As Rebecca ' s cravings stopped, her pounds continued to disappear. One or two friends, in the grip of low-fat illusions, warned her of what terrible risks she was taking on an eating plan that allowed her to eat bacon and eggs for breakfast. Four months into Atkins, she decided to see her physician. " He reviewed my highly favorable cholesterol readings and all my other lab work, put me on the scale and finally said, `Keep doing whatever you ' re doing, Rebecca. You ' re as healthy as a horse."'
After a year doing Atkins, Rebecca regularly takes walks and rides her bike. She finds she has much more energy, and, so far, she has lost 86 pounds. She has a whole new set of recipes to cook for her friends nowadays. And she never goes anywhere without some controlled carb snacks in her pocketbook.
" My dress size is now a 12 or 14. The old me wouldn ' t have been caught dead in clothing that showed my shape, but I just went shopping at The Gap and bought medium-sized fitted shirts. I don ' t recall buying such small shirts since I ' ve been old enough to buy my own clothes. I have vowed to myself that I will never be fat again. I don ' t know why I didn ' t try Atkins ten years ago."
If all this still seems amazing to you, I can only say " read on." In the next chapter, we ' ll learn about the specific metabolic role that insulin plays in obesity.
KEY POINTS!
• A significant number of all overweight people suffer from a metabolic problem known as hyperinsulinism.
• Eating large amounts of foods high in sugar, white flour and other refined carbohydrates can promote or aggravate hyperinsulinism.
• Atkins is a corrective metabolic approach to metabolic problems.
• The protein- and fat-rich foods you eat when doing Atkins stabilize your blood sugar, making food cravings disappear.
TIPS:
• Excess weight around your waist is often the first sign that your body is not metabolizing sugar properly.
• Try not eating your favorite food for a week and see if you notice any changes in how you feel.
• Don ' t ever go more than six hours without having a meal or protein-rich snack.
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