Understanding fat loss

Obesity is a reaching epidemic proportions in the US. Just look around. I sat in the Atlanta Mall yesterday, just people watching. The majority were fat, there were few lean people. Much of the problem is our misunderstanding of energy metabolism due to decades of misinformation from our government. This is in part due to recommnedations by scientists with large egos barking up the wrong trees, making incorrect assumptions and sticking to their flawed hypothesis despite poor support evidence and evidence to the contrary.

Fortunately, our understanding of energy metabolism has improved and the misguided scientists with big egos either retired or died.

It is critical to understand nutrient metabolism in order to understand the science of fat loss.

Body fat storage is dependant on the macro-nutrient that is least available. For the past 2 million years of human evolution the least available macro nutrient for our hunter gatherer ancestors was carbohydrate. When the least abundant macro-nutrient is in greaqt supply it is a signal for the body to store fat. This occurs in the late summer and early fall months for omnivorous mammals: us. The hormone insulin's largest role is in energy storage, therefore body fat storage is dependant on the hormone insulin.

Insulin's function is to move sugar from the blood to storage organs. The biggest glucose (sugar) storage organs in our bodies is MUSCLE, and to a much lesser degree the liver. Once the muscle cells are full to capacity with glucose, the insulin receptors on the muscle cells will decrease in insulin sensitivity so that no more glucose will enter the cells. This raises the sugar levels in the blood which in turn stimulated an increase in insulin which now causes the storage of the excess sugar in the form of FAT in adipose (fat) tissue (since muscle and liver are full to capacity). As you can see when there is an abundance of available carbohydrate fat storage results.

Fat is mobilized from adipose (fat) tissue via the hormone insulin sensitive lipase. This can only occur when insulin levels drop, since insulin sensitive lipase is inactivated by insulin. This can even occur at a calorie deficit as seen in low calorie/high carbohydrate diets. Basically whenever insulin levels are elevated you will not loose fat. And carbs raise insulin levels, especially the refined carbohydrates such as sugars and grains.

Once you understand the above scenario food metabolism. you can appreciate the fallacy of low fat/ high carb diets that are still encouraged by our government agencies. Carbs are the culprit, especially the unnatural carbs we consume today in the form of dairy, beans and the greatest of all culprits: grain (including corn and rice). Which were never part of our NATURAL DIET.

If you have not had it yet, I hope this has been your eureka moment!

Something else to ponder: Our bodies are able to manufacture sugar for energy from fats and proteins, but we cannot manufacture all the necessary proteins and fats. This is why we have essential fatty acids (fats) and essential amino acids (protein). So why would a diet that restricts fats or proteins be healthful???? We can survive without carbohydrates, but we cannot survive without protein and fats. This is the flaw in vegetarian and low fat diets.