Glucose, glucagon and insulin

They sound similar, but glucose and glucagon are two very different substances. Glucose is a simple sugar used by the cells of the body. While glucagon is a hormone used by the body to control blood sugar levels and energy intake; it stops your blood sugar from dropping too low. Insulin controls blood sugar levels the other way; it stops it from getting too high.

When you haven’t eaten for a while, your blood sugar level will start to drop and your body will produce glucagon, telling your liver to start producing glucose in order to raise it again.

When you have just eaten, your blood sugar will rise and your body will produce insulin to bring it back under control. Both glucagon and insulin are made in the pancreas, an organ which both produces these hormones, and secretes enzymes to help digest your food.

Diabetics either do not produce enough insulin or are unable to use it properly, and so they carefully regulate their hormones through a combination of injections and careful monitoring of their food and sugar intake. They are also likely to be much better informed about blood sugar levels and how to control them.

Fighting your natural processes

To avoid feeling hungry, the aim is to try and keep your blood sugar level fairly constant. If your blood sugar levels fluctuate too much, you will be unable to maintain the discipline required to lose weight.

It isn’t worth fighting against your body or its natural processes. This makes the whole process of losing weight much more difficult, and ultimately your body always wins. It is also the reason that fad diets don’t work, and the reason that simply starving yourself to lose weight is ineffective. Your natural impulses are too strong; they are what kept generations of people alive through famines.

Trying to go against these natural processes is foolish. If you crash diet, your body is concerned about conserving energy and will fight to maintain body fat, lay more fat down whenever possible, and you will find it extremely difficult to lose weight.

You need to work with these processes and turn them to your advantage. The trick is to convince your body into believing that there is a steady source of food so that it feels confident enough to shed fat without fear of starvation.