How Insulin Levels are Causing your Love Handles

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Everyone has experienced that weight loss plateau where you just cannot shed another pound. It is the most frustrating place to be in any weight loss journey. No matter how much extra exercise you do or carbs your cut, there is no way to get the weight off. You are not alone, and the culprit is one you might now have realized was such a problem – hormone levels.

There are several different hormones at work in the body that can truly inhibit weight loss. The first of these is insulin. Most people associated insulin with diabetes, but few realized what role it plays in the body. Insulin is actually a hormone that is made in the pancreas. Its job is to keep blood sugar levels regulated. When insulin levels spike, it can result in hanging on to a few extra pounds, especially around the middle.

So what causes problems with insulin levels? It is often associated with a poor diet, low levels of exercise, or getting older. Insulin resistance is something that happens naturally as people age and this can cause serious inflammation throughout the body as well as a wide range of other health problems. This makes it crucial to control insulin levels to protect your heart, prevent Type II Diabetes, and control your weight.

There are several ways to know if you have increased insulin levels. People will:

·         Gain weight

·         Have food cravings

·         Experience constant hunger pangs

·         Have shifts in mood

·         Have problems sleeping

Just as there are many things that can happen when insulin levels are not balanced, there are several ways to combat this problem.

·         Exercise and increase your muscle mass through weightlifting –this improves metabolism by lessoning glucose insulin resistance

·         Eat 5-6 smaller meals per day (always including protein)

·         Get the daily recommended levels of fiber

·         Take a multi-vitamin to keep nutrient levels regulated