Excess unused energy/calories?

There are lots of rules you can break; so thats what happens a lot...
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avo
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Excess unused energy/calories?

Post by avo »

I am still a little confused by the whole blood sugar/diabetes/glucose/glycerol thing. Just so I am not setting myself up for harm in the future, is it perfectly fine to eat much more than my body uses for energy? I figure that I only need somewhere in the low 2000's calorie-wise, but recently I've been managing to eat about 3200-3800 in a day, even on days where I don't exercise that much. In the afternoon, after I have already ingested minimal energy, I tend not to feel very hungry, only very slightly. So I would eat a small meal, like some bananas, oil, honey, yolks or dried dates, coconut meat and nuts, but which is pretty high in calories even though I don't need them (but trying to put weight back on that I have lost during past fasting). As long as I am making sure to eat enough fats with sugars, is this perfectly fine long-term? Is it dangerous to eat many more calories when my body does not require them?

I ask because I was reading about what Wai, Oscar and RRM have wrote about diabetes, and I must have misread, but it seems like consuming glucose when reserves are full (ie have not exercised much that day) will cause the glucose to be stored elsewhere ONLY if there is twice as much excess fatty acids than excess sugars and aminos. But I thought the ratio should be 2:1 sugars to fats, not 1:2? Also, waisays "By nature, no food is consumed when the body disposes of sufficient energy and fat deposits, and glycogen depots are full."

Also, what is adipose tissue?

And, would it be better to eat the calorically-dense meals (like 'trail mix' avocados bananas extra honey and oil) when I am truly, undoubtedly hungry? As opposed to later in the day where I may not need so much energy at once, only a piece or two of fruit, not 500-1000 calorie meals.
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Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Oohh, lots of questions! ;)

Maybe it's good to explain again what happens.
We need both sugars and fats for energy. The liver is the Central Processing (and Distributing) Unit, which can convert fats into sugars, protein into sugars, sugars into fat, etc etc. The liver knows what is needed when and where. If we ingest only sugars, the liver has to convert part of it for fat energy, using insulin. If we ingest sugars and fats, then we can use both for energy. The sugar:fat ratio depends a bit on how active you are, varying from 2:1 to 6:1 or even more.

The order of filling is: blood sugar - glycogen depots (liver and skeletal muscles) - bodyfat (adipose tissue).

I think that if you really listen to your body, you will automatically gain weight until you're at your ideal weight (this happened to me). So if you're only a little hungry, I would eat only a little, unless you won't have time afterwards. This is easier when drinking OJ, because you can immediately replenish energy needed, but if not, then I guess it's best to adjust energy intake to the energy needed, like you said.

Hope this helps. :)
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