1 LAW & 3 RULES OF FAT GAIN

1 LAW & 3 RULES OF FAT GAIN

You may wonder… “How do we get fat?” 


As we head into Thanksgiving Day week, there may be a little trepidation about putting on extra pounds over the Holidays. Some of you have heard that it’s too much sugar causing insulin to spike too often. Some of you have heard that it’s too much fat from that gravy that you pour onto your stuffing (or dressing) that sits next to the heaping serving of sweet potatoes or candied yams. Some of you have heard that it’s from animal protein. IN REALITY, regardless of the food that you consume, it comes down to:


1 LAW and 3 RULES


THE LAW

Energy balance is a fundamental law of thermodynamics.


Energy balance refers to the amount of energy we consume and the amount of energy we burn.

  • When we take in more energy than we use...we GAIN WEIGHT
    •
  • When we take in less energy than we use...we LOSE WEIGHT
    •
  • When we take in the same amount of energy that we use...we MAINTAIN WEIGHT

    • -->This is true regardless of the macronutrient composition (carbs, fats, proteins), food choices, time of day we eat, or any other details of the plan. 


    If we don’t have our ENERGY BALANCE in control, we won’t (or can’t) make progress in that plan! 


    This energy balance can be affected by a whole slew of things. 


    On the Energy IN side of the equation, it is affected by: 

  • Types of Food we eat
    •
  • How those foods are cooked
    •
  • How efficiently we digest those foods
    •
  • How well our bodies produces hunger and satiety signals
    •
  • How well we listen to those hunger and satiety signals
    •
  • Our sleep, recovery, and stress
    •
  • Our psychology and mindset
    •
  • Our emotional state
    •
  • Our environment
    •
  • Our cultural practices

    • On the Energy OUT side of the equation, it is affected by:

  • Basal Metabolic Rate
    •
  • Resting Metabolic Rate
    •
  • Thermogenesis (Heat Production)
    •
  • Thermic Effect of Food
    •
  • Exercise and Purposeful Movement
    •
  • Non-Exercise Movement
    •
  • Sleep, Recover, Stress
    •
  • Hormonal Status
    •
  • Genetic Factors

    • THE 3 RULES OF FAT STORAGE

    Based on the Law of Thermodynamics, we store fat when we eat more than we burn through our metabolism and activity levels. 


    -->Fat storage (synthesis) can come from either excess dietary fat or excess dietary carbohydrates (de novo lipogenesis)


    Rule Number 1

    Excess dietary fat is stored directly as body fat 


    Rule Number 2

    Excess dietary carbohydrate increases carbohydrate oxidation (breakdown), which limits the amount of fat that can be oxidized (broken down), and thereby causing more fat to be stored as body fat


    Rule Number 3

    Excess dietary protein increases protein oxidation (breakdown), which limits the amount of fat that can be oxidized (broken down), causing more dietary fat to be stored as body fat


    What Does This Mean

    → Regardless of what combo of macronutrients you choose to eat, if you eat more than you burn over time, UNFORTUNATELY you will store the excess energy.


    There is NO MAGIC.  


    I Hope This Information Is Helpful and doesn’t cause you any additional angst this week. 


    SUMMARY


    Look...a significant part of your OVERALL HEALTH is reducing your STRESS and staying ACTIVE SOCIALLY. Holidays are an important part of our culture and help bring families together and release all of those feel-good neurotransmitters. OVERALL HEALTH is about so much more than just Calories IN vs Calories OUT, BMI, Body Fat %, or your Mile Run Time! 


    Remember, Thanksgiving is 1 Day!! No matter how you choose to attack the day.. counting calories, fasting, having a free-for-all, or whatever else you can come up with; you can’t make or break your health with one day or one meal. 


    -->It is the ACCUMULATION of choices you make with your food and activity levels over time that will determine your overall health. 


    Until next time. 


    Stay Strong Longer,


    Nick


    This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or condition. Always check with your doctor before changing your diet, altering your sleep habits, taking supplements, or starting a new fitness routine.

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