The Hormone Reset Diet by Sara Gottfried Page B

insulin. I know many of you might say I’m asking the impossible. If you can’t imagine life without your bars of chocolate stashed in your desk drawer, glove compartment, and purse, I understand. I’ve been there. But I implore you: you can do this for three days. And when you do, you’ll find your sugar addiction broken and the pounds melting away.
Self-Assessment
    Insulin resistance is the most common hormonal reason I see in my medical practice for slow metabolism and weight gain in women. To see if you fit into this category, check off which symptoms apply to you or have occurred in the past six months.
    Do you crave sweet foods? Do sweet foods calm you down?
    Have you tried to stop eating sweets but found you couldn’t? Is it difficult to stop eating carbohydrate-rich foods, such as chocolate, ice cream, or french fries?
    Have you been told your blood sugar is higher than normal, or do you know that it is greater than 85 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter)?
    When you go without eating for more than three hours, do you feel shaky, anxious, or irritable?
    For women, is your waist measurement 35 inches or greater (at the belly button)? For men, greater than 40 inches?
    Do you have a body mass index greater than 25? (To calculate, see Measurement #2: Body Mass Index, Waist-to-Height Ratio, and Basal Metabolic Rate, page 27).
    Have you been told that you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition that includes irregular periods, acne, increased hair growth, and sometimes infertility and cysts on the ovaries?
    Do you have difficulty losing weight? Do you gain weight easily, maybe even aggressively?
    When you skip a meal, do you feel fatigued and/or cranky?
    Do you exercise three times per week or less?
    Have you been told you have low HDL (good) cholesterol and/or triglycerides?
    Do you have high blood pressure (systolic greater than 140 or diastolic greater than 90)? Have you been told you have heart disease or atherosclerosis?
    Do you have a fasting insulin level that is greater than 5 µIU/mL (micro international units per milliliter)?
Interpret Your Results
    • If you have five or more of these symptoms, you are very likely insulin resistant, and I urge you to address this hormone imbalance quickly, since it puts you at significant risk for prediabetes and diabetes.
    • If you have four or fewer of these symptoms, you might have insulin resistance, and I recommend asking your doctor for a blood (serum) test of your fasting glucose and insulin. Even better, request a two-hour glucose/insulin test.
    You can reset your insulin pathway within seventy-two hours if you follow the rules. This is not just my opinion; it’s based on rigorous science. 1 That’s right, you can step into the grace of metabolic intelligence in a mere three days. You will train your body to be the fat-burning machine you’ve always wanted. Grace is your birthright, and what I’ve observed in twenty-plus years of medical practice is that it is given to humans who earn it. You can earn it too.
    From Dr. Sara’s Case Files: Jeanette, Age Sixty
    • Started the Hormone Reset very depressed, barely sleeping, no energy, and anxious. “I felt like I was going to have a nervous breakdown.”
    • Lost 18 pounds in her first Hormone Reset
    • Hardest reset was Sugar Free. “I used to be able to wipe out half a crumb cake. My sense of taste changed, and I now can barely eat a small piece.”
    • Lost another 18 pounds after she completed the program.
    • Waist went from 36 to 31 inches; hips 38 to 36 inches.
    • “I bought a glucometer and supplies expecting it to be a waste and was shocked that my fasting blood sugars were 100 to 114. Now I’m running around 85.”
    • Able to work with clinician to wean off her medications (amlodipine and chlorthalidone).
    • Now:
“I feel so much better. I can think clearly again. I feel energetic. I can’t believe how different my life is. I’m just plain happy again.”
Meet Insulin
    Hormones