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 a logical consequence after all the Christmas indulgences. Unfortunately, by January 19, over 80% of people have already given up on their resolutions.
So let's make sure that regardless of 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 have to eat less and exercise more to get rid of extra kilos. But if you're already doing everything "right" and still can't lose weight or even gain weight, checking your blood sugar might be especially interesting. It can help with weight control without you having to eat less or exercise more. Sounds like a win-win situation, right?
How glucose monitoring is connected to weight management
Here's why.
Let's start with some basic information about hormones.
Hormones are chemical messengers produced by the body that travel in your bloodstream. They work slowly and over a period of time and influence many different processes. Hormones are very powerful. Even a tiny amount of too much or too little causes big changes in cells or throughout the body.
Hormones control your blood glucose regulation
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, the pancreas produces insulin. This hormone helps your body access energy from 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: it impairs fat metabolism (inhibits "fat burning"). As long as carbohydrates are in excess, insulin levels are high and your body does not burn fat. This happens because your body will always prefer carbohydrates to other sources of energy. Therefore, it is important to give your body some time between meals (ideally more than 3 hours) so that insulin can lower blood sugar levels and your 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.
Think of your body as a car. Fill the trunk with your luggage for a month-long vacation. Your car will need more gasoline to power the engine. Now imagine that insulin is the gas line between the gas tank and the engine. Insulin resistance pushes on that line, making it harder to get more gas when you need it. If you control your weight or lose a few pounds, the development of insulin resistance can slow down. Similarly, you don't want to be constantly traveling around with your vacation luggage.
Since it is difficult for insulin-resistant cells to take up glucose from the blood, sugar levels rise. Over time, this can lead to diabetes, damage your blood vessels, and cause further weight gain. That's because extra blood sugar is a signal to your pancreas, "Produce more insulin!" But the more you produce, the easier it is for you to gain weight because the insulin encourages 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 makes sure 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, are not the same physical threat as a hungry tiger.
In addition, many people tend to turn to unhealthy foods when stressed. Apart from the physiological function of stress, the way many people deal with stress makes it difficult to lose or maintain weight.
Monitoring your blood sugar levels supports a healthy weight.
You will notice that your blood sugar level is higher when you are stressed. This high blood sugar level requires a lot of insulin to lower the blood sugar level. However, high insulin levels inhibit fat burning and weight loss in the long run. In other words, stress blocks weight loss.
So you should reconsider your New Year's resolutions. And even if you don't have any, you should think about how you can reduce stress and learn to manage it - without extra food or alcohol. That way, you'll find it easier to reduce or control your weight.
We recommend that you get enough sleep every night, walk as much as possible during the day, and try stress-relieving activities like breathing exercises, yoga, or meditation. And of course, watch your blood sugar levels.
