Burn, Baby, Burn!

Many studies have pointed to the role of insulin in fat-burning, but how can you harness your insulin cycle to reach your goal weight?

- Charis Torrance

A lot of fad diets promise amazing results over a short period, leading us to believe that fat is the enemy and the only way to go is low-fat products. But if you’re reading LOSE IT, you’re already more clued up as to how our bodies really work. So what is the real key to reaching your goals?

Canadian physician and nephrologist Dr Jason Fung, a leading expert in intermittent fasting and the low-carb lifestyle, says, ‘I started looking at obesity, and all the talk was about calories, calories, calories. I thought, “Let’s go back in the literature to see if there is any evidence. What is the physiology behind it?” And I found, as soon as you look from a new perspective, you see that the whole calorie/ energy balance theory is garbage.’

For Fung, the key to maximising fat-burning lies in insulin. ‘The dietitians hated it, but the physicians in internal medicine found it fascinating. Anyone who is in internal medicine knows that giving insulin makes you fat. We have all seen it. Cortisol is the same: give it, people gain weight. So I was articulating a new way of looking at things [a hormonal model of obesity and diabetes] that we have all seen and know to be true.’

But how do you bypass a hormone your body creates naturally? Our physical reaction to food is complex and can be difficult to follow, but it’s worth delving into if weight loss is your goal.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE EAT?