A lot of people have asked me how to lose weight. Here it is. You never need to watch another BS infomercial or buy another diet book, or listen to Oprah or Dr. Phil: insulin control. As Gary Taubes quoted a Harvard professor: “Carbohydrates is driving insulin is driving fat.”

At some point, I’m going to write an article on basic endocrinology for fitness. For now, know that insulin is what allows your body to put on fat. That is the primary hormone. Succinctly put, to restrict insulin is to lose weight, which is what most people want out of a fitness regimen, though other benefits are obvious.

According to the American Medical Association Council on Foods and Nutrition in 1974, “Fat is mobilized [from fat tissue] when insulin secretion diminishes.”[1]

Two macronutrients cause insulin to rise: protein and carbohydrate. Only one of these is necessary. I’ll give you two guesses which one it is. What does that mean for our dietary needs? Fat, the other of the three macronutrients should fill the gap of carbohydrates and it won’t affect your insulin significantly. We can’t go no carbohydrate, because that would kill our CrossFit workouts. We also can’t do a no fat, no carbohydrate diet because that would lead to what the early American settlers called “rabbit starvation” and that would be the opposite of fitness: death.
The optimal diet would be one that restricts carbohydrate–or if that sounds too harsh, “controls” carbohydrate–enough to allow for glycogen reloading, but restricting fat storage, gets enough protein for building bones and muscle, and gets enough fat to make up for caloric and bodily needs. The Zone does this well, but a lot of people don’t feel like measuring.
Here’s an easy fix. Have meat, leafy greens, a LITTLE BIT of denser carbohydrates, like fruit, or a not overly starchy tuber, and fat like nuts or oil with each meal. That should do it for fat loss and athletic improvement. If you want skills like the CrossFit pros, you’ll have to invest a few minutes a day into measuring your food and some time in the gym being dedicated to awesomeness. For wellness and metabolic normality, though, the above will do. Notice that I omitted grains, legumes, and dairy. Cheese and butter could fit in there, but why risk it?
Most likely, all the food you think is “healthy” is probably garbage dressed as healthy. Nature’s Valley granola bars? Junk. Splenda? Junk. Fat free yogurt? Junk. Cliff Bars? Junk. Check the packages. I’m not lying. They are high in carbohydrates and advertising, low in nutrients, and primed to spike insulin. McDonald’s has a similar nutritional make-up. Elite marathoners might consume so-called “health foods,” but that doesn’t mean elite marathoners are healthy, or fit. I’ve known a few that admitted to a sub 12-inch vertical jump. Yeah, we do 20-inch box jumps blindfolded!

-Nick