A Time for Honesty

A part of weight loss blogging, I am learning, is accountability and owning up to what is right. It is odd it is to complete strangers but then it is also to people who have a common ground: we are overweight and desperately do not want to be that way. On to my own honesty...last summer I found out I was Insulin Resistant and was told to follow "a low carb diet." I have tried "low carb diets" before and never lasted more than two days without switching diets so I could add in my carbs again. So, even when I knew I had IR I decided once again, to take matters into my own hands and started Weight Watchers new Points Plus Program because, hey, you can still have the carbs even as long as you add them into your daily points. Through the last 2 months I have learned something, not all "diets" are the same for everyone. You have to work it out and see what is best for you. I have worked VERY HARD to lose since January and really it is just refusing to budge very much. SO, with all of that said I am doing what I was advised to do last summer and have begun to eat according to being IR and am no longer going to follow the WW Points Plus Program. It is a wonderful program, one I wish my body would let me follow, but it won't.

 If you don't know anything about IR if you are over weight you probably should learn. Here is an idea of what it is:

"Reversing insulin resistance is really a matter of understanding insulin’s role in the body. Insulin allows glucose to travel from the bloodstream into the cells, where it is used for cell functioning. When we eat foods high in refined carbohydrates, insulin levels surge to remove the sugar from the blood and get it into your cells. This mechanism works very well for the most part. But if insulin spikes too often from a diet rich in the high-carb foods that trigger insulin secretion, your cells respond by decreasing the reactivity and number of insulin receptors on their surfaces. Eventually, this prevents glucose from getting into your cells, leading to high blood sugar and depriving your cells of the energy they need to function. This is why many women with insulin resistance experience carbohydrate cravings, fatigue and weight-gain — their cells are literally starving for energy, even when plenty of glucose is available in the blood. Down the road, your body’s capacity to generate insulin appropriately becomes depleted, and the result is type 2 diabetes.
But that’s just the basics — there is so much more than that going on here. The bigger problem is that insulin resistance lies at one end of a spectrum of related disorders called metabolic syndrome, a serious health challenge that takes on many different forms in the 21st century, leading not just to diabetes but a whole host of equally or even more problematic health conditions. That’s why it’s so important to pay attention to the signals your body sends you when it is dealing with insulin resistance.
Our patients often ask why insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes are on the rise. In many cases, the answer lies in the food we eat — and our lack of movement. Our early ancestors focused on hunting and gathering food. This simple act involved two key elements: they were obtaining whole foods straight from their environment and getting a lot of exercise in the process. In modern society, we sit parked at our desks and in our cars for so much of the day, and food is available at almost every turn — much of which depletes the body rather than nourishing it. Meanwhile, the research is mounting that shows how foods high in refined carbohydrates, preservatives, pesticides, trans fats, toxins and super sugars like high-fructose corn syrup all contribute to insulin resistance."

Here is a self test to give you an idea if you need to look further into IR adapted from "The Insulin Resistant Diet":

Do You Have Any of the Following:?
1. A family history of diabetes, overweight problems, abnormal cholesterol or triglycerides, heart disease or stroke.
2. Frequent cravings for sweet, salty, crunchy snack food
3. The need to eat often or eat excessive amounts of food
4. A difficult time losing weight even if you exercise or cut back on food intake
5. A problem with weight gain even when eating small amounts of food
6. Weight gain mostly around your waist
7. Skin tags on your neck, chest, breasts, groin area or underarms
8. A history of irregular menstrual periods, especially skipping months
9. A history of poly cystic ovarian disease
10. High triglyercide levels
11. Low HDL cholesterol (the "good" type type of cholesterol) levels, that is, lower than 35 mg/dl
12. High LDL cholesterol (the "bad" type of cholesterol) levels, that is, higher than 130 mg/dl
13. High or boderline high blood pressure--even during pregnancy
14. Waist measurement of more than thirty-five inches for women or more than forty inches for men
15. The feeling you are addicted to carbohydrates
16. The feeling that you have no willpower when it comes to dieting
17. Jitteriness, difficulty thinking, headaches, or nausea that goes away when you eat
18. Hypoglycemia
19. Afternoon fatigue
20. Type II diabetes, borderline diabetes, or abnormal glucose tolerance tests
21. High uric acid or gout
22. History of blood clot in your legs, lungs, or breasts
23. Body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher
24. Native American, Asian, African American or Hispanic ancestry

If you have answered "yes" to three or more of these questions you are likely to have IR. The more answers to "yes" the more likely to your to be affected. "

I didn't start taking pictures of my food until yesterday and here is what I had: Breakfast--2 eggs scrambled with 1 slice bacon and little shredded cheddar cheese:

Snack: 1 Honeycrisp Apple sliced with 1 Tbsp. melted crunchy peanut butter:

Lunch: 1 Johnsonville Smoked Turkey Sausage on 1/2 a 100% whole wheat bun (took part of bun off from picture!) and some pork rinds (those must be a KELLY thing huh Happy Texans (Kelly) ? I know there is no green in this picture but I had to hit the grocery store and have had plenty since.  Dinner (no pic) was baked chicken breast  with asparagus:

And here is my own personal Satan: but I am kicking it's butt!!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend and does something fun. I will keep you posted on how this new IR way of eating is going.