Shot of well dressed, self assured spokesperson, saying;
“So many people are overweight now and asking themselves “Why can’t I lose weight?”
For most, the reason is Insulin Resistance, and they don’t even know they have it. Most conventional starvation diets don’t address insulin resistance. That’s why they don’t work.”

So begins a commercial for a new weight loss plan, which will, they claim, gets rid of sugar cravings, helps control stress & emotional eating, helps with insulin resistance, therefore helping you lose weight.

Hmmm.

I’m not going to name this particular weight loss fad, but I’ll just say when they go low, I’ll go high.

Clever, huh?

So, what the dude in the sportcoat, tie & suitably grey hair with loads of product in it is telling you is that it’s NOT YOUR FAULT! It’s not the food you eat or the portions thereof. It’s not your activity or lack thereof. It’s not your 1am, after the club, heading home drive thru snack choices…..thereof (sorry, “thereof” was starting to get good to me. Nobody uses the word thereof anymore….

…but I digress…

Nope, none of those things are to blame for your weight, and lack of ability to lose / maintain / control it.

It’s the new, devious, never before discovered, sinister INSULIN RESISTENCE!!
But they know insulin resistance. And they can help.

Hmmm. pt. 2

Let’s take a look at insulin resistance, shall we?

First off, what is insulin resistance?

Insulin resistance is when cells in your muscles, fat, and liver don’t respond well to insulin and can’t use glucose from your blood for energy. To make up for it, your pancreas makes more insulin. Over time, your blood sugar levels go up. It can lead to problems like obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. It is also referred to as metabolic syndrome and could affect as many as 1 in 3 Americans. Some signs of insulin resistance include:

A waistline over 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women
Blood pressure readings of 130/80 or higher
A fasting glucose level over 100 mg/dL
A fasting triglyceride level over 150 mg/dL
A HDL cholesterol level under 40 mg/dL in men and 50 mg/dL in women
Skin tags

Insulin resistance can be the first step down a dark road. If untreated, it can progress to a prediabetic condition. Again, when you have insulin resistance, your pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for it. For a while, this will work and your blood sugar levels will stay normal.
Over time, though, your pancreas won’t be able to keep up. If you don’t make changes in the way you eat and exercise, your blood sugar levels will rise until you have prediabetes. If you aren’t able to manage prediabetes, it could possibly lead to type 2 diabetes. And if you don’t know the health issues associated with type 2 Diabetes, look it up. Not pleasant. Not pleasant at all.

But that’s way past what I’m talking about today. I’m talking about a hangnail, not removing a gangrenous toe. ( metaphor, people. metaphor)

OK, so how does one get insulin resistance? Are you born with it? Does it lie dormant in your body and suddenly spring to life, causing all of the issues listed above?

Possible causes of Insulin Resistance;
Obesity, especially belly fat
Inactive lifestyle
Diet high in carbohydrates
A family history of diabetes
Smoking
Ethnicity — it’s more likely if your ancestry is African, Latino, or Native American
Age — it’s more likely after 45
Medications like steroids, antipsychotics, and HIV medications
Sleep problems like sleep apnea
Some women develop insulin resistance while they are pregnant. This is called gestational diabetes, which typically goes away after you give birth. However, you are at greater risk of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes when you are older.

Do any of these possible causes look familiar? Obesity?, Inactivity?, High Carbs?, 45+?
Actually, these sound like a few of the major culprits of weight gain in the first place, don’t they?

So, is there a way to reduce our risk of insulin resistance?
According to the good folks at FamilyDoctor.org, you cannot prevent or avoid risk factors such as race, age, and a family medical history. You can take steps to reduce your insulin resistance by losing weight, exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet. Choose healthy carbohydrates.
Reduce sugary foods and drinks.

OK, so allow me to simplify & summarize, with a little supposition thrown in.

Insulin resistance happens when your body isn’t processing insulin properly and has trouble using it to convert glucose into energy. There are some hereditary causes, but the great majority of the time it is caused by obesity, an inactive lifestyle, improper diet and aging.
It can exacerbate these issues and if untreated can lead to more serious health issues like prediabetes & Type 2 Diabetes.
So, to me, and I’m just spitballing here, it doesn’t sound like Insulin resistance initially causes weight issues. It kinda sounds like it is the result of choices associated with weight issues, ie diet, activity, etc.

Now I don’t want to be the one to say that a company or weight management plan would try to use a scientific sounding term as a marketing hook to get people to buy their spiel…
…that would be going low… But I am sure that if they did, they wouldn’t be the first.

Food for thought people. Food for thought.

Talk Later,
Bob