Ever wonder if there was a single food you could remove from your diet
that would be a game changer in your weight loss progress?
One word: Sugar.
Now, this shocks a lot of people.
"How does sugar make me fat if there is no fat in it?"
Let's be clear, processed sugar DOES make you fat and fat-free foods are loaded with sugar.
Therefore fat-free foods are fattening. The joke is on us, or at least those of us who are uneducated about this. Basically sugar just turns into fat and even more specifically hangs around your mid section! It is the number one cause of excess belly fat.
First of all, you should know that sugar isn't inherently evil.
Our bodies use sugar for survival, and they burn sugar to provide us with the energy that is necessary for life.
Many whole, natural, and healthy foods are actually broken down
to sugar in the body- through the conversion of long and complex sugars
called polysaccharides into simple sugars called monosaccharide's, such
as glucose. In addition to the breakdown products of fat and protein,
glucose is a great energy source for your body.
This means that your body needs a balance of fat, protein, and glucose to function optimally.
However, sugar can and WILL sabotage your body if you misunderstand it.
If you eat too much sugar:
1) You will immediately become hungry again,
because that is the natural response to low blood sugar. So this will
most likely cause you to eat more.
2) It will cause the production of a stress hormone called Cortisol.
Cortisol triggers the release of stored sugar from
the liver to bring blood sugar levels back up, which when combined with
the meal extra meals you're downing, begins the entire "fat storage,
metabolic decrease" process over again.
It's better to stick with fresh foods, but if you DO eat packaged foods...
Here's a simple trick you can use to calculate how much sugar is in a package of food.
Look at the nutrition facts.
Divide the number of grams of sugar by 4, and you
will know how many teaspoons of straight up SUGAR you're consuming by
having that little snack in a pack.
Scary isn't it? Would you actually take 4 teaspoons of sugar by themselves and eat them?
So if you're keen on shedding some pounds, one of my biggest tips is to just cut out processed sugar from your diet.
You'll be amazed how incredible you'll look - and feel - when you do! Your body actually craves sugar. It's like an addict them more you eat the more you crave!
Listen, I know it can be hard to cut sugar out of your diet.
In fact, research shows that people who ate lots of sugar then stopped experienced intense cravings and withdrawal symptoms!
So if you eat a lot of sugar, cut yourself some
slack. Don't worry about your past - it's all about making lifestyle
choices in a way that's healthy and good for you starting now.
Do you want more tips on how to change your diet like these, sign up for my weekly emails when you create a free beachbody account.
Ways to kick your sugar cravings:
1. Replace yogurt with fruit on the bottom with plain greek yogurt and throw in some fresh strawberries or a sliced orange. Get your sweetness from natural sources such as fruits!
2. Slowly cut back your sugar in your coffee and tea until you go cold turkey. When I first started cutting out sugar I would drizzle some agave nectar in my coffee for sweetness.
3. Stay away from dried fruits. They are just loaded with extra sugar, once again stick to the fresh stuff!
4. If you are craving something sweet reach for Chocolate Shakeology. It is proven to help reduce your cravings for sweets and it contains no artificial sweeteners just pure ingredients! Plus it helps you lose weight while feeling like you just had a chocolate milkshake!
5. Sweet Potatoes are very sweet. I will just bake my sweet potatoes and put on a bit of oregano and have as a snack or side dish with dinner. They have that hint of sweetness that just helps to take off the edge!
6. Get busy! When you feel the urge to eat sugar come on or grab a handful of m&m's, drink a big glass of water. Walk away and get your mind busy. Visualize your success in your mind! Would you rather eat that candy than feel slim and lean and be confident in your own skin? The choice is yours!
Labels: Does Sugar Make you FAT?
Divide the number of grams of sugar by 4, and you
will know how many teaspoons of straight up SUGAR you're consuming by
having that little snack in a pack.
