BLUF: If you fuel your body like a caveman, you almost can't be hungry. If you eat like a neolithic grain muncher, you will nearly always feel hungry unless you eat frequently.
Why? Your body, whether lean or obese, has enough energy stored as fat to fuel you through multiple marathons without eating. That's not to say you could run multiple marathons without eating! Obviously, you have other problems such as waste disposal, muscle tissue damage, and numerous other systemic imbalances that rusult from continuous exertion which are not related to 'getting enough fuel.' But if you would accept that you have enough stored energy to fuel you through a marathon or five, you might wonder, "How can I be hungry?"
It's an important question. The short answer is either one or two things. One - you've been fasting for over 16 hours and your body is starting to utilize protein for fuel through gluconeogenisis. That's not a disaster but it's not optimal and it might be expected to generate a hunger signal. Two - you've been feeding nearly a continuous stream of carbohydrate to yourself for so long your body has lost it's capacity to burn meaningful quantities of body fat; you just don't have the necessary stores of fat burning enzymes in the cells that would allow you to run on what is your natural, normal, even premium fuel source - fat.
This is the primary obstacle to be overcome when a person wants to switch to a healthy diet - they cannot immediately reduce their carb consumption without feeling very low energy, and very hungry, because even with forty plus pounds of fat stuffed under their skin, they cannot utilize fat as fuel at the cellular level. In effect, they are oral glucose dependent.
is it best to go cold turkey to limit carb consumption or giving up foods little by little?
ReplyDeleteM, thanks for stopping by. The answer is - it depends on you. Some will do better with a Zone diet approach of limiting carbs by the 40-30-30 formula, which allows adaptation to fat burning over time, and as weight is lost and health returned. Others, who simply won't weigh and measure, or prefer the "get it done now" approach, strictly limit carb intake to vegetables, and suffer through the 2-3 week adaptation to fat burning - but then feel fantastic. If you choose the later, use glutamine powder to help with the transition (background info here http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/07/14/insulin-part-one.aspx). You could also try zonediet.com's ribose to help the transition. Call me if you want to talk specifics.
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