I guess people reading this post want to lose weight. So if you want to do it the solutions is simple!

Eat less, move more!
Didn’t you know this already? For it’s only reasonable and natural. It’s the first law of thermodynamics which states that energy is conserved in closed system.
Hence, energy entering the body in a form of food equals energy out. Or as also known calories in equal calories out (CICO).

So, stay in energy deficit and exercise more, for example pay for a gym membership.

Well, this advise is simple, reasonable and wrong!
It’s wrong since it’s based on a false hypothesis called Energy Balance Model (EBM) of obesity.

It could work should human body have no hormones whatsoever, but it has and quite a few. Insulin is one of them that in presence of glucose blocks lipolysis (usage of fat for energy), and promotes lipogenesis (fat production and storage).

So, what’s the proper way to lose weight?
Well, check Carbohydrate-Insulin Model (CIM) of obesity. The hypothesis that actually explains weight gain better than EBM and it states that lowering carbohydrates consumption as much as possible is the way to lose weight for good.

For more details, read the paper by prof. David Ludwig below

Ludwig DS. Carbohydrate-insulin model: does the conventional view of obesity reverse cause and effect? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2023 Oct 23;378(1888):20220211. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0211. Epub 2023 Sep 4. PMID: 37661740; PMCID: PMC10475871.

Abstract

Conventional obesity treatment, based on the First Law of Thermodynamics, assumes that excess body fat gain is driven by overeating, and that all calories are metabolically alike in this regard. Hence, to lose weight one must ultimately eat less and move more. However, this prescription rarely succeeds over the long term, in part because calorie restriction elicits predictable biological responses that oppose ongoing weight loss. The carbohydrate-insulin model posits the opposite causal direction: overeating doesn’t drive body fat increase; instead, the process of storing excess fat drives overeating. A diet high in rapidly digestible carbohydrates raises the insulin-to-glucagon ratio, shifting energy partitioning towards storage in adipose, leaving fewer calories for metabolically active and fuel sensing tissues. Consequently, hunger increases, and metabolic rate slows in the body’s attempt to conserve energy. A small shift in substrate partitioning through this mechanism could account for the slow but progressive weight gain characteristic of common forms of obesity. From this perspective, the conventional calorie-restricted, low-fat diet amounts to symptomatic treatment, failing to target the underlying predisposition towards excess fat deposition. A dietary strategy to lower insulin secretion may increase the effectiveness of long-term weight management and chronic disease prevention. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Causes of obesity: theories, conjectures and evidence (Part II)’.