Visualization for Weight Loss -The Gabriel Method

Appendix: The Chemistry of the FAT Programs

sand women in Britain found that those born during the coldest months of the winter were more likely to have insulin resistance and elevated triglycerides later in life. 27 In many ways, both starvation and the exposure to cold weather create a metabolic profile that is similar to modern day obesity. Specifically, the stress of starvation and cold tempera- tures causes elevated cortisol levels, both plasma 28 and intracel- lular, through increased expression of the 11-BHSD-1, 29 as well as elevated triglycerides 30 and insulin resistance. 31 In the presence of these stresses, the body is clearly sending chemical signals that cause it to become more leptin resistant. The above chemical changes that can cause or contribute to leptin resistance are part of what I consider to be a unique stress response to starvation and cold weather. As a result, our bodies are programmed to react to these signals by becoming leptin resistant. These chemical signals communicate to our bodies that we are either starving or, for some other reason, it is in our best interest to be fatter, so our set-point shifts accordingly. Today, we experience chronically elevated cortisol, triglyc- eride, and proinflammatory cytokine levels, as well as insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia from any number of environ- mental and emotional stresses that are completely unique to modern day life. What could very well be happening is that the stresses of modern living are creating the same metabolic profile as perpet- ual starvation and/or cold weather, thus tricking our bodies into activating ancient survival mechanisms that cause our set-point to shift toward fat accumulation. When this chemical profile is present, the body reacts as if it is starving despite the presence of unlimited food. Having the starvation stress response activated in the presence of unlimited food is a scenario our bodies have never encountered or antici- pated before. A vicious cycle then ensues. High levels of leptin also cause leptin resistance, so the fatter you get, the more leptin resistant you become. Insulin resistance, in the presence of unlimited food, causes hyperinsulinemia. Hyperinsulinemia causes the body

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