I mentioned somewhere that I was leptin resistant somewhere and in the comments of the blog someone asked how I knew that I was. My immediate response was, “because I’m fat.” But also, “because I have a high desaturase index (DI), indicating high activity of the enzyme SCD1.” A high DI is an indicator that …
There are many believers in a reductionist calories in, calories out (CICO) view of the world. People in this tribe often say things like, “to lose weight, you just have to eat less and move more.” I want to be clear, I believe in calories in, calories out from a strict thermodynamic perspective. Calories you …
Introduction This is part of my Torpor, Sloth and Gluttony series where I will argue that obesity is caused not by sloth and gluttony but by specific metabolic processes. Leptin is a hormone produced by fat cells. The fatter one gets, the more circulating leptin one has. Leptin is the master hormone whose job is …
In the comments of SCD1 CAUSES Humans to Store Fat, David N posted a link to a paper1 that I referenced in The SCD1 Theory of Obesity Part Two where liver fat accumulation and insulin resistance in rats fed a high fructose diet were prevented by supplementing with sterculia oil. I hadn’t looked at the …
David has been featured on the blog before under the testimonial David’s Story. He’s lost 40 lbs on a strict version of The Croissant Diet in 7 months while eating 5 pints of Haagen-Dazs per week, as well as croissant sandwiches and cheeseburgers. David had tried keto and vegan diets in the past with less …
David Tillman Shares His Amazing Croissant Diet Story Read More »
Introduction My thesis in this series is that humans get fat NOT from sloth and gluttony, human characteristics wrapped in morality and asceticism. They in fact get fat from torpor, an underlying metabolic change triggered by consuming linoleic acid. In my previous article I introduced the concepts of this series as well as the idea …
Torpor, Sloth and Gluttony: SCD1 CAUSES Humans to Store Fat Read More »
Introuction to Torpor, Sloth an Gluttony This is the first post in my new “Sloth and Gluttony” series where I will be arguing that the obesity epidemic was NOT caused by billions of people around the globe simultaneously becoming slothful and gluttonous. I will argue that in fact the reasons are biological and evolutionarily conserved. …
Torpor, Sloth and Gluttony Part 1: Americans ate a LOT in 1939 Read More »
The title of “High resting metabolic rate among Amazonian forager-horticulturalists experiencing high pathogen burden” makes it unambiguous as to the authors feelings about why the Tsimane have high metabolic rates. They include this graph to show just how unique the Tsimane are. I recently wrote about the plunge in American Metabolic rates in women between …
As a biologist, I always think in evolutionary terms. All mammals share a single ancestor who had developed a warm-blooded metabolism. Many mammals hibernate: bears, ground squirrels, skunks, bats, anteaters, etc. To hibernate, you have to throttle back your warm-blooded metabolism to a torpid one allowing your metabolic rate and body temperature to drop. Since …
Recently I posted an article recommending combining sterculia oil with berberine and/or fish oil as a way to escape torpor. I chose this combination because they mimic the effects of leptin, the hormone produced by our fat cells whose job is to keep us lean but to which most of us are resistant. As discussed …
n=1 on Escaping Torpor: Turning off PPAR gamma and turning on Fat Burning Read More »
Introduction If you follow this blog you probably won’t be SHOCKED that I’m following up Metabolic Rates in American Women Plunged Between 1919 and 1986 with this post. The same group that did the 1986 paper about metabolic rates in women followed it up with a paper about men in 1987.1 They conclude, “The classic …
Metabolic Rates In American Men Plunged Between 1919 and 1987 Read More »
Intro I have suggested that increased consumption of the Omega 6 polyunsatured fat (PUFA) linoleic acid throughout the 20th century has led to an American population where the majority of us are in a torpor-like state as defined by high levels of stored PUFA in our bodyfat coupled with high expression of the transcription factor …
Metabolic Rates in American Women Plunged Between 1919 and 1986 Read More »
Brad’s Daily Recipe Introduction I’d like to reach my target weight this year or next, but more importantly I’d like to understand HOW I get there as the journey continues. I’m not interested in losing weight by starving myself, I’d like to FIX my metabolism. Many (most?) of us are in a torpor-like state as …
Inroduction So I have a fancy metabolic tester to track my metabolic rate. It’s honestly pretty amazing if you have $7500 burning a hole on your pocket. Sometimes they have deals and I’m an affiliate so if you give them my code “BMarsh”, you’ll get $600 off. If you can’t afford a metabolic tester, here’s …
Study Design I started my sterculia oil (SO) trial with a 16 week n=1 safety trial. I took a lot of the oil – 4400 mg which is 1 tsp daily – for 8 weeks. I would NOT take this much but I wanted to make sure it was safe. Then I didn’t take any …
