Eat Like a Pig and Lose Weight

by Glen Depke

Eat like a pig and lose weight? How the heck can this be?

Haven't we all learned that weight loss is all about how much food we put in our mouth or even more specific, the amount of calories we eat?

I know this goes against almost every mainstream concept of weight loss but this is true. As I currently lead a 6 week program that myself and 26 others are partaking in, I can share that EVERYONE on the program is directed to consume as much food as desired, while eating as often as needed to maintain their satisfaction for food. Don't be hungry, is their direction.

My personal share is that I feel like I am eating like a pig yet losing weight. 

Well, after week one of the 6 week program 3 of the 27 participants actually lost at least 10 pounds. Yes, 10 pounds or more in one week with zero restrictions to how much you can eat, how often you can eat and zero calorie restrictions. Amazing, isn't it?

I am of course especially thrilled because I am one of the 3 that lost the 10 pounds or more but it is not just the 3 of us that are losing. Most others in the program are also eating like pigs and losing weight. The highest percentage of those in the program have actually lost between 5 and 10 pounds, a few between 3 to 5 and yes, there are a couple that have yet to lose weight but we are very confident this will occur soon.

Remember though, EVERYONE is directed to eat as often and as much as needed to maintain their personal satisfaction. In other words, don't ever allow yourself to be hungry.

So how does this work?

First of all let me help you understand the calorie lie we have heard since the late 70's. You know that one that says weight loss is about calories in and calories out? Remember, the secret is to burn more calories than you consume?

Lies, lies, lies....

Here's a little history. 

Back in the late 70's, as a culture, we were told to stop or significantly cut back on our fat consumption. This recommendation was made based on the "thought" that weight gain was tied into calorie consumption, and since fat was the most caloric dense food, we should eliminate this. So as a culture, we followed the directions and guess what? If you guessed we got fatter, you are absolutely right. This was due to the fact that when we took away the fat, we actually replaced this with carbohydrates such as wheat bread, bagels and pasta. I would guess that you likely remember that craze back in the late 70's and 80's.

The challenge here was that we removed something essential to our diet (fat) and replaced it with something that raises blood sugar and insulin production. So do you want to guess what the trigger for storing fat is? If you guessed insulin, you are 100% correct. Insulin makes us fat, not fat.

I want to share a biochemical fact with you. When you consume fat, your body uses the fat that is needs and releases the unused fat in either your breath or your urine. With this understanding, it makes sense that you can eat almost as much fat as you would like and you would not have to even count those calories. Awesome, right?

Well not so fast. There is one challenge here. If you consume foods that drive up glucose and insulin, the unused fat is not longer released in your breath or urine, now that unused fat is placed on your hips, thighs, buttocks and midsection. Get it?

The basic understanding here is the fat is not bad and calories are not the key. Regulating blood sugar is the key.

There is another huge factor as tied into weight loss that is addressed in the 6 week program and that factor is intolerant foods and inflammation. Let me start by sharing that much of the so called weight gain that most are dealing with is actually inflammation and I can share that this is often much more problematic than the fat. Not that I'm saying the too much fat on your body is good for you, but I want to talk about the challenges with inflammation that go far beyond your pant size or number on your scale.

Inflammation in itself is a leading factor in almost every chronic illness. When you body is chronically inflamed this can lead to pain, liver issues, gut issues, increased fat cell production and autoimmune conditions. Yikes!

So how do you address inflammation nutritionally?

This starts with addressing the foods that create inflammation. A great place to start is with food intolerance.  You here me talk about gluten intolerance quite a bit but there are also cross reactive intolerances. This could be dairy, soy, eggs, rice, potato, any grains, corn, milk chocolate, coffee, yeast and sesame. Any of these foods can lead to inflammation in your gut and create a whole cascade of health issues one of which would include weight gain. Recognizing these intolerances and eliminating these foods is a key to getting your weight and inflammation under control. There are also other foods beyond these intolerant foods that can lead to inflammation. I listed the avoidance foods in an earlier article, if you would like to review this follow this link. There is also testing available for gluten cross reactive foods. Cyrex Labs is the company that provides the most comprehensive testing on this level. Discuss this with your health practitioner or call us at (949)954-6226 for Cyrex Lab testing.

So in the end, I hope the point was made that avoiding your recognized inflammatory foods and reducing nutritional choices that raise blood sugar and insulin are two significant keys to weight loss. But not just weight loss, the kind of weight loss that occurs without you having to starve yourself or worry about calories.

Remember, you can eat like a pig and still lose weight. It simply depends on what you're eating.

If you have any comments or questions in regard to this article, please leave a post below for me to address personally.