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Could Insulin Resistance be the reason your not losing weight?

Insulin Resistance – The Key Factor You Should Consider

When I began my body transformation I weighed in at 278lbs with 40% body fat. I finally hit rock bottom and reached a point that triggered a change in my life. I began putting great effort into my diet, making sure to hit my hours of cardio and double checking my calories were counted right. I did this for 3 months motivated to change but to my frustration, saw minimal progress. I didn’t get what I was doing wrong!! I kept researching and discovered that my body had Insulin Resistance, and this was something I needed to consider. Have you been trying to lose weight but are seeing little progress for all your efforts? Don’t worry you are not alone, I was right there myself. Let’s discuss a key factor to weight loss millions around the world have and don’t even know it.

 

What is Insulin Resistance?

I want to take a moment to explain insulin resistance and give you a better picture of its negative effects but first, we need to better understand what Insulin does.

Any time you eat a meal that has higher amounts of carbohydrates will cause the levels of circulating blood sugar to raise. This will make your pancreas release a hormone called Insulin, with the job of reducing the amount of circulating blood sugar. This is very important since high amounts of blood sugar can be toxic to the body. Insulin is also given the task of shuttling nutrients into different parts of the body. A good metabolism needs Insulin to be working properly; it is one of our key hormones. But problems begin to be seen when we are constantly eating heavy carb meals on a daily basis.

Examples of this would look like a breakfast consisting of orange juice, oatmeal, and bananas. A lunch of a sandwich, chips, and a soda, and a dinner of a bowl of pasta with bread rolls.

This can be a typical day of eating for people all over the country, and when you break it down, much of these foods are high in carbohydrates. After each meal is consumed the process of digestion will begin, with the end result of the body turning the majority of these meals into a form of a sugar. This can cause larger amounts of insulin to be released, leading to constantly having elevated insulin – a term called Hyperinsulinemia. Now imagine eating that way on a daily basis for several years; that’s one of the ways to develop Insulin Resistance! Developing this syndrome begins a negative chain reaction in your health, that if not managed, could have a tragic end.

One of the main problems seen with Insulin Resistance is that it reduces the ability of the cell receptors in our body to use insulin. This happens because the body has become overloaded with insulin over the years and is getting numb to its effects. (1) The body begins to build a tolerance to insulin just like an alcoholic will build a tolerance to alcohol. When this happens, the pancreas must pump out even higher levels of insulin to be able to drop the sugar in the blood. Daily over consumption of carbs has now caused the body to develop Insulin Resistance Syndrome and the same amounts of insulin that once worked are no longer enough. The cell receptors no longer have the proper insulin connection they need to receive energy. But the problems don’t end there; the pancreas may eventually lose its ability to continue to pump out such high levels of insulin leading to drastically high levels of blood sugar seen in Type 2 Diabetes.

Multiple factors lead to Type 2 DiabetesIf a person who has already developed insulin resistance continues along the same diet and lifestyle that got them there, then they will most likely develop Type 2 Diabetes. Many studies have shown that this will increase the risk of heart disease (2) some by up to 93%! Type 2 Diabetes is starting to become a global problem as more and more countries begin to adopt the convenience of the Western diet that provides fast and cheap meals. For decades people sacrificed the quality of their food just to save time and money and the effects are starting to show. There are other serious diseases that are linked to insulin resistance, some are Metabolic Syndrome, PCOS, Alzheimer’s and even cancer. (3)

How can you tell if you have insulin resistance?

Insulin Resistance Large BellyOne of the best ways to know if you have this serious problem of insulin resistance is to have your doctor run a fasting insulin test. Unfortunately, these can be a bit pricey, so if that’s not an option then just look down and take a look at your belly size. If your currently obese and have increased belly fat like I did, then most likely you have a form of insulin resistance. Another more accurate way to see if you have insulin resistance is to check your ratio of Triglycerides to HDL cholesterol. You can do this by having your doctor run a standard lipid panel, then divide the number of triglycerides by the number of HDL-C and if the result is greater than 3.0 then you may have Insulin Resistance. There is also a link between skin tags as a possible sign of insulin resistance. So, if you have more than three skin tags that have recently shown up, then consider insulin resistance as a possible cause.

What can I do to Improve my Insulin Resistance?

The sad reality is that millions of people have developed this serious issue by following the standard American diet. The good news is that it insulin resistance can be improved by making the right changes to your lifestyle. This is where the X-factor in your story comes into the picture, I am talking about your brain! It will take a transformation of the mind to be able to see a transformation of the body. The real question is if your willing to make the changes needed to reach your goals of health and fat loss?

The best ways to improve insulin resistance, that also happens to be the toughest for many, is to reduce the consumption of carbs. It’s pretty clear that excess sugar is the biggest causes of this serious problem, so that’s the first to go. Also, by adding exercise to your plan, especially heavy resistance training, will help improve it. (4)  Weight lifting helps by burning your muscle glycogen and thus, opening up space for any excess sugar in the blood to be absorbed. Another helpful tool to improve this syndrome is to apply Intermittent fasting the correct way, which we will address in another post.

You want to do all you can to reverse your insulin resistance and improve your insulin sensibility!! What is insulin sensibility you ask? This in when your cells receptors are very responsive and sensitive to the smallest amount of insulin in the bloodstream, which is what we want! This allows your body to rapidly reduce the blood sugar levels with minimal amounts of insulin being released.

The reason reducing insulin is so crucial for weight loss is that insulin is the fat/energy storage hormone. That is why we want to make sure it’s not elevated, and a smart way to manage it is to use our nutritional choices. When we eat a diet that is low-carb, we drop the levels of insulin low enough to release the hormone Glucagon which allows stored energy to flow out and be burned. This allows our bodies to use our fat/energy stores as fuel instead of constantly storing up more fat/energy. (5)

Breakdown of Different types of diabetesJust to give you an idea of why insulin is such a big factor for weight loss we can look at people with type 1 diabetes. These people are born with a pancreas that unfortunately can’t produce insulin. In some of them, a clue to their diagnosis was that they were thin, tired and had trouble putting on weight. An untreated Type 1 Diabetic can eat and eat but they don’t put on much weight. This is because they don’t have the ability to secrete the hormone insulin that is needed for the use and storage of energy. This is a big problem for Type 1’s because they don’t get the nutrients their cells need and so they have to inject themselves with insulin to be able to absorb the nourishment. The majority of us living in modern cultures have the opposite problem, we have too much insulin being secreted leading to issues with insulin cell receptors.

So, it seems clear to me that a key factor to consider is the reduction of insulin levels in the body. This can better allow us to swing open the gates to health and fat loss. I am not the only one who sees the connections, this study published in the Journal “Cell Metabolism”, (6) showed the links between insulin resistance and obesity. The evidence is growing; people are realizing they can improve Insulin Resistance by reducing the carbs in their diet. I had to learn the hard way, if I had high amounts of carbohydrates in my diet then I wouldn’t see progress.  Even with all my efforts of cardio and counting every calorie I ate – my progress stalled. This was all due to my Insulin Resistance, the good news is that I learned and changed the food I ate that helped me reach my goals. I used the strategic methods in 5th Stage Keto to drop 60lbs of pure fat in 7 months! More importantly, I was able to improve my key heath markers along the way. Changing your body from the inside out at a cellular level is the answer to long-term health and weight loss.

If you want to get a step-by-step guide to do your own body transformation, then see what is included in 5th Stage Keto!

It may be exactly what you need to finally see progress!

Learn More!

 

References:

  1. Bonadonna RC, Leif G, Kraemer N, Ferrannini E, Prato SD, DeFronzo RA. “Obesity and insulin resistance in humans: a dose-response study.” 1990;39(5):452–9. pmid:2186255
  2. Haffner SM,Mykkänen L, Festa A, Burke JP, Stern MP. “Insulin-resistant prediabetic subjects have more atherogenic risk factors than insulin-sensitive prediabetic subjects: implications for preventing coronary heart disease during the prediabetic state.” Circulation 2000 Mar 7;101(9):975-80.
  3. Rose DP,Gracheck PJ, Vona-Davis L. “The Interactions of Obesity, Inflammation and Insulin Resistance in Breast Cancer.” Cancers (Basel). 2015 Oct 26;7(4):2147-68. doi: 10.3390/cancers7040883.
  4. DeFronzo RA,Sherwin RS, Kraemer N. “Effect of physical training on insulin action in obesity.” Diabetes 1987 Dec;36(12):1379-85.
  5. McCrory M. A., Fuss P. J., McCallum J. E., Yao M., Vinken A. G., Hays N. P., Roberts S. B. “Dietary variety within food groups: association with energy intake and body fatness in men and women.”The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1999;69(3):440–447.
  6. Saltiel, “A.R. Insulin Resistance in the Defense against Obesity.” Cell Metab. 6 June 2012;15(6):798-804.
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Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies

keto chocolate chip cookies

LowCarb cookies are hard to find so it’s a good idea to just make some delicious keto friendly cookies at home. This is a simple recipe to beat the cravings the smart way.

You can have these cookies with a protein shake, MCT Coffee or some unsweetened almond milk.

Prep-time: 15min Cook-time:15min Makes 9 Cookies

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Dark Chocolate Chips
  • 2 tbsp. Butter for baking sheet
  • ¼ cup Walnuts pieces

Dry Mixture:

  • 2 cup almond flour
  • ½ cup low-carb protein powder
  • 1 tsp. baking powder (gluten-free)
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • 1 tbsp. Powdered Stevia

Wet Mixture:

  • 2 pastured eggs
  • 2 tbsp. heavy cream
  • ½ cup melted butter
  • 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and butter your baking sheet pan.
  2. Next, get the dry ingredients — almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, cinnamon, stevia, and salt — and mix them together.
  3. Then get the wet ingredients — the eggs, heavy cream, melted butter and vanilla —blend them in your blender.
  4. Next, pour the dry mixture into the blender with the wet mixture. (Pour in half, then blend and pour in the second half.)
  5. Lastly, add the chocolate chips and walnuts and blend in. Then get about 2 tablespoons worth of the newly blended mix and make into a ball. Scatter evenly on top of butter baking sheet.
  6. Lightly tap down on the ball until it flattens and forms the shape of a cookie.
  7. You can add a couple more chocolate chips on top of each cookie if you like. Then place in the oven for about 12-15 mins.

 

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Steak with Cauliflower Mash

Let’s be honest mashed potatoes are amazing but they will set you way back if your trying to be low-carb & ketogenic. So to still have the masked potatoes we all love, and still stay on track to your goals, we can make them using Cauliflower! This will help avoid any rapid spikes in blood sugar that release the fat storage hormone insulin.

You can use this cauliflower mash recipe for some of those occasions that call for a savory side dish. I know I will be having some in this upcoming thanksgiving!

On this recipe, we will enjoy the Cauliflower Mash with a juicy rib-eye Steak!

Time to Make: about 45 min.      Serves 2-3

Ingredients

Steak

  • 2 small rib-eye steaks
  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • ¼ tsp. Himalayan pink salt
  • Ground black pepper to taste

Cauliflower Mash

  • 1 large head cauliflower
  • 4 tbsp. butter
  • 3 cups grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp. Himalayan pink salt
  • 1 tsp. ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. oregano
  • 3 tbsp. chopped green onions or chives, for toppings

Directions

  1. Cut off cauliflower florets and put in large pot of boiling water. cover until tender around ten minutes. While this is cooking wash your steak and pat down, then salt it on both sides and set aside.
  2. Once cauliflower is done, remove from pot and place in a food processor or chop into very small pieces. Trader Joes also have precut options. Next, melt the butter in a microwave and add, then puree until the consistency is similar to mashed potatoes. Next add the grated cheese and the seasonings, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Puree until well mixed, next chop the green onions or chives and set aside.
  3. Then place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter. Then gently lay the steaks in. Let each side cook for 5-7 min, this will depend on the size of the steak and how well you like it cooked. Once cooked, add the ground pepper to taste and set aside in a covered bowl. Let it sit for 2-4 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.
  4. Serve the cauliflower mash and add the green onions or chives as toppings, you can also add a dash of more cheese if desired. Add the steak and enjoy!!
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Mexican Guacamole Letucce Wrap Tacos

Going low-carb has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me, but missing out on my mother’s homemade tacos was hard to overcome in the beginning — then these came into my life. These Mexican guacamole lettuce-wrapped tacos have come in as a great substitution.
Using a lettuce wrap instead of a highly processed tortilla will keep you in line with your fat loss goals.

Prep-time: 15min Cook-time: 15min Serving size: 2(2 Tacos Each)

Ingredients


2 small heads of lettuce

For Steak:

✓ 1 pound flank steak

✓ 2 ½ tbsp. butter or ghee (grass-fed)

✓ ½ minced garlic

✓ ¼ cup fresh lime juice

✓ salt and pepper to taste

✓ ½ red onion

For Guacamole:

✓ 4 ripeHass avocados, seeded, peeled

✓ ½ red onion

✓ ½ lime, juiced

✓ ¼ tsp dried oregano

✓ 1 ripe tomato

✓ ¼ cup of cilantro

✓ Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. For best flavor, marinate the steak in a large ziploc bag; add salt and pepper to the steak, then place it inside the bag with the lime juice and minced garlic. Allow for all the marinade to get on both sides of the steak and let it sit for 15 minutes so the flavors soak in; flip it once.

2. Chop onion and split in two piles, one for the guacamole and the other to be caramelized.

3. Then, turn on the stove to medium heat and place the pan on top. Once hot, toss in the butter.

4. Gently lay the steak in, grilling each side for 5-7 minutes, spooning on the leftover marinade.

5. Once cooked, put it on a covered plate and set aside.

6. Toss in half the chopped red onion and stir, adding a pinch of salt. Cook until browned, about 8mins.

7. Once caramelized, turn the stove off and have your precut veggies ready to go. Place the avocados in a bowl for mixing, then toss in the onions, tomato, oregano, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.

8. Finally, chop the steak and place it inside the lettuce wrap. Add a dash of caramelized onions and then a scoop of the guacamole, and top it off with a splash of lime.

And voilà — you will have a delicious Mexican guacamole lettuce-wrapped taco to add to your low-carb summer menu!
Optional: You can crumble some pork rinds on top for added crunch.

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Keto lettucce wrapped bacon cheese burger

lettuce wrap cheese burger

Wouldn’t it be great if the diet plan you were following allowed you to have a burger on a regular basis? Yeah, that sounds like something I could get behind. I used to think that a bacon cheeseburger was super-unhealthy — but when you look at it carefully, the only part that makes it bad are the buns. They are refined carbs, which you want to avoid if you can, so toss those out and you are good to go. Here is a delicious homemade keto lettuce-wrapped bacon cheeseburger recipe that will be perfect for that summer BBQ.

Prep-time: 25min Cook-time: 10-15min Serving size: 4 patties

Ingredients

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Burger patties

✓ 1 pound ground beef (high fat%)

✓ 2 eggs, beaten

✓ 2 tablespoons heavy cream

✓ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

✓ 1 teaspoon garlic powder

✓ ½ teaspoon chili powder

✓ 1 teaspoon onion powder

✓ 2 teaspoons sea salt

✓ ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
(you can use other cheese if you’d prefer)

✓ ½ yellow onion chopped

Other

✓ 4-8 strips of bacon(be careful it’s not cured in sugar)

✓ 2 small heads lettuce

✓ Mayo (optional)

Instructions

1. To prepare, beat the eggs, chop the onion and separate lettuce wraps.

2. Next, place the ground beef in a big mixing bowl. Breakdown the beef and add wet ingredients (beaten eggs, heavy cream, worcestershire sauce), then mix with clean hands.

3. Then add dry ingredients (Garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, salt) and mix well.

3. Toss in the onions and cheese, and mix in.

4. Next form the patties, avoid over-packing them(as this will make them less juicy). Shape them a bit wider than normal. Since they rise in the middle, use your thumb to pat down a dimple in the middle of the patties.

5. Set the burgers aside, and place the bacon on a cast-iron skillet on a fairly high heat. Cook until the bacon gets a little crispy, then set aside on a covered plate.

7. Next, to cook your burgers, use the bacon grease that’s left over and place the patties on the skillet. You can flip several times; this will help them cook faster as well as keeping them from burning. Should be ready in 8-10 minutes per burger. (Optional — add more cheese on top once it is close to being ready. Also optional — fry an egg and place on top of patties.)

6. Once cooked, prep your lettuce wrap, spread mayo and add any other low-carb condiments like jalapeños or a thinly sliced tomato. Then place the burger inside along with the bacon and wrap it up.
And voilà! You will have a finger-licking-good bacon cheeseburger to share with your family, which will allow you to stay on track with your weight-loss goals. Make sure to have extra napkins — you will need them.