DynaMOMENTS – Do Not Despise the Small Things – Sugar

DynaMOMENTS – Resistant Weight Loss Even Though NO REFINED SUGAR

Psalm 101:3       “I will not look with approval on anything that is vile.  I hate what faithless people do;

I will have no part in it.”

My friends, recently a friend of mine told me about his brother who has lost quite a bit of weight.  He weighed about 325 pounds and has lost about 50 pounds but would like to lose more.  (What a victory – he has lost 15% of his body weight!)  My friend told me that his brother had made some very excellent changes in his lifestyle.  These included excluding refined sugar from his diet as well as adding in fruits for his snacks.   Let’s discuss why and how these changes affected his health and his weight, but then let’s delve into what more he could do to continue his weight loss as he has currently plateaued a bit.

Just a quick word about “sugar.”  I think it is vile – vile for our bodies that is.  Why?  The sugar we ingest nowadays is refined; the fiber has been taken out of it.  It has become a tool for addiction and temptation.  Yes, it is vile because it is behind many diseases – most in fact.  It feeds cancer.  It inhibits the health of the gut and its ability to produce neurotransmitters and digest food.  It leads to mental fog and decreased cognition.  It is not what a faithful parent uses when feeding their children – at least most try to limit it; however, it is becoming more and more rampant in most homes, even with very young children.  Yes, we see it on buffet tables, but the popular overuse of this substance should not be approved.  I won’t approve it anyway just as I won’t approach the truth being sold for a lie.  For me, I have to be faithful for my own health and avoid it because I can’t handle the temptation of it.  I am not saying that I take no part in it, but I do my best to avoid it.  Enough said.  Let’s look at what some of the truth is about sugar and how it affects our bodies.

BENEFITS OF NO REFINED SUGAR

First of all, quitting refined sugar is about the best way to instantly make an impact on anyone’s health.  Sugar is everywhere, and it is so tantalizing that it is hard to avoid and hard to manage.  The taste of it and the way it affects our brains cause us to want more.  This is not because one is lacking in self-control.  It is a brain activating stimulus to make us crave.  In fact, food manufacturers know this.  It is in so many products, including salad dressings, chips, bread, prepared frozen vegetables entrees, packaged meat, bacon, and many other items.  Also, sugar (the white stuff) has well over fifty names, so it is easily hidden in the list of ingredients because most people do not know all of the names.  Although the white stuff is easily seen and can be be avoided by ceasing to actively add it to coffee or other items, it is ubiquitous in most “food stuff” that one may buy in a bag or a box.  We will talk about this later.

Giving up refined sugar allows the body to use up the sugar stores that it already has in the body which will in time affect the liver in a good way.  Overweight individuals have lots of stored sugar in their bodies. The liver stores excess sugar as fat.  This leads to fatty liver disease which is not a healthy condition.  When the body does not use the sugar which is ingested (no matter the source), it will store the excess sugar as fat because it must get the sugar out of the bloodstream.  When fat cells are full, the body will store it in the liver.  The reason the body stores sugar is because insulin is secreted, and insulin’s job is to help the body use the sugar and get it into the cells, but when the cells do not need any more of the sugar for energy, it will store it as fat in the fat cells.  This leads to weight gain and trouble managing blood sugar which is why many people develop Type II Diabetes.

Also, when sugar is ingested without fiber (like when we use the white stuff), it enters the bloodstream rapidly.  This fast increase in blood sugar causes stress on the body (leads to hyperglycemia and the need for more insulin).  When my friend’s brother quit the sugar, his body had less stress which allowed it to begin to heal.  It also allowed his body to require less insulin secretion from the pancreas, and therefore, have more consistent blood sugar regulation with fewer blood sugar drops (hypoglycemia).  This in itself leads to helping his body to become more metabolically healthy.  In addition, decreased the inflammation and the water retention which his brother probably had.  These improvements represent the peace that we want to bring to our bodies.  God wants us to have peace in our brains, bodies and beliefs.  If we yank it around with spikes in blood sugar, we not only cause stress and lack of peace in our bodies, but we also cause this in our brains because our brains are affected by what we eat and what it does to the body.  This leads to poor behavior like lacking the “fruit of the spirit.”  It is hard to to be patient when we don’t feel good on the inside – tired, yanked around, stressed. Later, we will talk about what more he could do to combat the “secret sugar” enemy.

Let’s discuss the addition of fruit for a snack rather than what he might have been eating before (things like donuts, pop tarts, stuff in bags and boxes, or bagels, muffins, chips, granola bars, etc.). Although fruit contains sugar (called fructose), it has fiber; this is what Robert Lustig, MD, has called “the antidote to the sugar.”  (I highly recommend listening to his talks about sugar.  He is an endocrinologist who has seen fatty liver disease in children.  He understands the terrible dilemma this country is facing and how we must make a change.) The fiber in the fruit slows down the entry of sugar into the bloodstream which allows for a gradual change in blood sugar levels as well as the body to use the sugar for energy.  The fiber and the vitamins and minerals contained in the fruit are also good for the microbiome and the rest of our body.  The fruit feeds the healthy bacteria in our gut which leads to many good consequences.  So, good things are happening which benefit the body: no blood sugar spikes, fiber for digestion and microbiome nourishment.  I could say more, but let’s stop with this.  I would want the brother to understand, however, that because of his condition, he might not respond well to even the sugar in the fruit.  He is currently at a disadvantage compared to a metabolically healthy individual until this is strengthened.

WHAT CAN THE BROTHER DO NOW?

Now, let’s look at how the brother could fine tune things to promote more weight loss and better metabolic health.  He has already done a marvelous job with his decision and sticking with it, but his body will respond to the next layer of action.  Remember, do not despise the small things.  Everything that we do for our health, every clearing of clutter, every effort for peace, every thought taken captive to the obedience of Christ, every minute spent in God’s Word, every movement of exercise, every nutrient we put in our brain, body and beliefs will affect us.

Although I have not interviewed the brother, I will assume that he is dealing with other issues and could make other changes to help his weight loss and metabolic health.  Please assume with me that he needs specific guidance.  These are more suggestions for the brother:  Spend time in God’s Word, start reading ingredient labels, omit sugar completely, omit seed oils (vegetable oils), get better sleep, drink water, ensure adequate protein, limit carbohydrates, eat more vegetables and less fruit, get connected to others, find support and begin moving the body.  Today, I will only address reading ingredient labels partially (just the sugar aspect).  The next several blogs will discuss other suggestions.

READING GOD’S WORD and INGREDIENT LABELS.

God’s Word

God’s Word is powerful.  It directs us.  It encourages us.  It trains and strengthens us.  As I have said often, if we are not healthy in our relationships with God, we are not healthy.  If we are not in God’s Word, we are not being nourished.  We need our Lord and His Word to daily strengthen our resolve to trust in Him for everything, including our health.  We need Him to strengthen our resolve to stick with habits that are healthy for us.  We need Him for peace.  If we do not have peace, we are not healthy.  I would suggest that the brother spend time in Psalm 1 each morning and night.  All Scripture is beneficial, but Psalm 1 is a wonderful starting point.

Ingredient Labels

While food manufactures are able to hide many toxic substances in their food labels, they are required to list the ingredients.  Let me say now that sugar is toxic; I called it vile earlier.  It is not your friend.  It causes addiction, cravings, and lack of peace.  If we read the labels, we will see if it contains added sugar.  If sugar is listed as one of the first several ingredients, the product is geared toward providing the “bliss point” of this “food” so that people will want more of it.  (The bliss points is the ultimate taste, texture, and quality of a food that manufactures strive to achieve.  It is the ultimate and is hard to resist; makes us want more of the substance.) This results in the failure to control how much is eaten, and therefore, overeating and weight gain or failure to lose weight occur.   In addition, it feeds the bad bacteria of the gut, decreases immune function, decreases testosterone production and affects blood sugar.  Often, several different names for sugar are used in the product to get it sweet (just google the names for sugar to get an idea for some of these).  These are listed on the food label, but because most people do not know all of the names, they do not realize how much sugar is in what they are eating.  Their blood sugar is affected, extra calories and carbohydrates are consumed, and few real nutrients are ingested.  So, no matter what he or we buy, we would be wise to read the labels and know what is in all products.  (By the way, the produce section of the grocery store does not need food labels; broccoli is broccoli; celery is celery; strawberries are strawberries.)

Because this man is already dealing with Type II Diabetes, every bit of sugar (no matter the source) will affect him differently than how it would affect someone who does not have this condition.  This puts him at a disadvantage, but God has made our bodies to heal.  There is hope.  If he is diligent, he will have success.  It takes a choice and consistency.  Reading the food labels of everything will give him an indication of what he is actually putting into his body.  Even if a food label states that it is gluten free, dairy free, low sugar, low fat or has no trans fats does not mean it is healthy.  These are little ploys to make people think the item is good for them when in reality, it might just be a disguised candy bar.  Read the list of ingredients on the food labels.

Finally, if the list of ingredients contains more than 5 ingredients, it probably is not “real” food but rather is a created snack to make money, to ease the hurried life, and to create a craving for more.  In essence, if anything we buy is in a bag or box, it is probably stripped of fiber, full of sugar and filled with unhealthy fat and little protein. This is not good for anyone let alone someone who is already in the struggle to improve their metabolic condition.

BUT it is possible!  Remember, God made our bodies to be able to heal.  We see this every time a scab forms; we see this when bones heal; we see this when inflammation goes down; we see it when grief lessens and when emotional struggles become joy and peace.  Stick with each change.  Seek peace and pursue it in your brain, body and beliefs.  It takes an effort.  None of us have arrived at our current condition instantly; it took time; it took time for an education; it time to raise kids; it took time to develop skill and coordination.  BUT remember, it happened because we stuck with our goal and pursued it.  Do the same here.  Don’t give up.

My friends, be blameless today by God’s Word and by reading food labels.  Don’t look with approval on “anything” that is vile.  Although sugar is permissible, it wreaks havoc on our bodies.  Do not feel condemned if and when you use it but realize what it is doing to your body.

Seek peace and purse it, my friends.