In an earlier post, I demonized insulin as the “fat storage hormone.” If you haven’t already, you can read it here. Anyway, in that article I explained how insulin makes fat – so, if that’s the business you’re in, you now know just what to do. But, what if you’re ready to lose fat?
It’s pretty simple, really. Insulin is the fat storage hormone. You will NOT be able to burn fat in the presence of insulin. Insulin transitions the body from a catabolic process (i.e. the breakdown of molecules to release energy) to an anabolic process (i.e. the synthesis of molecules to store energy). Insulin is the fat storage hormone. When insulin is absent, your body will break down your glycogen and fat stores to produce energy. When insulin is present, your body will fill all those reserves (after cell utilization of course) to be used at a later time. Insulin is the fat storage hormone. What is insulin? That’s right! The freakin’ fat storage hormone!
So, now that we know we won’t be able to lose weight while insulin is around (because insulin is the ___ _______ _______), what do we do about it? And what triggers the release of insulin in the first place? Well, I hit on sugar pretty hard in the previous post. Glucose, a sugar, also a carbohydrate, is one of the most well known factor that increases insulin secretion, but in reality proteins and fats do the same – just to a lesser extent. That means, whenever you eat or drink something, your body releases insulin. Check out the graphic below.
This chart illustrates the physiologic insulin secretion of a healthy pancreas. [1] Notice that, with every meal, insulin spikes. More importantly, take notice to how the levels of insulin drop in between meals and throughout the night when you’re asleep. If we overlay what we’ve learned about insulin being the gatekeeper for our body to store/burn fat, we get the following.
By now, the wheels should be turning… “So, Mr. Blogger-man,” you ponder, “all I have to do to burn fat, is to keep insulin low?” YES! Well, let’s put it this way…you are ONLY going to be able to burn fat when insulin is low. Remember that Red Light – Green Light game we used to play as kids? Think about that tomorrow when you wake up and fantasize about stuffing your face with a bagel or eggs and sausage, knowing that as soon as you do, you are flipping that switch out of fat burning mode. This is why intermittent fasting can be an incredibly valuable tool for losing weight. The longer you’re in the green, the longer you’re burning fat. The longer you’re burning fat, the MORE fat you burn, baby! Instead of eating right away, ask yourself if you’re really hungry and consider waiting for a bit longer. You’re not going to starve, and for goodness sake you don’t have to eat breakfast. Just give it a go and see how you feel. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is. Anyway, we can go into more detail about intermittent fasting later. Let’s get back to insulin, because there are two more points you need to understand.
Again, take notice to the green periods between meals. The above chart assumes you eat “meals.” This does not mean eat breakfast when you wake up, then have a coffee with cream and sugar on the commute in, then tackle those donuts someone brought in for the office, then eat a banana, and THEN eat lunch. Between lunch and dinner: you get a little groggy after lunch so you head to the vending machine and crack open a Red Bull, maybe munch on some pretzels as an afternoon snack along with a few innocent dippings into the candy bowl next to the sweet receptionist, and maybe one last coffee before you depart for the day (you know, so you can stay awake through the exceedingly boring commute home). Look. If you don’t give insulin a break, you’ll never get out of Fat Storing Mode!
Finally, understand that different foods give rise to varying levels of insulin response. We can chat about the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load another time, but know that carbohydrates (breads, pastas, sweets, et cetera) spike insulin higher and faster than proteins (chicken, fish, eggs, et cetera), which have a more moderate response. Fats (oils, nuts, butter, et cetera) barely trigger insulin at all, not to mention they satiate you longer so you can stretch that fat burning window and optimize progress.
The above information is really the cornerstone to fat burning and serves as a strong, healthy foundation on which to build from. Understanding the principles behind insulin is crucial in managing a healthy weight and especially important when recovering from metabolic diseases, such as diabetes. Mastering your insulin levels takes practice, and may take a few lifestyle changes from what you may be accustom to – but that’s not to say it’s hard or painful. A few mindful tweaks and you’ll be a fat burning machine!
By the way, all of our recipes and principles have the above in mind – keep insulin levels low and optimize the fat burning time throughout the day. When you DO eat – eat good, nutrient rich, whole, real food. Don’t worry. We’ll keep you Heading Healthy!
