Transcription
Weight gain is the result of hormonal imbalance in the body. It is not about the calories, as you probably believe. If it is a hormonal problem, then which hormone causes us to gain weight? The answer is insulin.
Here's a simple test to prove that insulin causes weight gain. If you take a person and cut out 80 percent of his daily calories and inject him with insulin, he would gain weight despite the 80 percent reduction in caloric intake. High levels of insulin over a long period of time is the main reason we gain weight.
To lose weight, you need to lower your insulin level. And how do you do that? You need to change two things. Number one, when you eat. Number two, what you eat.
Before explaining each of these two points, I would like to mention that all the information you are about to hear in this video is the summary of lessons I learned in a book called "The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss," written by Canadian doctor Jason Fung.
Okay, let's start with the first point: when you eat. As already mentioned, weight gain is a hormonal problem. Hormones are chemical messengers that regulate many body systems and processes, such as hunger, fat storage, blood sugar levels, etc. We don't consciously control our body weight any more than we control our heart rates, basal metabolic rates, body temperatures, or breathing. They're all automatically regulated, and so is our weight. Hormones tell us we are hungry. Hormones tell us we are full. Hormones increase energy output. And the hormone that regulates our weight is insulin.
Insulin is released every time you eat something. Some food and drinks, of course, spike insulin higher compared to others, but all food raises insulin levels. People with more weight release much higher insulin levels than those of normal weight. In lean people, insulin levels quickly return to normal after a meal, but in overweight people, these levels remain high.
High levels of insulin over a long period of time eventually create something called insulin resistance. To understand what insulin resistance is and how it develops, we have to understand the nature of the human body. The human body wants to stay in a state of balance. So, if things change in one direction, the body reacts by changing in the opposite direction to return closer to its original state. For example, if you become cold, the body adapts by increasing body heat generation. If you become hot, the body sweats to try to cool itself. In simpler words, the body develops resistance.
The same is the case with drugs. A person who takes cocaine for the first time experiences a high state, but the next time he takes the same quantity of drug, he doesn't experience the same sensation, and he has to increase the dosages every single time to experience the same high. Why is that? It's because the body develops resistance. Similarly, when our body gets more insulin, it develops resistance, and to reach the same energy levels, our body asks for more insulin. It is a vicious circle that keeps on repeating. Hence, insulin causes insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is the hidden culprit behind weight gain, diabetes, fatty liver, heart disease, cancer, etc.
In the past, your grandparents didn't eat snacks. They used to eat three meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and their insulin level would spike three times, but then would go down during the time they didn't eat. So, the 12-hour feeding window would be compensated with a 12-hour fasting window. However, today we have something called snacks. We eat in the car, we eat in front of the TV, and we eat when we wait in line. Our insulin level now looks something like this: not only is insulin spiked too many times during the day, plus those snacks are highly processed, which means the height of the spike is higher as well. So, both the intensity and the interval of insulin spike has increased, which has created an ideal environment for developing insulin resistance.
Okay, now that we understand how insulin works and how insulin resistance is developed, let's talk about the solution. All foods raise insulin, regardless of how healthy the food is. That is why the only way for us to lower it is to completely avoid food. In other words, fasting is the process where the body starts to burn fat instead of glucose to generate energy. Fat is simply the body's stored food energy. In times of food scarcity, stored fat is naturally released to fill the void. The body does not burn muscle in an effort to feed itself until all the fat stores are used. Many people have a myth that fasting makes them lose muscle mass. The breakdown of muscle tissue happens only at extremely low levels of body fat. Fat is burned first. Saying that fasting burns muscle is like saying you have a huge amount of firewood stored in your house, but you chose to burn the sofa first.
Fasting doesn't cause malnutrition, since magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus levels during fasting are stable because of the large amounts of these minerals stored in the bones. Fasting can be scary for people who've never done it before. Here are some questions that always come up when it comes to fasting:
Number one: I get hungry when I fast. What can I do? This is probably the number one concern of fasters everywhere. The truth is that hunger comes in waves. People think that every coming hunger wave is stronger than the previous one, but it's not the case. If you're experiencing hunger, it will pass. Staying busy is often helpful.
Number two: What can I have on fasting days? Try to stay well hydrated throughout your fast. Aim to drink two liters of water daily. Be careful to break your fast gently. Overeating right after fasting may lead to stomach discomfort.
Number three: Can I exercise while fasting? Absolutely. There's no reason to stop your exercise routine. Fasting is an ideal time to exercise.
Four: Will fasting make me tired? Many people find that they have more energy during a fast, probably because of increased adrenaline. If you experience excessive fatigue, you must stop fasting and seek medical advice immediately.
Number five: Will fasting make me confused or forgetful? No, you shouldn't experience any decrease in memory or concentration. On the contrary, long-term fasting may actually help you improve your memory.
Number six: I get dizzy when I fast. What can I do? Be sure to drink plenty of fluids. Adding sea salt to water often helps.
Number seven: I get muscle cramps. What can I do? Low magnesium levels may cause muscle cramps. You may take an over-the-counter magnesium supplement.
Number eight: I get headaches when I fast. What can I do? Try increasing your salt intake. Headaches are quite common the first few times you try fasting. It's believed that they're caused by the transition from a relatively high salt diet to a very low salt intake on fasting days. Headaches are usually temporary.
Number nine: My stomach is always growling. What can I do? Try drinking some mineral water.
Number ten: Since I've started fasting, I experience constipation. What can I do? Increasing your intake of fiber, fruits, and vegetables during non-fasting periods may help.
Number eleven: I get heartburn. What can I do? Avoid taking large meals. Avoid lying down immediately after a meal and try to stay in an upright position for at least half an hour after a meal.
Now, let's talk about the second point: what you eat. Here are five steps to make sure what you are eating is helping you in your weight loss journey.
Step number one: Reduce the consumption of added sugars. The simple rule is this: if a food is packaged, it contains added sugar. For example, ketchup has more sugar than cola per 100 grams. You may also be wondering how much sugar is acceptable. Well, this is like asking how many cigarettes are acceptable. What about dessert? They are sure to be eliminated from your diet. Here is how you can have a satisfying end to a meal: fresh seasonal fruits, dark chocolate with more than 70% cacao, and nuts. This doesn't mean that you can't indulge in sugar ever. Food has always played a major role in celebrations, birthdays, weddings, etc. The point to remember here is, occasional dessert is not to be taken every day, and whatever you are consuming desserts, always be mindful of the quantity.
What about snacks? What to eat at snack time? Nothing. Don't eat snacks. Simplify your life. How about breakfast? Make breakfast optional. Breakfast is, without question, the most controversial meal of the day. The greatest problem is that, like snacks, breakfast foods often contain vast quantities of highly processed carbohydrates and sugar. Don't eat sugared breakfast cereal. Well-rolled oats and dried fruit and granola bars attempt to disguise themselves as healthy; they are often heavily sugared. The point is, if you're not hungry, don't eat anything at all. It's perfectly okay to skip breakfast.
Beverages: Only consume no-sugar-added drinks. The best drink is plain or sparkling water. Tear coffee is great as well. How about alcohol? Moderate consumption of red wine does not raise insulin and therefore may be enjoyed. Up to two glasses are fine.
Step two: Reduce consumption of refined grains. Refined grains, such as white flour, increase insulin more than any other food. White flour must be eliminated from your diet because all its nutrients get destroyed while processing, and later artificial nutrients are added to do its marketing.
Step 3: Moderate your protein consumption. Moderate the amount of protein in your diet to fall within 20 to 30 percent of your total calories. Meal replacement shakes, bars, or protein powders are highly processed fake foods. These products don't produce lasting weight loss, and they're designed to keep you coming back for more.
Step four: Increase consumption of natural fats. In choosing fats, aim for a higher proportion of natural fats. Natural, unprocessed fats include olive oil, butter, coconut oil, and beef fat. Nuts have high fat content and significant health benefits, walnuts in particular.
Step 5: Increase your consumption of protective factors. Fiber can reduce the insulin-stimulating effect of carbohydrates, making it one of the main protective factors against weight gain. Fruits, berries, vegetables, whole grains, chia seeds, beans, popcorn, nuts, oatmeal, and pumpkin seeds are good sources of fiber.
Thanks for watching, and I hope it was a useful video.