By Danette Vernon
First, why do people get fat?
We are all suffering from an overload of sugar that we consume, overtly and covertly. We are heavy on dessert and snacks in this country. It is however, the sugar in average foods outside of dessert, and the carbohydrates we tend to serve with each meal — bread, pasta, etc — that really add to our daily “sugar load.”
Some of this sugar, once ingested, will be used immediately as energy, but the rest must be dealt with right away as it is toxic to the cells, arteries, and tissues. Insulin is secreted and the insulin runs this excess sugar to the liver and muscles. But there is only so much “room at the inn,” and when our liver and muscles are “full,” the excess ends up in fat cells.
Insulin then keeps this fat stored, right along with the last piece of pie we ate, for later use. This storage unit of “locked in” fat and sugar will never be accessed  because before we get a chance to use it, we have another snack, or a heaping helping of red rice, or a big sub sandwich! And if most of what we eat is stored away due to the high sugar content, there will not be much energy circulating to keep our body going. So now we need more food just to keep moving!
But how much can we eat to keep up with this cycle of eating sugar and storing sugar? Our body must make a choice, and make a choice it will.  Your body will slow way down at the cellular level to conserve energy, with the end result being a slow metabolism. Now we are hungry, feel tired, AND we’re over-weight! Sound familiar?
Go on a diet, exercise, right? Well, if there is very little fat available to burn for energy, and we start to eat less, the body just slows down even more — then we join the gym. Where o where will your body get the energy to work out? Your body is stuffed full of sugar, or carbs stored as sugar, yet it has no access to the energy this stored fat and sugar represent. What to do?
Take the advice of the U.S. government: 50% of your diet should be fruits and vegetables, and then tweek that number a bit to 75%, focusing on vegetables first and gradually adding fruits. Eat simply, fruits, vegetables, and lean meats, cutting back or eliminating sugar and carbs in the form of bread and pasta, etc.. Exercise? Use the same method that high end athletes do —high intensity, short-duration exercise. This type of exercise has a stimulating effect on our metabolism, while long-duration workouts serve as an unrelenting stressor to the body, cueing it to shut down metabolic activity, to once again conserve energy.  Twenty minutes twice a week is all you need to get started.
If you’d like further information, please call Therapeutic Solutions at 843-524-2554.

<em>Theraputic Solutions: Offering a unique approach to your active health care needs using a variety of healing modalities, nutritional and wellness coaching to empower you to a new state of health and well-being. 73 Sams Point Road, 524-2554.</em>