Now we're going to talk about the macronutrient that most people try to run away from whenever they start dieting, or just trying to eat healthier. You guessed it, Fat! Our country has feared this macronutrient that makes up 9 calories per gram since the 1970s. Studies were done as early as the 1940s looking into the role that fats play in the diet. The studies concluded that the people that ate high amounts of fat saw high amounts of cholesterol. Well, case closed right?
We all need to get rid of those fats because eating fat will make you fat, right? Of course it could. However, there was just one little thing that the scientists missed in those studies, and missing this little thing lead to 60 years of obesity and weight gain in the United States. They studied people that ate lots of fat, but what they forgot to consider was........those people were ALSO EATING CARBS!
Fats and carbs together will skyrocket fat gain. Why? Your body cannot use two different types of energy at once. Would you mix unleaded and leaded fuel when putting gas in your car? Hell no! Of course, the human body is WAY more complicated than a car, and we'll talk more about that down the road. But in this case, there are similarities. So now you're thinking, why not just do the low-fat diet and eat carbs? Well, remember in my first article "Working From The Inside Out," when I talked about the need for low insulin levels in order to lose weight the healthy way. Well, the high amounts of carbs will keep your insulin levels up in the low-fat diet, keeping that extra weight coming. Also, once the insulin levels drop, you'll make massive cravings, prompting you to eat more carbs, and gain more weight. You go through a fat-gaining cycle.
This only leaves us with one last option......cut the carbs and focus on the fats. But why eat fat when we want to burn it? Well, the human body is a beautiful creation, and it has an amazing ability to ADAPT. For example. If you move from a warm area into a cold area, what does your body do? It shivers so that it can create kinetic energy and heat your body up. If you go into a hot area, your body will start to sweat in an attempt to cool your off. Your body also adapts with the way you eat and what you give it. When people eat lots of carbs, your body gets really good at using the carbs for energy. The only downside is, 99% of the time you ingest carbs they get stored in order for energy use later on. And what is stored energy? Bodyfat, and we want to use that for energy instead of having our body focus on the carbs for energy. So now you know that a low-fat diet would be THE WORST way to lose weight since your fat intake is low, causing your body to not burn it. And of course, the steady stream of carbs most people eat throughout the day get chosen as energy instead, as it's much easier for your body to break down carbs for energy than fat.
So the only answer left is to dump those carbs and up that fat intake! This does wonders for your body no matter who you are. The low amounts of carbs keep your insulin levels low, which keeps you from rapidly storing fat. Then, the high amounts of fat promote your body to start burning fat since that's the body's new, main source of energy. And of course, since Fat has more calories than carbs and protein, it'll keep you fuller for longer, and you obviously won't have a sugar crash.
Now of course, not all fats are good, but most of the fats we need actually help us. Trans is the only bad fat source, but the others are great! Saturated fat is actually not bad like most people say. This has been a controversial topic for years among scientists. At first, they thought it would cause high cholesterol, but over the years we've learned about HDL (good cholesterol) and LDL (bad cholesterol). Saturated fats increase HDL, so no need to worry! Plus, if you've heard of the big health benefits of Coconut Oil, what you should realize is that Coconut Oil is all Saturated Fat. Plus, think of our ancestors. These people hunted and ate meats. Do you think they sat by the fires when cooking and thought "we better cut this fat off." Yea.....not a chance. So there you go! You've learned about the adaption your body takes with regard to your diet. Focusing on those fats and lowering those carbs is the first step in the healthy weight loss process. You may feel sluggish at first, but remember that your body adapts and will utilize that fat for energy, and in the end, you'll feel much better. So now there's only one macronutrient left, Carbohydrates. I know I've based them with my first few articles, but they CAN be of benefit if used at the right time, and if you eat the right kind. That'll be in Part 3 of Cracking The Macronutrients.
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