Neither Mermaid nor Whale… Only Human!

Last week, my friend forwarded a facebook post in our whatsapp group saying that it was one of the best posts she had read in a while. I was curious, so I read it and realized that it was a response that a woman gave to an advertisement outside a gym somewhere. The advert read, ‘This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?’

This is her response :

Initially it may seem like a fitting response to a silly and misleading piece of advertisement, but logically it isn’t. It is a smartly articulated emotional retaliation and come to think of it, is misleading too. I will explain how.

But, first things first, a disclaimer:
I have nothing against fat people. I don’t mock or ridicule anyone based on their body shape but since I am a health and fitness enthusiast, I advocate health and fitness and if at all, it’s only concern that I feel.

Now let me elaborate the ‘concern’ part –

Coming back to why the lady’s response is misleading – She gives the impression that we must be okay and even proud of the excess fat in our bodies. It’s a debatable topic this one and I disagree. This post will tell you why. [Please read on and don’t give up on me, I can guarantee some really helpful information].

Whales are supposed to look and be the way they are! There are no slim whales unless they are acutely malnourished. Humans on the other hand are humans and we are supposed to store fat only as reserves for whenever there is food deprivation. The reality is that the urban human or people like us are never deprived of food. So because the body knows only how to store fat or burn it, the latter doesn’t happen as long as we are replenishing it with carbs all the time(the body uses carbs for energy and fat keeps getting stored).

Now there is a magic hormone called Insulin that stores fat and helps move glucose into cells. Hormones work only in spurts(when there is a need) and not all the time; so the minute we eat carbs which turns into glucose in the body, insulin is stimulated and released in the bloodstream. Therefore, and it’s only logical that when we stop eating refined sugars and carbs, insulin doesn’t get stimulated and the fat in our body burns.

So, if we understand and control insulin, we can then control whether we store or burn fat and whether we gain or lose weight. The problem is that many of us are in a state of near constant insulin production (Hyperinsulinemia). How do you suppose this happens? You are right! We eat carbs all day which in turn leads to insulin becoming a constant instead of getting stimulated in episodes.

When we stimulate insulin production by eating carbs all day long, we are putting immense stress on our body’s ability to deal with the hormone and as a defense/repair mechanism which our bodies are inherently designed to do, it starts to correct the problem by becoming insulin-resistent. By this time we know that insulin signals our cells to open up to sugar(glucose) and convert it into energy. With insulin resistance, the cells don’t react, and don’t open up, resulting in excessive sugar in the blood. Over time, the pancreas keeps producing more and more insulin in its attempt to regulate the blood sugar, until it wears out and can’t produce large amounts of insulin anymore. As a result, blood sugar levels increase to the point of being in the diabetic range and this is the primary reason and what causes type 2 diabetes.

Now the carbohydrate supply doesn’t stop so the body can only keep storing fat and the fat cells start getting bigger and bigger, the person fatter and fatter. Since the cells are becoming insulin resistant, there is glucose everywhere and the cycle continues. Hyperinsulinemia also causes the body to crave for sugar. When glucose dips, the body will start sending signals like fatigue, craving for carbs, dizziness etc. The body is so used to burning glucose due to the constant supply of carbs that it cannot switch over to burning fat efficiently. This state is what causes people who are trying to lose weight give up the idea as they feel hungry more often and eat food at regular intervals and in turn, continuously fuel the insulin-carbs-glucose cycle.

So, in order to lose weight, we need to become efficient fat burners and this happens only when we restrict carbs and sugar intake aided by intermittent fasting*. If you’ve wondered why you are working out regularly but still not LOSING WEIGHT… exercise alone plays a very small role in weight loss, the majority is the food that we eat. However, exercise and physical activity are very important for our overall well being, to aid our bodily functions and to keep our muscles moving because if we don’t move them, they stop moving.

– *What is intermittent fasting?
‘Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that alternates between fasting and time-bound eating periods.’
There are several types of intermittent fasting patterns of which the 16:8 intermittent fasting is the most common. It is 16 hours of fasting followed by an eight-hour eating period.

–What does intermittent fasting actually do?
Restricting food(calories) intake for extended periods forces the body to break down stored body fat to generate energy (when the body uses the fat reserves for energy due to carbs deprivation, it is said to undergo ketosis). ‘This promotes weight loss, enhances metabolic health and supports balanced hormone levels.’
I try to do the 16:8 intermittent fasting on most days but it ends up becoming 15:9. Initially, I used to get hunger pangs but once I got used to it, I didn’t.

At the end of the day, the takeaway is that ‘we were never meant to be fat.’ Well, it is wonderful to be confident about the way we look and not be stressed about achieving the perfect figure or size zero (if there is anything like that!). But, our confidence shouldn’t cost us our well-being, as excess body fat is often an easy gateway to lifestyle diseases and other complications. We must strive to be healthy and take care of ourselves no matter what. Having said that, ‘most people are overweight due to an imbalance of hormones,’ coupled with bad advice from family members, friends, sometimes doctors and nutritionists too and the media.

The good news – our body posseses a wonderful mechanism to aid fat burning. However, the first step is to understand basic human physiology. My intention to write this post was to help you do that; along with a small hint on how to lose weight😉… after all, and as rightly said by someone, ‘Take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live.’

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On a lighter note, I enjoy the ocassional chocolate… ice cream with my kids, a yummy meal, samosas, pani puri with friends and many other things. But to be able to enjoy these simple pleasures of life wholeheartedly and for long, I strive to persistently look after myself.

Do you?

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Pic courtesy: Google images

This blog post is a part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Mads’ Cookhouse.

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References and excerpts: Dr. Eric Berg, Dr. Amy Shouse Filippelli and Mayoclinic on google.