QuestionHi Arlene
Since we last communicated,I have lost five pounds,just from cutiing out sweets and white bread and potatoes..
I am probably consuming the same amount of calories.
It amazes me that this has happened since I have struggled with my weight all my life and I really dont eat much.It seemed so easy after all those years!
No one really seems to believe me that it was that simple-they are all convinced I must be starving myself or working out for hours every day.
When I have had medicals over the years,nothing came up re. insulin or thyroid or glucose.
I would like to know if there is a name for my condition.
There is too much on the web for me to figure out,everything from pre-diabetic/insulin resistance/carb intolerance,etc,etc.
It makes me think that all the chubby people out there these days can blame it on sodas and fries and white bread hamburger buns! Who Knew?!
AnswerHello, Barry! It's nice to hear you are doing so well. Let's take a moment to relish that.
I want to apologize for the late reply. I have been nursing a nasty bug and have spent a few days recovering while thinking of your good news and how to respond.
It is amazing how changing what you eat, not the number of calories, really can have such an affect. If I hadn't had the same epiphany, I would not believe you. And I know what you mean about people not believing you. When I cut carbs, weight fell off me even though I was a total slug physically. After years of working at my weight, it was a life-changing experience. No one believed that I wasn't spending hours at the gym and starving myself.
All the insulin, thyroid etc stuff should be ignored unless a doctor tells you you have a specific problem. What is going on with you is the basic job of insulin - and your body sounds like it is finely tuned to it.
Your body produces insulin in response to your eating carbs, which become glucose in your body. It is important to really understand this. Insulin is made in response to glucose levels, not to amino acids from proteins or lipids from fats. If you eat 2000 calories of carbs, you will make an insulin amount needed to combat those 2000 calories worth of glucose. If you eat 2000 calories, and only 300 are from carbs, you will make a smaller amount of insulin, just enough to deal with those 300 calories. Insulin has two big purposes. One, needed to keep our blood chemistry functional, is to remove glucose from our blood. The other is to signal the body to store calories as fat. This is the basis for Atkin's idea of cutting carbs to lose weight. If you keep your insulin low, you will not store your calories, you will burn them. Remember, we use the vast majority of our calories to simply live, not to carry out physical labor. Plus, if you don't store calories, you will burn them. This is probably why low carbers feel energetic once their bodies adapt and start over-burning calories. I know when I was in the groove, I felt like a cheetah, like I could run forever if I wanted. I believe that that is why you find yourself in your position. Your body is finely tuned to insulin, like it should be, and so cutting carbs is cutting your fat storage. Unfortunately for a lot of people, their insulin signaling is thrown off, mostly from eating "like an American" and already being seriously overweight. This makes their weight loss more difficult.
I know, after experiencing your success, that weight loss seems like, shall I say "a piece of cake". I do absolutely agree that sodas, fries, and hamburger buns are a serious source of weight gain. And that cutting these things out would be a good start for everyone. But it would only be a start for people who had a lot to lose, or who really just cannot give them up so they have to find other things, maybe less obvious, to give up. And then there is the psychological problem of giving tasty things up for a long time, possibly forever. Furthermore, once you lose the weight from your first round, if you have to lose more weight, you have to tighten up your diet even more. Giving up more and more sources of carbs. Often to the point you have to even count the carbs in cheese! This is the really tough job. And for many people, it never ends. Geez, I don't mean to sound so glum. It is very much worth the effort. And it's a big high when you lose weight.
Enjoy your loss, and appreciate it. But don't get lax about it, and never think it is easy. That's when you enter the danger zone. I remember you suffering somewhat over potatoes afterall. You have done more than you realize.
Well, I'm off for tea. Again, thank you so very much for writing. And it is great to hear you are doing well. It gives us all hope and reminds us of the good things that can happen even from relatively small changes.
- Prev:Sugar substitute
- Next:After Pregancy Weight Loss