I know what you're thinking. "This guy must be completely crazy!" "He's actually telling me that eating sugar will help me burn off excess body fat. How can that possibly be true ?" Well, for starters, I'm not suggesting that you go hit your nearest ice cream shop and go to town on the largest size available. I also wouldn't recommend wolfing down a couple snicker bars or anything even close to that. What I am talking about is a concept known as "macronutrient timing," and in this article, I'm going to show you just how you can utilize it to help you lose weight by, yes, that's right, eating sugar!

I hope that if you are trying to lose weight, in addition to your change in eating habits you are also exercising, and hopefully, part of that exercise is resistance training. If you are, keep reading. We'll assume for example's sake, that the type of resistance training that you are using is weight training. So, when you lift weights, and exhaust the muscles, you deplete the muscles with something called glycogen. Glycogen is the "fuel" that helps the muscles work. Your muscles get glycogen from eating sufficient amounts of carbohydrates throughout the day. Are you starting to see how sugar (a carbohydrate) can benefit you the weight trainer? Keep reading.

Here is an example: You just got done doing an intense chest/triceps workout (a common workout as part of a "split" routine). Your muscles are aching. You know that you need protein post workout in order to repair the damage that you did to your muscle fibers during weight training. You also know that it is best to take whey protein, and in shake form, since you want protein in your system as quick as possible, because you have a limited time to get that protein in your system for maximum absorption. So, you brought your protein powder with you in a cup, you run it under the faucet, mix the protein up, and slam it down. Nice job, but there is an even better way, and here it is.

If you would have added sugar to your post workout shake, you would have given yourself a lot more benefit, provided that you used the correct amount, and the correct type. You see, when you perform resistance exercises like weight training and therefore put micro tears in your muscles and at the same time, deplete your muscle's glycogen storages, not only do you have to drink protein to repair the damaged muscle tissue, but you should also drink carbohydrates in the form of sugar to refill your muscles with glycogen; doing so will provide your muscles with a fuller, harder look, and will also help the muscles grow.

Ladies, don't worry, you too can benefit from supplementing with post workout sugar. Let me explain. Any gain in lean muscle mass will help you burn excess body fat more efficiently, because the larger your muscles are, the more calories they will require in order to maintain their new, larger size. This means that your muscles will be dipping into your excess body fat, to use as fuel to sustain their size. Are you with me so far? Good. Supplementing your post workout shake with sugar will help your muscles grow, and therefore burn excess body fat! This is how sugar can actually help you lose weight. Oh, but there is one more thing... what type of sugar should you use?

The best type of sugar to use is called "dextrose." Dextrose is usually sold at health food stores, and if you can't find it at your local one, it is definitely sold online, for about $2 per pound. The price is definitely right. But why not just drink 100% juice and get sugar that way? Because the type of sugar found in fruit juice, called "fructose," is lower on the glycemic index than a sugar like dextrose, which means that it is not digested quickly, does not significantly raise insulin levels, and therefore does not replenish glycogen stores quickly enough to take advantage of your post workout "window of opportunity," which is when your muscles are primed for maximum absorption of nutrients.

"Table sugar," called "sucrose" also wouldn't do very well at replenishing your muscle glycogen, because sucrose is 50% fructose, and as you now know, fructose is not the ideal choice for building muscle and ultimately, burning excess body fat. So, unfortunately, you can't stuff your face on Hershey bars after a tough workout and expect to grow new muscle tissue.

I hope you have a new appreciation for sugar and its positive effect on weight loss after having read this article, especially for those of you out there who think that carbs are "evil." Don't laugh, I have actually heard some people say that before! What it all comes down to is the type of sugar you decide to use, and how quickly after your workout you decide to use it. To sum it up, Dextrose is the type of sugar you want, and you'll want to consume it as soon as possible after you finish up your workout, along with your protein of course. Please do use caution or possibly avoid this type of supplementation all together however if you have diabetes or are at risk for diabetes.

Yours in health,

James Hallmark

CFT