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The Body’s “Fat Thermostat” Part 1
Weight Loss is about controlling the Body Set Weight, not the Calories
How much body fat we carry is controlled through a homeostatic mechanism and is not simply the result of how many calories we eat and burn in a day.
Many ‘experts’ believe that hormones have little role in determining the amount of body fat we carry, and that is really is just as simple as the calories we eat versus the amount of exercise we do. Many decades of research shows that this is false. Body fat is closely regulated up or down, and successful weight loss is about understanding this fat thermometer and what controls it up or down rather than obsessing about calories.
What is a homeostatic mechanism?
Homeostasis is a mechanism to maintain internal equilibrium against changing and varied external conditions.
For example, our body temperature is set at 37 Celsius. If we live in the Sahara desert, where it is very hot, we activate cooling mechanisms to maintain a steady body temperature. If we live in the North Pole, where it is very cold, we activate heating mechanisms. Either way, despite widely varying conditions, we maintain internal stability through homeostasis. Our bodies have mechanisms to sense the changing conditions and then make the appropriate adjustment.
Room temperature is also maintained with a homeostatic mechanism called a thermostat. We set the room temperature at 20 Celsius. If it’s too hot, the air conditioning goes on. If it’s too cold the heat goes on. Either way, despite widely varying external conditions, we maintain the same room temperature.
Imagine a marble in a bowl. When the marble is pushed to any side, there are forces that will naturally return that marble back to its original position. That’s homeostasis.
Homeostasis is a core biological principle — almost every part of human physiology has a homeostatic mechanism so that we thrive. This applies to many conditions such as:
· Hydration and dehydration — when we drink more…
