What is insulin resistance? How do you know if you have it? What does it mean?
PART ONE
Insulin is the number one key to losing weight. THAT is a very controversial statement. Until recently the world was taught that calorie intake vs expense was the way to lose weight. However, when you eat a high sugar “American” diet, you most likely have high insulin. And when your insulin is too high… your cells can be resistant and shut down. Not only does your cells resist glucose, they are also not receiving essential nutrients and protein. Your cells are actually starving while you are gaining weight. As a result of insulin resistance, the glucose is stored as fat fuel for later use. But if you keep eating sugar, your body never uses the stored energy. It just keeps piling up. Insulin resistance or, metabolic syndrome, a precursor to type 2 diabetes and early heart disease. It CAN be cured. Insulin resistance is extremely common… more than 3 million cases per year. I suspect more because it is not really diagnosed correctly. Doctors usually just check for high glucose in the blood. Mistake number one is they request this blood test when you are “fasting”. That produces an inaccurate result. Of course it comes back normal… you were fasting and your insulin was doing its job. Mistake number two is that the doctor never tests your insulin levels until your glucose is out of control. You can be insulin resistance for a long time without it showing up on medical tests because the insulin is trying to do its job by bringing down the glucose. So, the tests are inaccurate.
My Insulin Resistance Test
(*Not scientific but pretty darn accurate)
I have a very quick test for you to know instantly if you have insulin resistance. Ready? Lower your chin to your chest. Focus your eyes downward. Look at your tummy. Is it large? If it is protruding, it is 99% likely you are insulin resistance, and 1% pregnant.
Hunger Roller Coaster
Ok, now you know you have insulin resistance, let’s talk about what this means. There is a messaging loop of insulin from your pancreas out and back around to your pancreas. As our cells become resistant, this loop is out of wack. The pancreas doesn’t really get a signal to shut down the production of insulin. We continue to consume sugar and don’t allow our insulin and pancreas to have a break. The real kicker is that because your insulin is “running wild”, it can trigger you to be falsely hungry! That insulin is a tricky little hormone! It wants something to do, so it triggers the hormone gherlin and makes you hungry so you will send down more glucose! Insulin resistance is why you are hungry an hour or two after you eat. When you eat high carb and sugar loaded food, your body depends on that as your main source of energy. You will soon feel sluggish and then you must eat again. You will never tap into your reserve. We were told for years that fatty foods trigger this hunger hormone, that false information is actually still floating around out there, but we now know that it’s simply not the case. High levels of sugar cause hunger far faster than any other food we consume.
You are now trapped in a cycle of inulin and glucose. Actually it’s a massive roller coaster. Up. Down. Up. Down. For years your body can go on this way. Storing years of glucose as fat in your body. Not only does it store fat in those cells, it can store anything your body has an abundance of, such as excess cholesterol, hormones, metals and toxins. This is important to understand if you decide to release the stored cells in your body.
How large is your reserve? You CAN force your body to tap into that reserve. Understanding insulin resistance is the first step to a successful ketogenic journey.
Keto and a low glycemic diet can correct insulin resistance, but more on that in part two.
Until then…please enjoy this blog post!