I want you to think differently about body fat. The biology of how body fat forms is simple: Carbohydrates are rapid-energy foods, but consuming more than we use for energy triggers insulin to form body fat. So, it’s important to understand that consuming fat from foods like nuts, seeds, eggs and cheese does not make us fat, as well described in Eat Fat, Get Thin, written by Mark Hyman, MD.

Our body stores fat to help us survive food scarcity or famines, which many of our ancestors experienced. In his book, Nature Wants Us to Be Fat, Richard J. Johnson, MD, describes a “survival reflex” which causes us to hold onto body fat and gain it back whenever we can. An example of the survival reflex in action can be seen with the “Biggest Loser Challenges,” a popular weight-loss competition. The failure of these contests is that after losing a significant amount of fat, contestants regain the fat even when they eat the same diets as people with stable weight gain.

One of the proven ways to keep excess body fat away is to live a “fat burning” lifestyle with a low amount of carbohydrates, and to follow time-restricted periods of eating for 12 to 14 hours every day. Scientists have shown that such fasting time is necessary to keep us from re-accumulating unwanted body fat.

It’s also important to remember that we need a certain amount of body fat to be healthy. Women have 10 percent more body fat than men for reproductive purposes; healthy men have 10 to 20 percent body fat and healthy women have 20 to 30 percent body fat. When we are within those ranges, we look and feel great.

Body fat is also beneficial for endurance sports because it keeps our blood sugar levels steady which can reduce the amount of cramping we experience. This is called being “keto-adapted” and requires 4 to 6 weeks of adjustment, as well as refraining from the more common use of carbohydrates for energy such as sugary energy drinks. Jeff Volek, PhD, and Stephen Phinney, MD, PhD, describe this in more detail in their book, The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance.

Sometimes I comment to an overweight or obese patient that they have “a lot of stored energy.” They usually smile, a far better response than that experienced when you tell someone they are fat. Another approach is commenting that their “stored energy” will allow survival during food scarcity or the next famine. Since these tragic events are not likely to happen here anytime soon, burning off excess fat for better health is always a good idea.

Dr. Scherger is the founder of Restore Health Disease Reversal in Indian Wells, a clinic dedicated to weight loss and reversing chronic medical conditions. To schedule a consultation, call (760) 898.9663 or visit www.restorehealth.me.