“We will open the book.
Its pages are blank.
We are going to put words on them ourselves.
The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.”
― Edith Lovejoy Pierce
This could occur where fat- and/or carbohydrate-rich foods are more accessible, more affordable, in greater variety, or more palatable than alternatives, leading to people effectively being trapped on a suboptimal diet. Under such circumstances, maintaining the amount of P eaten requires over-consumption of C+F.
If the diet contains a higher percentage of P, yet the absolute amount of protein eaten is regulated to the intake target, the result will be that C+F intake will fall, bringing the body into energy deficit and leading to weight loss.
If diet composition remains unchanged, yet protein requirements increase, then over-consumption of C+F will result. Shifting the intake target ratio from 14% to 15.5% P in the diet leads to a 13% increase in C+F eaten – with attendant risks of weight gain.
It seems that while humans respond by increasing intake following very high levels of energetic expenditure, we are less responsive to lowered needs. One interpretation is that our intake target and the associated regulatory mechanisms controlling food intake have evolved to assume a certain level of non-protein energy expenditure. But if this energy is not actually expended, the excess is stored as fat. [...] Therefore, the result of lowered levels of exercise is, in effect, to lower the position of the intake target on the C+F axis, while causing P requirements to increase (scenario 3). Unless the diet changes towards a higher percentage of P, the result will be weight gain.
"The scenarios introduced above are not independent. Either shifting the diet composition to a lower percentage of P (scenario 1), or effectively doing the same by having low levels of energy expenditure (scenario 4), will result in over consumption of carbohydrate and/or fat to maintain protein intake. This in turn will predispose towards weight gain and lead to disinhibition of gluconeogenesis, which will increase protein demand (scenario 3). Unless this increased demand is met by selecting high-P foods, protein appetite will drive increased intake of C + F, resulting in further weight gain, and so on in a vicious cycle leading to obesity and its associated diseases."
"The key assumption upon which our hypothesis resides is that when humans are forced to trade-off protein intake against that of carbohydrate and fat on nutritionally unbalanced diets, physiological regulatory mechanisms prioritize protein. If this is true, then all else that we say must follow – it is a mathematical inevitability. [...] Given the implications that follow from our hypothesis, we would suggest that this is a vital subject for future research in human nutrition. In reference we suggest the design of such experiments. Finally, our ‘vicious cycle’ provides a candidate-positive feedback mechanism for the spiral into morbid obesity. It predicts a key role of hepatic gluconeogenesis in the development of obesity."
Simplicity, Persistence, Habit
What if it is all actually a lot simpler. I think it is time to reject the search for the special knowledge and embrace the basics. A sensible diet. Exercise. Sleep. Social interaction. Stress management. Time outdoors.
Most of all though the need is for persistence. Just keep going.
In The New Atkins for You we find, "Don't count calories, although we ask you to use common sense. In the past, some individuals made the mistake of thinking they could stuff themselves with protein and fat and still lose weight. If the pounds are falling off, forget about calories. But if the scale won't budge or it seems to be taking you forever to lose, you might want to do a reality check, caloriewise."
In The Art & Science of Low Carbohydrate Living we find, "The definition of 'maintenance' is that your daily energy intake equals your daily expenditure"
Additionally there is, "In order to judge how best to formulate the mix of macro-nutrients in a low-carb diet, it is helpful to visualize how your total energy intake will change from induction to maintenance. As indicated in the graph on the next page, a typical male with a BMI of 34 might start out eating 1600 kcal in induction while his body burns 3200 kcal per day (thus the weight loss). But after losing 50 pounds to a BMI of 27, his daily energy intake will need to increase substantially to eventually maintain him stable at that reduced weight."
In Chapter 6 of The Art & Science of Low Carbohydrate Living, the authors note "Second, when someone goes on the Atkins or another low-carb diet, they usually lose weight, right? Much of the weight loss comes from body fat, which typically provides up to half its daily energy from "inside" (ie. endogenous stores) during the initial weight loss phase. So if someone is eating 1400 kcal/day consisting of relatively lean "protein foods" that are helf protein (700 kcal) but burns 2800 kcal per day, his/her dietary protein intake is actually supplying about 25% of their total daily energy need, falling below the empiric 30% ceiling noted above. But to the casual observer who is ignoring the contribution of body fat stores, the actual food being eaten appears to be high protein."
Chapter 16: "In order to judge how best to formulate the mix of macro-nutrients in a low-carb diet, it is helpful to vizualize how your total energy intake will change from induction to maintenance. As indicated in the graph on the next page, a typical male with a BMI of 34 might start out eating 1600 kcal in induction while his body burns 3200 kcal per day (thus the weight loss). But after losing 50 pounds to a BMI of 27, his daily energy intake will need to increase substantially to eventually maintain him stable at that reduced weight." The example given considers that his energy requirements are 2800 kcal a day, with 150g of protein (600 kcal) and now 100g of carbohydrate (400 kcal), leaving 1800 kcal from fat. That would represent 64% of his energy requirement each day.
"Don't make the mistake of staying in Induction too long just because you love how the pounds are peeling off. Eventually it's important to move through the phases to ensure that you have cured yourself of your old habits and can reintroduce foods without halting your weight loss or provoking cravings. Losing weight fast is exhilarating, but it will likely be a temporary fix if you don't find your comfort zone for eating in the "real world".