Want to Lose Weight? Try Balancing Your Blood Sugar

If you will, forget about calories for a second, and think about your blood sugar. Blood sugar is the glucose in your veins, and insulin is what brings the sugar into your cells for energy. Your blood sugar varies throughout the day based off what you eat; if it gets too low, you can get irritable, shaky and fatigued. Below, Women's Health talks about how balancing your blood sugar can help you lose weight.

But here's a nugget worth writing down: Keeping your blood sugar stable could help you lose weight, says Stephanie Clarke, R.D., a nutritionist with C&J Nutrition in New York City. "When your blood sugar is balanced, you'll feel more energized, less hungry, and you may not cave to cravings, which can help you lose weight by lowering your overall calorie intake." Keeping your blood sugar in check can also help prevent insulin resistance, which can lead to weight gain by minimizing frequent spikes. In short, it's a crucial part of getting your weight-loss game on point.

The crash and burn that comes with low blood sugar (called hypoglycemia) isn't hard to detect: It can make you feel sweaty, weak, dizzy, annoyed, or even lead to a rapid pulse, says Clarke. You can have a blood sugar crash after not eating for a long time, or after eating a big meal packed with processed carbs, like white pasta or bread, which causes it to shoot up and then drop quickly.

>> Read more: 10 Things to Help Reduce Your High Blood Sugar

Blood sugar that's too high, called hyperglycemia, can lead to thirst, headaches, and blurred vision. But these symptoms don't usually show up unless it's through the roof. If this happens to you, see a doc to rule out diabetes.

With all of that out of the way, here's how you can level out your blood sugar to crush cravings, feel energized, and tackle weight-loss sabotaging hanger.

1. Watch the clock. After three or four hours of not eating, hypoglycermia can kick in, says Clarke. To keep this from happening, set an alarm so that hunger doesn't creep up on you while you're busy at work. Eating small, frequent meals every three to four hours is clutch for keeping your sugars in a healthy range, she says.

2. Pick worthy snacks. Aim to include at least two of the three major nutrient groups—carbs, protein, and fat—in each snack, she says. For example, one snack might include a healthy fat, like peanut butter, and a high-fiber carb, such as a whole wheat English muffin. Another might include protein and healthy carbs in one, like edamame.

To see more ways to balance your blood sugar, click here for the original article from Women's Health!

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