How the Blood Sugar Works

[ellenbierhorst]

Many of us are confused about How the Blood Sugar Works. RRM suggested we get this topic started. I will start off with what I believe I have learned here, and look forward to you all expanding and correcting that.

The body stores energy in 4 "places" or ways: 1) in the liver, 2) in the blood stream itself, 3) in the muscles, and 4) in adipose tissue or body fat.
The simplistic popular view that <in order to lose weight you must just expend more energy than you take in>...is misleading, though ultimately correct. It leaves out the fancy mechanisms the body has to deal with conditions of famine. The body will absolutely override all your "good intentions" when it thinks it is a matter of survival.

Wai's approach is totally enlightened about this, and shows a sane, sensible, doable way to cope with all this and have the body you want.

So there is the thing about how you have to eat in order to lose weight.
What happens if you undereat.
What happens if you don't get enough oil.
What happens if you try to burn it off with heavy exercise.

Glucose; glucagon; insulin; fatty acids
Under what circumstances is fat burned?
What circumstances produce more fat storage?

I get it that what I need is to eat every 90 minutes or more often, small amounts of fruit with always a little oil (half the caloric value of the fruit in oil calories... 1 Tablespoon of oil has enough calories for about 18 oz. fruit juice, for instance.)
And I get it that while sitting around won't cut it, neither do I want to do heavy exercise. Moderate walking is recommended. I'd love this explained again in terms of blood sugar, liver sugar, muscle storage of energy, fat storage.

Thanks in advance.

[RRM]

Thank you Ellen,

Maybe we should change the numbering regarding where the body stores energy from food:
1. in the blood
2. in the liver
3. in the muscles
4. in bodyfat

Why?
Because energy goes in the blood first.
Subsequently it goes to the other three, but particularly more so to the liver (2), and subsequently to the muscles (3).
Bodyfat (4) is where all the remaining surplus energy goes to.
So, in that logic, its only about preventing that 'last' step.

Normally, even the smallest meals fill number 1.
And if one consumes small meals sufficiently frequently, sufficient energy will trickle into 2 and 3 as well.
Only if your meals are quite substantial (or a bit too big), (eventually) substantial amounts of energy will end up in number 4 as well.

The simplistic popular view that <in order to lose weight you must just expend more energy than you take in>...is misleading, though ultimately correct.

Its misleading because it suggests that you need to increase energy expenditure or take in less energy.
And that suggests that you need to feel hungry (because of the exercises you did, or because of eating less).
This 'total energy approach' disregards when energy is stored as fat, and when its not.
Its misleading because you need to break it down to 'required energy' and 'not required energy'.
Replenishing 1, 2 and 3 is required.
Replenishing 4 is only required if you are (almost) underweight.

its required AND no problem at all to fill up 1, 2 and 3.
Its no problem at all to replenish that energy in 1, 2 and 3 with sugar and fats from fatty and sugary foods.
You dont need to take in less energy than you need (to replenish 1, 2 and 3).
Its no problem at all to feel energetic from the sugars, and satisfied from the fats.
That, in fact, is essential, because of the following:

It leaves out the fancy mechanisms the body has to deal with conditions of famine. The body will absolutely override all your "good intentions" when it thinks it is a matter of survival.

So, its about putting enough fats and sugars in 1, 2 and 3,
and putting as little as possible in 4.
The smaller the meals, the easier it is to achieve that.

What happens if you try to burn it off with heavy exercise.

With heavy exercise, you need more energy to replenish 2 and 3,
as that requires more energy (bigger or even more frequent meals), more will end up in 4 as well.

Under what circumstances is fat burned?

Under all circumstances.
So, that is not something to worry about.
(in fact, trying to burn more fat, you will burn more sugars as well, requiring extra energy, which makes more energy end up in 4)
So this enables you to put all your focus on the prevention of storing fat.

I get it that what I need is to eat every 90 minutes or more often

More often.
The more frequent your meals, the smaller their size will be, so that less ends up in 4.
So, the more often, the better.

I get it that while sitting around won't cut it, neither do I want to do heavy exercise. Moderate walking is recommended.

Its recommended if you have problems sufficiently reducing the size of ALL your meals.
If you manage to never eat too much in one sitting, you dont even need the walking,
because you are burning fat 24/7 while replenishing very little.

I'd love this explained again in terms of blood sugar, liver sugar, muscle storage of energy, fat storage.

When you walk, you will use a lot of energy from your muscle glycogen (and fatty acids from adipose fat),
so that when the size of (some of) your meal(s) is a little too much,
still very little energy will go to 4,
as lots of energy still needs to go to 3 (and 2).

When doing heavy exercises, also 3 will be used, but also 1 and 2 (hardly any from 4), as the exercise is so intense.
And the latter will make you feel very hungry and require a lot of energy for replenishment,
and with that also a substantial amount of energy will end up in 4.