Insulin: Both a Life Saver and a Killer

Insulin, in an oversimplified nutshell, is a fat storage hormone. Too much sugar in the blood? Not a problem, unless you are a diabetic and unable to produce insulin, because insulin removes excess sugar from the blood. This is a good thing, because excess sugar in the blood can cause heart disease, renal failure, blindness, and it can prevent healing of simple injuries like blisters to the point where gangrene can develop and amputations become necessary. Not a good thing! The “dark” side of this hormone is that it converts and stores excess calories eventually as fat. The reason that the low carbohydrate diet works is because there is usually not enough sugar in the blood to “wake up” the pancreas to send out insulin. But before you go sign up with the Adkins diet, know this: a low carbohydrate diet is a LIFE LONG COMMITMENT. Many folks who got off the low-carb diet put all the weight back on and a whole lot of then some. Why? Because the body can become hyper-sensitive to carbohydrates. Another drawback of the low-carb diet is hair loss! If you want to reduce carbohydrates, that’s okay, but be reasonable, and know that it is a commitment.

Now I’d like to turn my attention to addressing one of the main problems with eating out, and that is the dreaded “Is there something wrong with the food?” question that the waiter asks if you leave anything on your plate. Talk about triggering “mom-speak”! However, there is a solution if this is an emotional trigger for you. Ask for a to-go container when you order your food, and as soon as your meal arrives, move at least half of it into a container. Even if you know that you can’t take it with you, because the whole point is to avoid the emotional trigger that might get pulled when you leave food on your plate.

As for me, I am continuing to do weight bearing exercise as well as working out on the Elliptical, but I’m unhappy to report a 1.5 lb. weight gain. I’m not bothered by this, because I am still losing body fat, another .5% since last week! My goal for next Saturday is 153. I know I should be happy with a reduced body fat percent, but I want progress in BOTH areas, darn it!