How Carbohydrate Addiction Can Affect Everything From Hormones to Mental Health with Dr. Robert Cywes

Could you be addicted to carbohydrates? On today's episode, I'm chatting with repeat guest Dr. Robert Cywes, an expert on chronic carbohydrate consumption and how that can be detrimental to our health and weight loss efforts.

Dr. Robert Cywes specializes in Weight Management and Bariatric Surgery for adults and adolescents in West Palm Beach, Florida. He has been doing bariatric surgery for 18 years performing over 8000 surgeries. The practice uses a cognitive behavioral therapy approach that addresses carbohydrate addiction, along with bariatric surgery, to help patients manage their obesity long term. Based on his extensive clinical research and observations, Dr. Cywes lectures internationally regarding the physiological impact of carbohydrate consumption as the primary cause of the current Chronic Non-Communicable Disease (CNCDs) epidemic. He also lectures on the behavioral aspects of carbohydrate addiction as the cause of obesity and obesity-related co-morbidities and the use of substance abuse methodology, rather than a diet and exercise approach, to the effective long term treatment of obesity (https://obesityunderstood.com/robert-cywes-md-phd/).

What we discussed in this episode:

  • Dr. Cywes' medical background and his foray into the world of YouTube (1:58)
  • The value of anecdotal evidence in modern medicine (3:46)
  • Calories in, calories out, and how what you consume affects your hormones (13:38)
  • Manipulating micronutrients in order to optimize health and nutrition (19:31)
  • The importance of fluctuating caloric intake from an optimization standpoint (31:32)
  • The role insulin plays in hormone balance (33:00)
  • Why some long distance runners are gaining weight or unable to lose weight, even though they're running incredible distances (40:41)
  • Experimenting so that you know your body and what works for you from a nutritional standpoint (47:21)
  • The psychology of certain types of food and how they affect you mentally (54:08)
  • All or nothing mentality when it comes to carbohydrate addiction and how it compares to other types of addictions (1:02:41)
  • Breaking addiction utilizing an effort-based system (1:04:14)
  • The importance of sustainability from a dietary standpoint (1:10:08)
  • The role of ownership in addiction recovery (1:19:57)
  • Dr. Cywes' overwhelming joy at being a father and what he wishes for his infant son (1:24:51)

Where to learn more about Dr. Robert Cywes and his work:

YouTube
Instagram
Facebook
JSAPA

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Written By

Robert Sikes

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