How To Use the food you eat to trigger your body's own awesome ability to burn fat.

By Gary Gil

Did you know that every bite of food you eat triggers the release of powerful hormones that have a profound effect on your body's ability to store or burn fat?

Some foods actually release hormones that literally boost your metabolism and cause you to burn fat! While others release hormones that slow your metabolism so your body stores fat.

What this means is that whether you realize it or not, food can either help your weight-loss efforts or literally... sabotage them!

The challenge for most people, of course, is knowing which foods are helping their weight loss efforts, and which ones are not.

And contrary to popular opinion, consuming fat will not hurt your weight loss efforts. In fact, there are certain essential fats (good fats) that you MUST eat to survive. (I'll talk more about the subject of fats in the next installment)

Now, imagine for a moment if you knew exactly which types of foods will help you lose weight, and which ones will make you fat.

That would make losing weight much easier, wouldn't it? Well, that's exactly what I'm going to reveal now.

To begin with, there are three major food groups, or macronutrients: 1) carbohydrates, 2) protein, and 3) fats.

Let's start with carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, sweets, potatoes and rice. Some carbohydrates enter your bloodstream faster than others, based on their glycemic index.

The glycemic index is a ranking of foods based on there immediate effects on blood glucose level. A food's glycemic index score has nothing to do with its actual sugar levels. Instead, the glycemic index is simply a value (expressed as a percentage) of the food's effect on blood sugar relative to pure sugar (glucose), which has a glycemic index of 100.

The bottom line is that foods with a high glycemic index increase your blood sugar levels faster and higher than foods with a low glycemic index.

So how do high glycemic carbohydrates affect your hormones?

High glycemic carbohydrates trigger a surge of the hormone insulin into the bloodstream. Insulin is a powerful metabolic regulator, and it is considered a "fat-storage" hormone. So when insulin levels are high, your body stores fat. And what's more, insulin stays in your bloodstream for as long as seven hours.

What all this means is, if you eat a high-glycemic carbohydrate, you will trigger an increase of insulin in your bloodstream. Your body will then store fat, instead of burning it as fuel.

Other foods such as protein actually have the reverse effect as high-glycemic carbohydrates. Protein releases a powerful fat-burning hormone called glucagon. Glucagon is a "fat-mobilizing" hormone, because it stimulates fat burning, and releases stored glucose from the liver for use as fuel.

There is much more to learn about carbohydrates, proteins and fats and how they affect your weight loss efforts. Macronutrients are explained in detail in my book "Weight Loss Secrets".

Another powerful hormone that's affected by your diet is your thyroid hormone. But this isn't triggered by certain foods. Instead, your thyroid hormone is triggered by the amount of food you eat. When you drastically cut-calories, your thyroid gland responds by producing less thyroid hormones, which results in a lower metabolism.

This is why it's vitally important to NEVER skip meals in attempt to lose weight.

In summary, the best way to use food to help you lose weight is to follow these three recommendations:

1) Be aware that the food you eat and the amount of food you consume has a profound affect on your hormones, which have a direct impact on your ability to lose weight.

2) To keep your body in a metabolically active state so you burn the maximum number of calories every day, avoid high glycemic carbs such as bread, pasta, sweets, potatoes and rice.

3) Increase your consumption of protein, to increase your metabolism via the thermic effect that I introduced you to in Part 2, and to stimulate the production of glucagon, the fat-burning hormone.

4) Never skip meals or go on a low-calorie diet to lose weight.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
About the Author:
Gary Gil is a weight loss expert and author of the popular book, "Weight Loss Secrets," which reveals the 12 secrets to
losing all the weight you want -- and keeping it off for life.

Each of the proven weight-loss secrets are revealed in full detail in Mr. Gil's book "Weight Loss Secrets." A electronic copy of his 212-page book (a $29.97 value) is included free as a member of the DietSecrets Weight Loss Program. You can learn about how you can become a member of the Dietsecrets Weight Loss program at: DietSecrets.com

Site Map

Information presented at Diets-Directory.com is designed for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice from a qualified physician or other licensed health care practitioner. The information provided through Diet-Directory.com should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you are encouraged to consult with your health care provider.