Scarlet, or anyone that can help - are you still doing the modified insulin resistance diet? If so I would love to find out how you are modifying it. I have been on atkins since the beginning of the year and just not having great results. However, I do love this WOE. I am in the process of reading the insulin resistance diet, and I am convinced that I do have insulin resistance. I'd like to try this diet and modify it and do it somehow with atkins.

I think it might be time for me to dust off my copy of the book and re-read it. For the last several months, I have been following my own version of low carb dieting. As best as I can -- stress makes me eat, but I won't go into personal details.

If memory serves, I tried to meld the two diets to suit me by eating more lean protein and a lot of vegetables and even some fruit. Atkins was hard for me to follow because I really do love fruit, and prefer it as a dessert to anything else. I've never considered this a particularly unhealthy repast, and I'm pretty sketchy on the details of how fruits in particular fall in the glycemic index (which barely makes sense to me, and I'm not stupid). However, I eat far less fruit than I used to.

Other things that were hard to give up, like carrots, I now eat, but not nearly as much as I used to: I've been known to eat an entire pound of carrots at once. And corn, though I limit myself to half an ear. I do not put fat on cooked carrots or corn, and try to limit my intake of fat on days when I am desperately craving vegetables. Sometimes a large drink of water ends these cravings, sometimes not.

Dairy, especially yogurt, is still a huge struggle for me. Cheese is yummy, but it leaves a bad aftertaste in my mouth. I drink a lot of unsweetened soymilk (Westsoy has 4g of carbs and 3g of fiber or some such). I limit my intake of yogurt to only a few times per week.

I thought I would miss bread a lot more than I do, but I allow myself a serving of bread about once a week, usually with butter or cheese. Having once been my favorite snack, bread and soft cheese is just as much food for my soul as anything else. And I think IR Diet addresses that, though maybe indirectly. Also, I once lost 65lbs living on mostly bread, cheese and fruit juice for over a year, so I have a hard time accepting that Bread is Evil. In the same vein, I also allow myself a small bit of sugar once a week as well (sometimes less, because sugar has a slimy quality). If the choice is between backsliding a little or falling off the wagon completely, I opt for the former.

Hope this helps. Not feeling very coherent at this very moment.

Erin

I'm trying the IR diet with an important modification: When exercising (walking), after the first hour up to one hour after exercise, turn off the diet. The exercise will prevent any insulin spikes during that time, so carbs need not be linked / balanced / restricted.

- larry

PS: The Snickers marathon energy bars taste wonderful, and they are already balanced and linked (25 g net carbs, 13 g protein). MLO energy bars are also in the ballpark with 40 g net carbs and 21 g protein.

I'm so glad I found this forum. I recently read the Insulin Resistance Diet and love the concept, but could really use some help deciphering some of the info. First of all, have people been successful on this diet? With all of the linking I'm afraid I won't loose weight because of calories. And in the book it says you don't have to count calories, but then it also says if you eat too many calories you will gain weight.

I am also a little confused about the linking. If a food is balanced, like certain fruits or vegetables, can you eat them by themselves? Like can you have a grapefruit by itself, or some carrots? Or are those foods only to be eaten with other foods? The reason I ask is that the book says you must eat at least two food groups at every meal and also that you should eat a high protein food every time you eat. It just seems like every time I am hungry I have to eat so many calories because I always have to have foods linked. any advice would be greatly apprecitaed.

Hello,

I've been *trying* to follow the insulin resistance diet since August 2007 when I was diagnosed as being insulin resistant. My doctor gave no info regarding protein/carb ratios. Instead, he just said to eat a lot of protein and limit carbs to 15-20 g per meal and have only nuts, cheeses, sugar-free peanut butter on celery or other foods that are non-carb for snacks twice a day (four times a day now that I'm pregnant). Anything with added sugars or sweeteners (other than Splenda) are strictly no-no. Any suggestions for snacks? I like some nuts and cheeses but get very tired of them very quickly.

I've always been a chocolaholic so this diet has been very rough for me.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I just noticed that someone said they are missing chocolate. I buy 72% cacao dark chocolate (Ghirardelli and Lindt make good ones) and have a square when the chocolate urge strikes. It has less than 5 carbs and while it isn't quite balanced, when I eat this at home, I can have it with other protein or with milk. Occasionally, I put it on a single graham cracker square and melt it in the microwave - yummy. I sometimes also buy a bag of the Ghirardelli individually wrapped squares and put one in my purse to have with my tall skinny latte when we go to Starbucks or Barnes and Noble cafe (the latte is linked and balanced). The chocolate square makes me feel like I am getting a treat without resorting to having a scone or other high carb goodie. While I don't do this every day since it is not strictly balanced, it has not impacted my weight loss or my blood sugars and I no longer feel deprived!