The Bi-Meal Way Of Life

Q: How do we gain weight?

A: The classic equation for weight gain is:

Calories consumed – Calories burnt = Weight gained

However, this is an approximate model.

Q: Why do you say it is approximate?

There are a few unanswered questions with this model. For example- Why do some diabetics lose weight when they are consuming more calories than burning?

Another question is that why is it that even though most of us are consuming more than what we burn yet we do not keep gaining weight to infinity?

A related question: Why is it that some of us settle on higher stable weight while others on a much leaner stable weight?

Q: I now see that the weight gain model needs refinement. Can you elaborate?

A: The first refinement is to understand that we are not concerned with calories consumed but by the calories absorbed.

There is a crucial difference. We do not necessarily absorb every calorie we consume. We also expel unabsorbed calories as waste.

In addition, we do not burn any calories directly. Biology is involved. The calories have to be absorbed by the cell first before they can use it. The calories burnt by a cell may come from the calorie absorbed from the food we just ate or it may come from the calorie stored in it.

The key for weight loss is to ensure that the calorie we use comes from stored calorie. This happens when the calories burnt is greater than the calories absorbed from the food we ate. The weight loss equation now becomes:

Calories Absorbed- Calories Burnt = Weight Loss

Q: Let us break it down. The first question then becomes what is the mechanism for absorbing calorie?

A: The key hormone for calorie intake by cells is Insulin.

Every cell in our body has insulin receptors on its surface. When Insulin molecule sits on the receptor, it is a signal for the cell to begin accepting calories. Under normal conditions when calories in the form of glucose is circulating in the blood, Insulin accompanies it. The Insulin signals the cells to absorb the available calories.

However if glucose is available in the bloodstream and Insulin is absent, the cells will be unable to absorb it and may even starve to death even though it is freely available so close by in the blood stream.

Think of Insulin as a key to the door of cells. Until the key is not present, the door cannot open and cells cannot absorb calories.

Q: I do see that there is biology involved in absorbing calories and the mechanism is Insulin. But when is Insulin released?

A: The pancreas releases a ‘base line’ quantity of Insulin all the time. This ensure that we have available some insulin all the time for carrying out our regular functioning. Besides this, pancreas releases Insulin every time we eat food.

Q: If pancreas releases Insulin every time we eat food, then are we not back to square one? Given that Insulin is available after consuming food, does it not mean that most of the calories we consume in our food are available to our body for absorption?

A: You have hit on a crucial point. The answer is yes and no. The pancreas has a ‘carrying capacity’ for Insulin. When you eat a meal, it dumps its entire load into the blood stream. After it dumps the load, it takes about 55 minutes to fill its tanks up. Until then it does not release any further insulin.

This means that after you eat a big meal, there may not be enough insulin available to absorb all the calories consumed. But if you ate say just a biscuit, there may be a lot of excess insulin. Not only will all the calories from the biscuit be absorbed, some of the insulin may be used to absorb the calories available from the previous meal.

Given that we live in an environment where there is abundance of food and calories, the limiting factor for calorie absorption by cells is the availability of Insulin.

Q: What do you mean by limiting factor? Can you elaborate?

A: Let us say you have a town where there are 10 times more males than females. In this case, the limiting factor for number of marriages will be the number of women. If you want to increase the number of marriages then you want to increase the number of women. If you want to decrease the number of marriages, you will want to decrease the number of women.

Trying to increase/decrease the number of marriages by increasing/decreasing the number of men will not work. This is because in this case, the limiting factor for marriages is the women population.

Coming back to the topic at hand, if the limiting factor for calorie absorbed by us is not the amount of calories consumed during the day but Insulin produced during the day, then we need to focus on Insulin produced rather than calories consumed.

Q: Aha! I now see why even when we consume everyday more calories than we use, our weight does not grow steadily to infinity….

A: Yes. As our body mass increases so does the required insulin. This means our weight will keep increasing until the Insulin we are able to produce is no longer enough to absorb all the calories consumed.

Since some of us produce more Insulin during the day and others less, our stable body weight may be on the higher side or leaner side, depending on how much we produce.

Q: But since the amount of Insulin we produce is not in our control, does that not mean that we can do nothing much when it comes to our weight?

A: Not exactly. The key to understand is that the total Insulin produced during the day consists of the base line production and the sum of Insulin released after we eat every meal. While we do not have control over the base line production of insulin or the amount released after every meal, we can control the total insulin released during the day by limiting the number of meals we consume during the day:

Total Insulin produced per day= Base line produced + # of Meals * Insulin release per meal.

By controlling the number of meals we have in a day, we can have a handle on the total Insulin available to the body for absorbing calories. This is a very crucial insight. For the first time, we have an understanding on controlling the critical factor that directly influences our weight.

Q: So what is the ideal number of meals one must have during the day?

A: The answer is that it depends. For those whose HbA1C level (this is a measure of the average sugar levels in the blood) or weight is in control, need make no changes to their routine. However, those who want to reduce their weight OR HbA1C levels, need to cut down on the number of meals in a day from whatever level they are on at the moment.

Another key insight is that it is better to keep the body off the ‘starvation mode’. If for example we do not eat for an entire day, the body goes in starvation mode and this brings profound changes in our hormonal system that may be counterproductive.

For most of us eating one meal a day may not be something we can do for the long term. This implies that two or three meals a day may be the correct optimum. For quicker results, two meals per day may be best. Once you reach your target you may want to see if you can get away with three meals per day. If not two meals per day may be the right answer for you.

Q: There is one thing that is bothering me. Why does the pancreas dump its entire load every time we eat something? Isn’t that wasteful?

A: Remember that for most of evolution we have been in an environment where starvation was our biggest risk. From an evolutionary point of view, it makes no sense for us to try to conserve Insulin. This means that even if you just nibbled at something the pancreas will dump its entire load of Insulin. That way it can busy itself producing more Insulin, making sure that it will be always available and no calorie will be ever be wasted for lack of Insulin.

Q: Is there no way to control the Base line Insulin production or Insulin release per meal?

A: Though not yet proven, there are indications that reducing Stress levels may help reduce these. That is why doing Yoga, Pranayama, and Meditation along with taking long walks, is recommended to be combined with a two meals per day program for best results.

Getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep is also vital. It has the ability to calm down your hormonal system and keep it in balance.

Q: What do you do if your situation is urgent?

A: If you are obese or in a high-risk situation needing to bring your numbers under control quickly, you may do one meal per day for a few months until things come under control and then ease into two meals a day. Cutting Carbs and going on a Keto diet can also help in the acceleration process. Once things come under control, you can switch to meals that are more balanced.

Q: What is the definition of a meal?

A: You can eat as much as you want, and whatever you want in your meal. The only criterion is that you finish up in 55 minutes.

Q: Really?

A: Yes. That is the liberal way of interpreting what we have discussed so far. Given that Insulin is a limiting factor, the total number of calories consumed in a day is not relevant.

However, food is not just Calories. You want to consume healthy food. For starters, you want to limit the consumption of sugar given that it is now increasingly considered as a toxic substance. (Especially if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic). In addition, you may want to avoid inflammatory food such as too much burnt, fried, and glazed food.

However, other than that you have a free hand. You should eat until full in the two or three meals you have per day. Eat less refined carbs, and eat more whole grain and vegetables to remain on the healthy side of things. No need to be afraid of healthy fats. They help you remain satiated for long after the meal.

As we age, eating less is healthier. Eating slowly helps being satisfied while eating less. So having a relaxed long meal is ideal.

In addition, to be on the safe side, try to wrap up your meal under 45 minutes.

Q: Remind me once again, where does the 55-minute limit come from?

A: The 55-minute limit comes from the fact that it takes the pancreas 55 minutes to fill up its tank. Until then it does not secrete any additional Insulin. If you are still eating past the 55-minute limit the pancreas will dump another full load into the blood stream, something you do not want if you are trying to limit the Insulin available to the body.

Q: What can you have between meals?

A: Ideally nothing other than water. Some people prefer sipping warm water. The list of things one can have without causing a full insulin dump by the pancreas is very small: green tea, black tea, and coconut water are few of the things that you may consume between meals.

Q: If I am on two meals a day, which meal I should skip?

A: Our bodies follow the circadian cycle. This is another way of saying our biorhythms follow the sun. When the sun is at the peak, our bodies too are at their peak in terms of metabolic ability. This means that eating the heaviest and most protein-rich meal of the day during mid-day is the best. This means you may skip the morning breakfast or evening dinner. However, if this is not possible then skipping lunch may be the only option and though not ideal, it works too.

It helps not to think in terms of terms like ‘breakfast’, ‘lunch’, or ‘dinner’. Rather think of them as ‘Meal 1’ and ‘Meal 2’. You may have ‘Meal 1’ anytime morning to late afternoon. In addition, you may have ‘Meal 2’ anytime from late afternoon to late evening.

Since our body and our hormonal systems work on daily rhythms, it helps to have a regular routine: Eating at approximately the same time every day, sleeping and waking at approximately the same time every day, weekday or weekend.

Q: When do we burn fat?

A: The level of Insulin in the blood is a crucial signal for the hormonal system. When Insulin levels are high our bodies are in ‘fat storing’ state. In this state fat cells absorb glucose and convert it to fat. When Insulin levels are low we are in the ‘fat burning state’. In the ‘fat burning state’ our body starts breaking up fat cells and signaling the body to consume its contents as a source of energy. Most of the Calories in the food we consume are expelled as waste when we are in this state. By restricting the number of meals per day to two (or three), we reduce insulin levels and hence we put our bodies into the fat burning mode.

When ‘fat burning’ is sustained, our liver becomes less fatty. This quickly helps restore its healthy functioning. Since the liver is a vital organ for our overall health, this is very important.

In addition, the unhealthy visceral fat surrounding our internal organs begins to melt away. That is why our waistline begins to shrink.

Finally, the fat in our buttocks and elsewhere begins to disappear.

As we lose weight, our blood pressure also comes down. (About 1 mm for every pound lost).

As our weight-loss is sustained Insulin sensitivity increases. Sugar levels in the blood and HbA1C levels fall and eventually diabetes reverses.

Q: How can we accelerate fat burning?

A: At the minimum, a daily 45-minute walk is recommended.

If you can add some amount of yoga/pranayama/meditation to the mix that is great.

If you love running or adding more vigorous exercise/weights that is awesome. But here is a key: Do nothing that will add to your stress levels.

Q: What about the occasional 24 or 36 hour fast?

A: Attempt this when everything is normal. Do this only when it is easy to do without adding stress.

Ideally, when things are normal and doing a fast is not stressful, a 24 to 36 hour fast should help give your system a boost and can be done between 1 to 4 times every year.

You may get started by doing a simple 18 hour fast and then gradually grow to 24 hours and then 36 hours. But be warned: Don’t attempt this to accelerate your weight loss program by fasting. Do so only as an add-on when things are normal.

Q: How do you summarize the Bi-Meal Diet?

A: It may be useful to consider bi-meal eating as a way of life rather than a diet. We usually associate diets as something short term to achieve weight loss. Most diets fail because they are not sustainable over the long-term; once the diet stops reversion to previous levels is usual. However, Bi-Meal eating is something that is sustainable over the long term. We observe this in the tens of thousands who have adopted this way of life and are sustaining this over years and decades. Bi-Meal way of life can be viewed as an attitude that takes back control over our lives. It allows us to be more patient and relaxed. We no longer have to be fed and stimulated constantly. We can relax and be in the moment. The first steps of this journey is adopting Bi-Meal eating as the way we feed ourselves.

Related: Six Things To Know About Dieting And Weight Loss

Credits:This has been written by Raj Shah and edited by Ketna Shah This has been based on Dr. Jagganath Dixit’s talks. See links below

Dr. Jagganath Dixit’s non profit web site: Adore Trust
Dr. Jagganath Dixit Talk in English
Dr. Jagganath Dixit Talk in Hindi