How to Close Down The Fat Factory

One of the most frustrating aspects of being what mainstream society calls overweight (I like to call it OVERFAT) is the your body becomes more inclined to convert the carbohydrate calories that you eat, into fat; and then stores that fat in your fat cells. Thus, the fatter we become the easier it is to gain even more weight; and harder to lose it. To understand this, we must first understand the role of the hormone, insulin in the body.

Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas. It helps the body utilize blood glucose (blood sugar). Think of insulin as a key. Every cell has a ‘lock’ (receptor) on it that opens a door that allows glucose to pass from the bloodstream into the cell. Once the glucose has entered the cell, it is used for energy. Glucose can be stored for future use by the liver or muscles in the form of glycogen.

The muscles and liver are the main storehouses of glycogen. Talk about efficiency of design. The very mechanicals that motivate us are also storage units! The power source is located right where the muscle needs it. Low-latency power on-demand! Which is great, but the most important thing to remember here is that once the muscle storage units and liver are full of glycogen; the remaining glucose in the bloodstream that is not being used by the brain or other vital organs usually gets stored as fat.

As a person gains body fat, the cells of their body become less sensitive to insulin. Insulin resistance occurs when the normal amount of insulin secreted by the pancreas is unable to ‘unlock’ the doorway of the cells. As a result, the pancreas must secrete higher and higher levels of insulin in order to overcome this widespread insulin resistance as it tries to maintain normal blood glucose levels. High levels of insulin signal the liver to convert carbohydrates into fat, following a meal or snack containing carbohydrates. In turn, these fats are shipped to your fat cells, contributing to weight gain and increased body fat.

What can cause the body to become insulin resistant? Genetics can obviously play a role, but I believe it has a LOT to do with the typical American’s poor diet consisting of mainly mid-to-high glycemic carbs, irregularly spaced feedings and lack of regular exercise that are mainly to blame. So it really becomes a Catch-22 situation for a mostly sedentary overweight person. Popular low-fat diets alone don’t get results because your body is conditioned to convert carbohydrates into fat, due to high levels of circulating insulin. The other negative effect increased fat storage and no exercise is the increasingly lower BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) that occurs because of this lifestyle. And that’s a death sentence for the typically weak and half-stepping fat-loss efforts; A.K.A. “diet” that most sedentary types try.

But the really sad thing is that these folks won’t exercise or exercise correctly even it they do. You hear them talking like diet is the only part of the equation, but that type of thinking doesn’t apply here. Remember it was not just the diet, but also the lack of exercise that got them into this state.

Successful Weight Loss with Green Tea Extract

Is Green tea is good for weight loss?
Yes, believe it or not, more and more often you’ll find green tea (or green tea extract) included in the compilations of many of the more popular weight loss supplements today. Tea has been used as an aid for weight loss. Drinking a cup of tea with each meal is a protocol for using tea successfully as a metabolic stimulant. Tea by itself carries only 4 calories per serving, and it’s most healthy when consumed with nothing added. The caffeine in tea increases body function to help burn more calories and the polyphenols seem to aid in the digestion of fat, truly making it a Chinese diet tea.

Green tea is recommended for the diet aid mainly because of its multifaceted effects on health. The major active component that attributes the properties to the green tea are the polyphenols such as catechin, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, gallaogatechin, epigallocatechin, and apigallocatechin gallate (known as EGCG).

Green tea contains high concentrations of catechin polyphenols. These compounds work with other chemicals to intensify levels of fat oxidation and thermogenesis, where heat is created in the body by burning fuels such as fat. Drinking Japanese green tea regularly will increase your metabolism and help burn fat safely and naturally.

In Thailand, India, Japan and China, green tea has been used as a medicine for a variety of conditions from helping with digestion to healing wounds.

But while many in the medical field proclaim the wonders of this much talked about tea, others are quick to point out that there is little or no evidence to support at least some of the claims.

Glucose Regulator
Green tea also acts as a glucose regulator i.e. it slows the rise in blood sugar following a meal, by slowing the action of a particular digestive enzyme called amylase. This enzyme is pivotal in the breakdown of starches that can cause blood sugar levels to soar following a meal.

Green tea contains Vitamin B, C and thiamine. This will ensure that our brain cells have sufficient energy to protect the nervous system from being over stimulated. A good nourished brain will surely help in achieving your weight loss goals.

In November 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, in which researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.

The study conducted by the University of Geneva on the weight loss benefit of green tea extract implicated that green tea extract can also help thyroid patients. According to dietitian Lynn Moss, M.S., R.D., green tea extract is a healthier choice for people with thyroid who may be too sensitive to stimulants. Green tea extract can promote weight loss by increasing metabolism without over stimulating the adrenal glands.

Bottom Line: Green tea helps you with weight loss by boosting your metabolic rate, regulating your blood sugar, suppressing your appetite and giving you something else besides that high calorie, high sugar coffee beverage to drink in the morning. While it’s not the magic bullet, it can definitely give you a boost in weight loss and in your overall health

Fat-Fighting Foods for Weight Loss

Avoid nasty refined foods that increase your blood sugar level for short term energy fixes and replace them with these great tasting super-foods!

Oatmeal
Releases energy of time - keeping you feeling full for longer. Oatmeal is a complex carbohydrate and is thought to help reduce cholesterol.

Greens
Broccoli, Spinach, Salad leaves, in fact any leafy vegetable is vital to keeping your system healthy. Packed full of Iron and other minerals, eating plenty of greens provides roughage and antioxidants that are believed to have long term health effects - including protecting your from memory lose.

Olive Oil
The health benefits of Olive Oil have been known for Millennia and countries with diets based on Olive Oil (such as Greece and Italy) tend to have longer life expectancy. Full of healthy fats, a good quality olive can be used for everything from salad dressing to deep fat frying.

Turmeric
Turmeric contains the highest known source of beta carotene, the antioxidant that helps protect the liver from free radical damage. It also helps your liver heal while helping your body metabolize fats by decreasing the fat storage rate in liver cells.

Cayenne
This hot spice lessens the risk of excess insulin in the body by speeding metabolism and lowering blood sugar levels before the excess insulin can result in fat storage.

Chillies
Chillies increase your metabolic rate as well as acting as an antiseptic. There a thousands of varieties of chilli and not all of them will bring ears to your eyes - although if your into that they’re easy to find!

Tomatoes
Packed with vitamin C, tomatoes stimulate the production of the amino acid known as carnitine. Research has shown that carnitine helps speed the body’s fat-burning capacity by one-third.

Nuts
Raw, unsalted nuts provide essential roughage, protein and fats and make for a very healthy snack. Macadamia nuts in particular are very good at keep the cravings at bay.

Garlic and Onions
The base of any great dish, these root vegetables are known to reduce cholesterol and fight infections. Garlic in particular is known for helping lower blood pressure.