as well. The sympathetic (promotes a "fight or flight" response, arousal and energy production, but inhibits digestion--it allows the body to function under stress) and the parasympathetic (promotes a "rest and digest" response, calming of the nerves and promotes digestion--feed and breed). Think of these two systems as the gas and the brake of a vehicle. Go and Stop!
Eating kicks us out of sympathetic into parasympathetic. Have any doubt, try giving a seminar to a group of people after lunch. They are resting, digesting and so NOT alert. Hofmekler also says sympathetic nervous system is responsible for creativity and innovation. It stands to reason. But the most important thing about this is that it's during sysmpathetic arousal when we burn fat. Eat a meal, and you shift immediately to using that meal for fuel not stored body fat and you're in "down" mode.
So I looked at these two different ways of talking about the same state of being I want to be in--namely fat burning. If I eat breaklfast, I lose that immediately. It also cranks up blood sugar (yea, even for those of us doing fairly low carbs) and then insulin. Insulin is the hormone of hunger. The theory then, tells me that if I postpone the cranking up of the insulin response, I will be less hungry.
That is precisely what my experience shows me. When I do a fast from dinner to about noon or 1 PM, Roughly 16 hours) I do not have ANY cravings at night. I eat normal meals, pretty much all I want and don't EVER feel frantic for more. What??? Cravings are not a personality flaw but a normal physiological response to high insulin! I don't know about you, but that information is huge for me--releasing me from a whole lot of misplaced guilt.
If all this had no other effect but this one thing--no cravings--I'd subscribe to it whole heartedly! But the rest of the story is that I'm losing weight again. It's slowed way down from when I first reported. And without blood work, I cannot tell you for sure if it's entirely because of staying in fat burning longer, or if it's because of reducing calories. Probably both. I don't care as long as it works and works in a healthy way. I can tolerate being hungry in the morning but cannot tolerate being hungry at night. Yes, I'm slightly uncomfortable, but it's very manageable.
If you are like me, finding the conventional wisdom of weight loss quit working for you at about age 55 or so, you might want to experiment with depleting your body's fuel from food (glucose) and kick it into fat burning by not eating breakfast. I caution any readers, to continue to pay attention to the glycemic load of what you put in your mouth. The carb/insulin/glucagon system IS how your body metabolizes and cannot be ignored without a high biological cost.
Remember, too, this is probably how early humans were adapted. They didn't awake to food, they had to go get it. It was never high insulin producing, either! They needed to be alert in daylight for their world held perils if they were not. They burned fat stores while they hunted and gathered and the largest meal of the day was late. No more guilt about night eating. It's physiologically the sensible time to eat a big meal.
I'd love to hear your experiences with this if you try it.
Showing posts with label insulin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label insulin. Show all posts
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Blood Sugar = Insulin = Chronic Inflammation = Disease
Even though much of this information is not generally available in the mainstream (your doctor may not be applying it yet) it is well established in the research and NOT controversial. I say that, because some things I talk about ARE controversial and I’ll generally let you know when it is. Today I want to lay out a logical progression of information that can make a huge difference—even if your doctor won’t or can't tell you.
Chronic inflammation is recognized as the initiator of virtually all disease states. Chronic inflammation changes both the architecture (physical structure) and biochemistry of cells and organ systems. Which cells and organs get damaged first is very individual. My arthritis, her breast cancer, his heart attack and their type II diabetes may all look like different diseases, but they all began with long term chronic inflammation that manifested differently in different bodies. Remember—this is not controversial, but well established information.
What causes chronic inflammation? The main thing I want to cover today is a dual partnership in your body—blood sugar and insulin. Another day I will talk about the Omega oil problems (ratio of Ω 3 vs. Ω 6 oils) that also contribute. Today is blood sugar.
Blood sugar is toxic and can kill you pretty quickly at high levels. One of insulin’s jobs is to get it down so you don’t die. Turns out that’s not really its main job, but sort of an emergency backup. We developed on a diet that had virtually no sugar in it, thus this emergency system rarely had to kick in. Turns out just a little can kill you, too.
Let me give you just a smattering of research on cancer—an inflammatory disease
A study that appeared in “Diabetes Care,” following participants for an average of eight years, reports this:
1) Overall, women with the highest blood sugar levels upon joining the study were more likely to be diagnosed with cancer before its end, compared with women with the lowest blood sugar levels. Also, cancer of the lining of the uterus (endometrial cancer) was more common in women with the highest blood sugar levels, compared with those with the lowest blood sugar levels. Breast cancer was more common for women younger than 49 with high blood sugar levels, compared with those with the lowest blood sugar levels. The results held when researchers considered other factors, such as participants' weight and age.
2) A mouse model of human breast cancer demonstrated that tumors are sensitive to blood-glucose levels. Sixty-eight mice were injected with an aggressive strain of breast cancer, then fed diets to induce either high blood-sugar, normal blood sugar or low blood-sugar. There was a dose-dependent response. The lower the blood sugar, the greater the survival rate.
3) In a human study, 10 healthy people were assessed for fasting blood-glucose levels and the phagocytic index of neutrophils, which measures immune-cell ability to envelop and destroy invaders such as cancer. Eating 100 g carbohydrates from glucose, sucrose, honey and orange juice all significantly decreased the capacity of neutrophils to engulf bacteria.
4) A study of nearly 550,000 people in Europe showed that more blood sugar equals more cancer risk—even within the normal range. The subjects' average age was 45 years and they were followed for 10 years. Researchers "controlled for" other factors that also can affect cancer risk, including smoking and overweight/obesity. For men, each 18 point increase in blood sugar levels was associated with a 5% increased risk of getting cancer and a 15% higher risk of dying of cancer. For women, each 18 point increase in blood sugar was associated with an 11% increased risk of getting cancer and a 21% higher risk of dying of cancer. Blood sugar matters more for women!!!
Diabetes is at the far end of the continuum of the blood sugar/insulin partnership gone awry. In 2005 alone, 233,619 adults died of complications of diabetes. There is no cure for diabetes, and its damage can be severe, leading to heart disease, stroke, nerve damage and kidney problems. It’s also the number one cause of adult blindness and loss of limbs. If over 233,000 people died in plane crashes every year, they’d ground every plane in the nation. That’s almost a quarter of a million people! Every year!
Misery and death result from chronic inflammation, cost this nation billions in medical costs and are directly related to blood sugar and insulin.
If you are not yet convinced, do a simple google search for “insulin and chronic inflammation.” Here are a few cut and paste quotes from just a few:
• Insulin resistance is increasingly recognized as a chronic, low-level, inflammatory state.
• Insulin insensitivity, as directly measured, may be associated with inflammation
• Several decades ago scientists noticed that people with type 2 diabetes have overly active immune responses, leaving their bodies rife with inflammatory chemicals.
• Eating Inflammatory Foods Will Cause You To Have Chronic Inflammation And A Beer Belly
• Inflammatory foods are what most of us have in our cupboards. The current food pyramid promotes foods that cause inflammation by giving advice to eat lots of grains and cut out fat. The problem with that advice is, we have been following it for over 30 years now and we are not getting healthier. In fact most people are getting sicker.
Here are a couple youtube videos that have good information.
• Dr. Barry Sears blurb for for his book but very good info http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUGP0eGWOG0&NR=1 his books are worth a look, too!
• Good information by someone who is new to me, but I like what this video says http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvMAFTP8Y44
The upshot of all the above info is this: Sugar in your diet causes inflammation--inflammation makes you sick.
If you live in this culture you cannot help being bombarded with enticements and even “health” information to eat “whole grains.” With only a modest exposure to wellness info, you already know sugar can get you in trouble. But the grain thing is pervasive and intrusive and a big fat lie. No way are whole grains good for you if they raise blood sugar--and they do! Let me recommend again this website to check the glycemic load of what you eat http://nutritiondata.self.com/
It’s the only place I know online to get the info easily and I use it daily. Glycemic load tells you how much blood sugar you get from a food and serving size—thus how much insulin. Ideal is to keep it all below 10 nearly all the time.
Glycemic load is additive. Double your serving size and you double the load. Eat two foods with a GL and you have to add the loads. Below 10 is healthy. Over 10 is inflammatory. Over 10 and you are increasing inflammation and your disease/unpleasant-aging risk. Here are some examples just to start you off.
NOTE: Only carbohydrates raise blood sugar. Meat does not. If you are a vegetarian, vegan or such, your blood sugar is taking a beating! Note the GL numbers for whole grains.
4.5 inch bagel 43 (killer)
yam 1 cup cubes 15
Subway roast beef 6" 17
1/8 piece apple pie (9") 32
Big mac 20
Mc donalds french fries 22
orange juice 9
4" pancake 6
1 TBS syrup 10
1 c cubed butternut sqsh 8
1 c cooked white grits 14
1 c whole wheat cereal 14
1 cup mashed potatoes 16
1 c med grain brown rice 22
1 c long grain white rice 24
1 cup milk--goat or cow 8
1 cup asparagus 4
1 c snow peas 5
1 c chopped broccoli 4
1 c spinach 3
4 oz chicken breast meat 0
4 oz salmon 0
4 oz roast beef 0
3 large eggs 0
1 cup cottage cheese 7
4 oz lamb 0
4 oz rainbow trout 0
4 oz hamurger 0
4 oz venison 0
4 oz port roast 0
1 cup cooked quinoa 18
1 cup cooked wild rice 16
1 cup cooked corn 12
1 cup cooked egg noodles 21
Chronic inflammation is recognized as the initiator of virtually all disease states. Chronic inflammation changes both the architecture (physical structure) and biochemistry of cells and organ systems. Which cells and organs get damaged first is very individual. My arthritis, her breast cancer, his heart attack and their type II diabetes may all look like different diseases, but they all began with long term chronic inflammation that manifested differently in different bodies. Remember—this is not controversial, but well established information.
What causes chronic inflammation? The main thing I want to cover today is a dual partnership in your body—blood sugar and insulin. Another day I will talk about the Omega oil problems (ratio of Ω 3 vs. Ω 6 oils) that also contribute. Today is blood sugar.
Blood sugar is toxic and can kill you pretty quickly at high levels. One of insulin’s jobs is to get it down so you don’t die. Turns out that’s not really its main job, but sort of an emergency backup. We developed on a diet that had virtually no sugar in it, thus this emergency system rarely had to kick in. Turns out just a little can kill you, too.
Let me give you just a smattering of research on cancer—an inflammatory disease
A study that appeared in “Diabetes Care,” following participants for an average of eight years, reports this:
1) Overall, women with the highest blood sugar levels upon joining the study were more likely to be diagnosed with cancer before its end, compared with women with the lowest blood sugar levels. Also, cancer of the lining of the uterus (endometrial cancer) was more common in women with the highest blood sugar levels, compared with those with the lowest blood sugar levels. Breast cancer was more common for women younger than 49 with high blood sugar levels, compared with those with the lowest blood sugar levels. The results held when researchers considered other factors, such as participants' weight and age.
2) A mouse model of human breast cancer demonstrated that tumors are sensitive to blood-glucose levels. Sixty-eight mice were injected with an aggressive strain of breast cancer, then fed diets to induce either high blood-sugar, normal blood sugar or low blood-sugar. There was a dose-dependent response. The lower the blood sugar, the greater the survival rate.
3) In a human study, 10 healthy people were assessed for fasting blood-glucose levels and the phagocytic index of neutrophils, which measures immune-cell ability to envelop and destroy invaders such as cancer. Eating 100 g carbohydrates from glucose, sucrose, honey and orange juice all significantly decreased the capacity of neutrophils to engulf bacteria.
4) A study of nearly 550,000 people in Europe showed that more blood sugar equals more cancer risk—even within the normal range. The subjects' average age was 45 years and they were followed for 10 years. Researchers "controlled for" other factors that also can affect cancer risk, including smoking and overweight/obesity. For men, each 18 point increase in blood sugar levels was associated with a 5% increased risk of getting cancer and a 15% higher risk of dying of cancer. For women, each 18 point increase in blood sugar was associated with an 11% increased risk of getting cancer and a 21% higher risk of dying of cancer. Blood sugar matters more for women!!!
Diabetes is at the far end of the continuum of the blood sugar/insulin partnership gone awry. In 2005 alone, 233,619 adults died of complications of diabetes. There is no cure for diabetes, and its damage can be severe, leading to heart disease, stroke, nerve damage and kidney problems. It’s also the number one cause of adult blindness and loss of limbs. If over 233,000 people died in plane crashes every year, they’d ground every plane in the nation. That’s almost a quarter of a million people! Every year!
Misery and death result from chronic inflammation, cost this nation billions in medical costs and are directly related to blood sugar and insulin.
If you are not yet convinced, do a simple google search for “insulin and chronic inflammation.” Here are a few cut and paste quotes from just a few:
• Insulin resistance is increasingly recognized as a chronic, low-level, inflammatory state.
• Insulin insensitivity, as directly measured, may be associated with inflammation
• Several decades ago scientists noticed that people with type 2 diabetes have overly active immune responses, leaving their bodies rife with inflammatory chemicals.
• Eating Inflammatory Foods Will Cause You To Have Chronic Inflammation And A Beer Belly
• Inflammatory foods are what most of us have in our cupboards. The current food pyramid promotes foods that cause inflammation by giving advice to eat lots of grains and cut out fat. The problem with that advice is, we have been following it for over 30 years now and we are not getting healthier. In fact most people are getting sicker.
Here are a couple youtube videos that have good information.
• Dr. Barry Sears blurb for for his book but very good info http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUGP0eGWOG0&NR=1 his books are worth a look, too!
• Good information by someone who is new to me, but I like what this video says http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvMAFTP8Y44
The upshot of all the above info is this: Sugar in your diet causes inflammation--inflammation makes you sick.
If you live in this culture you cannot help being bombarded with enticements and even “health” information to eat “whole grains.” With only a modest exposure to wellness info, you already know sugar can get you in trouble. But the grain thing is pervasive and intrusive and a big fat lie. No way are whole grains good for you if they raise blood sugar--and they do! Let me recommend again this website to check the glycemic load of what you eat http://nutritiondata.self.com/
It’s the only place I know online to get the info easily and I use it daily. Glycemic load tells you how much blood sugar you get from a food and serving size—thus how much insulin. Ideal is to keep it all below 10 nearly all the time.
Glycemic load is additive. Double your serving size and you double the load. Eat two foods with a GL and you have to add the loads. Below 10 is healthy. Over 10 is inflammatory. Over 10 and you are increasing inflammation and your disease/unpleasant-aging risk. Here are some examples just to start you off.
NOTE: Only carbohydrates raise blood sugar. Meat does not. If you are a vegetarian, vegan or such, your blood sugar is taking a beating! Note the GL numbers for whole grains.
4.5 inch bagel 43 (killer)
yam 1 cup cubes 15
Subway roast beef 6" 17
1/8 piece apple pie (9") 32
Big mac 20
Mc donalds french fries 22
orange juice 9
4" pancake 6
1 TBS syrup 10
1 c cubed butternut sqsh 8
1 c cooked white grits 14
1 c whole wheat cereal 14
1 cup mashed potatoes 16
1 c med grain brown rice 22
1 c long grain white rice 24
1 cup milk--goat or cow 8
1 cup asparagus 4
1 c snow peas 5
1 c chopped broccoli 4
1 c spinach 3
4 oz chicken breast meat 0
4 oz salmon 0
4 oz roast beef 0
3 large eggs 0
1 cup cottage cheese 7
4 oz lamb 0
4 oz rainbow trout 0
4 oz hamurger 0
4 oz venison 0
4 oz port roast 0
1 cup cooked quinoa 18
1 cup cooked wild rice 16
1 cup cooked corn 12
1 cup cooked egg noodles 21
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