Dissident Sound on Nostr: well i will give you this much - the body is indeed not a furnace in which food is ...
well i will give you this much - the body is indeed not a furnace in which food is turned to ash
we need better science but none of this changes the fact that people need to eat less and move more
mikedilger (npub1acg…p35c)
we need better science but none of this changes the fact that people need to eat less and move more
mikedilger (npub1acg…p35c)
quoting nevent1q…z0m6Why Counting Calories for Fat Loss is Useless & What Actually Works (The Mass Balance Model) 👇
1/ If you still believe in CICO (Calories In, Calories Out) for fat loss, you’re using the WRONG model. The human body is NOT a closed system—it’s an open system. Fat loss is about mass, NOT calories. Let’s break this down step by step. 🧵👇
2/ Closed systems vs. open systems:
A closed system (like a bomb calorimeter) traps energy inside, with NO mass exchange. 🔥
The human body is an open system—it constantly exchanges both mass and energy with its environment. 🌎
3/ Why does this matter?
🔥 CICO assumes the body is a closed system—like a furnace where calories are “burned” to create weight loss.
🚫 Wrong. The body doesn’t store or lose “calories.”
✔️ The body metabolizes and stores molecules (mass), NOT energy.
4/ Mass has weight. Energy (calories) does not.
When you metabolize food for fuel, mass leaves the body as CO₂, H₂O, ketone bodies, urea, and waste. You lose mass, NOT calories.
5/ If CICO were true, all isocaloric diets would cause the same weight loss.
But studies show low-carb diets cause more fat loss than low-fat diets—despite identical calorie intake.
Why? Because mass excretion changes depending on what you eat.
Carbs increase insulin → trap mass in fat cells.
Fat increases ketones → increases fat oxidation & mass excretion.
6/ The Mass Balance Model (MBM) explains this perfectly:
✔️ Fat loss = Mass In - Mass Out (not calories!)
✔️ The body eliminates fat as CO₂, water, bile acids, ketones, & waste.
✔️ What you eat determines how much mass you retain vs. excrete.
7/ CICO ignores:
🚫 Hormones (insulin, glucagon, leptin, cortisol) dictate fat storage & excretion.
🚫 Fat metabolism increases CO₂ & ketone excretion—NOT just calorie burn.
🚫 Food quality alters metabolic pathways—NOT just energy balance.
🚫 The body doesn’t “store energy” as fat—it stores molecules with mass as fat.
8/ Why is obesity reversal so EASY under MBM?
✔️ Drop insulin → Mass can leave fat cells.
✔️ Prioritize protein & fat → Higher satiety, lower food mass intake.
✔️ Ketogenic state → More fat metabolism → More CO₂, Water & ketones excreted.
✔️ Fasting → No insulin → Full access to fat stores.
9/ How do you actually LOSE fat without counting calories?
🔥 Eat for low insulin & high fat metabolism:
🥩 Meat, eggs, fish = High protein → Increases glucagon → Metabolizes fat.
🥓 Butter, tallow, animal fats = Fuel without insulin spikes.
🚫 No sugar, no seed oils, no refined carbs = Prevents insulin traps.
💧 Water & electrolytes = Supports metabolism & fat loss.
10/ Forget about "burning calories."
🔥 Weight loss happens when stored molecules EXIT the body.
🔥 Increase CO₂, water, ketone, & bile excretion.
🔥 The more fat metabolism, the more fat you lose—independent of calories.
11/ What does NOT matter?
❌ Starving yourself
❌ Tracking every calorie
❌ “Burning off” what you eat
❌ CICO nonsense
12/12 Fat loss is about removing stored mass—not creating a calorie deficit.
✔ Optimize your diet for hormonal balance & mass excretion.
✔ Low insulin, high protein, high fat = sustainable fat loss.
✔ Stop counting calories & start using the Mass Balance Model!