I'm just about reaching the end of my rope as far as weight loss on this low carb plan. Nothing I try seems to work for me at this point.

I know I'm insulin resistant. Just how much, I'm not certain. My last fasting blood sugar was 105. I have every symptom of insulin resistance (metabolic resistance too) except high BP.

I've been on Atkins Induction for 2.5 days (again!) and not lost an ounce.
I am using way more fat than I did last time, basing my theory on my most recent reading in Taubes' book.

I'm getting about 1700-1900 calories a day, 70% fat on average and most days recently carbs were under 50. Of course the past 3 days they have been well under 20.

So I turn my attention to artificial sweeteners.

In my morning tea I use Stevia. AFAIK, it has never been shown to cause a false insulin spike.

I do however use some DaVinci Syrups daily, mostly to flavor my greek yogurt. About 2-3 TBSP per day, most days. I also drink Splenda flavored Aquafina Fruit waters several times a week (I really love these things!). I recently drank a 6 pack of that Lipton Diet Citrus Green Tea that my DH brought home, and just the other day drinking the last bottle I looked at the ingreds. Yikes...it's got aspartame which I avoid carefully!!

I'm normally a pretty careful and health-nutty person in terms of chemicals and food additives but the Splenda has seemed fairly benign to me. Til now.

Has anyone heard anything definitive about Splenda or aspartame causing an insulin response? I haven't been able to find much literature but I think I've heard conjecture on this.

bump Nobody??

A lot of people have said that AS stalls them. For me, the yogurt would stall me big time.

I read last year, on a reputable web site (didn't save it can't find it now, naturally) that stevia increases insulin resistance. That wasn't the exact wording, but that was the net effect.

http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic...blicationId=609

the link at the bottom provides more:
http://www.cspinet.org/nah/4_00/stevia.html

There are people around here, who have BS issues and are affected by artificial sweeteners. It seems like their bodies taste the sweet and react to the taste. I can't remember who it was, but you may want to ask in the diabetes forum.

I lost weight using A S while doing Atkins, but over the last year have started to realize that my body doesn't know or recognize all those chemicals, and COULD be reacting poorly to them. I now eat and drink much more pure.... really limiting sweetners.

Thanks for the answers, all. AS meaning ?? Aspartame?

NewRuth, you may have the links to what I thought I had heard. I'll go check them out now.

Jules555, I think it might be possible to almost totally retrain my tastebuds. Do you eat or drink nothing sweetened now? I had a sip of something sugary about a month ago and wow, it was nasty. I'm the same way with salt now too. It takes so much less to satisfy the salt tooth or sweet tooth. I guess I can keep weaning myself down.

Well, duh ME. I don't know why I didn't do a google search to begin with!

I found this:
Insulin and Stevia

The bad news is, I bet I already have too much insulin (getting testing in about a week). If Stevia stimulates the pancreas to release more, that's not good. Now if if would increase insulin sensitivity, THAT would be good news. Rats >:-/