In this article, Obesity And Insulin Resistance, I aim to make clear the relation between Obesity and Insulin Resistance, and also to inform that obesity is not the cause of type 2 diabetes, but a factor that can enhance the risk of it.
The cause of obesity is actually a degree of insulin resistance, that has not yet resulted in type 2 diabetes.
The Obesity Epidemic
There is a saying that what we put into our mouth we become. This means, If we put healthy food in our mouth, we become healthy and likewise, if we don´t, we become unhealthy.
The majority of obese people do just that. They stuff themselves with an excess of foods, and these foods are at the same time mostly junk food that makes them ill.
There are various reasons for that. If we are stressed out we grab some food on the go, and this is mostly junk food because this is the food that is most available to us. Also, people eat out of boredom, and eating becomes an activity of doing something. Very often there are also psychological reasons we eat all the time. We feel a hole inside ourselves and need to fill it up to feel satisfied.
Whatever the reason is, obesity is actually an illness. I didn´t actually used to think so. But I have become more and more aware as I study diabetes and healthy lifestyle options, that it actually is a disease.
And for the very reason that it’s not a normal state to be obese. There is a dis-ease in the body, that is the underlying cause, that creates the obesity.
The Disease of Obesity
The dis-ease that creates obesity has to do with a hormonal problem with insulin and cortisol resulting from stress and poor eating and food choices.
Both stress and poor nutrition cause a high insulin level.
And when you have a too high insulin level, the body is in what we call the fat-storing state and not in the fat-burning state. Meaning we can´t burn off the excess fat as a high insulin level keeps storing fat.
Insulin is a fat-burning hormone as well as a fat-storing hormone and as long as insulin is high we cannot rid our selves of fat simply because we aren’t functioning in the natural fat-burning state.
So obesity is caused by a too high insulin level which renders a person in a constant fat-storing state.
The Connection Between Obesity and Insulin Resistance
Obesity is caused mainly by poor food choices and/or stress which creates a level of insulin resistance.
Excess fat from poor food choices enter the cells and fuels them before glucose gets there. So that when the glucose gets there, the cells are already fed by fat.
This blocks out the possibility of the cells to receive the glucose from the blood, creating insulin resistance.
Also, because of all the fat, obese people have a fatty liver resulting in insulin resistance. This result in a metabolic dysfunction further creating high blood sugar.
Many People Struggle to Lose Weight
Many people struggle to lose weight simply because their approach is wrong. They go on diets which doesn’t help them in the long term simply because diets don’t actually work.
In the short term they may lose some weight but that is mostly water due to the deprivation of food and nutrients that occur when we diet. But when the diet is over all the weight comes back on and more.
And the reason for this is that when we go on a diet we deprive our body of food and nutrients, and this slows down our metabolism so that when the diet is over we gain all the weight back on and more simply because we burn fat at a slower rate than before.
So diets don’t work.
Also, workouts don’t work. And that’s because of the high insulin level. With which we cannot lose weight because of the high insulin level.
The Key to Succesful Weight Loss And More Insulin Sensitivity
The key to successful weight loss and more insulin sensitivity is to make a lasting and healthy lifestyle changes, including intermittent fasting and getting regular daily exercise.
The key is really to focus on getting healthy first, because a healthy body will naturally slim down.
To getting healthy we must cut drastically down on processed food and junk food, and instead focus on consuming natural wholefoods also known as one-ingredient foods. An example of a one-ingredient food is for example an orange. The orange consist only of the orange, and there is nothing added to it, and it is as delivered from nature.
These kinds of foods work wonders in cleansing our body out from fat, and lowering our insulin levels so we can enter into the fat burning state again.
Natural whole foods such as, fruits, vegetables (including starchy ones), legumes, berries, nuts and seeds have a fantastic positive effect on obesity and insulin resistance (pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes) and can help to reverse type 2 diabetes completely if one follows a low fat plant based diet.
You don’t have to go all plant based, but it is the best solution, but you need to cut drastically down on animal proteins such as meat, dairy and eggs. These foods fuel obesity and insulin resistance. They are the cause of it together with a sedentary lifestyle.
Conclusion
To sum it all up.
Obesity and insulin resistance goes hand in hand. Obesity is caused by insulin resistance and a too high insulin level in the body causing our body to be in fat storing mode instead of the natural fat burning mode.
Insulin resistance and obesity can be overcome by focusing first on getting healthy. Meaning creating healthy lifestyle changes and getting some gentle daily exercise which will lower the insulin level, burn fat and decrease insulin resistance.