Weight Loss
- Being overweight will increase the possibility of many long-term diseases such as diabetes (high blood sugar), high blood pressure and hypercholesterolemia (high blood cholesterol). Conversely a reduction of 15% body will markedly reduce this risk
- Weight loss is all about eating less than you burn. It really is that simple, but so difficult to do.
- First steps to weight loss include eliminate snacking and highly processed foods, or “eating clean”. These provide high amounts of excess calories without associated nutrition. Highly processed foods can be eaten once in a while and in moderation. These reductions will not be enough to lose weight.
- You cannot rely on exercise to reduce weight. A 1 hour cardio session may burn 350 calories or so, and a weight lifting session even less. One pound of fat is 3,500 calories. Unless you will do multiple hours of cardio, and this will make you even more tired and hungry, this cannot work. Physical exercise, however, will prevent you from regaining weight after dieting down to your ideal weight.
- Total daily energy expenditure TDEE, or the daily burning of calories is basal metabolic rate BMR 70% (just living and keeping you alive), non-exercise activity thermogenesis NEAT 15% (fidgeting), thermic effect of food TEF 10% (digesting food) and only 5% exercise activity thermogenisis EAT. You therefore do not have to exercise a lot to lose weight. In fact, exercising a lot may have you eating more and gaining weight.
Total daily energy expenditure TDEE = BMR basal metabolic rate + NEAT non-exercise activity thermogenisis + TEF thermic effect of food + EAT exercise activity thermogenisis. You do not have to exercise to lose weight
- Even if you “eat clean” (no highly processed foods, eliminate snacking), if you eat more than you burn, you will gain weight. it is all about the number of calories you eat.
- There is no one diet that will burn off body fat. All are just different strategies for you to try. Choose one that fits you best and reduce your caloric intake
- Weight loss can result in losing body fat but also muscle. Continue strength training to ensure you minimize muscle loss. Eat more protein to tip the balance to burning body fat.
- Start your meal with a huge protein hit, such as a can of sardine or mackerel. This will quickly satiate your appetite, allowing you to eat less but still feel full
- Weight loss can be done slowly or quickly. Slow loss is the more traditional recommendation because it is easier. Fast loss is much harder but shorter duration
- When your body is in a fasted state you will not have glucose in your blood and liver, and then will burn visceral body fat. This will help with weight loss.
Insulin Resistance (IR)
- IR means there is too much glucose in your blood that insulin cannot transport to your muscles. This excess glucose is stored as visceral body fat within your organs, with a detrimental effect
- Insulin resistance occurs with age, and affects the vast majority of people. It is extremely common. While it may be genetic, there may also be a significant environmental component.
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What causes insulin resistance?
Obesity (being significantly overweight and belly fat), an inactive lifestyle, and a diet high in carbohydrates are the primary causes of insulin resistance.
- Insulin resistance may be modified with diet
- Follow a low carb diet, which will flood your body with less carbs and sugar. This will allow your muscles to absorb the glucose they need, without overwhelming them
- Watch your total carbs. The keto diet recommends no more than 50g of carbs a day. If you drastically reduce carbs, there is much less need for your body to produce insulin, which helps with IR.
- Satiate your eating first with a huge protein hit, then selectively choose foods that you like, keeping in mind their carb load. There are always good substitutes
- Fruits with low carbs: berries (strawberry 11g, blueberry 14g, raspberry 15g, mulberry), kiwi, avocado 17g, lemon 8g, lime 7g, olive 0.3g, plum, sour cherries 13g , apricot, guava, cucumber, clementine 7g
- Fruits with med carbs: grapefruit, dragon fruit (100g serving, 12g net carbs)
- Recommended vegetables: onions, pickles, lettuce, cucumber, seaweed, mushroom, sauerkraut/kimchi, eggplant, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, sweet peppers (green lowest, red/yellow higher), tomato, cabbage, radish/daikon, green beans, cauliflower
- Bread: carb to fiber ratio of <5, watch for added sugar: whole grain, pumpernickle, Ezekiel
- Meat and dietary oils have very low carbs and are therefore safer for IR
- Resistant starches are starchy carbs (bread, pasta, potato, rice etc) that have been refrigerated overnight. The starches are converted into a form that cannot be digested and therefore acts more like fiber. I have tested this, but it did not work well for me, still causing a slight rise in Blood glucose. Other people on Youtube have also tested this and say it does not work for them.
- Glycemic index is a blood glucose response number for a set weight of the product. Glycemic load is a blood glucose response number for what most people would actually eat in one setting. Low GI foods are no doubt better to eat, but it is best to not eat them at all.
- Eat vegetables and protein first, then carbs. This will mute the carb effect
- After a high carb meal, within 90 minutes do some light exercise such as take a walk or stationary bike for 10 mins. This will blunt the glucose spike
- vinegar: 1 tbsp in a cup of water before the meal will reduce a glucose spike by 30%
- Artificial sweeteners: The most recommended is erythritol and stevia, but while some may have no calories, there may be damage to the gut microbiome, which may actually raise glucose levels. it may be better to not use any sweeteners at all.
- Reduce IR by diet first, but also strength training. During strength training muscles can absorb glucose without insulin. More muscle will absorb more glucose, thus reducing the need for insulin
Normal blood glucose levels chart, various times, source: curalife.com
Blood Sugar Levels Chart, Pharmacist Tips, Youtube
Blood glucose levels, seanol.how
Healthy Blood Sugar Levels, Health Coach Kait, Youtube
Blood glucose levels chart: more alarmist
Blood glucose levels, Diabetes Control Chart, Viasox.com
2022 Jul 25 How to control blood sugar spikes: Jessie Inchauspé (Glucose Goddess) and Dr Sarah Berry
-25:27 order of meal: veg, then protein and fat, and lastly carbs and sugars
-30:10 vinegar 1 tbsp vinegar (any type), will curb glucose spike by up to 30%, 5-6% acetic acid
-36:22 reduce starchy (bread, pasta, rice, potato) and sweet foods
-39:54 do 10 exercise after each meal, to use up glucose
-40:53 food combinations: fiber, protein, fat before carbs
How to improve blood sugar control with exercise
2021 Dec 12 What is Insulin Resistance?: Dr. Jason Fung 07:17 Overflow paradyme: The solution to reducing glucose is fasting, low carb diet, weight loss
<2024 Feb 25 Mississauga is facing an ‘unprecedented’ diabetes problem — and green space could be part of the solution: This article completely misses the mark on diabetes control and prevention. While adding more walkable parks will marginally help, the solution to diabetes is to reduce carbs and sugar intake, and switch to body fat burning.
2024 Mar 04 Ketogenic Diet’s Impact on Health and Performance with Jeff Volek, PhD | The Metabolic Link Ep. 36: complex, somewhat difficult to understand, but there are nuggets such as reversing T2 diabetes
2021 Jan 22 What is Metabolic Syndrome? (5 STEPS TO REVERSE METABOLIC SYNDROME!): 09:32 Use strength training to reduce insulin resistance. When exercising muscles are able to absorb glucose without insulin. More muscle means more absorption of glucose
2024 Jan 01 The Best Diet & Exercise for Stubborn Belly Fat: Dr. Eric Berg, 20:04 creatine, cartisine
How to get rid of stubborn belly fat fast:
- Reduce stress and support sleep by doing aerobic exercise (long walks or physical work). Burn fat by doing high-intensity interval training without overtraining (two to three times a week).
- Get your body into ketosis. Reduce the amount of carbohydrates and sugar in your diet.
- Don’t consume excess dietary fat, but don’t go on a low-fat diet either. Don’t consume less than 75 grams of fat per day.
- Support your liver. Consume apple cider vinegar (1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar mixed into 12 oz. of water). Take milk thistle and berberine.
- Do OMAD (one meal a day). Intermittent fasting is the most important thing for fast weight loss and to support a healthy body. Consume red meat several times a week when you do consume meals.
- Stay aware of what works and what doesn’t. Evaluate your environment, create healthy habits, and stay consistent.
2020 Apr 03 10 Key Signs You Are Fat Adapted: you are burning body fat and not glucose
- less hunger
- less carb cravings
- no need or want snacks
- no ravenous hunger
- easily skip meals
- get fat cravings and not carb cravings
- ketone strips show ketones, but then this is reduced
- no mood swings
- consistent energy
- increased mental clarity
- changes in taste buds: sweet things taste extremely sweet
2024 Mar 02 Why Dr. Mike Israetel Changed His Mind on Fat Loss Strategies, Fasting & Blood Sugar: very interesting discussion on fasting. Dr. Mike often says fasting is starvation, which it is not.
2019 Aug 19 How Long Does It Take To Reverse Insulin Resistance?: Dr Sten Ekberg; really good explanation of all the steps you need to take, expectations and time frames. LCHF = low carb high fat
2020 June 28 Personal Fat Threshold
2024 Mar 25 How food is destroying our brains: Georgia Ede MD and Dr Peter Brukner; a very interesting discussion about how a low carb/keto diet can benefit overall mental health, but it does make sense. If the body will benefit from reduced glucose levels, then there should also be benefits for the brain
Undoing Diabetes, and other “Incurable” Diseases
2024 May 07 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Creatine: A good summary of the benefits of creatine, but may have stretched the benefits to cognitive health and aging.
2024 Jul 02 Busting Creatine Myths: Separating Fact From Fiction: Dr Mike, pretty thorough and direct
2024 Aug 02 Undoing Diabetes, and other “Incurable” Diseases: Dr. Annette Boz and Dr. Jason Fung; great discussion of reducing carbs that reduces insulin in order to lose weight and improve insulin resistance
2024 Sep 03 Kamala Harris should launch a national campaign to end the US diabetes epidemic: It would save thousands of lives and billions of dollars and increase Harris’s appeal to voters in conservative states; A really good article about how a low carb diet can reverse type 2 diabetes
2024 Dec 14 DIABETES Advice is ABSURDLY STUPID: Reverse It NATURALLY: Dr. Sunil Dhand, with his message of reversing T2 diabetes naturally, without drugs, and effectively.
2024 Dec 11 Stop Losing Muscle: A Smarter Approach to Weight Loss: weight loss vs fat loss, keto diet