The Carb Sensitivity Program: Discover Which Carbs Will Curb Your Cravings, Control Your Appetite and Banish Belly Fat - Hardcover

CHAPTER 1

CONFESSIONS OF A CARBOHOLIC CULTURE

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

C. S. LEWIS

We live in a carb-fueled world. Turn on the television any time of the day, and you will be bombarded by tantalizing images of everything from high- carb cereals and breakfast sandwiches to fast-food lunches and microwavable dinners. And there's a reason for it. As a society, we love our carbs. We eat them to celebrate, to ease the pain of heartbreak, to dampen frustration, to comfort our sorrows or to indulge in a moment of connection. Just recently I saw someone wearing a T-shirt that read, "I love carbs." Carbs are everywhere: They even have their own clothing line.

This love affair with carbs has been building for a while--about 30 years or more. Pick up the most recent edition of the dietary guidelines for Americans and even here you will find a significant reliance on grains and starches--up to six recommended servings a day! For my age, the recommendation is to have six grain products, three cups of dairy, one and a half cups of fruits and two cups of vegetables, and two protein sources a day. While there was a 1600-calorie count included, I can tell you that if I put patients on that diet they could potentially gain a £d a day and have diabetes by the end of a month! An exaggeration? Perhaps. Nonetheless, as you are about to learn, these government guidelines are not only painfully outdated but also potentially harmful. For decades now, prominent organizations such as the American Diabetes Association have been recommending a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet as a treatment for diabetes. Based on my years of research and clinical experience as a preventive health specialist, I will tell you that this approach cannot and does not work.

If we were to rewind a few centuries--to a time before our taste buds knew of doughnuts, bagels, fortified cereals and the like--we would discover that there were significantly fewer cases of diabetes, and that obesity was a condition of the few, rather than the many. In fact, one could argue that our current obsession with dieting is a direct consequence of this carb addiction that has developed over several generations.

Unfortunately, it seems as if the more we try to fix the problem, the further we get from a real, lasting solution. We frantically try fad diet after fad diet, only to creep back up to our previous weight (or higher!) thanks to cravings, improper sleep habits, daily stresses and our on-the- run lifestyles.

When we examine those diets, it's clear that carbs have replaced fat as the main taboo over the last 10 to 20 years. I cannot count the number of times I have heard someone say, "But I don't eat carbs; I don't know why I'm still overweight." While we have come to understand that carb consumption is linked with weight gain, the majority of us do not realize the many ways that carbs can quietly slip into our diet. Coupled with this confusion is a lack of knowledge regarding the total amount of carbs we can or should consume. Some of us may wonder if we should eat them at all.

So, what's a health-conscious eater to do? Should we join the procarb movement or the anticarb revolution? Surprisingly, the answer has little to do with your taste buds and everything to do with the hormone insulin and, more specifically, how your body reacts to the carbohydrates that you do consume. The kicker? Each and every body has its own unique response to carbs.

In my previous book The Hormone Diet, I presented the following equation for fat loss:

Lasting Fat Loss = Hormonal Balance + (Calories In - Calories Burned)

That equation still works, but what if I told you that I've made an important discovery within the scope of "calories in"--a discovery that can help you break through even the most stubborn weight-loss plateau, not to mention banish your risk of diabetes, Alzheimer's, stroke, heart disease and other ailments? Even if you satisfy your cravings with only low- glycemic carbs or religiously follow the latest fitness magazine diet that promises to keep your blood sugar low, you need to remember this: All carbs = sugar. In other words, when we look at the calories we are consuming, we must take into account that all carbs trigger the release of insulin--a powerful fat-storing hormone.

Insulin is released by the pancreas in proportion to the amount of sugar in the bloodstream (i.e., more sugar = more insulin). While insulin is necessary for the proper functioning of our cells, excess insulin can, over time, predispose you to a condition called insulin resistance, which can eventually lead to diabetes and a whole host of health concerns. Sadly, the majority of us have some degree of insulin resistance--and we don't even know it.

In the pages that follow, I will walk you through the ins and outs of insulin, and explain how an excess of this hormone can impact your ability to lose weight and keep it off. But the most important point I want you to absorb--and the reason I wrote this book--is that the consequences of an insulin imbalance are much more dire than the number on your scale or the fit of your clothes. Excess insulin literally causes the slow destruction of bodily tissues and organs, including our bones, muscles, skin, blood vessels, brain, liver and more. And this far-reaching, devastating imbalance is spurred by one basic factor: the frequency, amount and type of carbohydrates we consistently consume over time, and our body's individual ability to process them. When our cells become resistant to insulin, we become more sensitive to carbs. The more insulin we have, the fewer carbs we can safely process. And the more carb sensitive we are, the greater the degree of insulin resistance. It's a vicious circle!

Consider this example: Imagine eating a meal consisting of a low-glycemic grain such as quinoa or a sweet potato with your protein and essential fats. Sounds healthy, right? But what if your body dealt with that carbohydrate as though it were a big bowl of chocolate ice cream? No wonder it's so hard to lose weight! If you're having an aha moment right now, read on: The Carb Sensitivity Program (CSP) will reboot your metabolism and fix any faulty communications within your cells so that a good carb, becomes, well, a good carb again. I have discovered that even healthy, low-glycemic index carbs such as beans and sweet potatoes can cause a blood sugar spike and subsequent insulin surge in certain patients--factors that lead to cravings, weight gain and an excessive appetite. In all cases, the carbs that you are sensitive to are the same carbs that spike your insulin. And your metabolic makeup--or degree of insulin resistance--is the determining factor. In the end, it doesn't matter whether the carbs you are consuming are "good" or "bad." What matters is your particular carb sensitivity.

Diabesity: A Modern Plague

Is it really possible that heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, inflammatory conditions, muscle tissue loss and disease-causing vitamin and mineral deficiencies may all have one root factor? Or that the early-warning signs of these conditions, such as an expanding waistline, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, can also be traced to the same single underlying cause? The latest scientific research clearly demonstrates that these conditions not only share the same underlying cause--excess insulin--but also require the same treatment. The good news? Many of these issues are 100 percent preventable and, in some cases, entirely reversible.

So how prevalent is this insulin imbalance? Dr. Francine Kaufman, a California-based pediatric endocrinologist, has coined the term diabesity (diabetes + obesity) to describe a metabolic dysfunction related to insulin imbalance that ranges from mild blood sugar imbalance to full-fledged type 2 diabetes. Obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, heart disease and type 2 diabetes have reached epidemic proportions. I dare say there's not a person reading this book who isn't affected by these conditions, either directly or indirectly. Yet as common as these conditions may be, few of us understand how closely related they are.

Diabesity is our modern plague. The Center for Health Reform & Modernization, part of the health care company United Health Group, Inc., warns that more than half of all Americans may develop diabetes or prediabetes by 2020, unless they lose weight and become more active. The many conditions that exist under the umbrella of diabesity--from high cholesterol and blood pressure to excess abdominal fat and insulin resistance--affect more than one billion people worldwide. As of 2010, more than 100 million Americans (including 50 percent of those over age 65) suffered from diabetes in its various forms and 1.8 million people in Canada had been diagnosed with the disease. Diabesity has been identified as the leading cause of increased risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, cancer, kidney failure and blindness, to name only a few related ailments.

The vastness of this problem is astronomical. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that some 75 million Americans have metabolic syndrome, the clinical condition that manifests as a result of insulin resistance. Even more frightening? Nearly six million are undiagnosed or unaware they have it.

If the epidemic of diabesity among adults isn't concerning enough, the state of our children's health is even more alarming:

. Recent reports from the 2009 Proceedings of the Nutrition Society suggest that one-third of people born in 2010 will develop diabetes at some point in their lives. Particularly shocking is that many will develop it in childhood. A recent Yale University study indicated that nearly one in four obese kids between the ages of 4 and 18 have prediabetes, or insulin imbalance. . Each year, kids are getting fatter. Among American children 2 to 5 years of age, more than 10 percent are now obese. . Research from Harvard shows infant obesity (children under the age of 2) has risen more than 70 percent since 1980.

Clearly, these alarming statistics are not the result of babies eating cake and doughnuts in front of the TV. There is more to the diabesity story than consuming junk food and not exercising enough, as you will learn in Chapter 3. Sadly, it is mom's insulin level during pregnancy that is setting up her child for obesity before he takes his first breath.

According to the November 2010 edition of the Oxford Journal Online, the projections for diabetes for 2030 are expected to reach 439 million individuals, or 7.7 percent of the world population. This is nearly 10 times the number of people affected by HIV/AIDS, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Besides the consequences for individuals, this epidemic has an effect on the world economy. The health-care costs associated with diabetes have been rising steadily over the last decade, reaching $376 billion in 2010 and projected to hit $490 billion by 2030. With numbers like this, you would expect a state of emergency to be declared! And you would think that the world's decision makers would be doing everything in their power to get the word out about the cause of these conditions and how to treat them successfully.

It is urgent that we take steps, including screening, prevention and early management, in an effort to control this evolving epidemic. And that's exactly what the Carb Sensitivity Program aims to do. Specifically, the CSP seeks to explain exactly what those "calories in" should comprise, and the associated impacts on our waistline and our state of health.

The Carb Sensitivity Program

The Carb Sensitivity Program (CSP) is a natural extension of the information presented in my first book, The Hormone Diet. The program presented there was the first to support the direct relationship between achieving hormonal balance and lasting weight loss. Through this approach, I was able to demonstrate the extraordinary incidence of hormonal imbalance, and thousands of people came to realize that their common symptoms--such as sleep disruption or cravings--were significant indicators of hormonal disruption. My philosophy was simple: Balanced hormones = healthy aging and ideal body composition.

Although this is still the guiding principle for me and my colleagues at Clear Medicine, it's grown into something more. By manipulating and testing how different individuals react to carbohydrates, I have devised a nutrition program that produces quick, consistent and lasting weight-loss results. The CSP recognizes the main obstacle to weight loss--carbohydrate sensitivity caused by insulin imbalance--and guarantees success where other plans fail. The CSP is unique in that it helps you to discover the perfect types and amounts of carbohydrates to optimize your metabolism. You will walk away with a personalized plan that sheds body fat, reshapes your body and improves your health. It's a remarkably simple plan, and it works.

In my clinical practice, patients on this program have seen extraordinary improvements in their body composition, their overall mood and their digestion, and their blood work. The average weight loss in the first 2 weeks is 5 to 12 £ds, with most patients losing anywhere from 30 to 110 £ds in total, depending on their initial starting point. Incredibly, patients consistently report that their food cravings disappear within just days!

How Can You Tell If You Are Carbohydrate Sensitive (CS)?

Are you wondering if the CSP is for you? Consider this. I hear daily from patients who are perplexed that they are suddenly gaining weight on the same diet they have been eating for years and years. Or perhaps they have tried to repeat a successful diet from a few years back, only to discover it no longer has the same effect. Despite their best intentions, these patients are finding that the so-called low-carb, low-fat or low-cal effort just throws them deeper into a state of metabolic imbalance and dietary frustration. Sound familiar? In situations like these, it's not long before you feel like a hamster on a wheel, working hard but getting nowhere fast.

The Carb Sensitivity Program is designed to repair your metabolism and kick- start your fat loss, but in order for it to work, we must set aside the conventional understanding of a carbohydrate as an essential source of energy--and replace it with an updated model of thinking that reflects the needs of your body today.

When we are CS, our cells do not respond effectively to insulin, which ultimately means the body can no longer burn fat efficiently. But many people are unaware that they are challenged by their carb intake. In fact, the vast majority of us have different degrees of sensitivity to carbs, and we don't even realize it. In very basic terms, the degree of your carb sensitivity determines how much fat you are accumulating on your waistline. You can also tell if you are CS by asking yourself these key questions: