A Simple Biochemistry Lesson That Helped Me Lose 50 Pounds In 6 Months Without Relying On Motivation
Weight loss is a farfetched dream for many.
I have known people who have been trying to lose weight for years and they still cannot.
“I will go to the gym regularly from this New Year’s” — is their favourite quote.
I can deeply relate to this.
The reason is that this was me 6 months ago.
I weighed 111 kg on the scale.
I was trapped in a vicious cycle of cravings, procrastination on exercising, mood fluctuations and guilt-eating.
What changed then you’d ask?
I stopped being a consumer of all marketing gimmicks around weight loss.
I unfollowed all popular fitness influencers who were too keen on telling me that my posture for deadlifting was the reason that I couldn’t drop any weight.
I decided to take a break from the conventional pop culture weight loss advice of ‘Eating Less & Moving More’.
Instead, I decided to open up and re-read my Biochemistry books from Medical college.
To save you from all the pain of going through boring non-stimulating medical text, here’s a simple lesson that made me lose 50 pounds of body weight in the last 6 months.
Grokking The Role Of Insulin
Insulin is your dearest friend (or foe, on how you see it) in your weight loss journey.
Most people are unaware of its role in metabolism which is the biggest weight loss mistake ever!
Insulin is produced by your Pancreas and is released into the bloodstream when you consume foods, especially carbohydrates/ sugars.
Let’s learn how it works in a bit more detail.
When you eat foods rich in carbohydrates (bread, pasta, sugar, and virtually every other thing in the market these days), it is broken down into glucose and absorbed in the bloodstream by your gut.
This is the primary trigger for Insulin release from your pancreas.
The following occurs when Insulin is released:
Role In Carbohydrate Metabolism
- Insulin facilitates the uptake of glucose from the bloodstream into cells, especially in muscle and fat tissue. The brain’s glucose uptake is largely Insulin-independent.
- It promotes the deposition of extra glucose in the liver and muscles in the form of Glycogen (via a process called Glycogenesis).
- It inhibits the production of glucose from non-carbohydrate sources in the liver (i.e. it inhibits a process known as Gluconeogenesis)
Role In Fat Metabolism
- Insulin promotes the conversion of excess glucose into fatty acids and triglycerides (fat storage molecules) in the liver. These can then be transported to your fat/ adipose tissue for storage.
- It inhibits the breakdown of stored fat (a process called Lipolysis).
Role In Protein Metabolism
- Insulin stimulates protein synthesis and reduces the breakdown of proteins in muscles, thereby preserving muscle mass.
Role In Regulation of Other Hormones
- Insulin inhibits the action of other hormones that function opposite to it (primarily Glucagon).
Role In Electrolyte Balance
- Insulin promotes Potassium uptake into cells.
- It reduces Sodium loss in the urine and thereby helps in Sodium retention in the body.
Let’s talk about Insulin resistance next.
Understanding Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance is a state where your body’s cells become less responsive to the effects of Insulin.
The following are the major reasons for it.
- Lack of physical activity
- Obesity (this is the vicious cycle)
- High caloric intake of diets rich in refined carbohydrates and sugar
- Chronic Inflammation
- Genetics
- Hormonal changes in conditions like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), Cushing’s syndrome, and growth hormone excess
- Medications such as corticosteroids, antipsychotics etc.
- Ageing
- Sleep disturbances
- Chronic stress
To help combat the Insulin resistance in your cells, your body starts producing more Insulin (a state called Compensatory Hyperinsulinemia).
(Surprisingly Compensatory Hyperinsulinemia further exacerbates insulin resistance.)
This leads to the following:
- Muscle loss
- Visceral fat (around the organs in your tummy) deposition
- Inability to use your body fat as an energy source
- Increased cravings as your blood glucose fluctuates a lot in the presence of high Insulin
- Increased triglycerides/ LDL and decreased HDL in your bloodstream (which increases the risk of heart disease)
- Increases sodium retention (that causes Hypertension/ high blood pressure)
- Changes in the inner lining of the blood vessels that causes plaque formation leading to hypertension and heart disease
- Cognitive decline or increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease
- Increased risk of cancer due to Insulin’s cell proliferative effect
The above can be a bit overwhelming so here’s a one-liner for what happens when one is fat.
Obesity leads you into a state where you cannot easily build more muscle and lose your belly/ visceral fat.
Why Your Favorite Youtuber Gym Boi Can Get Away With ‘Carb Loading’
The reason is that they are highly insulin-sensitive.
If someone has a huge muscle mass, they can consume much more carbohydrates without ever getting fat.
This generic advice of ‘Carb loading’ and going to the gym will destroy all hopes for an obese person wanting to lose weight.
How To Escape This Trap?
In one line:
Stop eating Carbohydrates if you’re fat.
What to eat then?
Eat a high-fat, moderate-protein, and very low-carbohydrate diet (also called the Ketogenic diet).
Restricting carbohydrates decreases your body’s continuous need for Insulin.
Now your body can finally tap into its own body fat as its primary energy source.
This is the body fat that was previously ‘locked’ in the presence of so much of Insulin.
You can now lose weight effortlessly and without replying on motivation as you:
- completely eliminate cravings
- don’t get hunger pangs
- have a stable mood, feel better
- eliminate brain fog and think clearly
Ketogenic diet is literally a HACK in your metabolism!
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