ALWAYS HUNGRY? – David Ludwig, MD, PhD
Are you one of many people trying to lose weight but just not finding it achievable? Well this blog is about an excellent book that teaches you how to:
- Conquer Cravings
- Retrain Your Fat Cells
- Lose Weight Permanently
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr David Ludwig completed his medical training during the 1990s, and like many young doctors (he states), was given literally no education in nutrition but complete focus on drugs and surgery. In the 1990s the big focus was always on "eat less and move more" and incorporated the low-calorie/low-fat diet along with the historical model of 'calories in, calories out' as the weight loss approach which hadn't been revised since the late 1800s. However, his patients following his Optimal Weight for Life (OWL) programme continued to gain weight. It was through this lack of success rate with his patients that he began exploring popular diet books e.g. The Zone Diet, Dr Atkins' New Diet Revolution, Jean Mayer, and began to learn how food is so much more than a 'delivery system for calories and nutrients'. A bottle of fizzy cola and a handful of raw nuts may have the same calories, but they have very different effects on the metabolism.
He learned that each meal affected hormones, chemical reactions, and how the activity of genes could change radically throughout the body – all due to what we eat. The difference between having low or strong energy, being persistently hungry or satisfied, managing weight loss or gain, or struggling with chronic disease instead of good health is related to the biological effects of food.
FORGET CALORIES!
The theory that a 'calorie is a calorie' does not work – not over a long-term period or for most people. If all calories are considered the same then there are no 'bad foods', and it is up to each person to exert self-control. This causes us to label those who have excess weight to be people who 'lack knowledge, willpower or discipline'. Highly processed carbohydrates harmfully affect metabolism and body weight in ways that cannot be related to their calorie count alone.
Note to remember: all calories are not alike!
FOCUS ON THE FAT CELL
Insulin is the master controller as to whether fat cells take in or release calories – excess insulin causes weight gain, while too little insulin causes weight loss. By recognising that obesity is a disorder involving fat cells, we can then understand the bigger picture.
"Overeating doesn't make us fat. The process of becoming fat makes us overeat." – which means, overeating and hunger are the result of an underlying problem.
It is possible for some people that their body is triggering fat cells to draw in too many calories from the blood resulting in less calories available to fuel energy for the body.
EXPLAINED
- After eating, calories are in the blood
- They are pulled into fat cells unnecessarily
- This leaves no energy for the body
- The brain perceives a problem and releases the starvation response (including action to calorie intake e.g. hunger) and save energy (slower metabolism)
- We then eat more to help the 'energy crisis' but this increases weight gain
- Cutting calories reduces weight gain temporarily – but increases hunger and slows metabolism more
SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM
Highly processed carbohydrates – bread, breakfast cereals, crackers, chips, cakes, cookies, lollies, chocolate, sugary drinks, ice cream. As they all contain mostly refined grains e.g. white flour, white sugar, potato products or concentrated sugar, the body digests these rapidly causing insulin levels to rise excessively, programming fat cells to stockpile calories.
Other contributors include stress, sleep deprivation and a sedentary lifestyle.
The good news is the body is able to reverse these negative effects!
TAKE BACK CONTROL!
Highly refined processed foods overstimulate the fat cells causing them to become greedy and desiring more than their share of calories required. While they feast, the body starves and they cause havoc on the body's metabolism. By 'cutting back' on the calories the body rebels against forced deprivation causing most people to surrender to overeat again (and generally on all the wrong foods, which causes the unpleasant cycle of weight gain to continue).
WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
Help our fat cells to calm down and encourage them to co-operate with the rest of the body.
HOW DO YOU ACHIEVE THIS?
By changing what we eat, not how much.
THE STRATEGY
- Turn off the starvation response by eating when you are hungry and until you are satisfied
- Discipline your fat cells with food that lowers insulin levels, reduce inflammation ("insulin's troublemaker twin"), and redirect calories to other parts of the body.
- Implement a simple lifestyle plan where the focus is on enjoyable physical activities, improved sleep, and reduced stress to boost metabolism and encourage long-term permanent behavioural changes.
GAIN WHILE LOSING
For most people the 'diet' word means 'suffering', and that is understandable as it is a great sacrifice ('food deprivation, hunger') in exchange for some distant future benefit ('being thin, avoiding diabetes'). It's an immediate set up for failure. Diets always start with the best of intentions, but all is lost to a craving quite quickly if our sacrifice is not rewarded – and that is just human nature.
If you read Dr David Ludwig's book "Always Hungry" you will find that his 'Always Hungry Solution' has many authentic personal stories and testimonials of great results.
In addition to weight loss, many people also reported other benefits:
- Decreased hunger
- Longer-lasting satiety after eating
- Great satisfaction with food
- Increased energy level
- More stable mood
- Improved overall well-being
- Reduced weight-related complications
The 'Always Hungry Solution' approach is all about improving the 'quality' of what is eaten to re-programme fat cells to store fewer calories, and therefore reduce the 'body weight set point' which then aids weight loss.
FORGET CALORIES, AND START FOCUSING ON THE QUALITY OF FOOD
If you're self-motivated and keen to investigate more about the 'Always Hungry Solution' I encourage you to get a copy of 'Always Hungry?' by David Ludwig. Get started on your own journey to better health and weight loss. Here is a link to who Dr David Ludwig is and all about his book:
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| Always Hungry, Dr David Ludwig |