I recently attended a meeting that
discussed weight loss and nutrition. I
found some of the things the speaker presented very interesting. Since we all know that obesity is a huge
problem, I’d like to share some of what I heard at the meeting. I make no claim that this information is
scientifically proven, because I have not researched the material myself. It is, however, thought provoking.
·
Is overeating carbohydrates worse than overeating on a
low carbohydrate, high fat diet? A very small study was conducted on this
question. Much more research is
necessary to verify the results. In this
small study over a three week period, half the participants “pigged out” on
low-carb, high fat foods eating 5800 calories a day. (That
is pretty disgusting to me.) At the
end of the study, the participants averaged a gain of about three pounds. The
other half of the participants ate the same number of calories, but they ate
carb-rich junk foods. The average weight
gain at the end of three weeks for this group was 16 pounds.
Although this study cannot be relied upon without further
research, it demonstrated that – as we have known all along – all calories are
not created equal. WHAT we eat makes a
difference.
The speaker also shared information on body
fat about which I was unaware.
·
There are different types of body fat: Brown, White, Subcutaneous, Visceral, and “Belly”
Fat.
·
Brown fat is a good fat, but we don’t have a lot of it.
If the brown fat in our body could be maximally stimulated, we would burn off
300 to 500 calories a day (enough to lose about a pound a week).
·
We have a lot more White fat in our bodies, and its job
is to store energy and produce hormones that are then secreted into the
bloodstream. Small fat cells produce a good hormone called Adiponectin. This hormone makes the liver and muscles
sensitive to insulin, and in the process makes us less susceptible to diabetes
and heart disease. If we are overweight,
the Adiponectin production slows down or stops completely, making us more prone
to these conditions.
·
Subcutaneous fat is directly under our skin. This is the fat is what is measured to estimate
our total body fat. Subcutaneous fat
generally does not cause as many health issues as other types of fat. If these fat cells are on our abdomens, however,
they are more dangerous.
·
Visceral fat is the deep fat that can surround our inner
organs and cause serious health problems. Those who have a large waist or abdomen
have visceral fat. Visceral fat is a
severe threat to our health because it increases our risk of diabetes, heart
disease, increased cholesterol levels, strokes and dementia.
Women with a waist line over 35 inches or men who have a
waist line 40 inches or more are especially a higher risk for these
conditions. Abdominal fat is a much bigger
health risk than hip or thigh fat.
·
In general, men accumulate more fat in the abdomen, and
women more often store more fat in their thighs and buttocks before menopause. Consequently pear-shaped women are protected
somewhat from metabolic disease until they reach menopause when they too store
fat in their abdomen.
When we lose weight, we lose White fat and
tend to lose it evenly throughout our bodies.
When we add exercise to reduced calorie intake, we are likely to lose
more Visceral from our abdomens.
There are many products on the market that
claim to help us lose weight. Many are
scams, but some may actually help. I
personally believe that the way we can truly weight is by reducing the amount
and type of foods we eat and by burning calories with exercise. The missing part of this “formula” for most
people trying to lose weight is willpower.
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