Dr. Phil Maffetone: Escaping The Overfat Pandemic

Jul 14, 2020

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I catch up with a longtime mentor and godfather of fat-adapted endurance training, Dr. Phil Maffetone. We discuss the hot topic of “overfat,” which Phil says is “having excess body fat that impairs health and fitness.” Dr. Phil cites data that 91% of the global adult population can be classified as overfat, despite nearly half that percentage having what is considered normal body weight.

Overfat means having, “excess body fat that impairs health and fitness,” according to Dr. Phil. You’ve heard about the inflammatory visceral fat (belly fat) and all the adverse health consequences, and this is what Dr. Phil’s talking about. You want your waist circumference to be less than half your height in inches.

Dr. Phil details how to get healthy, which can be summed up by the overarching goal of “getting better at burning fat.” This entails dietary modification (“ditch junk food,” Phil says!) a proper exercise protocol (not chronic), and managing all forms of life stress to avoid the cortisol-gluconeogenesis-sugar addiction patterns. Granted, it’s hard to drop stubborn belly fat, even for well-meaning, diet-conscious fitness enthusiasts. Dr. Phil talks about how we become more carbohydrate intolerant as we age, necessitating a reduction in carb intake. Dr. Phil also covers the role of high intensity workouts, including the interesting insight that as you improve fat burning from diet and aerobic base workouts, you can burn more fat and preserve glycogen even during hard sessions! Learn more at PhilMaffetone.com.

TIMESTAMPS:

Ninety-one percent of global population is what Dr. Phil calls “overfat.” [03:58]

The MAF method is more than just going slow. [06:47]

The bottom line is to avoid junk food. Exactly what is junk food? If it is sold in a health food store, is it okay? [09:25]

You need to personalize what works for you. [14:33]

Over 40 percent of non-obese, normal weight people are still overfat. [16:49]

We have survived as a species because of our wonderful immune system. [20:36]

If you are sleepy after breakfast, you probably had too many carbohydrates. [24:38]

It is easy to measure if you are overfat. Measure your waist and your height. Your waist should be less than half your height. [28:50]

As we age, we become more insulin resistant. We need to adjust the carb intake. [33:44]

The problem with our sugar addiction is it changes our taste buds. [39:28]

Apart from food and exercise, there are other physical stressors that affect us. [43:38]

Most of the chronic diseases which are preventable are the downstream effect from overfat. [47:11]

“We are going to fix healthcare.” We aren’t looking at the cause. [50:51]

Maffetone’s two-week test is a way to confirm the problem of carbohydrate intolerance. [53:37]

Since so much our body is water, what kind of fluctuation do we experience from day to day when we are losing weight? [57:05]

The brain is getting a steadier source of fuel because you are not so dependent on glucose. [01:00:21]

The reduction of insulin triggers a significant balance of the hormones. [01:02:47]

Poor brain function, as a result of poor diet, is a greater cause of driving accidents than even alcohol. [01:05:56]

Why can’t people understand that sugar is the new tobacco? [01:09:25]

We are all individually responsible for our health. [01:13:17]

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