Blood Sugar to. Lose. Help. vitality for life

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1 20 Control Blood Sugar to Help Lose ight

2 When it comes to losing weight, most people think of cutting calories and portion control. While those certainly play a role, one of the most telling factors is actually blood sugar. Blood sugar is critical to weight loss. Your blood sugar level has a direct effect on how hungry you are as well as how sluggish or energetic you feel. More importantly, it determines whether your body is burning fat or storing it. This not only applies to diabetics and prediabetics, but also those with normal blood sugar levels. How does blood sugar influence weight loss? Whenever you eat, your body converts the carbohydrates in your food into glucose. The more carbohydrates in your food (particularly refined or simple carbs), the higher your blood sugar levels. As your blood sugar increases, your pancreas creates a hormone called insulin that transports the glucose out of your blood and into your cells where it will be used for energy. The problem comes when you eat too many simple carbs or high glycemic index foods. Simple carbs break down into glucose very rapidly, causing a rapid, dramatic rise in blood sugar that, in turn, triggers a massive release of insulin. When that much insulin is released, weight loss becomes nearly impossible for two key reasons. First, insulin activates lipoprotein lipase, a fat storage enzyme, that tells your body to stop burning fat and start storing it instead. Insulin also inhibits the enzyme known as hormonesensitive lipase, which helps break down stored fat. Stated simply, the more insulin your body produces, the more fat is stored in your body. As Dr. Sylver Quevedo states in his article Daily Strength, there is no question that insulin causes weight gain. EXCESSIVE CARBS ARE CONSUMED BLOOD SUGAR INCREASES INSULIN IS RELEASED INSULIN SHUTS DOWN FAT BURNING EXCESSIVE FAT IS STORED 21

3 Why not just cut all the carbs? Once the link between blood sugar and weight loss is understood, the initial reaction is to simply eliminate carbs, but that can have some very negative effects. Natural carbohydrate-rich foods also contain important vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals. Carbohydrates are what provide energy for your muscles, making carbs essential to support a healthy exercise routine. In addition, carbohydrates are the primary fuel for many vital organs including your brain, kidneys, and central nervous system. But cutting too many carbs also directly impacts your weight loss efforts. When you eat too few carbs, your blood sugar drops. As a result, you feel irritable, you crave sweets, and your energy level plummets. Instead of feeling strong and healthy, you feel sluggish and deprived. All. The. Time. Knowing this, the key to any weight loss effort becomes keeping your blood sugar levels stable. The destructive yo-yo effect of insulin When you eat too many simple or refined carbs, your blood sugar spikes. Your body overcompensates by dumping a large amount of insulin into the system. Optimal calorie-burning range When you stabilize blood sugar levels, you experience greater energy, reduced hunger cravings, and keep your body in fat-burning mode. 22 The dump of insulin results in a large dip in blood sugar that creates feelings of fatigue, hunger pangs, and strong cravings for sweets and the vicious cycle begins all over again.

4 5Top five ways to help balance your blood sugar. #1 Eat less, more often Trade the traditional three square meals a day for 3 smaller meals and two substantial snacks. This allows you to eat something every few hours, which helps normalize blood sugar levels rather than producing three large spikes, according to Dr. Nick Flynn, a biochemistry professor at Angelo State University. Just be sure you don t increase your total daily calories! And for best blood sugar results strictly limit the amount of simple or refined carbs you eat. #3 Fill up on fiber Fiber has been shown to help maintain the proper function of leptin, the body s chief appetitequieting hormone, according to Dr. Ann Kulze, author of Eat Right for Life. In addition to keeping cravings at bay, fiber also helps slow glucose absorption, so you re less likely to have a blood sugar spike and subsequent crash. * Go to page 12 of this magazine for some great new exercise ideas. Check out page 12 of Vitality: Simple Steps to Your Ideal Weight #4 Exercise Exercising 45 minutes a day has been shown to have a significant blood sugar balancing effect. With continued moderate aerobic exercise, your muscles take up glucose at almost 20 times the normal rate and insulin levels drop. #2 Drink more water A study published in the American Diabetes Association s journal Diabetes Care found that adults who drank only two glasses of water or less each day were more likely to develop prediabetic blood sugar levels. A good goal is to try and drink the number of ounces equal to half your body weight. (If you re 120 lbs., aim for 60 fl. oz. daily) #5 Drink GC Control A low-glycemic nutritional shake that s also high in protein and fiber, GC Control utilizes six natural ingredients to create a one-of-a-kind, patent-pending formula that is clinically shown to optimize blood sugar metabolism and support and balance glucose levels.* * These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. 23

5 Fatigue Intensity Day 0 Day 28 Day Scored Questionnaire VAS (visual analog scale) % reduction Begin Midpoint End Figure 1. Over the course of the study, participants using Attain GC Control reported a 54% decrease in fatigue.* Supporting your weight loss efforts. Healthy blood sugar support provides a wealth of natural benefits for anyone looking to lose weight in a safe, healthy, sustainable way. Keep your body in fat burn mode Lose the weight while feeling great! By effectively optimizing blood sugar metabolism and promoting healthy insulin response, GC Control helps keep your body in fat burn mode rather than fat storage mode, so your body is much more efficient at burning fat, and all your efforts to cut calories and exercise are optimized. GC Control also helps take some of the discomfort out of adjusting to your healthy lifestyle. By effectively supporting and balancing blood glucose levels, you won t be as susceptible to the destructive yo-yo effects of insulin. You ll have more energy, less fatigue, and reduced appetite. In fact, in a 56-day clinical test, participants reported feeling significantly less fatigue and far less hungry when using GC Control daily. Scored Questionnaire VAS (visual analog scale) appetite Intensity Day 0 Day 28 Day 56 37% reduction Begin Midpoint End Figure 2. Participants using Attain GC Control also reported a 37% decrease in appetite intensity over the course of the study.* What makes GC Control so effective? Melaleuca leveraged its expertise to identify the most effective natural blood sugar support ingredients, and then combined them and enhanced them in a way only Melaleuca can for clinically backed results. * Results versus baseline levels among prediabetic participants who used Attain GC Control twice daily. 24