I am sure we all want to be burning fat while we are sitting in the car, working, walking and when sleeping.
Reality check: if you are consuming tons of carbohydrates you are probably not burning fat for your main fuel.
How is this happening?
Glucose is needed for reserves and is stored in the muscles as well as liver. After we eat a high carbohydrate meal, the glucose (broken down carbohydrates) are converted into glycogen- a starch form of sugar. The glycogen is converted back to glucose when the blood sugar is unstable or too low. Stored glycogen in the muscles are only used for the muscles to use. Stored liver glycogen can be released to raise the blood sugar if needed.
How do we balance our blood sugar levels throughout the day and get off the blood sugar roller coaster? We need to train our body systems how to rely on fat for the main fuel source instead of carbohydrates.
Let’s review how we digest carbohydrates:
- digestion begins in the brain. We release saliva when we start thinking about food.
- the Valga nerve – begins process of salivating.
- salivary amylase released in the mouth starts to breakdown carbohydrates.
- the teeth work to work the mechanical breakdown of starches into sugars.
- to fullest digest carbohydrates, polysaccaride, we need to start the process in the mouth.
- a signal is sent to the pancreas to start producing insulin
- the stomach minimally digests carbohydrates and the salivary amylase is completed
- once the carbohydrate reaches the small intestine- the hormones secretin and CCK are released by the pancreas.
- the pancreative amylase is released into the duodenum
- the leftover chyme from the small intestine (indigestible fibers, bile, water, sloughed off cells) gets passed into large intestine via the ileocecal valve.
What is hypoglycemia? When you blood sugar goes too low then we have the blood sugar “crash” episode …you know when you feel that low blood sugar “hangry” feeling as-
- headache
- moody
- sugar craving
- impatient
- emotional
- angry (hungry and angry = hangry)
We not only feel emotional and impatient but also we are putting our body in emergency mood. Our blood sugar levels are too low so the mind senses a crisis- and must respond to the emergency situation by responding with an increased surge of glucose. The problem is the interpreted sense of emergency status sends the Hypothalamus to tell the Pituitary Gland to tell the Adrenal Glands to release the stress hormone cortisol to help respond with the emergency need for more glucose to raise the blood sugar levels.
Why does our blood sugar go too low? When we consume too many carbohydrates (especially without fat and proteins) and excess sugar then our blood sugar levels are too high so the hormone insulin is released from the pancreas to bring back down the blood sugar levels. The hormone insulin is also responsible for storing fat- taking excess glucose into stored fats or triglycerides once the liver glycogen fuel tank is full. Boomerang. Too much sugar spikes up the blood sugar levels and requires the hormone insulin to lower the blood sugar levels by carry it into the cells of the liver and muscles or taking it to our fat stores leading to hypoglycemia when our blood sugar levels drop too low. Then stored glucose, called glycogen, is converted back to glucose to increase blood sugar levels. Glycogen stored in the muscles can only be used for the muscles…so the glycogen stores in the liver are called upon to elevate the blood sugar.
How do the organs work together to regulate blood sugar?
Our body has an innate intelligence to keep our systems and processes in homeostasis including keeping our levels of glucose in our bloodstream in ideal balance. Meet our blood sugar regulation management team: the Pancreas, the Liver and the Adrenal glands. The goal is to stabilize the blood sugar levels and in exchange we don’t over work the pancreas by requiring it to release insulin in excess (leading to insulin resistance) as well as the liver having to over work with the glucose-glycogen process and then the adrenal glands getting exhausted being “stressed” from hypoglycemia.
When we are chronically stressed in life, and eating a high carb/high sugar diet, we don’t have enough hormone cortisol to respond to stress to help raise the low blood sugar.
The blood sugar roller coaster is not a ride you want to be on… it is time to get off. The excessive swing of going from one extreme to the other is stressful on the body- hyperglycemia to hypoglycemia (also known as dysglycemia). Plus we are not only creating a sugar burning metabolism and excellent at storing fat- we are stressing the adrenals, slowing the thyroid, increasing risk for insulin resistance, hormonal imbalances and more problems as auto-immune disorders.
How do you become a fat burner? Well you have to change the way you eat and eat for your metabolic type overtime. You don’t have to eat an extremely low carb diet forever but you need to re-train your body how to choose its preferred source of fuel- FAT! We need to start with what I call “Phase One” for a 5-day Jumpstart Reset Challenge and then progress to “Phase Two” the 21-day Sugar Detox & Reset Challenge in my The WHOLESTIC Method program. (coming soon online www.thewholesticmethod.com)
