When it comes to weight loss diets, carbohydrates are becoming misunderstood nutrients. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy in your body. They are also one of the three macro nutrients required for nutrition. The other two are proteins and lipids.

Carbohydrates are organic molecules, made up of sugars called saccharids. A carbohydrate with one unit of sugar is called monosaccharides. Carbohydrates with two units of sugar are called disaccharides. Those with more than two sugars are generally referred to as polysaccharides.

Carbohydrates Classification:

Carbohydrates are grouped into two types depending on structures of their molecules.

1) Simple carbohydrates:- These are the mono and disaccharides e.g. glucose and fructose.

2) Complex carbohydrates:- These are polymers or polysaccharides. Examples include starch, fibre, and glycogen. Carbohydrates can only be also be grouped into three main forms as foods.

(i) Sugars: – These consist of simple carbohydrates both mono and disaccharides for example glucose (the blood sugar) galactose, the sugar found in milk and fructose the sugar found in fruits and honey are all mono-saccharides. Common disaccharides include sucrose the common table sugar which is glucose bonded to a fructose, lactose the main sugar in milk (glucose + galactose) and maltose a product of starch digestion (glucose + glucose)

(ii) Starch: – This is a complex carbohydrates and a polysaccharide. It is the principle form used by plants to store glucose. It is a polymer or a chain of bonded glucose molecules.

(iii) Fiber: – This is also a complex carbohydrate also called cellulose found in plants. This is one of the carbohydrates that cannot be broken down into sugar molecules in your digestive system. It passes through mostly undigested. In your body it cleans the digestive system keeping it healthy. Cellulose is probably the most abundant molecule in the biosphere e.g. wood is mostly cellulose, while cotton and paper is almost entirely cellulose.

Carbohydrates are essential energy sources though some kind when eaten often and in large quantities actually increase risk for diabetes and coronary heart disease. It also may result into increase in your body weight.

The digestive system handles all carbs in much the same way. Basically it breaks them down to glucose or any other simple sugar that can be absorbed into the body.

When we eat carbohydrates, its digestion starts in the mouth using saliva. Saliva has enzymes called amylace which breaks down polymers of starch. By the time starch is getting to the stomach it has been broken down to glucose. This glucose is then absorbed into the blood stream then the blood transports it to your body cells. Body cells absorb the glucose for the use of creating energy.

When excess carbohydrates are eaten, the body converts the extra glucose into glycogen. Glycogen is stored in skeletal muscles and liver. This acts as the glucose reservoir in your body. In case of energy shortage, glycogen is broken down to glucose in a process called glycogenolysis.

Glycogen is the immediate store of energy in your body. It gets depleted in about 24 hours if not replenished. Your diet should always consist of some energy for nutrition. Most of this energy is provided by the carbohydrates. In some circumstances, energy is provided by proteins and fats.

Good and bad Carbs:

Science on nutrition is proving that there are now healthy and unhealthy carbohydrates. They are using the glycemic index to be able to determine the healthier carbohydrates.

The Glycemic index measures how fast and how far blood sugar (glucose) rises after you eat a certain carbohydrate source of food. For example, white bread is considered to be a high glycemic index food. This is because it is quickly digested and absorbed into the blood stream. This consequently increases the blood sugar level very high and very fast. On the other hand whole wheat bread is digested much more slowly. This causes a lower and more gentle change in blood sugar level so it is said to have a low glycemic index.

Carbohydrate foods with high glycemic index have been linked to increase in both diabetes, unhealthy weight and heart disease while low glycemic index has been shown to control type two diabetes. You will find, even though the food pyramid recommends a mainly plant based nutritional diet, it insists on whole foods. This is because a major determinant of a food’s glycemic index is how processed the carbohydrate is.

Some determinants of GI (Glycemic Index) are listed below;

i) Processing:- The more finely ground grain is rapidly digested due to increased surface area hence a higher GI. Processing tends to remove the fibre rich outer bran. It also removes the vitamins and mineral rich inner germ, basically stripping the food all its nutrients except carbs.

ii) Fiber-content: – The bran for example shields the food from immediate rapid action by enzymes. This slows the enzymes effectiveness in releasing the sugar molecules into the blood stream.

iii) Ripeness: – The more ripe a fruit or vegetable the more the sugar it has hence a higher G.I.

iv) Structure of the starch: – Occurring in many structural forms, the more a starch isomer is branched the less easily is broken down. For example a potato is more easily broken down because its starch is only a long chain. This makes it a high G.I. food.

v)Fats and acid content :- The more fat and acid a food contains the slower its carbohydrates are turned into sugar.

Determining G.I. may end up being a little complicated. A combination of the above factors may have counter-intuitive results. But the rule is simple; always prefer whole grain products and them more natural forms of carbohydrates. Use them more often than highly processed grains, just as recommended in any good weight loss diet.

Weight loss diets are one of the Top 4 Reasons you fail in losing weight permanently. However there are three other factors that you need to effectively tackle to avoid failure in losing weight.



By: Mark Kimathi

About the Author:

When it comes to weight loss diets, carbohydrates are becoming misunderstood nutrients. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy in your body. They are also one of the three macro nutrients required for nutrition. The other two are proteins and lipids.

Carbohydrates are organic molecules, made up of sugars called saccharids. A carbohydrate with one unit of sugar is called monosaccharides. Carbohydrates with two units of sugar are called disaccharides. Those with more than two sugars are generally referred to as polysaccharides.

Carbohydrates Classification:

Carbohydrates are grouped into two types depending on structures of their molecules.

1) Simple carbohydrates:- These are the mono and disaccharides e.g. glucose and fructose.

2) Complex carbohydrates:- These are polymers or polysaccharides. Examples include starch, fibre, and glycogen. Carbohydrates can only be also be grouped into three main forms as foods.

(i) Sugars: – These consist of simple carbohydrates both mono and disaccharides for example glucose (the blood sugar) galactose, the sugar found in milk and fructose the sugar found in fruits and honey are all mono-saccharides. Common disaccharides include sucrose the common table sugar which is glucose bonded to a fructose, lactose the main sugar in milk (glucose + galactose) and maltose a product of starch digestion (glucose + glucose)

(ii) Starch: – This is a complex carbohydrates and a polysaccharide. It is the principle form used by plants to store glucose. It is a polymer or a chain of bonded glucose molecules.

(iii) Fiber: – This is also a complex carbohydrate also called cellulose found in plants. This is one of the carbohydrates that cannot be broken down into sugar molecules in your digestive system. It passes through mostly undigested. In your body it cleans the digestive system keeping it healthy. Cellulose is probably the most abundant molecule in the biosphere e.g. wood is mostly cellulose, while cotton and paper is almost entirely cellulose.

Carbohydrates are essential energy sources though some kind when eaten often and in large quantities actually increase risk for diabetes and coronary heart disease. It also may result into increase in your body weight.

The digestive system handles all carbs in much the same way. Basically it breaks them down to glucose or any other simple sugar that can be absorbed into the body.

When we eat carbohydrates, its digestion starts in the mouth using saliva. Saliva has enzymes called amylace which breaks down polymers of starch. By the time starch is getting to the stomach it has been broken down to glucose. This glucose is then absorbed into the blood stream then the blood transports it to your body cells. Body cells absorb the glucose for the use of creating energy.

When excess carbohydrates are eaten, the body converts the extra glucose into glycogen. Glycogen is stored in skeletal muscles and liver. This acts as the glucose reservoir in your body. In case of energy shortage, glycogen is broken down to glucose in a process called glycogenolysis.

Glycogen is the immediate store of energy in your body. It gets depleted in about 24 hours if not replenished. Your diet should always consist of some energy for nutrition. Most of this energy is provided by the carbohydrates. In some circumstances, energy is provided by proteins and fats.

Good and bad Carbs:

Science on nutrition is proving that there are now healthy and unhealthy carbohydrates. They are using the glycemic index to be able to determine the healthier carbohydrates.

The Glycemic index measures how fast and how far blood sugar (glucose) rises after you eat a certain carbohydrate source of food. For example, white bread is considered to be a high glycemic index food. This is because it is quickly digested and absorbed into the blood stream. This consequently increases the blood sugar level very high and very fast. On the other hand whole wheat bread is digested much more slowly. This causes a lower and more gentle change in blood sugar level so it is said to have a low glycemic index.

Carbohydrate foods with high glycemic index have been linked to increase in both diabetes, unhealthy weight and heart disease while low glycemic index has been shown to control type two diabetes. You will find, even though the food pyramid recommends a mainly plant based nutritional diet, it insists on whole foods. This is because a major determinant of a food’s glycemic index is how processed the carbohydrate is.

Some determinants of GI (Glycemic Index) are listed below;

i) Processing:- The more finely ground grain is rapidly digested due to increased surface area hence a higher GI. Processing tends to remove the fibre rich outer bran. It also removes the vitamins and mineral rich inner germ, basically stripping the food all its nutrients except carbs.

ii) Fiber-content: – The bran for example shields the food from immediate rapid action by enzymes. This slows the enzymes effectiveness in releasing the sugar molecules into the blood stream.

iii) Ripeness: – The more ripe a fruit or vegetable the more the sugar it has hence a higher G.I.

iv) Structure of the starch: – Occurring in many structural forms, the more a starch isomer is branched the less easily is broken down. For example a potato is more easily broken down because its starch is only a long chain. This makes it a high G.I. food.

v)Fats and acid content :- The more fat and acid a food contains the slower its carbohydrates are turned into sugar.

Determining G.I. may end up being a little complicated. A combination of the above factors may have counter-intuitive results. But the rule is simple; always prefer whole grain products and them more natural forms of carbohydrates. Use them more often than highly processed grains, just as recommended in any good weight loss diet.

Weight loss diets are one of the Top 4 Reasons you fail in losing weight permanently. However there are three other factors that you need to effectively tackle to avoid failure in losing weight.



By: Mark Kimathi

About the Author:

Exercise order for your weight training routine is flexible, but there are some suggested guidelines to follow that can help you achieve better results. Your goals and other factors may influence the recommended sequence of exercises. Your daily workouts, however, should always start with a warm up.

General and Specific Warm Up

Start with 10-15 minutes of cardio activity to increase your heart rate and warm your muscles. Then perform a general, full body stretching routine. You may prefer to stretch a bit before the cardio, particularly if you feel tight or have muscle soreness, but do most of your stretching after cardio.

Just before each weight lifting exercise, do more specific warm up activities through a full range of motion in preparation for more intense work. Stretch the major muscles involved and perform light repetitions before you increase your weight load.

Exercise Order

As a general protocol, perform weight lifting exercises in the following order:

1. Free weight-bearing, whole body exercises that require the greatest coordination of multiple joint actions (e.g., Olympic lifts).

2. Free weight-bearing exercises that place stress on the whole body (e.g., squats).

3. Exercises that involve larger muscles (e.g., bench press).

4. Exercises that involve smaller muscles and single joint actions (e.g., wrist curls, machines that target specific muscles).

You may have some particular preferences in your order of exercises. For example:

*You may prefer to alternate leg, arm, and core exercises to allow one muscle group to recover while you work another muscle group regardless of muscle size or number of joints actions involved.

*If you are performing Olympic lifts, you would typically perform those lifts that require the most coordination first (e.g., power clean, snatch). However, if your goal is to improve your pull from the floor, you may perform targeted exercises for the pull phase first.

*Your goals may prompt what appears to be a departure from the recommended exercise order, but the order may truly be aligned with your purpose for training with weights.

For example, if your goal is to improve muscular endurance to speed up your “kick” at the end of a distance run, you may want to perform certain explosive or whole body exercises when you are tired in order to match the demands of a race. However, you would not likely be lifting heavy weights, so there is little chance of an injury. In any case, use good judgment–safety is always a priority!

Cool Down

After a vigorous workout, it is advisable to cool down by taking a few moments to stretch major muscle groups. You can also stretch later in the day and in the morning to help facilitate recovery.

Follow these guidelines for exercise order, but allow yourself latitude in light of your training goals, preferences, and safety considerations.



By: Denise K. Wood, Ed.D.

About the Author:

With wireless technology, you can monitor and adjust the level of intensity of your exercise session with accuracy and ease. A good exercise session will include a warm up period, intense period and then a cool down period.

The first 2-5 minutes of every workout should be devoted to warming up. The warm-up will limber your muscles and prepare them for the more strenuous exercises. The warm up should gradually bring your heart rate into your Target Heart Rate Zone.

For aerobic benefits, it’s recommended that you exercise from between 25-60 minutes per session. The time that you allot to this will depend on your current weight, age and fitness level. If you’ve been relatively inactive for the past year it’s recommended that you start out at the lower end of the scale and gradually increase the time spent on each session. The last thing you want, as a novice, is a major injury that could cause you to give up before ever really getting started!

The final 3-5 minutes of all exercise sessions should be your cool down phase. This allows your heart to readjust to the decreased demand as well as preventing injury to stretched and stresses muscles. In addition to a general lessening of activity it’s a good idea to stretch your muscles during the cool down in much the same way as you did during the warm up period.

With an exercise heart rate monitor system you will benefit greatly by having knowledge about your current heart rate and being able to affect changes as you progress through the exercise session. The warm up and cool down are the most often ignored steps by novices and the most common reason for injury.

The contestants on The Biggest Loser all use these monitoring systems and look at their results! Knowing what your Target Heart Rate is will help you gradually increase your intensity of exercise until you reach it – and NOT go over. Exercise at a level to high can be just as harmful as exercise that has an intensity that is too low. Patience – it took you years to get out of shape = give your body time to adjust to a new level of health!



By: Anthony Higgens

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