Is Weight Loss Only About Calories Consumed?

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Is Weight Loss Only About Calories Consumed?

I recently stumbled upon this interesting Princeton study on high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and weight gain, the results of which I thought might interest you.

The experiment involved two groups of rats: one fed rat chow along with HFCS and the other fed rat chow along with a water-sucrose (refined sugar) solution.  The amount of HFCS given was half as concentrated as most soft drinks, while the sugar solution was about equal to that as the amount found in soft drinks.

The result?  The fructose fed rats gained significantly more weight than the sucrose-fed rats.

But by far the most interesting part?  Both groups of rats were fed the SAME amount of calories!

And still, every single rat fed high-fructose corn syrup instead of plain sucrose became obese.  The males were especially effected, with a 48% weight gain over the sucrose-fed rats!

The researchers admit that they do not know for sure why the HFCS fed rats gain more weight, however:

…as a result of the manufacturing process for high-fructose corn syrup, the fructose molecules in the sweetener are free and unbound, ready for absorption and utilization. In contrast, every fructose molecule in sucrose that comes from cane sugar or beet sugar is bound to a corresponding glucose molecule and must go through an extra metabolic step before it can be utilized.

This creates a fascinating puzzle. The rats in the Princeton study became obese by drinking high-fructose corn syrup, but not by drinking sucrose. The critical differences in appetite, metabolism and gene expression that underlie this phenomenon are yet to be discovered, but may relate to the fact that excess fructose is being metabolized to produce fat, while glucose is largely being processed for energy or stored as a carbohydrate, called glycogen, in the liver and muscles.

So much for “a calorie is a calorie is a calorie”, eh?

You can find the full story here:

http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. Wanna lose weight permanently, while still eating as much food as is humanly possible?  Then you gotta go low fat raw vegan.

Luckily, I have a raw recipe book to help you with that:

Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes

Calories and Weight Loss

Shirley asks:

I’m trying to go raw but I also have some weight to lose. [I] have your five week transition program but I’m a little curious as to how one can lose weight eating all those calories as you suggest so if you could please help with this question it would be greatly appreciated.

The meals are just a guideline.  Each person will need more or less calories depending on their height, weight, and activity level.

I admit, something like 1000 calories for a meal does sound like a lot.  In fact, many people will think it is impossible to eat that much food in one sitting.

It isn’t.  I regularly eat this much in bananas for both my breakfast and lunch meals.  I really just want to show what’s possible.

Does that mean you should eat this much?  Not at all.  It completely depends on how active you are.  A 120 pound sedentary female probably will not need 1000 calories at a meal.

Just eat as much as you like at each meal until you are satisfied and you will be fine.  Monitor your weight and body fat % on a regular basis and if you don’t see any change at all after about 3 months, try shaving off no more than a couple hundred calories per day.

Swayze

P.S. For those who would like access to The Fool Proof Transition to Raw that Shirley mentions above, simply fill out the form in the upper right hand corner of this page.