Trying to lose weight? Cut your body’s fat production in half by avoiding added sugars. 

This is how foods and drinks that have added sugar (sucrose and fructose) can double your body’s fat production. 

Most people know that sugar is something that they should be avoiding if they are trying to lose weight. From a young age, we are programmed to avoid sugar. The first thing that I remember learning about sugar is that it would ‘rot my teeth’. When I was a teenager, there was a prevailing belief that sugar caused acne, and should be avoided if you wanted a clear complexion. As we age, we are told that sugar can lead to diabetes and other potentially fatal health complications. Collectively, we know that too much sugar is not good for us, but for many of us, including those of us busting their asses to eat healthy and exercise consistently, sugar remains a vague complication to our health and fitness goals. 

Sugar or added sugar? Naturally occurring sugars are present in a lot of healthy, whole foods. Fruits are a great example of whole foods that can be naturally sweet and delicious. Even with naturally occurring sugars, you have to be aware of how much sugar you are consuming and enjoy naturally occurring sugars in balanced moderation. A meal plan that centres around whole foods and is structured to help you lose weight and shed excess body fat will do these calculations for you and keep you on track. 

The real threat to your health and weight loss efforts is what is most commonly referred to as ‘added sugars’. Added sugar is one of the leading contributors to the obesity epidemic in western societies. Obesity kills tens of thousands of people each year, and puts an enormous strain on our hospitals and health care services. Obesity was one of the most significant comorbidities that drove tens of thousands of covid-related deaths. An astounding 72% of Americans are now classified as obese, and that is directly related to the fact that the average American consumes 57 pounds of added sugar a year. Most people couldn’t comfortably lift that much weight. 

Food companies are adding massive quantities of added sugar to make their ‘food’ products taste better so that we consume more of them. It’s also suspected that they are using added sugar and other processed chemicals to make their products addictive in order to boost profits. Imagine cigarette companies making their products taste like your favorite candy flavours to boost consumption and revenues, and then marketing their cancer sticks to children, busy moms, and families. 

A terrifying study published by the University of Zurich discovered that even small amounts of added sugars (fructose and glucose) has a significant impact on our bodies. The study involved 94 healthy young men who consumed different drinks, some with added sugars and some without. The men didn’t ingest any more calories than normal, even adjusting their diets to take into account the calories in the extra drinks. The results were shocking. The group of men that had a sugary drink everyday had their fat production nearly double, even though they were not consuming any more calories than the men that were drinking the non-sugary drinks. 

How much sugar triggered the doubling of fat production? Just 80 grams, or the equivalent of one serving of regular soda is enough to double the body’s fat production. Think about that. Just one bottle of soda is enough to send your body’s fat production into overdrive. Now think about that flavoured coffee that you like to pick up on your way to work, or that energy bar that helps get you through the afternoon. Think about all of the added sugar that is covertly finding its way into your bloodstream every single day - even when you are trying to be healthy. 

It gets worse. The study also found that the fat production was still clocking in at 2X over 12 hours after the last sugary drink was consumed. That means that if you drink (or eat) added sugar just once per day, your fat production runs at double time everyday for at least 12 hours - or put another way, half of your life. Whoa. 

How to avoid the added sugar fat trap. There are the obvious foods and drinks to avoid. Pop, sweet fizzy drinks, sweets, candy, chocolate - all of the usual suspects. Foods marketed as low-fat are typically loaded with sugar to make up for the taste lost by stripping out the fat. From there it can get complicated, especially if you are wandering alone in the diet wilderness without the support of a balanced meal plan. Unless you are checking every label, and know all of the chemical names for added sugar that food companies use to try and make their labels as confusing as possible, chances are that you are falling into the added sugar fat trap without even knowing it. People that are in the added sugar fat trap might blame themselves for failing to reach their fat loss and fitness goals, or might give up altogether, without realizing that they are literally stuck in glucose. 

The best way to avoid added sugar without having to read food labels is to follow a healthy meal plan based around eating delicious whole foods. Our BodyRock Meal Plan Bundle is a common sense plan that contains easy to follow recipes, grocery lists and covers snacks and desserts that will allow you to enjoy your food without sliding into the sticky added sugar fat trap. Our bundle comes with a meal plan book, a cookbook and a nutrition guide so that you can learn how to make better choices when it comes to what you eat. It even covers the best choices to avoid excess sugars in wine and other alcoholic beverages. The billion dollar food companies are very clever, and without arming yourself with a plan that supports your health and weight loss goals, it’s likely that they will be able to outfox you and derail your health and fitness goals. However you choose to navigate the added sugar trap, I hope that this article will help you hold the dangers that added sugars pose, and avoid falling victim to the harm that they can cause your health. 

Best,

Freddy.

P.S. 

If you like the vibe of how we approach diet and fitness here at BodyRock, why not come and try a workout with us? We have a wide variety of programs available on our fitness streaming platform BodyRockPlus.com - and if you are looking to start (or re-start) your fitness journey, our 30 day Beginner Bootcamp was designed for you. It will get you up and moving again - slowly progressing you in a way that is achievable and will build your confidence. For a limited time we are inviting new members to join our community for a full year of unlimited access for just $69 using the code: NY22. If you are looking to take that first step, we would love to welcome you. 

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