More than 50% of people make New Year's resolutions every year. Many of them resolve to eat less sugar, live healthier, or lose weight. This may seem like a logical consequence after all the Christmas indulgences. Unfortunately, by January 19th, over 80% of people have already abandoned their resolutions.
So let's make sure that no matter your resolutions, and even if you don't have any, you understand the power of blood sugar when it comes to your healthy weight.
Most people think that you need to eat less and exercise more to lose extra weight. But if you're already doing everything "right" and still can't lose weight or are even gaining weight, monitoring your blood sugar might be especially interesting. This can help with weight control without requiring you to eat less or exercise more. Sounds like a win-win situation, right?
How does stable blood sugar help with weight control?
Here's why.
Let's start with some basic information about hormones.
Hormones are the body's own chemical messengers that travel through your bloodstream. They act slowly and over a period of time, influencing many different processes. Hormones are very powerful. Even a tiny amount—too much or too little—causes major changes in cells or throughout the body.
Hormones to control blood sugar levels
INSULIN
One hormone is particularly important for controlling blood sugar levels: insulin
Insulin is a hormone produced by the beta cells in your pancreas.
Every time you eat or drink something other than water, your pancreas produces insulin. This hormone helps your body access the energy in food by "unlocking" your cells. Insulin's main job is to transport sugar (also called glucose) into your cells, where it is used as fuel.
Its side effect is that it impairs fat metabolism (inhibits "fat burning"). As long as carbohydrates are present in excess, insulin levels are high, and your body doesn't burn fat. This happens because your body will always prefer carbohydrates to other energy sources. Therefore, it's important to give your body some time between meals (ideally more than 3 hours) so that insulin can lower blood sugar levels and the body can access fat cells as an energy source. Otherwise, your body will gain additional weight.
The long-term consequence of high blood sugar or extra weight is insulin resistance.
Imagine your body like a car. Fill the trunk with your luggage for a month-long vacation. Your car will need more gas to power the engine. Now imagine that insulin is the gas line between the tank and the engine. Insulin resistance puts pressure on this line, making it harder to get more gas when you need it. Controlling your weight or losing a few pounds can slow the development of insulin resistance. Just like you wouldn't want to constantly travel around with your vacation luggage.
Because insulin-resistant cells have difficulty absorbing glucose from the blood, sugar levels rise. Over time, this can lead to diabetes, damage your blood vessels, and cause further weight gain. This is because extra blood sugar is a signal to your pancreas: "Produce more insulin!" But the more you produce, the more easily you gain weight because insulin stimulates your body to store the extra sugar as fat.
CORTISOL
In addition to insulin, another hormone influences your blood sugar: cortisol
Cortisol is also known as the stress hormone.
Stress triggers the fight-or-flight response, which causes the body to produce less insulin and release more glucose. With this extra glucose, the body ensures it has enough energy in case it needs to fight off or flee from a threat. This was a great mechanism back when we had to run from a tiger in search of food. But our modern stressors, such as meetings or deadlines, aren't the same physical threat as a hungry tiger.
In addition, many people tend to turn to unhealthy foods when stressed. Beyond the physiological function of stress, the way many people cope with stress makes weight loss or maintenance difficult.
Monitoring your blood sugar levels supports a healthy weight.
You'll notice that your blood sugar levels are higher when you're stressed. This high blood sugar level requires a lot of insulin to lower it. However, high insulin levels inhibit fat burning and weight loss in the long run. In other words, stress blocks weight loss.
So, you should rethink your New Year's resolutions. And even if you don't have any, think about how to reduce stress and learn to manage it—without overeating or drinking alcohol. This will make it easier for you to lose or control your weight.
We recommend getting enough sleep every night, taking as many walks as possible during the day, and trying stress-relieving activities like breathing exercises, yoga, or meditation. And, of course, monitoring your blood sugar levels.
