Friday, September 29, 2017

The Real Reason Why an Apple Cider Vinegar Shot Helps You Lose Weight

Ismail oubarka | 8:37 AM

Last year, I revealed the three ingredient beverage that helped my friend to easily lose 10 lbs. She consumed a tonic before each meal which consisted of lemon, apple cider vinegar and cranberry juice (preferably unsweetened). Before she knew it, clothes started fitting better and she was well on her way to her old weight again.

When I tried to determine the root cause of the weight loss, I came up with several possible reasons. After going back to and reading my post, I realized that I kinda skimmed over the real reason why this healthy weight recipe is so effective. Lately, I've been listening to quite a few talks presented by medical doctors on the mechanics of healthy weight loss. Now, I feel confident in understanding the power of apple cider vinegar when it comes to maintaining a healthy body weight.

It's important to understand "the why" behind what makes things happen. When I understand why something works, I'm more apt to remain consistent. When I first shared the good news of how a pre-meal ACV shot I attributed the success to feeling fuller before the meal. And this may be true. The fuller you feel, the less you eat, and hence you lose some weight. But does feeling a little fuller cause one to lose 10 lbs in such a short period of time?

There must be something going on at a greater level that triggered her body to shed those excess pounds. The reason why ACV is so effective for fat loss is due to its impact on insulin production.

Insulin is essentially a hormone released in the body that triggers fat storage. It sends a direct signal to the body that its store "energy" in the fat cells. Anytime your insulin spikes, your body goes into fat storage mode.

Wanna know what triggers insulin production?

Eating.

Anytime we eat, our body receives the signal to start storing the energy it receives. But all food isn't created equal. Some foods cause a greater insulin spike than others. The worse offenders are sugar and refined/processed grains and flowers. Some foods like leafy greens have a lesser impact on the amount of insulin production after consumption. I was surprised to learn that traditionally low carb foods like meat, fish, and other animal proteins also trigger fat storage thanks to the rise in insulin.

Ideally, we want to feast on foods that don't cause a crazy jump in insulin levels. But, most of us often indulge in options that skyrocket our insulin levels. I love potatoes so very much but, on the insulin index, it's worse than eating white bread. What's a girl to do? Since I have absolutely no intention of giving up potatoes (yet), my other option is to find ways to lessen the impact.

The first thing I can do is to lessen my insulin sensitivity. If my diet mainly consists of highly processed, insulin triggering foods, then my body is constantly releasing insulin into the bloodstream. The more it's released, the less sensitive I become to it. That's a bad thing. It's like when someone drinks a lot so their tolerance goes up. They have to drink more alcohol to feel the effects, meanwhile, the body is still experiencing damage from the increase in consumption.

Same goes for our insulin if we are constantly eating and snacking on processed foods. The body keeps producing insulin and we keep storing fat. YOUR BODY CAN NOT BURN OR USE FAT WHILE INSULIN LEVELS ARE UP. In order to release some of our body fat, we have to normalize our insulin levels. This is why we must lower our sensitivity to insulin. The less of the hormone we produce, the slimmer we become.

There are a few things we can do to improve insulin sensitivity such as:

Walking. Even after a high-calorie meal
High-Intensity Workouts
Intermittent fasting. The less we snack during the day, the fewer insulin spikes we experience.
Consuming apple cider vinegar before we eat.

Yep, vinegar has been proven to lessen the amount of insulin released in the body when taken with or before your meal. There's a chemical compound in vinegar that helps curb the spike in insulin that happens while eating. So by taking her ACV tonic, my friend was aiding her body to regulate her fat storing hormone. She was slowly increasing her insulin sensitivity while taking in fewer calories each meal. That's the perfect combination for weight loss.

This week I purchased some ACV capsules. Ideally, I'll pop a pill or two prior to going to out eat. I have a short trip planned next weekend and I anticipate eating out a lot. To combat the dreaded vacation weight gain, I'll do the ACV and fiber supplements to curb the effects of the meal. Whenever possible, I'll walk after eating to help the process even more.

Knowledge is power and now we know the root cause of that stubborn weight gain. Let's be more mindful of the long-term effects of mindless snacking on sweets or refined foods.