The High Performance Journal - December 19th, 2023

There is a new fat loss drug that's been popular amongst celebrities and entrepreneurs called Ozempic aka Semaglutide.

Imagine this...

Ozempic is a drug that tricks your brain into thinking your stomach’s throwing a 'No Entry' sign to food by mimicking a hormone called GLP-1.

It's like having a bouncer at the club of your digestive system.

However, before you jump on this bandwagon, remember, that the drug's only been around for 6 years, and we're still finding out its long-term effects.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Pros: You could lose weight faster than dropping your phone in the toilet.

Cons: The side effects list reads like a bad horror movie script – loss of lean body mass, potential weight rebound, heart palpitations, long-term dependency, and the list goes on.

Plus, we are just starting to find out about the long-term effects​ Ozempic can have on your body.

The Free Lunch Fallacy

Remember, in the pharmacy world, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Unless, of course, you're at a pharma conference.

There are dangers to taking every man-made drug and Ozempic is no different.

One of the worst ones is that you have to spend $1000/month for the rest of your life to keep your results.

Nature's Answer to Ozempic

But, what if Mother Nature holds the secret to appetite control without putting weird chemicals into your body?

Specifically, there are 3 types of foods that tell your appetite to take a hike, naturally.

They might not have the same potency as taking Ozempic but they will be a natural alternative to controlling your appetite so you can lose inches in the belly.

Want to know what they are? Keep on reading...

3 Foods That Decrease Belly Fat By Killing Your Appetite

#1 - Whole Food Proteins

While I'm a huge fan of shakes the best way to get protein is through whole foods like steak, chicken, fish, or legumes.

A ​study​ was done that had 2 groups of obese people:

Group 1 ate a high carb diet and Group 2 ate a high protein diet.

While both groups lost the same amount of weight the high protein diet group had a 100% remission of their pre-diabetes while the high carb diet had a 33% remission.

They believed this was because the high protein group had a significant secretion of GLP-1. This leads to a better insulin and glucose response.

Protein is the most important macronutrient on the planet and for that reason.

This is why we advise our coaching clients​ and members in the ​Lean Body 90​ to get at least 1 gram per pound of ideal body weight.

#2 - Foods With Unsaturated Fats

Here's a fun fact: Olive oil can coax GLP-1 out of hiding better than butter.

Before getting into this you should know the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats.

Saturated fats (including trans fats) stay solid at room temperature. Examples would be butter, ghee, coconut oil, and palm oil.

Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. Examples would be fatty fish, nuts, olive oil, avocado oil, and macadamia oil.

A ​study​ was done on healthy people and those with type 2 diabetes:

Group 1 ate 50 grams of carbs with butter and Group 2 ate 50 grams of carbs with olive oil.

They found that the olive oil group had a larger secretion of GLP-1 compared to the butter group.

Now the danger of hearing this information is that people might start going YOLO (you only live once) by drizzling their foods with olive oil thinking that calories don't matter.

You need to know that these types of foods are easy to overeat.

The trick to eating these types of foods is to do so slowly to enhance their appetite-killing effect.

#3 - Foods High In Fiber

Fiber is the unsung hero of appetite control. It’s like having a bouncer for your bouncer, keeping hunger at bay for hours.

Foods high in fiber feed our gut bacteria, which then produce short-chain fatty acids that trigger GLP-1 secretion.

Also, when you eat fibrous foods bacteria in your gut trigger a release of another hormone that decreases your appetite called PYY (peptide YY).

This extra boost of both GLP-1 and PYY occurs hours after you eat causing something called the ​Second Meal Effect:​ 

When you eat fiber in one meal hits your colon by the time your second meal comes around. This possibly improves your insulin response and improves your feelings of satiety.

Examples of high-fiber foods are pears, strawberries, oats, avocado, apples, raspberries, bananas, and beets.

A cool hack I use for my protein shakes is adding some psyllium husk flakes as this increases the fiber content.

Doing this for myself and my clients has been a game changer for crushing appetite.

The Belly Fat Battle

The key to losing inches on your waist is through controlling your hunger.

Controlling hunger is like playing chess with your stomach – it’s all about strategy.

And while Ozempic has its charm, it's not a one-and-done deal. It's like a Netflix subscription; you might be in it for the long haul.

This is Nature's Solution to Ozempic

In conclusion, Ozempic? I'm neutral.

It has its benefits but also its drawbacks.

If you're wondering if you should go the pharma route or the natural, I would consider the latter first.

Remember, Mother Nature often knows best, and the great part is that she doesn’t send you monthly bills.

Regardless, if you've been struggling to lose weight I hope I've given you an alternative solution if you've been thinking about taking this drug.

Hope this helped!

Onwards and upwards 🚀

- Dan

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