DynaMOMENTS – Limiting Carbohydrates for Weight Loss

Psalm 101:4

                I will not look with approval on what is vile.

My Friends,

Let’s continue to support the man who wants to lose more weight.  Let’s applaud what he has done thus far.  At the beginning, he decreased his sugar intake and began to eat more fruit.  This was a great first step as it not only decreased unhealthy glucose spikes and calories from the sugar (an enemy to his immune system, his blood sugar regulation and his microbiome), but it increased his fiber intake due to the consumption of fruit.  These steps support his immune system, his blood sugar regulation, and his microbiome due to the increased fiber, vitamins and minerals. 

Early on, we discussed that sugar really is vile.  It is behind a lot of disease and cognitive decline.  It is not a friend to children or their brains.  Mentioning the control it begins to have on anyone from an early age demands more attention than this blog presents today.  Books are written about sugar and the addictive nature of it.  Yes, it is vile, and the sooner we admit and accept this and act to avoid it, the better for our health. 

You might think I am a little too harsh, but in my opinion, all parents should provide true nourishment for their children.  Sugar is not part of this; easy yes, but not beneficial.  It damages children’s health, their brains and their learning from an early age.  It challenges their behavior and how they feel during the day.  It robs them of nourishing food which would support growth, muscle and brain development.  Pay attention parents.  You have the power to affect the future of your children to old age.  Spend time feeding children what God has provided for all of us in its truest form, including His Word.

Charlotte Mason was an educator in England during the 1900’s and believed children should be afforded the respect of being a “person.”  She believed that children could discern what was of good quality.  In view of feeding children literature, she believed that quality literature, challenging thinking and thoughtful analysis were to be regarded and presented.  Poor quality literature earned the name of “twaddle” in her message.  This is how I view sugar and other unhealthy carbohydrates.  They are “twaddle”.  They do not support learning, healthy thinking or disciplined behavior and should not be used in education nor in healthy living.  You get what you pay for, and you reap the rewards of your investments.  Have nothing to do with the twaddle of words and the twaddle of sugar. They both cause trouble.

I am not referring to just the white stuff either.  Sugar is in most packaged products.  If you read the ingredient labels you will easily find sugar more often than not.  Even on packaged items that are heralded as healthy, you will notice sugar is added to make it tasty.  Many of these types of products are filled with only carbohydrates and little protein or fat.  Thus, they are just a sugary snack that seem convenient to get through life.  In fact, they are a sugary snack that affect life negatively.

CARBOHYDRATES

Today we will address carbohydrates.  Carbohydrates are simply sugar molecules made up of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon.  They give us quick energy.  Different types of carbohydrates include simple and complex carbs and impact our blood sugar more than protein does.  They work more rapidly and with a higher spike and drop leading to more derailment from homeostasis.  This puts stress on our bodies. Simple carbohydrates have the most drastic effect on blood sugar while complex carbohydrates take more digestion to break down.  So, they enter the blood stream more slowly.

The important point that I want to make is that anyone trying to lose weight is wise to limit their carbohydrate intake.  Simple carbs can be addictive.  Sugar would be an example of this.  Complex carbohydrates take longer to enter the bloodstream and therefore spike our blood sugar less drastically.  However, if they are combined with salt and fat, they become so tasty that it might be difficult to manage the desire they elicit from our brains.  This could lead to overeating and weight gain.

Processed food in bags and boxes might be filled with this type of “food stuff” along with many “anti-nutrients” so avoiding them is best for all of us.  If you read the nutrient label, you probably will see the added sugars and notice sugar on the ingredient list.  Your life is made simple if you just refrain from buying “food” in a bag or box to begin this.  I suggest this as an action step for everyone. Avoid bags and boxes.

While fruit is healthy for us, it does contain natural simple sugars.  However, this natural sugar is combined with fiber, so it has less effect on blood sugar because the fiber slows down the entry of the sugar into the bloodstream. For anyone who has been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome or Type II Diabetes, it is still best to avoid even the carbohydrates (sugar) from fruit.  My suggestion is that fruit be limited while vegetables, which have plenty of fiber and micronutrients, be increased.

Although vegetables have simple carbs (sugar), the complex carbohydrates in vegetables include both starch and fiber which take longer to digest.  They do not have an unhealthy effect on blood sugar, and they provide many vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients for our bodies.  Because they include fiber and a considerable amount of water, they also make us feel full so that our appetites are decreased.  When this is coupled with protein intake, we have a double-edged sword to ward off hunger.  In addition, we are giving our microbiome and body nutrients they need to function more optimally.  This will further help our ability to ward off illness and disease and all the negative effects that stress and sugar could have on us.  Furthermore, by supporting all of this, we are able to digest food more easily leading to better absorption of other nutrients such as amino acids from protein.

HOW MANY CARBS SHOULD I EAT?

This is a loaded question.  The answer – it depends. It depends on your level of exercise, your age, your metabolic health, your need to lose weight, and how much, as well as your current body composition and other factors.  My quick answer is this.  If you want to lose weight, keep carbohydrates under 100 grams per day.  If you have metabolic syndrome, try to keep them under 50 grams per day.  If you exercise regularly and are fairly healthy, I still suggest monitoring these to never exceed over 150 grams per day max.  I limit my carbohydrates because I focus on protein and leafy greens.  Monitoring my fruit intake is necessary, also. 

Many health experts (including Dr. Gabrielle Lyon) emphasize that a 1:1 carbo to protein ratio should not be exceeded.  In other words, as you maximize protein, do NOT ingest more grams of carbohydrates than grams of protein.  This takes an effort of awareness, but it is worth it.  Not only does this help to regulate blood sugar, but it wards off hunger, and it has a positive effect on your body composition.  In addition, it decreases the potential for too much muscle loss as one loses weight.  Again, this is for the man we are honoring as he continues to improve his health through healthy eating and weight loss.  Supporting any individual such as this to retain as much muscle mass as possible while they decrease their weight improves their health. 

This is all today; a bit short.  The point is to limit carbohydrates to maximize weight loss.  Next time, we will discuss “fat”.  Until then, seek peace and pursue it my friends.  Seek peace and pursue it by having nothing to do with what is vile and by monitoring your carbohydrate intake.  Omit bags and boxes but keep ingesting Bible wisdom.