Your turkey weight has memory

*Disclaimer — I am not a health expert. This is my understanding of the new findings published by Nature, linked at the end of my article.

I ate too much yesterday.

Too much turkey. Too many potatoes. And so much sugar! Pies, cookies, ice cream, pumpkin rolls, and more!

I don’t feel guilty one bit. But a study came out recently about the fat cells we host in our body and the results surprised me.

Your fat cells have a memory

There is a current movement around weight loss using something called GLP-1’s such as Ozempic. It is producing dramatic results in those who partake.

But, though many have seen dramatic results, we are beginning to already see that those who lost weight on GLP-1’s beginning to yo-yo. This happens for many who lose weight. That, as people drop the weight at the beginning of using the drug, or trying the diet, or having the surgery — many gain the weight back in some manner.

Why is this true for so many?

It is because, though you have lost weight, the cells in your body have been epigenetically reformed to perform as if you were still overweight. You may have lost weight, but the cells in your body are going to continue to perform as if you had not.

For example, when someone who has less excess weight, they typically also have a higher metabolism and an ability to create enough insulin to control the excess sugar consumed at the end of a thanksgiving meal.

But someone who has excess weight has a slowing metabolism, and their body will struggle to create enough insulin to control the sugar spike. This will lead to the body creating more fat cells, slowing the metabolism even more, creating less ability to control excess sugar in the future.

When we overeat, which becomes easier and easier for someone with these fat cells, it triggers inflammation in the body. This excessive inflammation leads to things like cancer and other diseases forming in the body.

In other words, once your body begins producing these cells, the body will trend towards making more and more of these cells.

When we lose a lot of weight, the pounds might come off, but our cells still function as if we still were overweight.

How can we change the nature of our cells?

If our fat cells perform like fat cells even if we lose weight, is there any hope to change the nature of our cells? Can cells that act fat begin to act healthy?

Yes!

One day, science hopes to be able to give you a pill that will recode your fat cells to perform as if you were an Olympic athlete. But we are not there yet.

But we know of a way we can direct our cells to change their nature without medical intervention…

Cardio!

Regular exercise communicates to our fat cells that we need them to begin to perform. We need nutrients. We need to build muscle. We need energy to move our body. So our body begins to reorient itself from a body that stores energy to one that efficiently uses it.

So the best thing you can do for your extra turkey weight from yesterday is to walk it off!

Commit to being a moving body. Refuse a stationary life and do things that get your heart rate up!

If you need any ideas on how to get started or just want an accountability partner reach out! I’d love to connect with you on your journey to recoding your cells.

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