Is your metabolism in sugar shock?

Kathleen DesMaisons

Cut 250 sneaky sugar calories or about 64 grams of sugar a day (the average overweight person easily downs 200 grams!) and you’ll shed a minimum of 25 pounds a year, lose belly fat, and have more energy.

When it comes to weight loss, sugar has a sour side. The sweet stuff is not only our number-one source of empty calories, there’s evidence that a common form of it – high-fructose corn syrup, found in everything from soda to cereal – may shell-shock our metabolisms and prompt us to store more fat, says University of Cincinnati’s Matthias Tschop, M.D. The proof: After studies suggested the syrup might zap calories-burning power. Dr. Tschop’s team put mice on an all soft-drink diet. Though the critters took in fewer calories than usual, they got significantly plumper in a few weeks. Now imagine what years of Big Gulps could do. Yikes!

When sugar attacks

Modern-day sweeteners, which are separated from the fiber and other nutrients they come “packaged” with in nature, are so high-octane our bodies aren’t properly equipped to handle them. Unless eaten in very small quantities, they cause blood sugar to surge wildly up, then, as the body’s hormones struggle against the rise, wildly down. “In the end, blood sugar often drops lower than where it was to start, and you crave more food to get blood sugar back to normal again,” says Fred Pescatore, M.D., author of The Hampton Diet.

Sweet relief

The good news is that the majority of experts agree there’s no need to give up sugar entirely. Cut 250 calories or about 64 grams of sugar a day (the average overweight person easily downs 200 grams!) and you’ll shed a minimum of 25 pounds a year. In fact, since your metabolism will be working better, and you’ll be less hungry, you’ll likely lose more. Even small changes such as trading one soda a day for water, and then a couple cookies for a piece of fruit will add up quickly. Plus, the more sugar calories you replace with sugar-free calories the more your overall appetite will be suppressed.

Be a smart (sugar) cookie

For most of us, eliminating sugar entirely is a losing battle, so most pros simply urge us to indulge more wisely. Here are a few good ideas:

Use sugar to make healthy food taste better. Sweeten up bran flakes or oatmeal, drizzle fruit with chocolate sauce, or add glaze to carrots.

Eat it with food that help prevent blood-sugar surges. Namely those rich in fiber, protein or a little good fat.

Make your sweet tooth say ahh. Forget about eating high-sugar foods that don’t even seem sweet such as boxed Mac n’ cheese or peanut butter. Make more satisfying choices instead.  For example, three squares of a Lindor truffle bar melt in your mouth without blowing your sugar budget.

Is your health in sugar shock?

The link between sugar and Fatigue, cholesterol, belly fat and diabetes:

Fatigue – Sugar highs are inevitably followed by lows. When blood sugar is low, you want to eat or take a nap.

Cholesterol – Studies at the Medical College of Wisconsin and elsewhere have linked excess insulin and high triglyceride levels.

Belly fat – A low-sugar diet helps reduce levels of the hormone insulin, a good thing since insulin has been linked time and again to excess abdominal fat.

Diabetes – In one famous study of nurses, those with the highest sugar intake were most likely to develop adult onset diabetes.

Check food labels for hidden (sneaky) sugars such as those listed here:

Be sugar-smart

One cookie or one taste of chocolate pudding won't throw you totally off your plan. But it will prime your brain to want more. Having something sweet "just this once" will activate an endorphin response and set off craving for more sweets. If you are not paying attention, this craving will catch you off guard and you will soon be sliding into relapse.

Weight Control for Life Self-Hypnosis CDs
The Most Important Weight Loss Tool article

Weight Control free report
Change Your Life for Good

Back to Article Index