Alternative Health - Which Hormones Affect Your Weight and Blood Sugar Levels?

Stop dieting! You know it doesn't work, it can actually work against you... if you have type 2 diabetes or not! One of the first questions related to weight control asks whether the "calories in" equal the "calories out". That's because the net effect of calories... which is more than your body needs... even in the form of protein, is going to increase the amount of fat put into storage in your body.

That extra dessert could be worth 350 or even 650 calories. And if you are already eating 2000 calories a day, that extra dessert will put you at 2350 or even 2650 calories. The deficit will add up and sooner or later you will gain weight.

But there's more to the story than this.

The amount of sugar and/or carbs in that dessert could exceed an amount that would keep your blood sugar level within your normal zone. So, if it skyrockets, your pancreas will over respond by releasing four to five times the amount of insulin that it should.

Now stay with me for a moment. There's a little bit more technical information that you need.

When your insulin level is four to five times higher than it is supposed to be, there's a biochemical shift in your body. Your cells are switched from burning fat to storing fat.

So now that dessert doesn't just represent an extra dessert that is meaningless except for some extra calories or kilojoules. Now it represents an extra dessert that is capable of changing the scale to make your weight increase.

More to Think About:

Is a calorie a calorie no matter what? If you are currently eating 2400 calories a day and drop your calories down to 1200 calories each day, will you lose weight? Is it true that if you eat 1200 calories you will always lose weight?

The answer may surprise you. Every calorie is not the same. If you drop your calories down to 1200 a day, you are then at a deficit of 1200 calories. Since 3500 calories is equal to a pound, then conceivably in three days you will lose a pound. But this does not happen.

If you go on a 1200-calorie diet, you will not always lose weight.

Here's why:

The amount of weight you lose is dependent on your hormones... primarily insulin and cortisol. If your insulin level is high, weight will not come off you no matter what you do. If cortisol is high, that means your stress levels are high... which also affects each one of the calories you are consuming. The hormones insulin and cortisol multiply the calories you eat. If you eat a few pieces of chocolate, you'll gain weight. If you eat a few extra slices of bread, you'll gain weight. If you eat a few extra pieces of fruit, you'll gain weight.

Your hormones determine what each calorie means to your body which includes your weight and blood sugar levels.