Science of What Makes Us Fat

My Metabolic Nightmare

I have been rail thin and I have carried more fat than I like to admit. As a collegiate wrestler I was 4% body fat. As time passed into my late 20’s, I ballooned to a whopping 30% body fat. I felt weak, tired, edgy, depressed and was haunted by a constant craving for food — usually anything that had sugar. My brain screamed eat, eat, eat and by body said store, store, store. It was a metabolic nightmare. Disgusted, I was determined to awaken from it and lose the unwanted fat while building more muscle in the shortest amount of time possible.

Tireless Research

As an organic chemist trained in biochemistry and drug design I scrutinized every fat loss method available. I studied volumes of research available on fad diets such as “no-carb” and the government mandated “food pyramid.” I tried strenuous exercise programs. I mapped out the actions of purported fat loss drugs like Wellbutrin, Phentermine, Xenical, Clenbuterol, Meridia and amphetamines. I learned that none of these options were for me. Many were all risk no benefit.

And not a single method provided the ability to selectively lose fat while preserving or gaining valuable muscle and energizing glycogen (important for appetite control, muscle strength and endurance).

The Cause of Obesity

Digging deeper into science, I discovered that I could lose excess fat and gain solid, well-defined muscle by adhering to key lifestyle habits that controlled a single hormone in my body - insulin! Insulin is the nutrient taxi. It escorts blood glucose (AKA blood sugar) and other nutrients into the muscle cells to be used for fuel. This keeps us alive and energized. Too much insulin however can be detrimental.

Excess insulin tells the body to store fat and instead use glucose (blood sugar) for fuel. In simple terms, it shuts off our God-given right to be thin — thermogenesis.

Thermogenesis is the biological phenomenon of converting fat into heat. Without thermogenesis, fat is stored — typically in the abdomen region — and is unable to be used for energy. This is true regardless of exercise or caloric restriction. This biological phenomena explains why attempts to lose fat via exercise and caloric restriction are usually only successful short term — fat is simply being “prevented” from entering the metabolic furnace by excess insulin.

High insulin also causes many hormonal systems that regulate appetite, mood, energy, muscle growth and even fertility to be thrown out of whack. This imbalance is usually secured long-term by a sugar addiction that accompanies excess insulin. This explains why many obese people feel helpless when it comes to fat gain. They are being driven by a sugar addiction that is conducive to fat gain day in and day out.

The Addiction that Guarantees Obesity

Since the body is burning glucose for energy and storing fat, it screams for more sugar as glucose is converted into energy. Without sugar the insulin resistant become edgy, depressed, weak and tired. This is the body making a desperate call for more detrimental sugar. Soda, juice, sugarfortified coffee, cereal, beer and candy manufacturers have built empires around such addictions.

This is the metabolic nightmare our parents innately feared when they told us, “Don’t eat too much sugar.”

A Deadly Mistake

As adults most of us have ignored the warning not to eat sugar. We usually pay more attention to how many calories or grams of fat we put into our body. This is a deadly mistake.

Most low calorie and low fat foods are loaded with sugar or “sugar mimics.” These include sucrose, fructose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrolyzed proteins, trans fat and milk sugars such as lactose and maltose.

Looking at my own eating habits, I was shocked to learn that I was consuming sugar every time I put something into my mouth. Whether I was drinking a “sports drink,” eating a “health food” bar, enjoying a bagel or even Campbell’s soup, I was consuming some type of detrimental sugar! Little did I know I was headed toward more treacherous health problems than just obesity; I was accelerating my own death.

When Obesity Becomes Life Threatening

If habitual sugar or consumption of sugar mimics continues the metabolic nightmare can turn into a living hell. Over time, high insulin levels lead to a medical condition known as insulin resistance or Syndrome X. Today, Syndrome X is an epidemic among children and adults. One in three born in the year 2000 will succumb to the deadly affliction!

Similar to those who consume excess alcohol and develop resistance to it, excess insulin numbs muscle cells. Muscles no longer react to it. The insulin receptors within the body become “jammed.” Unable to gain entry into muscle cells, glucose (blood sugar) remains in the blood stream. Blood sugar skyrockets.

Recognizing the rise in blood glucose, the pancreas attempts to curtail the danger with yet more insulin production. The blood stream becomes toxic with exorbitant amounts of insulin and glucose. Syndrome X begins to take its toll on the body.

The most fatal characteristic of Syndrome X is high blood sugar. The glucose overload leads to the clinical diagnosis of depression, premature aging of the skin, hypertension, heart disease, type II diabetes and cancer — sometimes in that order.

Note: Learning how to control insulin will increase “insulin sensitivity.” Doing so will allow blood sugar to be swept out of the blood stream and into muscle cells where it belongs. You will therefore avoid many of the aforementioned afflictions. Thus, increasing “insulin sensitivity” is the most important asset to your health.

The Real Cure to Obesity

Alarmed with what I learned, I became wildly motivated to control my insulin to ward off my own fat and increase muscle. It wasn’t that difficult. I never starved. I never counted calories. I never measured portions of food. I never suffered in the gym. I learned how to control my insulin by adhering to simple lifestyle habits.

By controlling my insulin, I descended from 30% body fat to a lean 12% body fat in 90 days! During that time I gained 6 lbs of muscle. I had abundant energy all day. My mood was consistently upbeat. My physical and mental endurance was at an all time high. My productivity quadrupled. Just like our body automatically controls breathing, heart rate, body temperature and the removal of waste products, my body automatically regulated weight and appetite day and night without conscious control!