Metabolizing carbs

sgailisme
sgailisme Posts: 3
in Introduce Yourself
Hello everyone! I have been using MFP app for about a year now. My progress chart looks like a jagged edged sword.
I have been following advice from many knowledgeable MFP friends ( never knew what my BMR was before) and have recently increased my calorie goal accordingly. I have been reading a lot of posts here and now think I am on to something regarding my yo-yo weight. A while back, I successfully lost 50 lbs. on the SBD. I know I lost some muscle mass and since, I have gain around 30 lbs. back. I am thinking I may have a problem metabolizing carbs. I am about 20 lbs. overweight ( according to my Oncologist). I don't know a thing about the link between carbs and insulin-- I eat a lot in the way of complex-- lots of fruit.
Is there a test or procedure that I can take to determine this? Thanks in advance for your help.

Replies

  • peasantgirly
    peasantgirly Posts: 173 Member
    Can someone lay out in simple terms how the whole carbs/digestion/insulin things works?
  • Hypnotoad07
    Hypnotoad07 Posts: 3
    When you take in carbs, your insulin spikes to prevent your body from burning fat cells. Your body will try to use the carbs you've just taken in as it is more efficient than retrieving energy from your stored fat. However, if you are unable to utilize the carbs they too will be stored as fat and the process repeats itself. Fruit has a lot of carbs, they're good and take a bit to digest giving you a bigger window to burn them, but the end goal is the same if you don't end up using them.
  • sgailisme
    sgailisme Posts: 3
    That makes sence. But what about the utilization of carbs for energy and rehabilitation from exercise?:smile:
  • sgailisme
    sgailisme Posts: 3
    Fri 06/22/12 07:40 AM
    Can someone lay out in simple terms how the whole carbs/digestion/insulin things works?

    Guess I really didn't understand that after all. Am I wrong that we need carbs for energy and to replenish electrolytes lost from exercise? I recently went very low carb and had low energy-- could hardly get through workouts.
    Yet, if I want to burn" fat" then I mustn't eat carbs? Please be patient with me--working on very few brain cells left...seriously.
    Thanks everyone :-D
  • tross0924
    tross0924 Posts: 909 Member
    Imagine insulin as the prison guards. Eating spikes insulin, eating carbs more so than protein or fat, but all of them result in more guards being put on the cell block. The guards start rounding up the prisoners (nutrients in your blood) and start shoving them into the cells. Now imagine there's a hole in the wall that the prisoners can escape from at the rate you're burning calories. The guards keep shoving the prisoners into the cells but they can only get to so many the rest start trickling out of the hole.

    The more prisoners wandering around in your blood, the longer the guards stay on duty. Eventually they start to relax and a lot of the guards go on break. Once this happens the prisoners see their chance and start wandering toward the hole. Now they aren't dumb so they move at rate that doesn't draw the guards attention. The guards are content to sit in the break room and let a few escape.

    If you eat a pound of sugar you dump a lot of prisoners into the yard, and all the guards go back on duty shoving them into cells. If you eat a piece of fruit the prisoners are let into the yard slowly and only a few guards go back on duty, and the prisoners in the cells can keep slipping out slowly. Protein, complex carbs, and fat result in few guards going back on duty, but some still do no matter what you eat.

    Now if you're insulin resistant, then basically you triple the number of guards to do the same job. And they take longer to go on break, and the come back in full force for a few prisoners. Think Maximum security prison.

    *disclaimer - This is a very simplified metaphor for how things work. There's many things that don't fit exactly, but if you had no idea how the system worked before hopefully you do now.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Imagine insulin as the prison guards. Eating spikes insulin, eating carbs more so than protein or fat, but all of them result in more guards being put on the cell block. The guards start rounding up the prisoners (nutrients in your blood) and start shoving them into the cells. Now imagine there's a hole in the wall that the prisoners can escape from at the rate you're burning calories. The guards keep shoving the prisoners into the cells but they can only get to so many the rest start trickling out of the hole.

    The more prisoners wandering around in your blood, the longer the guards stay on duty. Eventually they start to relax and a lot of the guards go on break. Once this happens the prisoners see their chance and start wandering toward the hole. Now they aren't dumb so they move at rate that doesn't draw the guards attention. The guards are content to sit in the break room and let a few escape.

    If you eat a pound of sugar you dump a lot of prisoners into the yard, and all the guards go back on duty shoving them into cells. If you eat a piece of fruit the prisoners are let into the yard slowly and only a few guards go back on duty, and the prisoners in the cells can keep slipping out slowly. Protein, complex carbs, and fat result in few guards going back on duty, but some still do no matter what you eat.

    Now if you're insulin resistant, then basically you triple the number of guards to do the same job. And they take longer to go on break, and the come back in full force for a few prisoners. Think Maximum security prison.

    *disclaimer - This is a very simplified metaphor for how things work. There's many things that don't fit exactly, but if you had no idea how the system worked before hopefully you do now.

    Props!

    OP.

    If you want to test your theory then eat 2 cups fruit a day with protein and only consume green carbs with higher fibre.
    Try to maintain 150g and no lower than 120g total.
    Dont worry about sugar from fruit either.
    Eat protein with every carb!!!!

    Do this daily for 2 weeks and see if you notice a change in composition.
    After that 2 weeks have a snack like a Hostess Cupcake or Twinkie.
    the next day if your body freaks out.....

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