Lose Weight: Turn Off the Fat Switch

Lose weight: Weight Loss Remodernized

Ancient nutritional theory says getting fat is simply a matter of too many calories and not enough exercise; that to lose weight we have to use willpower, cut calories / exercise more—any calories will do, just eat less of them. What if it’s wrong?

If you are among the millions who’ve tried to lose weight by counting calories or low calorie diets know this: obesity does not result from gluttony and idleness, but rather because we have activated a “fat switch” similar to that used by animals in the wild to increase fat stores: it isn’t just the total calories, it is where they come from.

[cryout-pullquote align=”left|center|right” textalign=”left|center|right” width=”33%”]
[/cryout-pullquote] Calories are simply a measure of the energy content of food—and it is true that you store, mostly as fat, any food energy that you do not burn during your daily activities. But not all foods are created equal—even if you strive for unprocessed, mostly whole foods, you may be activating your “fat switch.”

Groundbreaking research shows how obesity is primarily related to a high-sugar diet. Refined sugars and high-fructose corn syrup are considered by many experts to be the biggest contributors to obesity and poor health in Western civilization. Starchy foods are a second cousin.

According to research by Dr. Richard Johnson, sugary/starchy foods change hormonal signals in the body—added sugars and starchy foods directly tell the body to store fat.

In her book What To Eat [cryout-pullquote align=”left|center|right” textalign=”left|center|right” width=”33%”]
[/cryout-pullquote] Dr. Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at NYU suggests that any food that contains more than 15 grams of sugar per serving is closer to dessert than anything else. Although an arbitrary number, 15 grams is a good benchmark for evaluating food products.

So many of my clients have said “but Marie, I truly cut out all the cookies, candy’s cakes, and ice-cream… why can’t I lose weight?!! (argh!!)”Just for fun, I looked up the sugar content of a typical serving size of common foods. Don’t believe me? Follow the links…

While sugar content is not the only factor in a food’s nutritional value (and not all of these have added sugar), I hope this helps you find those sneaky and hidden sources that are decimating your weight goals. And please do let me know how I can help—your first consult with Success Health Coach is always FREE.

Sugar Content of Common Food Products

How much sugar is in your favorite foods?

Below is a comparison of a variety of different foods and the amount of sugar in grams they contain. The average American eats 53 teaspoons of sugar each day, or 212 grams per day.Folks, this is the “fat switch.”

The take home message?

• Breakfast is a sugar-fest for most Americans – yet we expect our children to sit still in school… ourselves to have energy all morning…
• Energy bars are glorified candy.
• Dessert foods (e.g. doughnuts, cookies) often have far less sugar than “healthy” foods like juice, yogurt, salads…
• A salad can have as much sugar as one of the biggest cupcakes I’ve ever seen.
• Granola is not any better than doughnuts.
• Dessert is sometimes hidden in things like sandwiches.
• The worst offenders are drinkable.
• Energy drinks marketed to children aren’t better than soda.
• “Green” drinks marketed to adults aren’t better than soda.
• “Natural” foods can have lots of sugar.
• Starbucks is why you’re fat.