How to Lose Fat with Science-Based Tools - 2021

Title : How to Lose Fat with Science-Based Tools Author(s): Andrew Huberman Link(s) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqPGXG5TlZw

• Calories in vs calories out is the fundamental formula for fat loss and weight management.
• Calories burnt can be optimized by:
  • Levels of thyroid hormone
  • How warm/cold your body is
  • Level of metabolism
  • How much connectivity there is between nervous system and body fat
• 5 pillars:
  • Get good sleep, no bright light at night, timing it correctly etc.
  • Get essential fatty acids, specifically at least 1000mg of EPA.
  • Have a teaspoon/tablespoon of glutamine for sugar cravings (a few times a day) or eat foods like cottage cheese.
  • Correct iodine and thyroid levels by using iodized salt and take selenium for e.g. with 1-3 brazil nuts.
  • Improve gut microbiome, via for e.g. probiotics or a serving or 2 of fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi.
• Study by Alia Crum (Stanford Psychology) show that how you think also affects, simply being told movement is good and can lead to weight loss etc. led to better body fat loss, slimming down, better cardiovascular health etc. That is, how we think about some activities affects how we perform these activities which has a real effect on our phisiology.
• Fat burning is a 2 step process, and the nervous system can influence both:
  • Fat mobilization (lipolysis) to get the fat out of the fat cells so they can be used for energy - at this point the fatty acids are potential fuel.
  • Fat oxidation, where the mobilized fat is used by the mitochondria to be converted into ATP (energy). If the mobilized fat is not oxidized, it can be returned to body fat.
• Some methods to activate the nervous system to promote fat mobilization and oxidation:
  • Shivering, get into cold water and do not resist the shivering. Go in and out 3-4 times spending 1-3 minutes in each state, and repeat 1-5 times per week. It is important to not adapt to the cold. Look into thecoldplunge.com for some protocols.
  • Fidgeting, for e.g. resting tremor, people who pace and walk around, etc. (see Rothwell and Stock, and NEAT)
• Exercise for fat loss:
  • 3 types: HIIT (60-240s of 80-100%), (Sprint) SIT (8-30s of >100%), (Moderate) MICT (20-60mins of 55-75% of max heart rate).
  • Intense exercise followed by fasted moderate exercise is a good combo.
  • Novel types of exercise is always good.
• Insulin prevents fat oxidation.
• Supplements:
  • Caffeine - 400mg (around 2 cups) prior to exercise can be beneficial for fat oxidation.
  • Drinking mate (prononced mat'e) before exercise is good, you can reuse the leaves a few times. Guayusa can be substituted for this.
  • Low or no carbs during the day, and have carbs at night, so not much insulin during the day and helps fall asleep nicely.
  • L-Carnitine facilitates fat oxidation, 500mg-2g in divided doses.