Obesity is about glucose and insulin resistance

When I first started my weight loss venture, it was my belief that losing weight was a simple matter of calories in/calories out, and that a calorie is a calorie, regardless of its source. I found out I was wrong, and that calories themselves have little to do with weight gain or loss. It's actually glucose, but in particular the resulting insulin spike that coincides with its elevated levels, that causes a person to store fat and become obese. By eliminating or strictly limiting carbohydrates from sugar, grains, flour and starch, and replacing those things with high levels of fat and moderate amounts of protein, you literally turn off that insulin switch and your body goes from burning sugar for energy to burning fat. Dietary fat does not get stored unless you eat it with foods that contain sugar or are converted to sugar, spiking insulin and drawing fat into the cells where it's then stored, first around the midsection and then spreading outward around the body.

A person can be at a calorie deficit and still not lose weight if their insulin levels are spiked. To me, this is key to understanding for anyone looking to lose weight, regardless if it's 5 lbs or 100 lbs or more.

Some simple facts:

Sugar is one of the worst things you can eat and is literally a poison to the body. This includes sugar from excessive amounts of high-sugar fruits.

Fat from whole food sources is extremely healthy and vital for a healthy metabolism and cognitive function.

Protein is important, but only in moderate amounts. Too much is as bad as too little.

 

Can't that trigger ketosis?

 

Sure it can. Ketosis (not to be confused with ketoacidosis) isn't a bad thing. It's simply when your body burns fat instead of glucose. Ketogenic diets are extremely beneficial for weight loss.

 

But what if you need to gain weight instead?

 

What are some good sources for healthy fat? I know avocado and coconut oil, do you have any other suggestions?

 

Pastured eggs
Butter
Olive oil
Grass-fed beef
Fatty fish
Full-fat raw dairy
Dark chocolate
Nuts (macadamia nuts, pecans, walnuts)

 

Good post!
High fructose corn syrup, also relabeled as "corn sugar" seems to me to be a likely culprit as it's use is so pervasive that it was relabeled because people were getting warned. It was considered unethical but done none the less.
You made that pretty simple too.
Cheers!

 

In the form of fat or muscle?

 

Maybe it's better said: what if you have little or no fat to lose? Because it seems you don't gain anything while in ketosis.

 

eat lots and lots of vegetables, a bit of fruit, salmon, coconut and olive oils. also exercise. you will be healthy.


'Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.' - Michael Pollan

 

Some people gain muscle on ketogenic diets. If you already have a low percentage of body fat, maybe incorporate some white rice and potatoes into your diet, along with the things I listed above. Also, simply eat more. Dairy, while I avoid it, is also good for people looking to gain weight.

A ketogenic diet probably isn't necessary for some people who are already very thin. I would still advocate a low-carb diet to pretty much everyone, regardless of their weight.

 

The foods you name make sense to me (I already eat most ) but if I understand correctly it seems you need the carbohydrates to generate the insulin in order to process both the carbs AND fat.