The Invisible Man… a.k.a. High Insulin Levels
If you’ve been following my teachings, you already know how high insulin levels are responsible for so much unnecessary pain, suffering and damaging health consequences.
Most in our society have no idea.
Cancer, heart disease, pain, inflammation, diabetes, pcos, neuropathy, fibromyalgia, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s, depression, low-energy, cravings, weight gain and more…
It’s like there’s this invisible man out there wreaking havoc on our health.
No one can see him, so in their mind, he doesn’t exist.
Which of course, makes the invisible man, a very happy man.
Instead of blaming him, we blame the cholesterol, or diet, or heredity, or lack of exercise…
“Snicker, snicker”… the invisible man can barely contain his delight.
Instead of attacking the invisible man, we treat him like a king. Feeding him the absolute best fuel possible, glucose.
And lots of it.
Instead of confronting him, we placate him with medicines that are but a mere nuisance. Yes, they “may” slow him down a bit, but he’s going to get you.
It’s Just The Reality Of High Insulin Levels
The invisible man does his dirty work behind the scenes.
As high insulin levels over the years make our body insulin resistant.
And then, seemingly out of the blue, a health crises happens.
He thinks he’s getting away without being noticed.
But, this is where he’s made a big mistake.
You see, the invisible man shows himself years, actually decades before he really dials in his dirty work.
You see him as… waist weight.
I call it an Insulin Belt.
It’s weight, body fat actually, that accumulates around your middle because of high insulin levels… A.K.A. The Invisible Man.
In this article I share a true story that illustrates the work of our invisible man… high insulin levels. And how, if we just open our eyes to his existence, we can resolve “Egg On Legs” syndrome and kick the invisible man and all his baggage out of our life… forever.
You can start by watching the video below.
Then read this article as I get into some finer details that aren’t included in the video.
Watch: High Insulin Levels & The Egg On Legs Syndrome
The Egg On Legs Syndrome Background
I drew the below image to help me illustrate my story of this Egg On Legs Syndrome.
Yes. I’m being a bit silly but I’m also being sensitive.
I recently acquired a new client and this is what she had said about herself.
She said, “You know what? I’m like an egg on legs.”
And when she said that she took a step back and pointed to herself. “See?” “An egg on legs.”
“Hmmm”, I replied. “Okay. I get it. I can see what you’re saying”.
The self-proclaimed ‘egg on legs’ woman has muscle- lean legs. And her quite toned arms could be described as athletic.
In fact, she had been an athlete in her younger days.
Even Exercise Is Not Working
She exercises a lot, and has done so, consistently, for many years. She is in her sixties now. But she’s been struggling with weight since her mid-forties.
She said, good-naturedly, poking some fun at herself….with a touch of defense mechanism sarcasm…..”um, “I’m really just an egg on legs and nothing I do works to change that.”
She described herself as an egg on legs because she couldn’t get her waistline to resolve.
On her frame, it was her waistline that was the widest part of her. No matter how much she exercises, and this gal exercises a lot, I see her at the gym all the time, this waistline struggle has always been her plight.
“I can’t get rid of my egg shape!”
Watch: Why Exercise For Weight Loss Fails
The Exhausting List Of All We “Think” We Need To Do To Lose Weight
So then she proceeded to list all the things she has done and feels she needs to do more of, to resolve her ‘egg’ problem.
Weight Loss Myth #1: Potion Control
She went on to say…
“What I really need to do is just control my portions. I’ve got to pay attention more. Maybe, you know, use a smaller plate. Most plates are really big. I just need to swap it out for a child-size plate and whatever I want to reach for, I’ll just reach for less.”
“And, you know, when I’m eating I’ll pay attention to how full I am and I’ll take a few bites and as soon as it doesn’t taste as good as the first bite, I’ll push away.”
Whoa.
Does that sound like a pleasant existence? Uh, not to me.
Then she moved on from portion control to calorie counting,
Weight Loss Myth #2: Calorie Counting
Like portion control, calorie counting is another form of deprivation. It may yield some weight loss results short-term, but long-term we run out of will-power and tie of always counting calories.
Sadly, those companies and programs pushing calorie counting are building their weight loss empire on a cracked foundation that their clients continue to pay for.
It’s important to understand the science of calories in / calories out.
It’s not a one for one exchange. And some calories get trapped… hence the egg shape.
So, my client went on to say…
“I should be more aware of how many calories I’m taking in. I know I definitely need to burn more calories.”
I talked about this ‘burning more calories’ weight loss illusion in one of my other sessions.
The false hope that burning more calories is going to get us out of our situation. Well, this woman burns a lot of calories, but she’s not able to burn the calories responsible for her ‘egg shape’.
Those calories are not moving. Her gams are awesome, but she can’t get rid of her middle.
Let me say that again.
While exercising, she’s burning a lot of calories. But it’s the calories around her waist that won’t burn.
I call them Conditional Calories. They’re trapped.
Participating in the latest Body Attack kick-butt exercise class proclaiming to burn thousands of calories and wondering why your waistline isn’t getting the message?
Your waistline doesn’t respond to your heroism. It responds to your hormone, insulin.
Weight Loss Myth #3: Clean Eating
Then she posed the question, “Well, you know, maybe I just need to eat more clean?”
This is the organic panic.
And I agree. Of course we should be eating as high quality as we possibly can. Why would we want to eat additive enhanced, fake foods, right?
Factory made foods, packaged foods, processed foods. Not the best, but just because we’re eating foods that are ‘clean’ or unprocessed doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re not going to end up around our ‘egg’.
Weight Loss Myth #4: Plant Based Eating
Then she added, “How about, maybe, I eat more plant based? Maybe it’s the animal foods that I’m eating that are causing my egg shape?”
Well, the interesting thing is that animal foods are not directly causing her egg shape because animal foods are protein and fat foods.
They don’t stimulate insulin, or stimulate insulin very little.
And that is her egg shape plight. Insulin.
What’s An Insulin Belt?
She’s developed an ‘insulin belt’. She is struggling because of high insulin levels.
Now, let’s be clear, her waistline isn’t really a belt made out of insulin.
But her waistline developed because of insulin.
Belly fat accumulation is the direct consequence of high insulin levels. The healthy, complex, ‘good’ carbohydrates, she’s been eating digest quickly to blood sugar, and thanks to insulin, gets shuttled to cells needing energy.
And any excess gets shuttled to fat storage right around her middle.
Belly fat is simply stored fuel.
The Role Insulin Resistance Plays In Weight Gain…
We can gain a sense of how prevalent insulin is in our body by our waistline, our belly fat, our joey or muffin top. Whatever term of endearment you use for your fuel storage.
And this is why middle age comes with middle spread…..high insulin levels.
All humans, develop a resistance to insulin to some degree as we age. Ever since our first meal at infancy, our body has been releasing insulin.
Insulin keeps us alive by ensuring our cells can access glucose and assisting growth. Over time and depending on our glucose-generating food consumption, aka our carbohydrate lopsided diet, the cells of the body grow tired of or desensitized to inulin’s signal.
And insulin resistance develops.
When a body becomes resistant to insulin, the pancreas secretes even more insulin to get the job done.
The High Insulin Levels Trap Body Fat
So now you have high insulin levels which is where we become weight gain trapped.
Actually, our body fat itself becomes trapped. Because when insulin is elevated, body fat burning is disabled. And body fat accumulation is enabled.
This is why middle age spread happens.
We don’t lack hustle, we have surplus insulin or high insulin levels.
Of the three food categories, fat, protein, and carbohydrate, it’s the carbohydrate that triggers insulin which in turn shuts down a body’s ability to utilize stored fat for fuel. It’s critical we understand this.
Especially when we are chastised to move to a plant-based way of eating.
Plant-Based Eating Consequences
I’m all about plants, I eat plants every day. But oftentimes, “eat more plant based” is far too vague a directive. Just because a food is labeled plant-based doesn’t mean it’s without weight gain consequence.
It all comes down to choosing foods that least stimulate an insulin response. And I gently and respectfully add, that eating morally or taking the food ‘high road’ doesn’t necessarily guarantee superior health.
Understand The Real Reason For Weight Gain And Weight Loss
Choose foods for their impact on the body’s ability to burn fat or store fat. Build your food consciousness platform on solid ground. Insulin.
Weight Loss Myth #5: Exercise More
Oksy… getting back my conversation with my client…
Her next comment was, “I just need to exercise more.”
This is when I looked her in the eyes and asked, “Really? Really??
Do you really think you’re going to be able to exercise more than you already do?” At this point she didn’t yet realize that none of her strategies would give her the outcome she was seeking if she still had high insulin levels. Every one of her heroic actions would be futile.
High insulin levels are blocking her from tapping into using the belly fat calories.
How many people do you know or see in your daily life who are trapped? They don’t even realize they are trapped. They don’t realize that their body fat is locked down.
With high insulin levels, they’re accumulating fat, but they can’t release the fat. They absolutely cannot tap into it. They could be exercising out the wahoo, but be trapped in sugar burning because of high insulin levels.
High Insulin Levels And Muscle Loss
And so what happens when you are locked in sugar burning and can’t tap into body fat burning?
You start burning through muscles.
Protein from muscle gets converted to glucose/sugar and the sugar burning, not fat burning(!), continues on and on.
The Weight Loss Illusion
An interesting side note: My client shared with me that she had lost weight. Scale weight. Her weight number (lbs) was less but her waistline number (inches) was more. Meaning, she lost a few pounds according to the scale but gained extra inches around her middle.
This is the weight loss illusion. Sugar burning muscle wasting shows up as “weight loss”.
But she was losing precious muscle instead of belly fat. High insulin levels are to blame.
The Weight Loss Illusion: Weight number (lbs.) is less but waistline number (inches) is more.
What’s the deal?
High Insulin Levels
Well, after learning a thing or two, this gal got her insulin in check and you know what’s happening to her egg shape?
Of course.. you know what’s happening, right?
Her shape is looking less and less egg-like.
Slimmer. Waistline whittling. Bra line dwindling. Her egg shape is disappearing.
Disappearing!
And her insulin belt is getting narrower. And her body shape looks like it should look. We should not resemble an egg on legs.
And we should not have high insulin levels.
Get Insulin Low And Body Fat Burning Is A Go
It’s all about the insulin.
And knowing insulin eliminates the insanity and defeat from following all the directives out there in the world today.
You can apply every single one to the best of your ability, but if you don’t understand how to quiet insulin, you’re never gonna win. It’s just defeat and frustration and false hope, right?
“Dine In” On Your Body Fat
The cool thing is, once insulin is down low, as my client found out, and body fat let’s go, she’s able to ‘dine in’ on her body fat whenever she chooses.
This means she’s using her body fat to fuel her exercise and her daily activities.
She said, “Oh my gosh, I don’t even eat lunch any more because I’m not hungry.”
How is that possible?
It’s because energy needs are met.
Trapped in sugar burning we experience sugar cravings and energy crashings. Burning sugar calories provides terribly brief energy.
Fat burning delivers three times the amount of energy that sugar burning does. Imagine your life with three times more energy?! And three times less hunger!
IMAGINE YOUR LIFE WITH THREE TIMES MORE ENERGY AND THREE TIMES LESS HUNGER
This is why when you’re working or exercising with other people, they’ll ask, “Why do you have so much more energy than I do?” You’ll reply, “Because you’re only running on sugar while I’m tapping into my powerful energy fuel source, body fat. AND that egg shaped waistline is no longer there cause I tapped into it. I used it up.”
If you’d like to learn more and make this your A-Game Action for the rest of your life, c’mon in our SHIFT Program…. You’ll learn it. Earn it. And burn it!
And once you’ve experienced it you won’t need me anymore. You will own the key to your health for the rest of your life.
It’s powerful.
And if you know anyone else who’s struggling and calls themselves an ‘egg on legs’, you tell them that it doesn’t have to be. Maybe they’ll join you. The two of you can do it together.
Okay. Thanks for spending some time with me. Three cheers for disappearing eggs on legs! And until next time, Keep Calm and SHIFT On.
Barbara McDermott
Listen To The Podcast: The Story Of The Disappearing Egg On Legs
About Barbara McDermott
Regarded as America's #1 Insulin Suppression Coach, Barbara is the co-founder of SHIFT Health & Wellness Solution, and the best-selling author of the groundbreaking book, ‘FOOD B.S.’, With SHIFT, Barbara brings common sense to nutrition, weight loss and health gain. Her refreshing, no nonsense approach to uncovering the truth using non-negotiable rules of science demystifies food and how to defeat chronic disease once and for all.
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