Meal Induced Weight Loss via Thermogenesis and Gastric Action
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Today we would like to arm you with another gun in your weight loss and fat reduction arsenal. Specifically, today you are going to learn how to utilize food intake to increase energy expenditure .
I would argue that a weakness of the current popular mindset about weight loss, dieting and fat reduction is the almost total focus on nutrient composition, in part made vogue by the popular diet protocols like the Zone.
The problem with this over emphasis on nutrient composition for weight loss, dieting and weight management is that it is not a complete picture.
What gets left out when you focus on macro-nutrient ratios are very important concepts such as the gastric action of different foods and the resulting increase in energy expenditure from meal intake and digestion.
One of the best weight loss strategies you can employ is to expend more energy on a regular basis. Most of us take this to mean that we should simply exercise more. The good news is there are other methods to increase your energy output to achieve weight loss.
We are reality based, longevity focused here at LookCut. We emphasize what works in reality, over the long haul. Since you can’t always exercise, this means that you need alternatives to increase your energy expenditure for weight loss.
There are 3 components to how much energy you expend every day – your base metabolic rate, your activity level, and diet induced energy expenditure. Most people are unaware that BMR does not take into account the energy requirements for the digestion of food!
One of the most effective and overlooked methods for increasing your energy expenditure to achieve weight loss is through eating frequency and digestive energy expenditure.
There are a couple of different aspects to this. One of them is meal induced thermogenesis, which reflects an increase in the amount of heat you generate from eating more food. Meal Induced Thermogenesis is the most well studied aspect of increased energy expenditure from food. Not as well studied, but equally important are the energy requirements for digestion’. This reflects the energy required to breakdown, digest and eliminate the food you eat. I predict this will be a hot emerging area of study in the near future.
Here is an easy way to think of it. Ask yourself what takes more energy to digest – a bagel and yogurt or a steak and asparagus? If you answered steak and asparagus, you are correct. Your body requires much more energy to digest and break down the meal that is heavy in cellulose and animal protein than simple carbs and pre-digested milk protein.
The point is this. Different foods require different amounts of ENERGY to digest.
When you begin to think of foods in terms of the energy they contain versus the energy it takes to digest them – voila- you have a whole new way to think about weight loss from food.
In technical terms, what I’m giving you is a way to look at food in terms of energy density (how much energy is in that food) vs. digestive energy (how much energy it takes to digest that food)
Foods that are very high in fiber and protein require a tremendous amount of energy to digest, versus foods that have a high energy density (packed with fat and sugar) and low amount of fiber. Think of carrots and chicken versus pasta and cheese.
Is this beginning to make sense? When you start to really get your arms around this, it will give you an entirely new and powerful way to utilize food to obtain the weight loss and fat reduction you desire.
Tomorrow we will go over specifics of how to use food to increase thermogenesis and digestive action. Stay tuned…
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