Please don’t be taken in by ads that claim theit product will cause you to burn fat instead of sugar while you sleep. Even if the pills worked, you burn so few calories during sleep that it is irrelevant whether you are burning sugar or fat.

Your body burns primarily fat and sugar for energy. The harder you exercise, the more sugar your muscles use. You use the lowest percentage of fat when you exercise and the highest percentage when you sleep. Your body converts fat into sugar and sugar into fat, so the crucial factor is how many calories you burn, and not whether you burn more fat or sugar. For example, the average 150 pound person burns about 60 calories an hour during sleep, compared to more than 600 calories per hour while jogging. If you burn 80 percent fat during sleep, you will burn 48 calories of fat or one fifth of an ounce. If you burn 50 percent fat when you exercise, you will burn 1.3 ounces of fat per hour or more than six times as much.

There are many products on the market today that promise to help you lose weight. None will have any lasting effect unless they get you to exercise more and eat fewer calories. If you are serious about losing weight, learn to eat lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans; avoid concentrated sources of fats, especially saturated fats and partially hydrogenated oils; and stay away from refined carbohydrates (foods made with any type of flour, white rice or milled corn, and all added sugars). Start a vigorous exercise program that you can continue for the rest of your life. Forget about diet gimmicks; if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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