The Truth About Weight Loss

First of all

Anyone can lose weight by limiting calorie intake to less than 1000 calories a day.

Add exercise and most lose weight.

The problem occurs when you start eating normally again.

You gain all the weight back.

The issue with this strategy is that the metabolism drops. Therefore, as soon as you eat normally again the body finds it harder to burn the extra calories because of a slower metabolism.

This approach doesn’t work long term.

The Hormone That Stimulates Fat Gain

A wiser strategy is to work with the bodies natural hormones.

In particular, Insulin (a hormone which tells the body to make fat & cholesterol).

When sugar enters the blood stream, insulin is released by the pancreas.

This means whenever we eat food that turns to sugar quickly, the pancreas secretes insulin to get hold of the sugar, and pulls glucose into the cell to be used as energy.

Whatever isn’t used as energy is stored as fat.

Insulin Commands The Body To Make Fat

It turns out that only 30% of cholesterol in our body is ingested via food.

The body, through the release of insulin and it’s fat creating affect, makes the other 70%.

This means that food that breaks into sugar literally turns your body into a fat producing machine.

What Spikes Insulin?

Which type of food breaks into sugar fast enough to cause insulin production, forcing the body to make fat?

Simple carbohydrates such as:

• Refined grains
• Fruit
• Sweets
• Cakes
• Pasta
• Bread
• Potatoes
• Sweet drinks
• Fruit and vegetable juices

If you want to loose weight and keep healthy, avoid these.

Glucagon Stimulates Fat Loss

On the flip side, in order to burn fat we have to eat food that forces the pancreas to secrete a hormone called glucagon.

The pancreas secretes glucagon when amino acids are found in the blood stream.

The only food group that breaks into amino acids is protein.

This means that when we eat protein the pancreas is forced to secrete glucagons, in turn forcing the body to burn fat.

I am a vegetarian, however I have seen more substantial weight loss when patients consume animal based proteins such as:

• Turkey
• Steak
• Free Range Chicken
• Sustainably caught fish
• Organic free range eggs

For vegetarians, some examples include:

• Beans
• Lentils
• Tempeh
• Almonds & nuts
• Pea protein powders

What Does All This Mean?

If we want to drop fat without gaining it back, we must eat each meal with the intention of producing more glucagons than insulin.

This is done by eating protein dominant meals, in combination with complex carbs such as green vegetables.

This will keep insulin balanced, restore the body’s normal weight, support muscle and give the body a time released energy rather than the energy coaster you get from eating sugar.

Expected Results

This approach works well.

In my clinic and fitness programs some patients have lost over 100 pounds and continue to keep the weight off by eating sensibly.

This means no sugar based meals.

This is not a diet but a foundation for a healthy life.

What About Fat?

Fat is neutral, it doesn’t affect the bodies burning capacity. This means that fat in moderation isn’t bad.

Since the body is made of mostly fat and protein, eating these kinds of food are beneficial for the body as a whole.

Avoid “Fat Free” Foods

What’s not helpful are “fat free” foods, which makes food dissolve into sugar more quickly.

Fat and cellulose are what slow down the breakdown of a carbohydrate into sugar.

Fat-free food is just another form of eating sugar, which turns your body into a fat producing one (remember insulin).

Weight Management

In my programs I approach weight loss in this way.

The first thing I do is a two week intro phase.

A  phase of eliminating sugary food and replacing them with meals based on 70% protein and 30% green vegetables to jump-start the weight loss process.

With the initial loss of weight we continue to eat protein dominant meals to burn the fat.

In some instances I apply controlled fasting strategies to drop weight further.

When the patient reaches target weight we widen their food choices without turning each meal into a sugar party.

Balancing Cortisol

This approach has worked very well for hundreds of patients and clients alike.

If you’re ready to make an appointment, apply here

David L. Edwards is an author, Chinese medicine physician and acupuncturist. He is the author of The Body Fat Formula and The Pocketbook guide to Chinese medicine. David is the director of Barefoot Health and Wellness health programs.

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