| Burn
Fat While You Sleep? Forget It
by Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Please don’t be taken in by
ads that claim theit product will cause you to burn
fat instead of sugar while you sleep. Even if the pills
worked, you burn so few calories during sleep that it
is irrelevant whether you are burning sugar or fat.
Your body burns primarily fat and
sugar for energy. The harder you exercise, the more
sugar your muscles use. You use the lowest percentage
of fat when you exercise and the highest percentage
when you sleep. Your body converts fat into sugar and
sugar into fat, so the crucial factor is how many calories
you burn, and not whether you burn more fat or sugar.
For example, the average 150 pound person burns about
60 calories an hour during sleep, compared to more than
600 calories per hour while jogging. If you burn 80
percent fat during sleep, you will burn 48 calories
of fat or one fifth of an ounce. If you burn 50 percent
fat when you exercise, you will burn 1.3 ounces of fat
per hour or more than six times as much.
There are many products on the market
today that promise to help you lose weight. None will
have any lasting effect unless they get you to exercise
more and eat fewer calories. If you are serious about
losing weight, learn to eat lots of vegetables, fruits,
whole grains and beans; avoid concentrated sources of
fats, especially saturated fats and partially hydrogenated
oils; and stay away from refined carbohydrates (foods
made with any type of flour, white rice or milled corn,
and all added sugars). Start a vigorous exercise program
that you can continue for the rest of your life. Forget
about diet gimmicks; if it sounds too good to be true,
it probably is.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin
has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing
physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified
in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read
or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports
at http://www.DrMirkin.com
Free
weekly newsletter on fitness, health, and nutrition.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gabe_Mirkin,_M.D.
|
