The easiest way to reverse Insulin resistance and lose weight [w/Dr Ben Bikman]

Summary

In this enlightening discussion, Dr. Ben Bikman advocates for a focus on reducing carbohydrates as a way to reverse insulin resistance and promote weight loss. The conversation highlights the importance of shrinking fat cells, not merely losing weight, as a means to improve health. Bikman suggests that managing insulin levels is more effective than simply cutting calories, which often leads to hunger and eventual weight regain. The discussion also underscores the addictive nature of carbohydrates and the misleading dietary advice propagated by big food companies over the years.

Highlights

• Carbs are a major driver of insulin resistance and should be reduced for better health. 🌽
• Focus on shrinking individual fat cells as part of managing insulin resistance. 🔬
• Low calorie and low insulin approaches can shrink fat cells, but insulin management is key. 📉
• Cutting calories without managing insulin leads to hunger and eventual weight regain. 🍔
• Big food has made people addicted to carbs, complicating dietary efforts. 🍩

Key Takeaways

• Focus on reducing carbohydrates to manage insulin resistance and aid weight loss. 🍏
• Shrink fat cells, not just overall weight, to improve health outcomes. 🏋️‍♂️
• Managing insulin levels helps prevent hunger and supports sustained weight loss. 🍽️
• Big food companies promote addictive foods that encourage overeating. 🥨
• Beware of advice to cut calories without addressing insulin levels, as it often fails. 🚫

Overview

In this engaging discussion, Dr. Ben Bikman outlines the mechanisms behind insulin resistance and how simple dietary changes can aid in reversing it. The key focus is on carbohydrates, which are highlighted as the main culprits in driving insulin resistance. Bikman advocates for a strategy that goes beyond mere calorie counting, instead emphasizing the importance of managing insulin levels to truly address weight and health issues.

Bikman explains that while lowering calories can initially help in fat cell reduction, it often leads to increased hunger and eventual failure if insulin levels aren't also managed. He posits that managing insulin can increase one's metabolic rate and allow the body to naturally burn stored fat, providing a more sustainable and satisfying approach to weight loss. He further suggests focusing on natural sources of carbs with fiber intact and avoiding processed carbs from packaged goods.

Additionally, the discussion delves into the addictive nature of carbohydrates and how this complicates dietary efforts. The influence of big food companies in shaping dietary views towards calorie restriction is criticized, and the need for a more informed and insulin-focused approach to diet is emphasized. Bikman's insights challenge common dieting narratives and highlight the need for individuals to understand the unique roles insulin and carbohydrates play in weight management.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Insulin Resistance The chapter 'Introduction to Insulin Resistance' begins by addressing the role of carbohydrates in insulin resistance. The speaker suggests that reducing carbohydrate intake is a straightforward starting point for improving insulin sensitivity. However, they acknowledge that addressing insulin resistance is a multifaceted approach. The speaker often refers to this process as an 'insulin sensitizing journey,' describing it in terms of reducing or shrinking fat cells. The discussion likely introduces strategies or concepts related to managing insulin resistance through dietary and lifestyle changes.
• 00:30 - 01:00: The Role of Fat Cells The chapter discusses the importance of individual fat cell size rather than the overall mass of fat in understanding chronic insulin resistance. It emphasizes the need to shrink individual fat cells to address the issue. Two main methods to achieve this are a low-calorie approach and a low-insulin approach. The chapter illustrates its point by explaining how a vegan diet can help in shrinking fat cells.
• 01:00 - 02:00: Low Calorie vs Low Insulin Approach This chapter discusses two dietary approaches for managing type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance: the low calorie approach and the low insulin approach. The low calorie method focuses on significantly cutting calories which can lead to an improvement in diabetes symptoms, but may result in nutrient deficiencies due to its restrictive nature. The low insulin approach, on the other hand, seeks to manage insulin levels directly, offering an alternative that avoids the potential downsides of calorie restriction. The author advocates for the insulin lowering approach given its potential benefits on fat cells and overall health.
• 02:00 - 03:00: The Brain's Role in Energy Sensing The chapter discusses the challenges of keeping a calorie deficit when insulin levels remain high. It explains that even with reduced calorie intake, elevated insulin causes the body to store nutrients rather than use them for energy, leading to a return to the starting point in weight loss efforts. This storage mechanism is described as insulin's thematic effect of ensuring calories are stored within cells.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Controlling Carbohydrates and Focusing on Fiber The chapter discusses how different parts of the body store energy, emphasizing that while the liver, fat cells, and muscle cells have ample energy reserves, the brain does not. It relies on a continuous supply of energy from the blood. When insulin levels are high and calorie intake is low, the overall availability of nutrients in the blood decreases. This reduction in blood nutrient levels, whether glucose or other nutrients, is sensed by the brain. The text highlights research by David Ludwick about energy availability in conditions of high insulin.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Hunger and Carbohydrate Addiction This chapter discusses how the body's perception of energy availability can be misleading, focusing on how the brain senses energy levels primarily through blood indicators rather than actual energy reserves stored in the body. Despite the body having ample energy stored in fat cells, liver, and muscles, the brain signals hunger based on declining energy levels in the bloodstream. The chapter critiques the conventional 'eat less, exercise more' approach, highlighting its basis in a calorie-focused viewpoint, which the authors argue does not fully account for the body's complex energy regulation systems.
• 05:00 - 06:00: The Taste Bud Trio and Food Addiction The chapter focuses on the idea of dietary management without necessarily cutting calories, which often leads to hunger and discouragement. Instead, it suggests addressing insulin levels first, as this can naturally increase metabolic rate by 200-300 calories a day. This process encourages ketosis, which can satisfy the brain’s energy needs, reducing the feeling of hunger and potential food addiction.
• 06:00 - 07:00: Misconceptions and Industry Influence The chapter titled "Misconceptions and Industry Influence" discusses the significance of energy management within the body focusing on the role of carbohydrate control and fiber intake. The conversation highlights the importance of managing carbohydrates as a primary step for efficient fat burning and maintaining optimal energy levels. The speakers emphasize focusing on fiber as a method of controlling carbohydrate intake, showcasing the use of alliteration in the phrase "control carbs, focus on fiber" to stress its importance.
• 07:00 - 08:00: Protein, Fiber, and the Role of Fat This chapter emphasizes the importance of consuming carbohydrates with natural fiber and warns against consuming refined carbohydrates that are typically found in packaged goods. It highlights that in nature, carbohydrates are always accompanied by fiber, with the exception of dairy products. It advises avoiding carbohydrates that come from products with barcodes, as they usually have the fiber stripped away due to processing or marketing interests.

The easiest way to reverse Insulin resistance and lose weight [w/Dr Ben Bikman] Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 so you kind of just said it's it's carbohydrates that are driving it I'm going to ask you probably the most obvious question of all but this has gone beautifully well so far is it as simple to start off with as reducing the carbs that's a great question yes yes it is um now that there there are this is a multifaceted approach I I um often will'll discuss an insulin sensitizing Journey one way I've learned to to discuss it is a fat cell shrinking
• 00:30 - 01:00 Journey because as you touch on in the book it's not the mass of fat that matters most it's the size of each individual fat cell so that's how we should look at it I think that helps us understand the real Origins here in a chronic insulin resistance State it's not as much a matter of losing fat although that will be the obvious effect it's that you look at each you imagine each fat cell and think I need to shrink that there are two primary ways to do that low calorie and low insulin both of those will work this is why you can take some who adopts a vegan diet a
• 01:00 - 01:30 profoundly nutrient deficient way of living life and eating and they can reverse they can improve their type 2 diabetes and their insulin resistance because they've cut their calories so much yeah they're essentially just going into this weird fast yeah eventually leading to nutrient um deficiencies alternatively you have a low insulin approach now both of those will work the reason I am so heavy-handed about the insulin lowering approach is because we see what happens if a person's fat cell
• 01:30 - 02:00 shrinking Journey starts with the low calorie step they will very in short order take that foot back they will go right back to where they started because if you cut calories but your insulin is still elevated and that hasn't been addressed insulin is going to want to be telling all calories in the blood insulin abhors energy not being stored in a cell and so its thematic effect from top to bottom will be to tell nutrients to be stored and locked away in cells that works perfectly fine for
• 02:00 - 02:30 liver which has an abundant energy Supply fat cells have an abundant energy Supply even muscle cells have a lot of GL glycogen and fat the brain has no capacity to store energy thus it must constantly rely on the energy that comes from the blood so if insulin's high but calories coming in is down y then the overall nutrient availability in the blood has gone down David Ludwick has shown this total energy availability in a high insulin State goes down the brain senses this relative reduction in energy in the blood whether it's glucose or
• 02:30 - 03:00 fats or whatever it would want to be sensing ketones it will then say well we need to eat because energy is going down little knowing that the fat cells the liver the muscle they're all perfectly fed G get you it yes it's just it doesn't know it can only rely on the energy in the blood and thus its solution to this is hunger yeah and so that is why every approach that starts with eat less exercise more which is the perfect manifestation of the the the calorie based view which again is real
• 03:00 - 03:30 it works if you cut calories it will work the reason I cannot Embrace that view however is because as I said that approach leads to hunger yeah and so rather than Doom yourself to failure and immediately invite Misery by cutting calories but not addressing your insulin flip those around yeah let your calories be what they may and if you bring down your insulin now you will increase your metabolic rate by 2 to 300 calories a day you'll start making ketones which will satiate the brain and the Brain
• 03:30 - 04:00 will be thinking hey we're all good here there's plenty of energy let's maybe stop eating and you'll finally be burning all the fat that you've been storing yeah so that's why to come back to your question I strongly Advocate that the first thing be control carbs and then to make it very relevant to your efforts recently one way to do that focus on fiber you know of my affection for alliteration so control carbs do so via focusing on fiber fiber is a very
• 04:00 - 04:30 effective way and then of course avoid carbs that come from bags and boxes with barcodes typically they're going to be very refined starches and sugars and by refined we say basically that means they've stripped out the fiber that's right carbs in nature always come with fiber yeah with the exception of dairy I suppose that's how we should eat it uh in in our whatever the marketing interests are that's always been Stripped Away so don't get your carbs from bags and boxes with barcodes
• 04:30 - 05:00 fuset if just takes that one step and fills in any gap of hunger with as much protein and fat as they'd like y they're cooking with gas yeah Professor it's great advice Ben Professor Tim no says I've there's one thing that everybody that is overweight or has type two diabetes has in common guess Steve and I'm like and I'm like 10 minutes you you probably never heard of Rumple still
• 05:00 - 05:30 skin in the UK oh for sure so it was like that I was like guess this guess that and he went no every single person I've ever met this obese or type 2 diabetes is driven by hunger yes driven by hunger wake up hungry have to eat have carbs instant grabs of sugar crash hungry hungry hungry all day yeah so that's why I'm I'm 100% with you that it is not about calorie restriction well that's I appreciate your efforts with regards to addiction what people I one
• 05:30 - 06:00 of the things with all this engagement I have on social media one of the things that Riles up the antagonists the most is to suggest that there is such a thing as carbohydrate addiction mind you there is abundant evidence on this topic it's not like I'm speaking uh you know just out of out of the Wilderness here without any basis unfortunately the one thing humans are always addicted to is carbohydrate that is the common denominator no one is sitting around on
• 06:00 - 06:30 a Saturday night craving a plate of bacon and eggs while they're sitting down to turn on the Telly and watch a movie or broccoli never no one is thinking I need to steam some broccoli right now that's going to hit the spot no never always it is something that is sweet and gooey or salty and crunchy and it will have absolutely refined starches in it may have some fat added in too just to really take it up to an 11 but but even still that will be an added I call it the taste but Trio they add the
• 06:30 - 07:00 fat the sugar the salt together now we know salt on its own for most people isn't a problem we know fat regardless of what you pre-label it saturated or whatever isn't on its own a problem but but the three together and we've got all the biological Pathways from out by Steven Whitley who was a scientist at Nestle in how that Trio together that never happens in nature makes the brain go wild and that is why I always maintain that whenever you meet somebody over way you have to the first thing you
• 07:00 - 07:30 do is make them realize it's not their fault yeah totally their fault totally agree it's the the big food companies have found this trick over the last 60 70 years to make you addicted to their produce but then again to even pour fire gas on the Flames they're told eat less exercise more yeah they're doomed to yeah I mean even and nowadays in the in the in the social media space people are invoking principles that body Builders will use to cut and they'll say just
• 07:30 - 08:00 focus purely on protein and and low carb and and sorry and cut everything else high high protein and fiber and nothing else that works for the most disciplined among us for the rest of us we have to have a little fat in there now I'm an advocate of protein I'm an advoc advocate of fiber but the more we continue to vilify fat we're taking steps back