The common advice to direct us towards weight loss is to restrict the amount of energy entering into the body. The reason is simple: since fat loss can only occur if our bodies are in a negative energy balance, then one way to do this is to eat less.
However, there are a series of problems with this approach to weight loss, including:
- an inability to promote sustained weight loss (that is, maybe you can achieve short term results when focused on calorie restriction; however, long-term, the weight doesn’t tend to stay off)
- an inability to promote a healthy body, overall (that is, eating less may lead to decreased weight, but the manner in which this weight comes off the body is not necessarily in the best interest of the health of the body).
To address these issues, and to come up with a strategy that addresses the primary goal that is building a healthy body, I realized that we are going to need a different approach.
Energy balance is a useful strategy for framing the problem, but it doesn’t really lend itself to an effective strategy for creating the healthy bodies that we want and deserve.
This alternative strategy can be summed up by thinking not about energy balance, but instead, energy regulation.
Energy Regulation as a Design Feature of The Human Body
Here’s the thing about the human body – it is well-designed with systems in place to take care of itself. We know this because the human body has been taking care of itself for millions of years (and even longer before that as we evolved from primates).
We also know this because we have studied the body extensively, and what we know from biochemistry, physiology, and other sciences is that the human body is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that combine as sub-systems to perform a vast number of functions.
How are all of these functions performed? Well, each cell is equipped with instructions (encoded within DNA) regarding how to carry out any function. And, depending on the cell type, the relevant code is expressed as proteins to create form and function.
We can think of this form and function existing as different sub-systems made up of specific structures, all working together to perform different functions.
For example, a cluster of cells in the pancreas exist to sense blood sugar levels and to produce insulin in response to rising blood sugar concentration.
A second example: fat cells cluster together to form adipose tissue, continuously listening for that insulin signal so that their functioning alters to take in energy and store it as fat.
The problem with the modern human body is that these sub-systems have lost the ability to function as designed, resulting in common symptoms that we experience today.
For example, adipose tissue is designed to take in energy and store it temporarily, only to release it later on. However, for many individuals, their adipose tissue is not operating in the balance of store and release, and instead seems to be stuck in a chronic storage mode.
A second (and tightly connected) example: the body has lost the ability to effectively listen to the insulin that is released from the pancreas. This insulin resistant state (impacting an estimated 50% of modern humans) causes system-wide dysfunction as blood sugar levels increase and cells starve for glucose (recall, insulin serves as the gatekeeper of glucose into cells. if cells are insulin resistant, it means they do not respond to the insulin signal so glucose cannot get into the cell).
These are just two examples of the dysfunction that is happening in the modern human body.
The important question for us: how do we address this dysfunction?
That is, how do we address the problem of a body that has lost the ability to regulate the flow of energy? How do we address the specific manifestations of this dysfunction, which include, but are not limited to, excess fat accumulation?
We are not going to address the problem by trying to micromanage the amount of energy into and out of the entire body (as failure to employ calorie balance to force weight loss has failed us).
Instead, we are only going to address the problem by understanding how these systems function and by determining what we are doing wrong that leads them down the path of dysregulation and dysfunction.
This path of dysregulation and dysfunction is one I discuss in depth elsewhere (head here for a walkthrough). What I wish to address with the rest of this post is one way I think about taking action aligned with the design of the human body, as opposed to the traditional (calorie balance) method that we have been taught to think about.
Energy Regulation and Dietary Decisions
Let’s walk through one specific example of my own from earlier today.
This morning I went for a medium-length trail run. For me, that means I was out on the trails hiking for a couple of hours.
While that may sound like a long time for a run, let me assure you – what I am not doing is out running at a high intensity for two solid hours. Instead, the idea with these trails runs is to be out in an aerobic zone for an extended period of time, aiming to get a series of training benefits, including aerobic training over extended periods of time and the building up of muscle and lean tissue in my legs to be able to support me over miles and miles.
Although you may not be interested in two-hour-long trail runs, what you might be interested in is the idea of pushing yourself hard at the gym for long sessions. Or, maybe there is some outdoor activity that you enjoy: biking, hiking, swimming.
Or, maybe long exercise sessions aren’t your jam, but you’re still a human being that needs to move and eat.
If you fall under any of these categories, what’s up next is for you.
Here’s the question that gets us to the point:
What are we thinking about whenever we plan a meal or sit down to eat what’s in front of us?
What are the thoughts running through our minds as we put ingredients together, select an item off the menu, or pick up a fork?
For me, when I prepared my meal this morning following my long run, I had my mind set on one goal:
Fuel.
My body was depleted. It had been significantly stressed. And now, I needed to supply it with plenty of nutrients and energy so that it could perform the many functions it now had lined up.
Note that this point isn’t just applicable to extreme examples. It applies to any situation in which an individual sits down to consume a meal because, whether we just exercised for a long time, a short time, or haven’t exercised in months, the question is relevant:
What are we thinking about when we choose the food we are going to put into our bodies?
For me, the best answer I can come up with is to think about how to best fuel and support my body:
How can I provide myself with the resources and energy in a form that will allow the systems supporting my body to function as they need to?
For me, this morning, as someone who had just put herself through a long, depleting exercise session, it was important that I made breakfast with the goal of providing my body with nutrients in a form that my body needed.
That is, my body needed real, whole foods. It needed protein, it needed fat, and it needed the nutrients within these real, whole foods.
What about weight loss?
At this point you may be thinking, okay, that makes sense. But what about those who are interested in weight loss?
I mean, sure, it’s straightforward to see how providing the body with resources is essential for building a healthy body. But what if part of the problem is an abundance of energy already stored in the body?
Does the same principle apply?
To which I answer, yes.
For overweight or obese individuals, part of the problem is an excess accumulation of stored fat (by definition).
But the important question is, how do we address the problem that is the excess accumulation of fat?
We could address it by adding into our strategy the restriction of calories. If we want to go down that path, the question becomes, what does that really look like in practice?
When we aim to restrict calories, we eat less overall, and often, we eat less fat.
Let’s think about what this could signal to our bodies:
- eat less: there is less energy available to you
- this could result in a stress response
- eat a higher proportion of carbs and protein: pro-energy storage
- because higher carb/protein stimulates insulin, our pro-energy storage hormone
It could be the case that calorie restrictions leads to the release and oxidation of fat. But it could also be the case that calorie restriction leads a stress response and a signal to store, not release and oxidize, fats.
So, what if instead of restricting calories, we chose to focus on sending our bodies the signal to release and oxidize fat?
What if, simultaneously, we provided our body with nutrients that it needs to perform these functions optimally?
In this way, we are not directly managing the amount of energy in, but we are directing our bodies to manage energy themselves.
Which does two things:
- Frees us up to enjoy our meals without stressing over how much we’re eating
- Makes room for better results because, after all, the body knows what it needs, and it is well-equipped to carry out the neccessary functions, if only it receives the necessary signals and resources.
To finish up, let’s see how we can think about food in a simple way such that we support the health of our bodies.
How do we send healthy signals to the body with our diet?
First, begin by eating what your body has been designed to eat: real, whole foods.
Second, consider the signals that are being sent by the types of foods that you are eating. For example, a high carbohydrate diet can be a strong signal for pro-energy storage.
Third, ensure that you are providing your body with nutrient-dense foods. The first steps involve eating a diet based on real, whole foods. Once this is established, then you may want to consider the quality of foods you are consuming.
The big idea here: keep it simple. First, aim for real, whole foods. Once this is established, then you may want to consider learning more about nutrition to dial in your results.