"This Is Much Easier Than Fasting For Weight Loss!" - Simple Way To Melt Fat | Cynthia Thurlow

Added: Jul 27, 2024

Views on Weight Loss and Liquid Calories

Thurlow discusses the common advice to avoid drinking calories when trying to lose weight. She explains that liquid calories from sources like juice, smoothies, and alcohol are problematic because they lack fiber and are rapidly absorbed, spiking blood sugar. Even seemingly healthy options like fruit juice can contain excessive sugar. Thurlow recommends being mindful of high-calorie coffee drinks as well. She notes that liquid calories often don't register the same way solid food does in terms of satiety, making it easy to overconsume. Tracking food and drink intake, even temporarily, can be eye-opening for many people in terms of revealing hidden liquid calories.

Importance of Protein and Tracking Intake

Thurlow strongly advocates for adequate protein intake, especially as people age. She notes that many people, particularly women, chronically undereat protein. She recommends aiming for about 1 gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight daily. For someone weighing 120 pounds, that would mean consuming at least 100 grams of protein per day. She encourages people to track their protein intake, at least initially, to get a sense of how much they're actually consuming. Thurlow finds that even health-conscious eaters are often not getting enough protein without consciously focusing on it. Adequate protein is crucial for maintaining muscle mass, which declines with age in a process called sarcopenia.

Metabolic Flexibility and Fasting

A key concept Thurlow discusses is metabolic flexibility - the body's ability to efficiently switch between using glucose or fat for fuel. She explains that frequent snacking and constant eating can impair metabolic flexibility. Intermittent fasting is one tool she recommends to improve metabolic flexibility. However, she emphasizes that fasting approaches should be personalized and flexible. Thurlow generally recommends a 16:8 fasting schedule (16 hours fasting, 8 hour eating window) as a good starting point for most people. She notes that women may need to adjust fasting schedules around their menstrual cycles. She cautions against extended fasting for pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Challenging Age-Related Weight Gain

Thurlow pushes back against the common belief that weight gain is an inevitable part of aging. She shares her own experience of being told by a doctor in her late 40s that she should expect to gain 5-10 pounds. She rejected this notion and set out to understand the physiological changes that occur with aging and how to mitigate them. She emphasizes that while hormonal shifts and other age-related changes can make weight maintenance more challenging, it's not impossible. She advocates for adjusting exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle habits to support healthy aging and body composition.

Exercise and Muscle Preservation

When it comes to exercise, Thurlow recommends prioritizing strength training over cardio, especially for those over 40. She explains that excessive cardio can be catabolic, breaking down muscle tissue. Strength training helps preserve and build muscle mass, which is crucial for metabolic health and functionality as we age. She also emphasizes the importance of daily movement beyond structured exercise, like walking and taking the stairs. She notes that muscle tissue acts as a glucose reservoir and improves insulin sensitivity.

Sleep and Hormones

Thurlow discusses the critical importance of sleep, especially for women going through perimenopause and menopause. She explains that declining progesterone levels can disrupt sleep patterns. She recommends considering bioidentical hormone replacement therapy for some women to help with sleep and other menopausal symptoms. She also suggests looking into supplements like magnesium and melatonin to support sleep quality. Thurlow emphasizes that addressing sleep issues is crucial for overall health and weight management.

Trauma and Weight Loss Resistance

An often overlooked factor in weight loss resistance is past trauma, according to Thurlow. She references the work of Doctor Gabor Maté on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and how they can impact health later in life. Thurlow explains that individuals with high ACE scores are at greater risk for autoimmune conditions and weight loss resistance. She encourages people to explore and address past traumas through therapy or other healing modalities as part of their overall health journey.

Personalized Approaches to Health

Throughout the interview, Thurlow emphasizes the importance of personalized approaches to health and nutrition. She explains that what works for one person may not work for another due to differences in genetics, lifestyle, hormones, and past experiences. She encourages people to experiment and find what works best for their individual bodies and circumstances. She also stresses the importance of making gradual changes rather than trying to overhaul everything at once.

Alcohol and Health

Thurlow shares her personal decision to stop drinking alcohol, noting that it was negatively impacting her sleep and triggering hot flashes. She acknowledges that alcohol can be a sensitive topic but encourages people to honestly evaluate their relationship with alcohol and how it impacts their health. She points out that alcohol is processed as a toxin in the body and can disrupt sleep, hormone balance, and blood sugar regulation.

Complementary Health Modalities

Thurlow is a proponent of various complementary health modalities like sauna, red light therapy, and cryotherapy. She views these as different forms of hormesis - beneficial stress that challenges the body and promotes adaptation. She encourages people to experiment with different modalities while being mindful of not overdoing it. She personally uses cryotherapy as a way to challenge herself since she dislikes cold exposure.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

For women experiencing menopausal symptoms, Thurlow discusses the potential benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). She acknowledges that there's still fear and misinformation surrounding HRT due to past studies, but explains that bioidentical hormones can be a valuable tool for many women. She encourages women to seek out knowledgeable practitioners and to advocate for themselves in terms of exploring HRT options.

Personal Health Journey

Thurlow shares parts of her own health journey, including a serious illness in 2019 that led to extended hospitalization due to a ruptured appendix. This experience reinforced for her the importance of prioritizing health and pushed her to pursue her passion for health education. She also discusses how she's adjusted her own diet and lifestyle as she's entered her 50s, including increasing her protein intake and focusing more on strength training.

Practical Advice for Getting Started

For people looking to improve their health, Thurlow offers practical starting points based on individual circumstances. For some, simply eliminating snacking and focusing on balanced meals might be the first step. For others, it might be incorporating post-meal walks to help regulate blood sugar. She emphasizes the importance of small, consistent changes rather than trying to overhaul everything at once. She also notes the importance of having a supportive social environment when making lifestyle changes.

Tracking and Awareness

While Thurlow doesn't advocate for obsessive tracking, she does recommend periods of food tracking to increase awareness. This can be especially helpful for understanding protein intake and identifying hidden sources of excess calories or problematic foods. She suggests using free apps or even just writing things down to get a baseline understanding of current eating habits.

Biomarkers to Monitor

Thurlow discusses several key biomarkers people should pay attention to for metabolic health. She particularly emphasizes fasting insulin as an early indicator of metabolic issues, often becoming elevated before changes are seen in fasting glucose or HbA1c. Other important markers include triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Thurlow encourages people to work with healthcare providers to monitor these markers and make lifestyle adjustments as needed.

Conclusion

Throughout the interview, Cynthia Thurlow provides a wealth of information on optimizing health through nutrition, fasting, exercise, and lifestyle interventions. She emphasizes the importance of personalized approaches, understanding the science behind health recommendations, and making gradual, sustainable changes. Thurlow's expertise spans multiple areas of health and wellness, offering listeners a comprehensive perspective on achieving optimal health at any age.