THE PATH TO SLENDERNESS

CHAPTER THREE

The Insulin-Glucagon SeeSaw​
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“Doc, please, help me. Since I turned 50, I have gained over 30 pounds. I've tried everything to lose this weight. I've cut my calories, joined a gym, hired a personal trainer, and even attended boot camps, and nothing has worked. In fact, I gained even more weight. What's wrong, and what can I do to lose this excess middle-aged induced weight gain?

THE SEE-SAW

I grew up in Central California. When most people think of California, they see evergreen-covered mountains or white sand beaches splashing into the Pacific Ocean. They see blue skies 365 days a year with sea breezes never letting a drop of perspiration appear.

But, in the center of California, you'll see furrowed farms with 100-degree-plus heat beating down on the brown ground during the summer and in the winter, fog so thick you can't drive the hidden roads.

When tourists drive through this part of California, going from Los Angeles to San Francisco, or vice versa, they'll notice that many of these farms have see-saws that sit smack dab in the middle of their furrowed land.

If they pull over to see what the heck is sitting on these seesaws, they might see holograms of cereal boxes on the left, and, if they look really close, a veggie omelet seated on the right.

I'm not pulling your leg. Stop the next time you see a see-saw sitting in the middle of a furrowed farmland in Central California, and you'll be a believer.

Did you know that each side of a see-saw has a name? The left side is called Labby, and the right side is called Farmy.

On the Labby side sits ultra-processed, formulated food that is high in high-fructose corn syrup, seed oils, and salt, lots of salt. On the right side, the Farmy side, sits God-made foods, usually made up of clean animal proteins, pressed or churned fats, and high-fiber vegetables, oh, and some fruits scattered here and there.

If you get out of your car and walk to the see-saw, you have a choice: to eat the cereal on the left side or the vegetable omelet on the right side.

If your children are with you, they'll usually eat the cereal on the left side. If their grandparents are traveling with you, they'll usually choose the omelet.

When your children remove the bowl and box of cereal from the left side and eat it, the left side of the see-saw rises quickly.

When their grandparents eat off the plate with the vegetable omelet, the right side of the seesaw rises slowly, if at all.

Once the food is gone, you can get back into your car and continue your travel to San Francisco or Los Angeles, but don't forget to turn on your radio just in time to hear Paul Harvey say, "And now, you know the rest of the story," but in this case, you don't.

THE REST OF THE STORY

The reason the left side of the see-saw rises quickly is that children will wolf down a bowl of cereal. Since it is ultra-processed and there is nothing to slow the absorption of sugar, their blood sugar rises quickly.

When blood sugar rises quickly, the pancreas receives a message that the blood has become toxic. This toxic high blood sugar must be cleared from the blood before it Crème Brûlées the brain, heart, liver, and kidneys.

"To clear the glucose from the blood, the beta cells of the pancreas release a hormone called insulin."

Each molecule of insulin is a key that opens the entrance doors to your cells. With all the cell's entrance doors open, the blood glucose can flow freely into the cells. This clears the blood of the toxic high blood sugar and saves our internal organs from the caking the sugar will cause.

But the cells don't need glucose unless their owner is running a marathon, so we will assume the owner is not doing that at this moment. Since the cells do not need glucose, they convert it into a molecule called a triglyceride. These trigs are sent off and stored in our fat pantries: breasts, belly, and hips, where they serve as fuel for rainy-day emergencies.

THE KEY TO WEIGHT LOSS

To lose weight, especially once you are middle-aged, you will need to keep your insulin levels as low as possible. As you age, your fat-burning hormones decline, and there is one thing I have learned over the last 46 years of weight-optimization practice...

"You can't burn fat without fat-burning hormones."

As you age and your fat-burning hormones wane, exercise and dieting no longer work. At this stage of life, you will have to play the Insulin Glucagon SeeSaw Game.

"You must bottom out insulin and keep it bottomed out."

When insulin is not being released because you are consuming the Meso-Menu, the hypothalamus, the hormone thermostat located in your brain, becomes alarmed and thinks that you are unable to hunt and gather food. The hypothalamus is a hormone regulator, not a blood sugar regulator.

With no insulin released, the hypothalamus signals the alpha cells of the pancreas to release glucagon, insulin's twin hormone.

Glucagon travels to fat cells, attaches to the receptors, and, unlike insulin, opens the fat cell's exit doors. This allows the stored fat to be released.

By eating the Meso-Menu, the hypothalamus has been tricked into thinking the body is in an emergency, rainy-day situation in which food has become scarce.

As triglycerides travel through our bloodstream, the liver's job is to convert them into fuel by turning them into glucose. But when there are too many triglycerides in the bloodstream, high trigs are toxic too; the liver takes a shortcut to clear the more difficult-to-break-down triglycerides by turning them into a protein called a ketone body.

When the liver switches from converting the triglycerides into sugar to turning them into proteins, viola, you have successfully flipped the switch from burning sugar to burning fat. This is called ketosis, but don't think for one minute that you need to eat the Keto Diet to do this.

The Keto Diet is a proven diet that emphasizes consuming 80% of your calories from fat. Boring!

Instead of eating butter all day, we will eat a gourmet menu of proteins, fats, vegetables, and fruits. Before I move to the menu, I want to touch on what I believe is the scourge of today's healthcare problem.

INSULIN RESISTANCE

Since most of the modern world has been raised on ultra-processed, formulated foods like the cereal on the left end of that see-saw, with its human-made high sugar, bad fat, and high salt content, our blood sugar spikes repeatedly, and so does insulin.

I'm seventy years old and love Rock and roll music. I've sat in the front row of many concerts. Imagine Deep Purple constantly breaking new decibel records. When you get to my age, you've lost a lot of your ability to hear clearly.

When insulin spikes over and over, it’s like attending dozens of Rolling Stones concerts without ear protection; eventually, the message gets drowned out. The cells stop “hearing” insulin’s message, our cells' doors remain closed, and sugar backs up in the bloodstream. This growing resistance to insulin, cells refusing to open the door despite insulin shouting louder and louder, is the root driver of most metabolic disease, chronic illness, and premature death in the modern world.

To lose our middle-aged weight gain, we will need to avoid spiking blood sugar, which means avoiding spikes in insulin. We will do this by eating a high-protein, low-glycemic menu. I call this menu The Meso Menu.

Why high protein? The best food group for releasing glucagon is animal protein.

FINAL THOUGHT

I HOPE you are seeing to optimize hormones, weight, health, and mind; it is all about the hormones. To lose weight when you are middle-aged, it is necessary that you eat a meal that does not elevate insulin, because your fat-burning hormones have waned and may even be nearly nonexistent.

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REVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS RULES

1. ​​Eat God-Made Food​​
2. ​​Eat Gourmet God-Made Food​​
3. ​​Eat When You're Hungry​​

Are you ready for the Meso-Menu that will bottom-out insulin and top out glucagon?

I’ll meet you here next week and explain it to you. ​​​​​

US-IE

Vicky and I are retired, and our passion, besides teaching others how to optimize their hormones and weight, is traveling.

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This is our view as I write this newsletter, Lake Tahoe, CA

Yes, that is the lake and the sun rising over snow-covered mountains that look almost unreal. A lakeside cabin, quiet mornings, and the kind of beauty that slows time. Lake Tahoe is pure romance. ❄️🏔️”

Lake Tahoe is a Sierra jewel nestled between California and Nevada, known for its crystal-clear waters, towering granite peaks, and dramatic seasonal beauty. In winter, the mountains are blanketed in snow, transforming the lake into a serene, storybook escape, equal parts wild and intimate. It’s a place where nature feels grand yet personal, wh

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DISCLAIMER

The information contained in this newsletter is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, nor should it be construed as medical advice or a substitute for professional medical care. No doctor–patient relationship is created by this content. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider before beginning, modifying, or discontinuing any supplement, medication, diet, or health program, including but not limited to zinc, especially if you have a medical condition, are pregnant or nursing, or are taking prescription or over-the-counter medications. Individual responses and requirements vary, and any reliance on the information provided is solely at your own risk.

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