Have you been trying your best to diet, but no matter what you do, the weight just doesn’t seem to budge? Or worse yet, the numbers on the scale are slowly creeping upwards, despite your best efforts to keep them down? Are the extra kilograms that you’re carrying concentrated around the middle of your body? Is insulin resistance to blame?

If you’re nodding your head, there’s a chance you could be one of the many who’s become resistant to the effects of insulin.

The insulin connection and understanding insulin resistance

When it comes to weight gain, the hormone insulin has a large role to play as one of its many functions is to tell your body to transfer the sugar that’s in your blood to your cells where it can be burned as energy.

However, when you are insulin resistant, your body ignores this message. This results in your body ‘shouting’ as it now has to flood your system with larger amounts just to get the same reaction. After a while, your body can’t produce the amount of insulin required to trigger the sugar conversion. The end result is high blood sugar. Also, instead of being used for fuel, the sugar turns straight into fat.

Why do I have insulin resistance?

Many people who struggle to lose weight are insulin resistant. The causes for this are numerous and can range from being genetically prone to leading an unhealthy lifestyle.  These result in health marred by unmanaged chronic stress, a possible sleep disorder and smoking.

According to the American College of Endocrinology, if you have two of any of the following factors, you’re at risk of developing insulin resistance:

– You have a sedentary lifestyle and don’t get regular exercise.
– You’re over the age of 40.
– You’re overweight and have a waist circumference larger than 88cm if you’re a women and 102cm if you’re a man.
– If you’re a women and have experienced pregnancy-related diabetes.
– You’ve ever been diagnosed with coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, polycystic ovarian syndrome or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
– You have a family history of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or coronary heart disease.

Know the signs

There are several signs that you could be insulin resistant and, frustratingly, you might have some of them or none of them, other than a scale never seems to go down, no matter how much you diet.

Symptoms of insulin resistance include the following:

– Creeping weight gain, mostly in your mid-section
– Being thirsty or hungry all the time, even after you eat
– A craving for carbs and sugar
– Increased need to urinate
– Feeling tired all the time
– Blurry vision
– Difficulty focusing
– High blood pressure
– High cholesterol
– Fluid retention
– Greasier skin and possibly acne

In extreme cases, some might see the development of darker patches of skin, often in your groin or armpits. If you progress to type 2 diabetes, you might experience a tingling sensation in your hands and feet.

All’s not lost

If you suspect you might be insulin resistant then your next move is to get to a doctor. Doctors can run a series of blood tests to confirm your diagnosis. Catching it early is important because, if left untreated, you can end up developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

As far as treatment goes, you might be prescribed medication but this will go hand in hand with lifestyle changes. Getting more exercise and a switch to a low glycemic index (GI) eating plan are also a must. You’d also be a great candidate for the Renewal Institute Diet (RID).

Carefully created by our highly-skilled doctors, it’s a low calorie, low GI plan that’s enhanced by supplements and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injections. If you adhere to it strictly, women can lose between 5 to 6 kg a month while men can lose between 7 and 8 kg a month.

Why RID really works
The key to beating insulin resistance is to reduce the glucose levels in your blood. The less sugar in your bloodstream, the less your body will pull out and put into storage as opposed to burning up. This is why following the RID to a tee is essential. It ensures you eat low to no sugar foods. However, you still get all the nutrition your body needs thanks to an array of supplements and delicious-tasting vitamin and mineral-packed shakes.

In addition to eating correctly, you’ll also benefit from hCG injections that will boost your metabolism and reduce any hunger cravings. These will be administered by yourself daily and one of our medical doctors will be monitoring your progress every step of the way.

Getting started

Before you start the RID, our doctors and nurses will give you a full health assessment. This will involve a series of tests and take several measurements to ensure you’re a good candidate for the programme and, should you start, monitor your progress to ensure you stay on track.

Next, as a healthy gut is essential to optimal weight loss, you’ll undertake a 5-day cleanse. This cleanse involves taking supplements to balance your gut bacteria while cutting out foods that cause inflammation. Once you’ve completed that, you’ll be ready to start your course of hCG injections and eat according to the low GI diet. This is when you’ll start to see real weight loss.

Once you’ve hit your target, you’ll be guided through a very sustainable maintenance plan that ensures your body, which is now ‘retrained’ to no longer resist the effects of insulin, keeps the weight off for good.

Get in touch today
If you’d like to find out if you’re insulin resistant, or looking for a science born diet that will help you lose weight regardless of your diagnosis, make an appoint to see one of the doctors at Body Renewal. Anyone can benefit from RID (although you’ll be tested to ensure there’s no physical reason as to why you shouldn’t embark on the programme) and it’ll put you on the fast track to a sleeker-looking, healthier-feeling physique!