Beyond the Scale
It is important to look beyond the scale when it comes to weight loss. Your health is more than a number on the scale. The foods you eat have an impact on your body, either negatively or positively. In fact, the foods you eat either fight disease or feed it. The choice of what you eat is always yours.
Studies show that there are many health benefits with weight loss. In fact, just 5 to 10% of weight loss has major benefits on your overall health and wellness. You can see improvements in your blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugars. You can also see increased energy levels, physical mobility, general mood, and self-confidence.
Sugar and Insulin
Sugar is the primary reason that most of us get into trouble. That’s because sugar stimulates the reward and pleasure centers in your brain and is highly addictive.
What happens when you eat more sugar than your body can burn off? Where does that extra sugar go? Your pancreas secretes a hormone called insulin. Insulin’s primary job is it is a blood sugar reducer. That means it takes the extra sugar out of your blood and locks it into your fat cells. In fact, that’s how you gain weight.
However, insulin also has other jobs. Insulin also plays a role in regulating your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Insulin will tell your body to retain water which will increase your blood volume and your blood pressure. Insulin also tells your liver to make more cholesterol. So, if you are over consuming on sugary foods, you are most likely producing too much insulin which can cause your blood pressure and cholesterol levels to go up.
Metabolic Disorder
Believe it or not, only 10% of the US population is metabolically healthy! “Syndrome X” is a metabolic disorder associated with four symptoms: obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. The four hallmark symptoms of syndrome X share a common cause: hyperinsulinemia. Hyperinsulinemia is when your body is making too much insulin, most likely caused from too much sugar consumption. If you have any two out of these four symptoms, you are clinically diagnosed with this metabolic disorder.
Sugar and Your Immune System
Studies show that sugar also damages the gut and feeds inflammation. This can lead to a weekend immune system. This is especially important right now! Your gut is our first line of defense in your immune system. A weak gut means you are more likely to get illnesses.
The inflammation caused by sugar in your gut could cause your gut to not digest food properly. This can lead to leaky gut syndrome, where undigested food proteins get passed through the intestinal lining and into the bloodstream. The body sees the undigested food proteins as foreign and will attack them. This is what creates a systemic inflammation (inflammation through out the body) and can eventually lead to an auto immune disorder.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to lose weight in order to look and feel good about yourself. However, I believe the bigger goal should be about health and wellness. When your goal is about health and wellness, then it is easier to stay on track and maintain your healthy weight for a lifetime.
