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*Please note, that as Nicole said in an earlier post, we are not nutritionists, the intend of the spiel is to explain what I believe in. It is up to every person to determine their own beliefs.
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Symptoms of high blood sugar. |
Basically, at this point most of us are sugar burners. Meaning that we eat so much sugar/carbohydrate and have lower activity levels that our bodies only ever have to burn sugar, and they've gotten really good at doing so. It's easier to burn sugar/carbs, and there is always a steady supply so we have trained our bodies to go for sugar/carbs, not fat. Not only that but our bodies can only burn one type of fuel at a time. We've effectively trained our bodies to forget how to burn fat. So, our fat accumulates and the body doesn't know how to access the fat that we eat or that we store in order to use it for energy. So whatever we eat gets stored, and any extra sugar/carbs also gets stored as fat. But remember our bodies don't remember how to burn our own fat for fuel, so it's like a bank account we constantly make deposits to but can never withdraw from. So our fat just accumulates and our body just holds onto it because it doesn't know what else to do with it. You can pretty much store an unlimited amount of fat for an unlimited amount of time. Compounding that problem is the fact that you can only store enough fuel in the form of sugar/carbohydrate for about 90 minutes of intense activity. Kind of like a short term savings account.

The only way to retrain your body to start burning that fat is to cut out all sugars/carbs and force your body to use fat. Fat is actually what we are biologically predisposed to burn as fuel, that's why we can store so much in the first place. It's a very efficient fuel and we burn it well. One of the benefits of strict adherence to the Whole30 for 30 days is that your body relearns how to burn fat. It has to, because you aren't feeding it sugar/carbs. For the first week or two of the Whole30, there is a lot of information about sleep and being tired, and not necessarily feeling the "magic" yet. It's because your body is trying to relearn how to get energy from fat. It's kicking your sugar/carb addiction (and yes there is science that indicates that wheat in particular but sugars and carbs more generally, are actually addictive substances - see the Wheat Belly post, Wheat is an Opiate) to the curb and your body is healing from all the bad stuff you normally would put in there. Once your body starts burning fat for fuel, energy levels increase, because we are good at burning fat. For me, becoming a fat burner, means not experiencing that roller coaster feeling, I have steady, consistent energy all day long (no more 3pm slump - except for yesterday), I feel satisfied for longer after a meal, and I don't have periods of ravenous hunger.
So, back to my battle yesterday day afternoon with the Sugar Monster. My final response, after spending a hour or two feeling miserable was: NO I will not break my Whole30 for sugar. There is NO sugar allowed for 30 days, except natural sugars found in fruits. Also, by the end I sill find a change in your taste buds and sugary things just won't hold the same appeal anymore. By the end of the 30 days I will be used to going without sugary foods, so why do would I need to add them back, unless they are really worth it. Not only am I switching my fuel source, I am adjusting my metabolism, my hormone secretion, my immune system responses, and changing my relationship with food all together! I don't intend to eat Whole30 compliant all the time, after my 30 days but the times that I do intend veer from the path (after the 30 days) are the times that a food is really worth it. Is a granola bar worth it? Probably not. Is a piece of homemade chocolate cheesecake worth it? Probably! But I will have faith in the Whole30 and follow along till the end!
Today's food:
Breakfast: three soft boiled eggs on wilted spinach and 3 slices of trimmed pork belly.
Lunch: seared salmon with roasted sweet potatoes.
Supper: pan fried shrimp in coconut oil, covered in paprika and chili peppers, a few spoonfuls of curry broccoli slaw (thanks Nicole for the mayo!), and stir fried veggies.
Activity:
100 bathroom push-ups and I've started doing squats while waiting for my food to heat in the microwave, I did 75 today and my legs are KILLING me!
PS. The Whole9 reposted one of their most popular articles today on their blog today. It's totally worth a read!
Love this super informative post!!! Thanks so much for the reminder that I am becoming a fat burning machine.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much to you, for putting up with me that afternoon. And staying on the phone while I complained. I know it probably wasn't fun listening to my search for almond flour while my phone was crapping in and out! I appreciate all your support! And the gentle advice that you give. And the mayo that you make. And the recipes that you try first... Oh my, just a big thanks for everything!
DeletePs. In the above post, when I talk about cutting out all sugars/carbs, I'm referring to added sugars (chocolate, diet soda, ketchup) and refined carbs (bread, pastries, grains). I am not talking about the sugars you get from eating fruit or the complex carbs you get from eating veggies.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest mistake after my first Whole30 was slowly sliding down the slope that allowed more and more things to be "worth it" to splurge, and suddenly my body forgot how to keep burning fat and went right back to sugar. :( This time, I'm hoping it "sticks" better in my brain! Hopefully I won't have any major emotional traumas to drag me back down that emotional-eating path of destruction...
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