Insulin, Calories, and the Truth About Low-Carb Weight Loss
As many people do in the New Year, my wife and I agreed to spend less money in 2024.
As part of that, she committed to avoiding Target.
We're only a few weeks into this new spending plan, but I may retire early if this keeps up.
Low-carb diets are similar to this budgeting attack—they create simple rules that cut off traps where we tend to run into excess.
At face value, we must acknowledge that this diet works because, like all "diets," it reduces calories. However, it does have distinct advantages that work better for some people:
- It removes common foods that we eat in excess.
- It's typically easier to navigate than tracking calories/macros.
- While sometimes annoying, it's sustainable in social settings.
- Typical foods we enjoy can be easily modified, such as ordering a bun-less burger.
- Protein and fats are satiating.
We can all agree that a bun-less burger, chicken wings sans fries, or steak minus the potato equals fewer overall calories than carb-included options. On top of that, you save on additional calories from typical dessert and beverage options.
This study confirms that people on a low carbohydrate diet eat roughly 600 fewer calories each week and lose an average of 12 pounds when tracked over a year.
But is there anything beyond this simple fact of thermodynamics that makes carbs more or less fattening than other macronutrients? Because when we look at the same study comparing high vs. low-carb diets, both groups lost similar weight over one year.
What About Insulin?
One suspected and often promoted aspect of the low-carb diet is related to its effect on lowering insulin.
Insulin signals an increase in energy available within our body, and that it's a good time to store it for future use. The net effect is an increase in fat production and a decrease in fat breakdown.
Therefore, it's reasonable that we would want to lower insulin if losing fat were a primary goal.
But as the renowned Richard Feynman stated,
"It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with the experiment, it's wrong."
Based on the data, tactics to lower insulin by eating fewer carbs do not result in more significant weight loss. When it comes down to it, caloric restriction, by whatever means, rules all if weight loss is the goal.
A few observations that support this are the massive weight loss in this gentleman following a diet composed mainly of Twinkies and other snacks. Plus, Ozempic, the prevalent weight loss drug, actually stimulates insulin production.
These results would be hard if insulin were a driving factor for weight gain.
Yet, there are some nuances to consider.
- Reducing carb intake does seem helpful for those with insulin resistance or type II diabetes due to better blood sugar control.
- Protein is a crucial X factor for weight loss. It raises caloric expenditure and is more satiating, and low-carb diets tend to be naturally higher in protein. This is likely why some studies show weight loss advantages on a low-carb diet.
- Adherence to ANY diet is abysmal when looking past six months, and especially beyond one year. Therefore, the most important factor to any nutrition plan is answering the question, "What can I stick with over the long term?" Those answers tend to be highly variable based on that person's psychology—some do well with some flexibility, and others do better with complete restriction.
The Beach Body
However, cutting carbs a few days before a special event can have an effect.
The body keeps excess carbohydrates stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen for later use. Since glycogen binds to water molecules, each gram of glycogen stored in the body comes with approximately 3-4 grams of water.
By cutting carbs, the body starts using up stored glycogen for energy, leading to a rapid decrease in both glycogen and the water it holds.
This process can result in quick weight loss and a leaner appearance, primarily due to water weight loss rather than a significant reduction in body fat.
However, this trick doesn't work miracles. You need to be already lean for the abs to magically appear for your beach vacation.
Cut Carbs?
If you've been struggling to lose some weight, the research shows that a low-carb diet is at least equally effective as other diet strategies.
However, we must appreciate that it's not a secret hack to our metabolism and will likely fall short if it doesn't include some sustainable strategies for long-term success.
Next, we'll move on to performance because the keto craze has inserted itself into our current culture as a way to boost our athletic output.
