Ep 121: Fat Loss Basics Part 1

<p>To kick off the New Year, I am doing a series called Fat Loss Basics! This is the first episode of the series and I'll be covering all the basic information about calories, hormones, fat loss foods & fitness.</p> <p>Today we will establish when calories matter and why a calorie deficit is not sufficient for fat loss.</p> <p>In this first episode of the Fat Loss Basics series, we go into detail on a few fat loss truths. Definitely listen to the entire episode to understand them in their entirety and be sure to listen to the whole series as it becomes available!</p> <ol> <li>A calorie deficit is required for fat loss</li> <li>A calorie deficit does not ensure fat loss</li> <li>Fat burning is turned on & off by your hormones</li> <li>The two primary  hormones in control of fat loss are glucagon & insulin</li> <li>We can control both insulin & glucagon with our food choices</li> </ol> <p>Insulin is an important & necessary storage hormone. Insulin is responsible for delivery fuel to our cells & ushering excess fuel to storage sites within the body (this can be muscle storage or fat storage).</p> <p>Without insulin, our cells would starve & we would die.</p> <p>The presence of insulin informs the body that there there is ample fuel in the body and therefore fat burning is not required.</p> <p>Glucagon works opposite of insulin.</p> <p>Glucagon responds when there is no fuel available from food. The presence of glucagon allows fat to be released from storage and burned to provide energy to the body.</p> <p>A calorie deficit alone is not enough to instruct glucagon to do it's job.</p> <p>You need a calorie deficit & control of insulin/glucagon.</p> <p>Here are a few ways you can control insulin & glucagon to maximize your fat burning potential:</p> <ol> <li>Follow the <a href="http://primalpotential.com/rules-carbs-and-fat-loss/">Golden Rules</a> of carbs & fat loss</li> <li>Avoid <a href="http://primalpotential.com/intermittent-fasting-overfeeding/">overfeeding</a></li> <li>Minimize stress</li>