Editor’s Note: Season 9 of the podcast Chasing Life With Dr. Sanjay Gupta uncovers the connection between body weight and health. This season explores various topics, including new weight loss drugs and how to address weight with children. You can access the podcast here.
Losing weight and maintaining it can be a daunting task, and you are not alone in this struggle. Numerous studies have shown that achieving long-term weight loss is incredibly challenging. In fact, it is estimated that over 80% of individuals who lose a significant amount of weight will regain it within five years. However, the difficulty in shedding pounds is not solely attributed to lacking willpower to make necessary lifestyle changes, such as adopting healthier eating habits, reducing calorie intake, and increasing physical activity.
The truth is, our bodies are biologically programmed to hold on to fat. Paleontologist Daniel Lieberman, a professor at Harvard University, explains that humans evolved to have high levels of fat, even individuals who appear thin. This adaptation is due to the fact that humans need a substantial amount of fat to support their energy-demanding brains. In fact, a baby’s energy is primarily dedicated to fueling their brain. Therefore, humans are an unusually fat species compared to other mammals and primates.
Fat serves as stored energy, enabling early humans to survive, search for food, and reproduce. It acted as an essential resource, like money in a bank account. Individuals who had appropriate levels of fat were more successful in our evolutionary history. However, our bodies have not evolved significantly since those times, while the environment has drastically changed. This discrepancy between our bodies and modern-day lifestyles has led to weight issues, obesity, and related health problems.
The current obesogenic environment, characterized by sedentary lifestyles and easy access to calorie-dense foods, contributes to weight gain and the development of mismatch diseases. Mismatch diseases are conditions that arise when we live in environments to which we are not adequately adapted. Overcoming these adaptations and losing weight requires dieting, which often triggers the body’s natural response to starvation, leading to cravings and a slowed metabolism. Our bodies fight against weight loss, making it an arduous process.
It is important to remember that not all humans are meant to have a slender figure. Even thin individuals have a significant amount of body fat compared to most mammals. Fat plays a crucial role in our survival and overall well-being. However, excessive belly fat can lead to health problems, so it is important to take action if you carry excess weight around the middle.
Fluctuations in weight over short periods are normal, primarily due to water retention. Throughout history, humans have experienced cycles of storing fat during times of abundance and using those reserves during lean times. Therefore, it is unnecessary to blame yourself if your weight fluctuates slightly.
When it comes to weight loss, both exercise and dieting are important. While dieting may result in more significant weight loss, exercise helps prevent weight gain or regain and offers numerous mental and physical health benefits. To overcome the mismatch between our Stone Age bodies and our modern environment, we need to find ways to shape our surroundings to support the choices we want to make.
Understanding the challenges of weight loss can help individuals approach their journey with compassion and knowledge. It is essential to recognize that our bodies are designed to hold on to fat, and losing weight requires overcoming these natural adaptations. By incorporating a balanced approach to diet and exercise, individuals can work towards their weight loss goals while prioritizing their overall well-being.
To learn more about the Paleo diet and explore popular new weight loss medications, listen to the full episode of the Chasing Life podcast here. Join us next week for an in-depth discussion on these topics..