Weight Loss and Insulin Resistance

One  reason one can stall in their weight loss goals is insulin resistance. Insulin is the hormone that is responsible for regulating the amount of sugar going into the brain after we eat. It also stores glucose in the cells which will decrease the blood glucose levels. But with insulin resistance the cells become resistant to the effects of insulin and blood sugar remains high.

This can cause one to stall in their attempts at weight loss because it affects the insulin/glucagon ration. Glucagon tells the liver to release glycogen for energy. It also tells the fat cells to release fat for energy. If the ratio is off this is effected and the fat is not released. The insulin/glucagon ratio is what determines if food will be used for energy or stored as fat. If the ratio is balanced then the body will be functioning correctly. If the ratio is high fat will be stored, if low lean body mass is destroyed.

In every weight loss patient that I see this has to be considered. It is another reason that one can stall in their attempts to lose weight. We can always blame age or some other factor but the proper evaluation can normally get one the results that they want. One of those factors is menopause which is very difficult on the female body and does make it harder to lose weight. View my article on Estrogen dominance.  Estrogen will store itself in the yellow fat. In the female this is in the abdomen, hips and triceps. This has to be addressed or the fat cannot decrease because it has to store the estrogen.

It is not always eat less, work out harder and you will lose the weight. I have seen many patients that have problems losing and they always have a physiological reason that they cannot lose. Once that is addressed they will lose weight. It all comes down to proper evaluation and commitment.