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Lose
weight by burning fat,
not muscle
As
most low carbohydrate dieters already know, our bodies burn carbohydrates
first for energy. When there are no carbohydrates left to burn, our bodies
turn to our “reserves”—our fat and muscle mass. We do
want to burn the fat, but we don’t want to damage our muscles in
the process!
The
Ideal Protein Diet protects our muscles by assuring that we have enough
protein in our diets while we are working to lose weight.
The
Ideal Protein line of protein diet products has been developed by Dr.
Tran Tien Chanh, a general practitioner and a doctor of nutrition, sports
medicine and biology in Paris, France. Dr. Chanh has focused his career
and research on nutrition, with a particular emphasis on the treatment
of obesity and excessive weight. He has based much of his work on the
protein diet set out in the 1970s by Dr. Blackburn, a professor at Harvard
University.
“Losing
weight means burning off your fat reserves. When you lose weight, you
lose fat and muscle. Ideal Protein, combined with proper nutrition and
vitamin, mineral salt and fiber supplements, reduces body fat while maintaining
that precious muscle mass,”
explains Dr. Tran Tien Chanh.
Having
good muscle mass also helps to burn calories and fat. When we lose muscle
mass, we lose one of our body’s important weight control mechanisms.
Loss of muscle mass damages our metabolism, too!
Many
folks who have regained weight after dieting have learned that the weight
is much harder to lose the next time around. Why? Because we usually put
it back on as fat instead of muscle!
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The
volume of fat in our excess poundage tends to be higher with each
round of dieting and will then take longer to lose— creating
the “Yo-Yo” dieting effect. Protecting muscle mass is
key to healthy dieting. |
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Rest
and rehabilitate
your pancreas
By reducing carbohydrates, we also give
our pancreas a rest. The pancreas has a chance to heal and function
better to control insulin production in the future.
Whatever
the reasons for weight gain, it’s now known that there is always
a common denominator: insulin dysfunction and pancreatic dysfunction.
In other words, our pancreas which is responsible for making insulin
to process sugars is struggling keeping up with the load.
Low
carbohydrate dieters know that most carbohydrates turn to sugars in
our bodies. The carbohydrates in breads, rice, potatoes, and sweet vegetables
such as corn and carrots all convert to sugar. All of these, plus the
fructose in fruit and fruit juices—and all the sweets we love
to eat—place a heavy load on the pancreas.
Insulin
has two roles in the body:
•
Insulin decreases the blood sugar level (glycemia),
and
• Insulin promotes fat storage by converting the
sugar and fat we eat into fat that is stored
in cells.
When
an individual who does not have a weight problem eats sugar, their pancreas
will produce exactly the right amount of insulin needed to bring their
blood sugar to a normal level, and no fat will be stored.
However,
if an overweight individual eats sugar, their pancreas will produce
more insulin than necessary. As a consequence, the individual’s
blood sugar level will fall too low, and he or she will tend to be “hypoglycemic”
and crave more sugar.
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The
overweight person’s pancreas is functioning like
an overheated motor. When a motor overheats, it needs to be shut
off so that it can cool down. Then, when it is restarted, it will
be more efficient again. |
Dr.
Tran Tien Chanh suggests that we do exactly the same thing with our
pancreases:
“If you give your pancreas a break, it’ll recover and your
body will be able to regenerate.”
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