Managing Protein Intake is the Key to Weight Loss and Gain
“We become overweight because our appetite for protein is stronger than our ability to limit fat and carb intake. So when protein is diluted by fats and carbs, as it is in ultra processed foods, our appetite for it overwhelms the mechanisms that normally would tell us to stop eating fats and carbs. As a result, we eat more than we should, more than is good for us. ” Eat Like the Animals: What Nature Teaches Us About the Science of Healthy Eating.
This revolutionary book by David Raubenheimer PhD and Stephen J. Simpson, PhD will change everything you think about how to actually lose weight. They began their scientific journey studying the eating habits of locusts and followed the flow of the story to find the answers to the human obesity epidemic. And in the process, the true mechanics of successful dieting were finally revealed. The power of proteins had been hiding in plain sight all along.
Now, by understanding your innate biology and the primary drive to hit your optimum protein target, you will be empowered to shift your diet and have your biology work for you rather than against you. Reproduction optimization, menopause and longevity are all governed by the levels protein intake. Mice produced more offspring on a low carb diet but were healthier and lived longer with higher carbs and weight gain. Aging is influenced by the ratio of protein to carbs consumed. From a worm, or a fruit fly, to a human, the rate at which we age, disease and weight gain are all influenced powerfully by the protein ratio dialed up or down.
Once we understand the mechanics that drive our appetites and our biology, and recognize the Dorito is a decoy, all of us can easily tweek our diets to lose weight and find health. We can make small adjustments to deal with protein turnover, adjusting protein targets and eating to satisfy rather than succumb to our ever growing bodies and protein cravings.
“We like other animals have this exquisite appetite system.” In an appropriate eating environment, our bodies will tell us what to eat and how much. The five appetites that naturally drive us, are all built in to ensure we get the proper amounts of protein, fat, carbohydrates, sodium and calcium. We’ve just built a food environment that hacks this system and works for the industrialized food industry rather than working for our balanced weight and health. We then get tricked and trapped in our own biology. However, the solution is simple and elegant and exists inside every living thing.