100% Brutal Truth: The Problem with Modern Diets

This is a guest post by Sarah W.

I recently saw a post from a woman who poured her heart out on X (formerly Twitter) in complete despair.

She's just tired of hearing this saying: 'Eat less, exercise more, it's so easy!'.

The poor one is already running like crazy! At 37, she has completed two half marathons in the last eight months. Every morning she drags herself out of bed at 5 a.m. to train for an hour before the family chaos. And she also cooks herself every day.

Her tweet went viral – 43 million views! – and triggers a shitstorm.

Some accuse her of being lazy, others think she should just eat less and train harder.

But let's be honest: is it really her fault? Is she just too lazy and greedy? Or is there perhaps more to it?

2. Sarah's history with fad diets

Four years ago I was like that too. For years I plagued myself with calories and was almost constantly starving. 800 calories a day – that’s all I allowed myself! Even though I go to Barry's every day Bootcamp I sweated. If you don't know Barry's, they are known for the toughest workouts in the world. Even athletes and supermodels train there! I even did sports with David Beckham in London. Crazy, right? But my weight? That remained stubborn as a donkey. My face was puffy, my period had stopped and without a bottle of wine (calculated into my calorie balance of course!) I couldn't sleep at all.

I mean, hello? That was pure starvation! Even in this crazy Minnesota Starvation experiment, people got more calories. Why doesn't so many people lose weight, even though they save every bite from their mouths and work hard in the gym? And even if the scale shows less for a short time, the kilos will come back immediately as soon as you eat normally again. No wonder that “The Biggest Loser“There are no class reunions!

2. The science behind the fight

Okay, enough whining, now it's getting scientific!

Extreme calorie restriction and excessive exercise are real brakes on your metabolism and prevent you from losing weight.

Why is that?

It's simple: If you constantly deprive your body of calories, it will lack important nutrients. And without it, it cannot produce energy, repair tissue or keep hormones in balance. When your blood sugar is low due to a lack of calories, your body pumps in cortisol to keep you alive. Too much cortisol makes your cells resistant to insulin. This means your blood sugar rises and your metabolism gets out of sync.

In addition, your body breaks down muscle, stores fat (especially on your stomach!) and your immune system weakens. And as if that wasn't enough, your thyroid, which is actually responsible for a healthy metabolism, also suffers. Sure, losing fat is great, but if you overdo it, your body produces too many free fatty acids. They disrupt your glucose metabolism and also make you more insulin resistant.

And last but not least: These fatty acids lay your Mitochondria lame, so your cells rely on glycolysis and lactic acid production for energy. This suppression of mitochondrial respiration increases the production of toxic free radicals and decreases carbon dioxide, making proteins more vulnerable to damage.

3. Toxic effects of extreme diets

Excessive lipolysis releases polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) into the bloodstream, which can have toxic effects. PUFAs promote oxidative damage and impair mitochondrial energy production, contributing to insulin resistance and other metabolic problems. The body enters a state of torpor or reduced metabolic rate as a survival mechanism in response to extreme calorie restriction.

This condition is an adaptive mechanism that involves lowering metabolism to conserve energy, allowing major organs to function longer on less energy, making weight loss more difficult. Intense exercise leads to the accumulation of lactic acid, which suppresses the oxidation of glucose and increases dependence on fat oxidation. This shift can impair efficient energy production and contribute to metabolic damage over time.

Calorie restriction (inadequate glucose levels) and stress lead to hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid produces inadequate thyroid hormones. These hormones are crucial for maintaining metabolic rate and promoting glucose oxidation. Hypothyroidism significantly slows metabolism and hinders weight loss.

Elevated estrogen levels, influenced by stress and diet, are detrimental to mitochondria and promote the Randle effect, further inhibiting glucose oxidation. Overall, the stress of extreme exercise and calorie restriction triggers a cascade of hormonal and metabolic changes that impair oxidative metabolism. This cascade includes elevated cortisol, insulin resistance, and hypothyroidism, all of which contribute to reduced metabolic rate and difficulty losing and maintaining weight.

4. Survival mode from the body

Think about it: Throughout history, our bodies have responded to perceived hunger by reducing metabolic processes to conserve resources and prioritize the maintenance of vital organs like the brain and heart. This adaptive response involves slowing your metabolism, effectively turning you into a more primitive organism that requires less energy to survive.

This mechanism is part of the body's stress response, designed to protect major organs during times of scarcity. Now that your metabolism has slowed... what happens when you try to go back to what you thought were your maintenance calories? You end up gaining more weight than you would have otherwise because your metabolism has slowed down to ensure your survival.

You may find yourself in tears, confused about what is happening, and continuing the vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting. You feel guilty about gaining weight 'out of the blue', vow to avoid sugar or eat anything over 1000 calories again, thus continuing your harmful eating habits.

5. Journey through metabolism hell

That was my reality a few years ago. Nobody believed me when I said that after years of self-inflicted starvation (low carb, then Fast, then an eating disorder) started gaining weight at 1200 kcal a day, even though I exercised to the point of exhaustion every day. Then I heard Ray Peat talk about a study in which a group of women were put in a hospital ward to prevent them from sneaking food, and some of them gained weight on just 800 calories a day.

However, difficulty losing or maintaining weight is just the tip of the iceberg. A variety of health problems arise with a slowed metabolism (impaired systemic energy production). I could tell countless stories of women in my life following the "perfect 2024 diet," cutting calories, avoiding sugar while doing Barry's Bootcamp and running marathons every day.

These women not only have difficulty conceiving but also experience multiple miscarriages. We're in the middle of a pandemic of malnourished fitness enthusiasts on "perfect diets." It's no wonder the TV show 'The Biggest Loser' never hosts reunions - its contestants gain back the weight, and often more.

6. The failure of forced diets

Forced diets almost always fail. The statistics are not exactly encouraging. Only 10-20% of obese people can achieve a loss of just 5% body fat. Forcing yourself to drastically reduce calorie intake and train to exhaustion brings with it a host of problems: cognitive decline, fertility issues, anxiety, and depression, to name a few.

Research shows that people who stay naturally lean have faster metabolisms at rest, largely due to higher thyroid hormone levels. Over the past few decades, the average rate at which our bodies burn calories at rest has decreased, paralleling the rise in obesity.

History provides numerous examples of populations that consumed as much or more than we do today, yet remained noticeably slimmer. This suggests that excessive weight gain is clearly related to metabolic problems and not to personal failure.

7. The real causes of weight gain

There are numerous reasons for the inability to lose weight, but the most common causes are:

• Impaired thyroid function
• Consumption of polyunsaturated fats (e.g. seed oils)
• Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
• Excess estrogen
• Inadequate lighting environment (lack of sunlight, excess blue light)
• Decreased muscle mass
• Chronic stress
• Digestive problems, excess serotonin
• Inflammation
• Environmental stressors/toxins

It is of utmost importance to understand metabolic processes and work with our body rather than against it to achieve desired goals. Eliminating foods that impair metabolic function, such as unsaturated fats (e.g. seed oils), and replacing them with foods that support metabolism, such as orange juice, can result in a 20-25% increase in metabolic rate, resulting in weight loss without changing calorie intake.

Incorporating calcium (from dairy), potassium, and addressing micronutrient deficiencies have also been shown to be helpful for healthy weight management. Sugar and salt are our body's natural defenses against chronic stress and are pro-metabolic, as are appropriate lighting environments and stimulating activities.

8. Work with the body, not against it

The key to weight loss should be to boost metabolism or increase systemic energy production - fortunately there are many ways to do this - rather than drastically reducing calorie intake and doing breathless exercises, which slow metabolism and fail to sustain weight loss in the long term.

Reclaiming my thyroid, my hormones and my metabolism: Here's how!

My journey back to a healthy thyroid, balanced hormones and a functioning metabolism was a marathon, not a sprint. But I'm so glad I chose the right path without risking my health and well-being. I had a lot of energy, a stable mood and was able to regulate my weight through pro-metabolic measures, according to the philosophy of Dr. Ray Peat. If I had to start over, here's what I would do:

1. Eat only tasty, easily digestible foods

Raw or undercooked vegetables that are difficult to digest, foods fortified with iron, or toxic food additives are taboo. Exception: a Ray Peat carrot salad (grated carrot, coconut oil, vinegar, salt). Raw carrots have natural antibacterial properties, allowing them to pass through the intestines without being attacked by bacteria. Ray Peat Carrot Salad has a cleansing effect on the intestines, helps remove toxins and serotonin, detoxifies PUFAs, binds and removes bile and estrogen, lowers cortisol by preventing the reabsorption of estrogen, improves digestion and prevents oxidative stress and inflammation.

2. Remove unsaturated fatty acids

These include seed and fish oils, nuts, seeds, commercially fed/factory raised pork, and commercial eggs. Instead, use saturated fats (coconut oil, butter, ghee) and consume grass-fed eggs.

3. More small meals

Eat small, sugar- and mineral-rich meals every 3-4 hours. Small sips of orange juice throughout the day are beneficial.

4. Consume enough sugar

A liter of orange juice and 2 liters of (skimmed) milk per day keep your stress hormones in check and ensure sufficient blood sugar levels.

5. High quality gelatinous proteins

Consume high-quality gelatinous proteins in oxtail and lamb shanks, which are preferable to lean muscle meat.

6. Sufficient calcium

Ensure adequate calcium intake: 2000 mg per day is optimal, derived from dairy products; or use eggshell powder or calcium carbonate if necessary.

7. B vitamins

Make sure you get enough B vitamins, which are closely involved in energy metabolism and support the body's utilization of sugar, as well as potassium and magnesium.

Livers and oysters:

Supplement your diet with liver and oysters weekly as they boost nutrient levels and help address various nutritional deficiencies. Liver is rich in vitamin A, selenium, copper and B vitamins, while oysters provide zinc, selenium and copper. Together, these foods fill nutritional gaps and support overall health.

Regular bowel movements:

Maintain regular bowel movements. For constipation, remedies such as: Cascara Sagrada, coffee, well-cooked white mushrooms, carrot salad or magnesium citrate help.

Healthy light diet:

Maintain a healthy lighting environment: Spend more than 2 hours outdoors daily and engage in grounding activities, as well as using red lights in the evening. We recommend any Red Light products from Mitoglow.

Be playful:

Participate in playful activities and adventures that delight your soul and spend time with your loved ones. When you feel low, fix it immediately with stimulating activities, upbeat music, etc.

Avoid stressors:

Avoid environmental stressors like hormonal imbalances in your skin care, personal care, and household cleaning products.

All of these practices and activities are pro-metabolic, support healthy energy flow and, when implemented correctly, make living and acting effortless. They help achieve aspects of good health such as sleep quality, healthy digestion, libido, improved mood and drive and support healthy weight loss.