More TRICK than TREAT

           We are vastly approaching my favorite season .It brings beauty with its brilliant colors and crisp air. A time of year that brings us memorable times with family during the upcoming holidays. Great times!

With this time of year though it brings “challenge” to our “self control” in regards to eating responsibly. All year long we bust out booties in the gym and struggle to stay fit! It’s not easy but we fight on through the summer months with all the cookouts and festivities. The battle never ends, (nor should it) and we press forward to maintain all the hard work we have grown to appreciate.

     Along comes what I call the infamous “the Triglyceride Trimester”. It’s three grueling months of challenging holidays, chipping away at your inner strength with sugar and fat laden foods. Those jeans you were rock’n this summer are sure to be fitting more Roll’n than Rock’n soon enough..yikes!!

      It’s all goes drastically wrong with Halloween! The infamous holiday candy comes out without fail. It calls to you every time you walk by it in your house. One client of mine recently told me she had it in the house already (one month early???).The supermarket puts huge displays of the fat loading substances. At your job the evil candy is displayed every place you look (usually by the co-workers who don’t work out).You cannot escape as its everywhere!!You must be strong!!!!You don’t want all your hard work to go in vain! You worked so hard and this time of year requires some serious mental strength!!

       To better understand WHY it is not a good idea chomping down on those tasty treats, you must know WHAT  your body goes through  chemically (hormonally) in the process of eating processed(simple) sugar. When I say “processed” I am referring to a form of carbohydrate that is NOT complex like Potato,rice,grains,etc,. Because of its molecular structure simple sugar breaks down (digests) immediately after consumption and quickly enters blood stream like a freight train. It finds its way to our liver and is quickly converted to “blood glucose” (a usable form of fuel) At that point, an organ of ours called the Pancreas recognizes the high octane sugar and then sends a hormone out called Insulin. This hormone is one of the most important hormones in our system and (unfortunately) the most destructive at the same time. Insulin attaches itself to the molecules of the sugar bonds and shuttles it to areas of need. The cells can only absorb so much (It’s like filling a  tiny Dixie cup with a gallon of water).The surplus(excess)causes the receptors on our cells to de-sensitize over time. This is called “glucose intolerance”. The extra insulin also converts to triglycerides (skeleton of fat molecules) in the liver. Now, in a state of sugar intolerance (or insulin resistance)any incoming carbs(good or bad)can be easily STORED in fat cells.

So you see, eating those tasty Treats are more of a Trick to your body. The only thing that gets a treat is our evil fat cells!