Is insulin the only factor in weight gain? - PaleoHacks.com

Is insulin the only factor in weight gain?

2012-01-07T12:15:08Z

I was having a discussion with an obvious LC/VLC and her argument was that insulin was the only factor in weight gain.

I personally think that this seems wrong. I am not saying that insulin is not a factor, or not even the biggest factor. But, my thoughts are this -

If I ate nothing but coconut oil for a month, and consumed 4000 calories a day with no exercise, I would have to put on weight, right?

Her argument seems flawed? What are your thoughts? Anyone up for my experiment in the name of science?

Edit So thanks for the answers everyone. My example was of course just that, an example. My point being that eating zero carbs but consuming double the amount of calories that you would normally need would have to lead to weight gain. I wasn't advocating doing it, I was just wondering what the outcome would be.

Answer by Aravind for Is insulin the only factor in weight gain?

2012-01-07T12:31:31Z

Insulin as the ONLY factor is absurd. Leptin anyone? Obesity is a multifactorial issue. Attempts to reduce it to a singular factor are laughable. And yes calories do matters. But that does not make CICO any less of a tautology BTW.

For repudiation of the insulin theory of obesity from Stephan Guyenet

In fairness, you should also read the retort from Peter at Hyperlipid

http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/2011/08/i-have-read-good-calories-bad-calories.html

There is also the retort from Gary Taubes, and this the first of the many parts to it

http://garytaubes.com/2011/09/catching-up-on-lost-time-ancestral-health-symposium-food-reward-palatability-insulin-signaling-carbohydrates-kettles-pots-other-odds-ends-part-i/

Answer by AndyM for Is insulin the only factor in weight gain?

2012-01-07T12:31:52Z

It's not the only factor, there are multiple pathways, and differences between simple weight gain and obesity.

But then, your arguments are flawed as well. There's nothing saying you'd actually digest 4000 calories, there's a possibility you'll get sick and be unable to eat that much coconut oil every day for a month etc.

I'm not sure if she was arguing that the physiological processes were so strong that you couldn't overcome them by force-feeding yourself into an early grave.

Answer by raydawg for Is insulin the only factor in weight gain?

2012-01-07T12:32:57Z

Try it and see, if you're willing. But you'd probably be starving yourself of micronutrients, and you'll probably go high on cortisol, and at least do take a multivitamin.

If you do zero exercise for a month, your muscles will atrophy (I personally find that if I'm inactive for a week, I start to lose muscle mass), and certainly since you'll go down the path of gluconeogenesis for glucose, you'll catabolize muscle tissue even faster than you would by just being sedentary.

You'd probably also get massive cravings too, which you'll need to plan for before you embark on such an experiment, or you'll fail to complete it. You'd also need to warn people around you that you'll become somewhat crabby and may not be as friendly as usual, and that they shouldn't take it personally.

4000Kcals of coconut oil is ~445 grams or 15oz (roughly about two cups). I'd suggest you take only a little bit at a time to avoid the trots. :)

A better test would be to use around 2000Kcals, since you say you'll do no exercise, and thus would be sedentary, and would not need the extra calories.

Perhaps you could try this twice, once with 4000Kcals, then go back to your normal routine for a few months and repeat with 2000Kcals and see if there is a different effect.

Make sure you're in really good health and have some body fat before you attempt it.

Answer by Ambimorph for Is insulin the only factor in weight gain?

2012-01-07T15:29:30Z

The only factor? Of course not. Another obvious one is genetics.

But as to your second part, I would expect you to lose weight on 4000 calories of fat a day. If you want to retain your muscle mass, make a small amount of that protein.

Here's an example of someone who did that and published their results.

Total : Wed Jan 14 - Tue Feb 3

Average Calories: 4105 Average Fat: 86%

Expected: 5.4 kg body fat gain Actual: 4.3 kg body fat loss

This should speak loud and clear for itself.

I've been over consuming calories since Nov 24, 2008. Since then, I've lost 10.3 kg of body fat!

In November, I was not able to button my size 34 jeans. Now, I cannot wear those jeans, cuz they fall off me. The size 33 jeans I have been wearing are falling down to the point I won't be able to wear those anymore here real soon. I had a large bulging belly back in November, and now, my fat roll around my belly is getting very small. When I'm sitting down, I can still grab some fat, and so, I've still got some to lose. Eating this way, I'm totally sure that, no matter how much I eat, I will lose every bit of body fat I have. Stay tuned and watch for yourself. Better yet, try this out on yourself and you will discover the truth.

Answer by BaconHealsChic for Is insulin the only factor in weight gain?

2012-01-07T16:56:32Z

If I ate nothing but coconut oil for a month, and consumed 4000 calories a day with no exercise, I would have to put on weight, right?

Sounds like a good Seth Robert Low Food Reward experiment to me...

So of course there are many factors hotly debated here at Paleo Hacks. For me personally, I eat low carb when I'm shedding bodyfat but I'm starting to experiment with the low food reward protocol too. And then there are the emotional factors.

To the insulin point though...if you ate fat and protein you typically won't be hungry enough to over-eat to the point of 4000 calories...which is why so many people like it. It takes out most of the willpower factor.