FAT LOSS: THE BIGGEST LESSON FROM MY FAILURES

Linked In may seem like an unusual platform to share my personal journey. But I have chosen it deliberately as I hope that the content will make a difference to the personal and professional life of whoever has the patience to read my ramblings.

Over the past 6 years, I have committed to pursuing physical, mental, and spiritual health (in that specific order). This has made me more fulfilled in my life and career. I have now come to believe that physical health is foundational to career success, fulfillment in life, healthy relationships and much more.

My fat loss took 6 years because I failed multiple times, requiring me to restart from scratch. In this journey, I found myself failing despite my best intentions and adherence to the ‘rules’. In retrospect, I found a clear reason for this. And to my relief, I discovered that this reason was not unique to me. So, I spent the last year doing a root cause analysis and this article is a summary of my findings- THE POINT OF FAILURE IN OUR FAT LOSS JOURNEY.

As a disclaimer, from hereon I will assume prior knowledge of the basics of nutrition theory: (1) Calories in- Calories out (2) The right diet is way more important than the right workout, when it comes to fat loss.

Furthermore, I do not claim to be a medical expert but am merely a student of health and neuroscience. The science in this article is sourced from publicly available information and the recommendations pieced together with my interpretation and personal discovery through experience.

THE TRUTH AND THE HIDDEN TRUTH

The points of failure in my fat-loss journey were my cheat days and cheat meals.

Cheat meals or cheat days are said to motivate us towards maintaining our diet and “reduce” craving. Popular opinion claims that it is okay to have that one dessert so that we can get our “sugar fix”. It says that cheat meals are okay if we offset the calories in other meals of the day.

Yes. We are likely to be okay for that day if we can offset the calories in other meals. However, there is an underlying neuro-chemical interplay that can throw us off our diet in the days to follow. This is the point of failure that tripped me up each time.

LET US UNDERSTAND A ‘CHEAT MEAL’

The simplest way to understand this is to ask “what do I crave” outside of my low calorific diet. It will most likely be something which has sugar in it, or has sugar substitutes like low-calorie sweeteners.

For some, it may be something savory. Upon looking closer, it will most likely have sugar/sweeteners ‘masked’ by salt. Classic example- commercially available chips. A few others may crave drinks which have caffeine or alcohol.

WHAT DOES A CHEAT MEAL DO TO OUR BRAIN?

There are 4 ways in which a cheat meal or cheat day impacts our neurochemistry.

#1: IT CAN MAKE US CRAVE MORE OF THE CHEAT FOOD

I would have planned to stop with 1 bite, but I will find myself finishing the whole slice of cake.

The brain’s preference for food containing sugar stems from our primitive self because they are dense in energy. The brain always wants to conserve energy. Sugary food help the body build that energy reserve. So the brain will motivate you to eat more of the sugary foods.?

Additionally, a second mechanism acting beneath conscious awareness comes into play. Recent evidence has shown that the ‘neuropod’ cells in the gut lining recognize sugary food even if it is ‘masked’ by salt. These neuropod cells will also motivate you to eat more of the sugary foods, even if they don't taste 'sweet'.

Hence, one will consume more calories than planned. Our brain and neuropod cells will over-rule our initial plan to stop with 1 bite.

#2: IT CAN MAKE US FEEL ‘HUNGRIER’ THAN WE ACTUALLY ARE:

Ghrelin is the hormone which indicates hunger. Higher the level of ghrelin, the hungrier we feel. Research has shown that large quantities of ‘fructose’ lead to the increase of ghrelin levels.

Most packaged foods and carbonated drinks often contain the infamous ‘high fructose corn syrup’. It could be disguised as ‘maize syrup’, ‘glucose syrup’, ‘fruit fructose’, and ‘crystalline fructose’ in the ingredients list section of the pack. Some dessert-mixes that we use at home could also contain this highly dense form of fructose. It is preferred over table sugar because it is (a) cheaper than sugar (b) sweeter than sugar (c) blends into food better than sugar.

So, when we have foods which are high in fructose, our ghrelin levels increase. This makes us eat more than normal and exceed our calorie limit. Even if the drink we are having is low in calories, but is dense in fructose, it will make us eat more of all other foods on the table.

Real fruits, on the other hand are not known to have such high density of fructose and can be consumed with less concern of ghrelin surges.

#3: IT CAN REDUCE OUR PREFERENCE FOR HEALTHY FOODS:

Research has shown that sugar can influence the 'appeal' of all other non-sugary foods. The brain wants to collect as much energy for the body as possible. Sugary foods are dense in calories. So it will make sugary foods appeal more to us than non-sugary foods.

So, if we introduce a sugary item into our meal, the appeal of other non-sugary items will automatically reduce. This happens below conscious awareness.

The converse is also true. I tried not eating dessert for a month and found that even broccoli, a vegetable that I had no great fondness for, tasted better.

So, if we are on a diet, that one cheat meal or cheat day makes other elements of our healthy meal plan taste less appealing. Resisting the temptation for that cheat meal will ensure that our regular diet of healthy food continues to be appealing in our brain.

#4: IT CREATES A ‘TIME STAMP’ OF ‘RECURRING’ CRAVING:

Let us consider a case where Sunday lunch is our cheat meal, when we have a dessert. We will feel a ‘craving’ on Monday at the same time. This is because the dessert gave us a high dopamine peak during Sunday lunch. Our brain remembers that event and nudges us to have the same dessert for Monday lunch.

The strength of our resistance to that craving will determine whether we have the dessert on Monday, or we are able to wait till the next Sunday. Even if we succeed in waiting till the next Sunday, our craving increases from Friday, through Saturday, until we have it on Sunday. It is quite easy to observe this. We may notice ourselves saying "I just can't wait for Sunday lunch".

We will suffer through the healthy diet on Friday and Saturday (or maybe the entire week), just so that we can have that dessert on Sunday.

The brain always wants more dopamine. It is the molecule which makes us feel good when we have sugar, salary increase, alcohol, parties, clubbing, sex, listen to music, shopping, drugs (nicotine, cocaine, etc.), wins in education, career, sports, gambling, etc, or when our kids have wins in education, career, sports, etc.

In fact, we experience the very concept of ‘time’ through the dopamine peaks and falls through the day. Try removing coffee from the day of someone who is a regular coffee drinker. They will feel their day to be ‘long’.

If we give the brain a new source of dopamine which it did not know before, it will keep chasing that new source. The Sunday lunch dessert during a strict diet routine is that 'new source' of dopamine for the brain. Our brain will motivate us to keep repeating it. The interval of repetition depends on the strength of our resistance. But we have set in motion a mental challenge for ourselves.

OK. I WON’T HAVE A CHEAT MEAL. BUT HOW TO REDUCE THE CRAVING?

The longer we resist the temptation and don’t have a cheat meal, the craving becomes lower and lower. So, we don’t need to do much more than just ‘start’ resisting.

Something more beautiful happens in the brain- we start ‘feeling good’ that we are resisting the urge. The dopamine mechanism turns around and rewards us for resisting the craving.

You would have noticed this with those practicing intermittent fasting. For every passing hour of the fast, they get a ‘high’ that they are winning. They get a dopamine reward for ‘avoiding food’- which is the exact opposite of what dopamine is meant to do.

This rationale extends to all other incarnations of dopamine- shopping, caffeine, alcohol, partying, etc. The longer we abstain from them, lower the craving becomes.

STARTING IS THE TOUGH PART. ANY TIPS?

I made the following changes that finally moved the needle for me. It may not apply to everyone.

#1: NO FOOD AT HOME. OUTSOURCED FOOD TO A CALORIE COUNTED MEAL PLAN:

I realized that no amount of will-power, resistance, or discipline can overcome a dopamine craving consistently. The brain will keep nudging me towards that bar of chocolate in the refrigerator. All I need is one stressful day at work to give myself an excuse to have it, so that I can feel good temporarily.

Most countries now have calorie-counted meal-plan services (Food Darzee in India, Kcal in UAE, etc). They deliver 4-5 meals a day and take care of all our nutrient needs within the set calories. I subscribed to them and removed all food from my home. There is nothing edible in my house other than water.

I tried keeping only healthy snacks at home for a while. However, the ‘craving’ coming from a calorie-deficit meal was strong. So, I would eat a lot more of the healthy snacks and consequentially exceed my calorie limit.

When I removed all food at home and relied on the meal-plan, it was easier to hold my calorie limit.

This could be challenging for those with families and kids. You can still subscribe to a calorie-counted meal-plan, if it is affordable, and exercise discipline not to eat anything else. Otherwise, you can follow your dietician’s guidance on calorie limit with home cooked meals, and resist the temptation to eat anything beyond.

#2: NO CHEAT DAYS OR CHEAT MEALS:

Yes. I completely removed desserts, chocolates, cakes, caffeine, and sugary foods for 2-3 years. The 1st few weeks were tough. But it soon became effortless, as explained in the previous section.

I did consume fruits occasionally, but in limited quantities.

Having reached my desired weight and fat% , I now indulge in sugary foods very occasionally. However, I am extremely cautious and mindful when I do so. I pre-determine the minimal quantity that I will be having and stick to it. I am conscious that I will feel the craving for similar sugary foods in a few hours, the next day or the next weekend. I keep a watch out for that craving to hit me and when it does, I am prepared and ready to resist.

#3: LOVING THE JOURNEY WITHOUT A ‘DESTINATION’:

Health and fitness do NOT have a destination. It is a life-long process of self-care. We may have goals to work towards (target weight, fat %, etc). But the process continues even after we reach that goal.

I have become mindful to enjoy the everyday routine of health, fitness, and diet. I am now on a sustainable diet that I enjoy. I am deliberately avoiding sugary foods. This makes all my healthy meals more appealing.

I have reached my target weight, fat %, and muscle growth. But what I enjoy the most is the feeling when I wake up, when I work out, and my energy through the day. I am not waiting for the weekend when I can cheat.

We can also extend this beyond food to life in general. If we can make our everyday a joy to live, we won’t wait for the next weekend or vacation. As Naval Ravikant says, “looking forward to the weekend is a sign that you are accepting to suffer through the week”.

So, let us enjoy our week, our weekend, and every meal through it all. Good physical health is the stepping stone to sound mental health, well-being and a better quality of life.