This is a question that often seems to be complicated and hard to understand. When it was explained to me and I in turn had to teach my clients, I needed to find a way so WE BOTH understood this.
I looked at all the relevant research and bio-chemical processes and their various explanations and it seemed to ME to be a lot of blah blah blah. I struggled to find a relationship with this knowledge and I have a higher level of human anatomy knowledge than most. So I used my ability to be a "translator" to come up with a solution.
I created an image which allows me, I hope to share with YOU a better understanding what's happening and the effect it has on your Human ECO System.
Now my goal here is to create understanding and NOT to be a textbook. This knowledge is most effective if we are able to create personal relationships with our bodies through our intention to get healthy.
Let us assume that in your meal is filled with ALL the macro-nutrients (the large ones such as Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats).
Once they've been digested into the intestines, the energy transfer / storage process begins. In response to the Carbohydrate nutrients, your pancreas will release Insulin which is the storage hormone.
For this image and understanding, to relate to our bodies, imagine the digestion processes are like a car crash. Shortly thereafter the Police arrive. Everyone (including the witnesses) have to remain patient while they do their duty and get everything back to a normal state.
In our Human ECO System the role of "Police" is undertaken by Insulin. In response to our elevated blood sugar levels (simulated crash scene from eating your meal) they get the "witnesses" to be patient while they take action to "clean up".
Carbohydrates are placed on standby. Let's imagine our "carbs" as our rapid response military team (they are our ready use energy). Now the "Police" have to check with the levels of storage capacity (glycogen levels in the liver and muscles) to assess where is the correct placement for these nutrients.
So Carbohydrates (our rapid response team) have to wait, so let's imagine them jogging on the spot waiting to go into action. Then the "Police" (Insulin) tend to the other casualties (nutrients). The Fat nutrients are witnesses that don't want to give a statement so they are placed in a holding cell (in this case the fat cell - which has an unlimited storage capacity). That deals with them.
The protein nutrients are next. They are broken down into their respective amino acid profiles. Now this profile may vary with different types of protein foods. These amino acids are the known for being the molecular building blocks of proteins and nine (9) are essential meaning we have to get them from foods everyday. Of the total of about twenty three (23) each one has a specific role to play. Some work together while others work alone.
The "Police now having taken statements" individually send the amino acids on into the body to do their roles which include brain function, nerve communication, assisting energy production, stopping the breakdown of muscle tissue and oh yeah building lean calorie burning muscle.
That leaves us with the Carbohydrates. The "Police" has been advised that the storage sites are FULL. This then only leaves one "ever expanding storage site" to be available - the FAT CELL.
Now if you have an eating habit that is over-loaded with carbohydrate consumption and you are NOT regularly exercising and I mean daily, then your storage levels are constantly overloaded. Now this is where the "experts" and I disagree. They will tell you that the body doesn't like to convert the excess carbs into fat calories. I think there logic is flawed.
Let us try to follow another logic path. If the storage sites in the body are full, where do the excess calories from carbohydrates go ? I am suggesting that this incredibly clever machine that is the human body DOES convert the excess carbs into fat energy for storage.
This now completes the "storage process or clean up so the police can depart".
So this action may have taken about two hours, which means that there is NO FAT USE while this is being undertaken. Because there is an abundance of available fuel (carbs) to be burned, if your goal is to get lean, then waiting to exercise two hours after eating carbs is recommended and using intensity as your "tool" will benefit.
Now here is another problem we need to consider. Once the carbs are in the fat cell, it is very difficult to access them for use when you are consistently topping up the available fuel sites with MORE carbs being consumed. To access your fat storage you need to have low storage levels of ready use energy to allow your human eco system to access them.
I hope this is able to give you some thought provoking conversation and don't hesitate to email me if you want more information.
