100% Brutal Truth: The Problem with Modern Diets

This is a guest post by Sarah W.

Recently, I saw a post from a woman who was totally desperate and poured her heart out on X (formerly Twitter). 

She is just tired of hearing this saying all the time: "Eat less, move more, it's that simple!".

Meanwhile, the poor thing is already running like crazy! At 37, she has run 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 begins. And she cooks for herself every day too.

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

Some accuse her of laziness, others say she should just eat even less and train harder.

But honestly: Is it really her fault? Is she just too lazy and gluttonous? Or is there perhaps more to it?

2. Sarah's Backstory with Fad Diets

Four years ago, I was also one of those cases. For years, I tortured myself with calories and was practically starving all the time. 800 calories a day – I didn’t allow myself more! And that, even though I worked out at Barry's every day.BootcampThey are known for the toughest workouts in the world. Even athletes and supermodels train there! I even worked out with David Beckham in London once. Crazy, right? But my weight? It remained stubborn as a mule. My face was puffy, my period had made its exit, and I couldn’t sleep without a bottle of wine (of course counted in my calorie balance!).

I mean, hello? That was pure starvation! Even in that extreme Minnesota Starvation Experiment, people got more calories. Why is it that so many struggle to lose weight, even though they save every bite and pedal hard at the gym? And even if the scale shows less for a brief moment, the pounds come right back as soon as you start eating normally again. No wonder there are no reunions for "The Biggest Loser".

2. The Science Behind the Struggle

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

Extreme calorie restriction and excessive exercise are real mood-killers for your metabolism and prevent you from losing weight.

What’s it all about?

Very simple: When you constantly deny your body calories, it is deprived of important nutrients. And without them, it can’t produce energy, repair tissues, or keep hormones balanced. When your blood sugar crashes due to calorie deprivation, your body releases cortisol to keep you alive. Too much cortisol makes your cells resistant to insulin. That means your blood sugar rises and your metabolism goes out of whack.

Moreover, your body breaks down muscles, stores fat (especially in your belly!), and your immune system weakens. As if that weren't enough, your thyroid, which is responsible for a healthy metabolism, also suffers. Sure, breaking down fat is great, but if you overdo it, your body produces too many free fatty acids. These disrupt your glucose metabolism and also make you more insulin resistant.

And finally: These fatty acids impair your Mitochondria, leading your cells to 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 susceptible 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 issues. The body enters a state of stasis or reduced metabolic rate as a survival mechanism in response to extreme calorie restriction.

This state is an adaptive mechanism involving a decrease in metabolism to conserve energy, allowing the most vital organs to survive with less energy for longer, which makes weight loss more difficult. Intense exercise leads to the accumulation of lactic acid, which suppresses glucose oxidation and increases reliance on fat oxidation. This shift can impair efficient energy production and contribute to metabolic damage over time.

Calorie restriction (insufficient 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 down metabolism and hinders weight loss.

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

4. The Body's Survival Mode

Think about it: Throughout history, our body has responded to perceived hunger with a reduction in metabolic processes to conserve resources and prioritize the maintenance of vital organs like the brain and heart. This adaptive response involves slowing down 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 essential organs during times of scarcity. Now that your metabolism is slowed down... what happens when you try to return to what you considered your maintenance calories? You may end up gaining more weight than you would have otherwise, as your metabolism has slowed to ensure your survival.

You might find yourself in tears, confused about what's happening, continuing the vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting. You feel guilty for gaining weight "out of the blue," swear off sugar, or eat just over 1000 kcal, thereby perpetuating your harmful eating habits.

5. Journey Through Metabolism Hell

That was my reality a few years ago. No one believed me when I said that after years of self-inflicted starvation (low carb, then Fasting, then an eating disorder) I started gaining weight at 1200 kcal a day, even though I worked out to exhaustion every day. Then I heard Ray Peat talking about a study where a group of women was brought into a hospital ward to prevent them from smuggling food, and some of them gained weight at only 800 kcal a day. 

The struggles with losing weight or maintaining it are just the tip of the iceberg. With a slowed metabolism (impaired systemic energy production), a multitude of health problems arise. I could tell countless stories of women in my life following the "perfect 2024 diet," reducing calories, avoiding sugar, while doing Barry's Bootcamp daily and running marathons.

These women not only struggle to get pregnant, but they also experience multiple miscarriages. We are in the midst of a pandemic of undernourished fitness enthusiasts with "perfect diets." It's no wonder that the TV show "The Biggest Loser" never holds reunion meetings – their participants regain their weight, often even more.

6. The failure of forced diets 

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

Research shows that people who naturally remain slim have a faster metabolism at rest, which is primarily due to higher thyroid hormone levels. In recent decades, the average rate at which our bodies burn calories at rest has decreased, parallel to the rise in obesity.

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

7. The true 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
• Insufficient light environment (lack of sunlight, excess blue light)
• Decreased muscle mass
• Chronic stress
• Digestive issues, excess serotonin
• Inflammation
• Environmental stressors/toxins

It is of utmost importance to understand metabolic processes and to work with our bodies rather than against them 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, like orange juice, can lead to an increase in metabolic rate of 20-25%, resulting inWeight loss without changing calorie intake. 

Incorporating calcium (from dairy), potassium and addressing micronutrient deficiencies has also proven helpful for healthy weight regulation. Sugar and salt are the body's natural defenses against chronic stress and are pro-metabolic, as is an appropriate light environment 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 that slow metabolism and do not sustain weight loss in the long run.

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

My journey back to a healthy thyroid, balanced hormone levels, and a functioning metabolism was a marathon, not a sprint. But I am so glad I chose the right path without jeopardizing my health and well-being. I had plenty of energy, stable moods, and could regulate my weight through pro-metabolic measures, fully in line with the philosophy ofDr. Ray Peat.If I had to start over, I would do the following:

1. Eat only delicious, easily digestible foods

Raw or uncooked vegetables that are hard to digest, iron-fortified foods, or toxic food additives are off-limits. Exception: a Ray Peat carrot salad (grated carrot, coconut oil, vinegar, salt). Raw carrots have natural antibacterial properties, allowing them to pass through the gut without being attacked by bacteria. The Ray Peat carrot salad has a cleansing effect on the gut, helping to remove toxins and serotonin, detoxing PUFAs, binding and removing bile and estrogen, lowering cortisol by preventing the reabsorption of estrogen, improving digestion, and preventing oxidative stress and inflammation.

2. Remove unsaturated fatty acids

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

One liter of orange juice and 2 liters of (low-fat) milk per day keep your stress hormones in check and ensure adequate blood sugar levels.

5. High-quality gelatinous proteins

Consume high-quality gelatinous proteins found in oxtail and lamb shanks, which are preferred over lean muscle meats.

6. Sufficient calcium

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

7. B vitamins

Ensure an adequate intake of B vitamins, which are closely involved in energy metabolism and support the utilization of sugar by the body, as well as potassium and magnesium.

Liver and oysters:

Supplement your diet weekly with liver and oysters, as they strengthen nutrient supply 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 nutrient gaps and support overall health.

Regular bowel movements:

Ensure regular bowel movements. For constipation, remedies likeCascara Sagrada, coffee, well-cooked white mushrooms, carrot salad, or magnesium citrate can help.

Healthy light diet:

Pay attention to a healthy light environment: Spend more than 2 hours outdoors daily and engage in grounding activities, as well as using red light in the evening. We recommend anyRed Light products from Mitoglow.

Be playful:

Engage in playful activities and adventures that delight your soul, and spend time with your loved ones. If you feel down, combat it immediately with invigorating activities, cheerful music, etc.

Avoid stressors:

Avoid environmental stressors such as hormonal disruptors in your skincare, body care, and household cleaning products.

All of these practices and activities are pro-metabolic, support a healthy flow of energy, and when implemented correctly, make life and action effortless. They contribute to aspects of good health such as sleep quality, healthy digestion, libido, improved mood, and motivation, and support healthy weight loss.