Fighting Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistant? Worried about diabetes? Join the club.
7.
8 % of Americans are diabetic, and as many as 40% of Americans are insulin resistant, a pre-diabetic condition.
That's a LOT of people.
And yet, even when we know our health is in danger; and we can see the toll our insulin resistance takes on our looks and our life, we still find it nearly impossible to rein in food cravings.
If you are insulin resistant, arterial blockages can cause heart attacks, strokes, or pulmonary embolisms in men and women.
Men may face erectile dysfunction.
Women may develop polycystic ovarian syndrome, which causes weight gain, acne, growth of facial hair and male-pattern baldness, as well as infertility.
Most of us are aware of the health risks.
But when it comes down to deciding, at the fast-food window, whether to order the burger and fries (warm, salty, and delicious,) or the cold salad that hurts our teeth, is difficult to consume while driving, BUT may save our life...
what do we choose? We ask for a double cheeseburger and extra ketchup.
And collectively, it is killing us.
And so we try to diet.
We know that low-carbohydrate diets work, and work fast.
We've probably tried them: eat all the meat and dairy you can stand, with a bit of salad, and watch the weight roll off! This works well for some people.
But for some of us, the side effects are overwhelming.
Bad breath, from ketosis.
Constipation from eating too much difficult-to-digest protein.
And BORING! After a couple of days of meat and greens, I know I'm ready to toast an entire loaf of bread and eat it with jam! Apparently, cutting out an entire food group makes that same food group undeniably, incredibly, overwhelmingly attractive! So why have diets not worked for YOU? Do you find it easy enough to stick to a reasonable eating program, but cannot seem to pry yourself up off the sofa to exercise? Or is it the other way around--you love to exercise, but it doesn't seem to do you much good when you can't pass up your own triple-layer-frosted cakes? Have your tried multiple diets and failed, and are trying desperately to find something else that will work for you? Don't be alarmed.
We all fight the same problems.
Try this: 1.
Find a like-minded friend.
We tend to gain weight and eat the wrong things because that is what our friends and family do.
If you have a friend who has a healthy lifestyle you'd like to emulate, talk to him and see what he is doing that works.
Or perhaps you have a friend who, like you, has been trying to make changes: a buddy system can be very helpful, whether for diet, exercise, or both.
2.
Unless your doctor demands it, don't try a diet that cuts out entire food groups--carbohydrates, fat, and so on.
This tends to lead to undeniable, overwhelming cravings.
Don't let this happen to you.
The backlash, in such cases, can make you worse off than at the start.
3.
If you aren't already, begin to exercise in moderation.
A brisk walk, from a block up to 2-3 miles, depending on your fitness level, can help level out your mood, stabilize your blood sugar, and quiet cravings.
A little weight-lifting can help as well, building lean-muscle mass and helping to burn calories.
But beware! If 2-3 miles of walking is extreme for you, it will trigger cravings.
4.
Take stock of what DOES work for you: some people need to have a little taste of something wonderful--say, a small piece of dark chocolate--in order to feel happy.
Others react to sweets like a drug addict does to drugs: a tiny bit leads to a craving for more.
5.
DON'T have an all-or-nothing mentality.
If you eat one thing that's bad for you, that doesn't mean the whole day is shot, and you should binge until midnight, then start over the following day.
Forgive yourself, and move on from that moment.
You can make a difference in your health, with helpful friends, determination, moderation, and a positive outlook!
7.
8 % of Americans are diabetic, and as many as 40% of Americans are insulin resistant, a pre-diabetic condition.
That's a LOT of people.
And yet, even when we know our health is in danger; and we can see the toll our insulin resistance takes on our looks and our life, we still find it nearly impossible to rein in food cravings.
If you are insulin resistant, arterial blockages can cause heart attacks, strokes, or pulmonary embolisms in men and women.
Men may face erectile dysfunction.
Women may develop polycystic ovarian syndrome, which causes weight gain, acne, growth of facial hair and male-pattern baldness, as well as infertility.
Most of us are aware of the health risks.
But when it comes down to deciding, at the fast-food window, whether to order the burger and fries (warm, salty, and delicious,) or the cold salad that hurts our teeth, is difficult to consume while driving, BUT may save our life...
what do we choose? We ask for a double cheeseburger and extra ketchup.
And collectively, it is killing us.
And so we try to diet.
We know that low-carbohydrate diets work, and work fast.
We've probably tried them: eat all the meat and dairy you can stand, with a bit of salad, and watch the weight roll off! This works well for some people.
But for some of us, the side effects are overwhelming.
Bad breath, from ketosis.
Constipation from eating too much difficult-to-digest protein.
And BORING! After a couple of days of meat and greens, I know I'm ready to toast an entire loaf of bread and eat it with jam! Apparently, cutting out an entire food group makes that same food group undeniably, incredibly, overwhelmingly attractive! So why have diets not worked for YOU? Do you find it easy enough to stick to a reasonable eating program, but cannot seem to pry yourself up off the sofa to exercise? Or is it the other way around--you love to exercise, but it doesn't seem to do you much good when you can't pass up your own triple-layer-frosted cakes? Have your tried multiple diets and failed, and are trying desperately to find something else that will work for you? Don't be alarmed.
We all fight the same problems.
Try this: 1.
Find a like-minded friend.
We tend to gain weight and eat the wrong things because that is what our friends and family do.
If you have a friend who has a healthy lifestyle you'd like to emulate, talk to him and see what he is doing that works.
Or perhaps you have a friend who, like you, has been trying to make changes: a buddy system can be very helpful, whether for diet, exercise, or both.
2.
Unless your doctor demands it, don't try a diet that cuts out entire food groups--carbohydrates, fat, and so on.
This tends to lead to undeniable, overwhelming cravings.
Don't let this happen to you.
The backlash, in such cases, can make you worse off than at the start.
3.
If you aren't already, begin to exercise in moderation.
A brisk walk, from a block up to 2-3 miles, depending on your fitness level, can help level out your mood, stabilize your blood sugar, and quiet cravings.
A little weight-lifting can help as well, building lean-muscle mass and helping to burn calories.
But beware! If 2-3 miles of walking is extreme for you, it will trigger cravings.
4.
Take stock of what DOES work for you: some people need to have a little taste of something wonderful--say, a small piece of dark chocolate--in order to feel happy.
Others react to sweets like a drug addict does to drugs: a tiny bit leads to a craving for more.
5.
DON'T have an all-or-nothing mentality.
If you eat one thing that's bad for you, that doesn't mean the whole day is shot, and you should binge until midnight, then start over the following day.
Forgive yourself, and move on from that moment.
You can make a difference in your health, with helpful friends, determination, moderation, and a positive outlook!
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