Blood Sugar - The key to weight control

Nearly one in two people are overweight or obese in the UK today. It's easy to assume that this is solely due to an increase in calorie intake but it's actually more to do with the types of food we are eating. Over the last fifteen years, the average British calorie intake has actually fallen. In China, where obesity is still rare, the average calorie intake is 2,630 kcals per day, this is more than the Americans who consume a daily average of 2,360 kcals. Admittedly there has been a marked decrease in activity in the west but the real culprits are sugar and carbohydrates.

To add to this, one in four people in the UK are insulin resistant which means they do not have the ability to control their blood sugar levels. When blood sugar levels are too high our bodies turn the excess sugar into fat and when they're too low we feel tired. Over time this can lead to diabetes. Blood sugar therefore, is key to weight control.

In a recent survey nearly 9 out of 10 people said that if they were dieting they cut out fat from their diet. The truth however is that low fat diets are not always healthy and do not necessarily help you lose weight. Obviously a diet high in saturated is not good for you but we tend to put bad and good fat into the same mould. One calorie of saturated fat is not the same as one calorie of essential fat, which is needed by the brain, immune system, skin, hormones and heart.

Omega 3 actually counteracts some of the negative effects of insulin resistance. An avocado, which contains vitamin E and monounsaturated fatty acids, is not bad for you and will not make you put on weight. I do sympathise if you need to shift a stone to fit into a wedding dress or for a special occasion but long term it's just not realistic to lose 10lbs in 7 days.

Crash dieting makes you hungry and the most important thing to remember when losing weight is to never go hungry. Starving yourself does not help you lose weight, but causes your metabolism to go haywire, and in the end leads to the addictive pattern of yo-yo dieting. You can starve yourself all day but as soon as you get home, the chances are you will raid the fridge because your body is very hungry. Eating every 3 hours during the day should counteract any desire for the munchies! In short if you want to lose weight, you need to eat.

As every person is individual, a tailored weight loss programme is best. Just because your best friend has lost a stone on a fad diet, doesn't mean to say you will. You might have different genes, hereditary illnesses and metabolic rates or you may have a nutritional or vitamin deficiency, food allergy or bad digestion, all of which will not assist in your weight loss. Remember we are all different and what works for one person will not necessarily work for someone else.