I have been following the principles from " The Insulin Resistance Diet" book and they have been doing wonders for me:
1. Till date I have lost 20 pounds of weight. I was not obese but looked overweight. In my worst case I weighed abot 150 pounds.I about 5 feet 2 inches tall and of Indian Origin
2. My problem was weight accumulation on the belly and thighs. Whatever I did the weight from here never budged. But with the weight loss I feel my body toning. I dont do strenous excercise or workouts and will explain why in my next point.
3.This sympton is very uncommon. But Insulin restance also messes with the functions of teh heels/calf muscles. My legs ache severely. If every morning after I get from my bed and can stand on my 2 feet without shrieking in pain is a miracle. Early- Mid 2008 , I could not walk or stand for more than 5 minutes - teh pain was that intense. So exercise was out of question. However I did some light Yoga and Pranayam. With Metformin and a balanced carb-protein diet my condition has improved. My legs don't ache. I can now work for hours. 2 weeks ago we were in amsterda and I walked almost the whole day
4. Before discovering "The Isulin resistance Diet" book , my diet was pretty healthy - I eat whole grains, lots of fruits/veggies, no white breads, no sugary treats, no soda , no fried food yet I had difficulty losing weight. So I started cutting on portions drastically. That di dnot help. I felt weak and deprived. I became cranky. The point I was missing was - My meals were not balanced. After I ate the same meals but balanced them the weight started disappearing.
5. The concepts in teh book are great but the recipes are limited and not too great. Iam a great foodie. I love to cook as well eat. I have travelled the world and cook a variety of food at home. Over the months I have worked with my recipes to meet the carb-protein balance criteria. Now I don't miss eating my favorite food plus take of my healthwithout deprivation. I had a tough time getting recipes for IR and planning my meals. I am a software engineer by profession and get very little time to cook on the weekdays. I wished there was a source of recipes which helped me plan my meals for the week. I plan to consolidate the recipes and put on a blog so other soul cysters like me can benefit.
I have learnt a lot from this website. If you have any questions or info I will be happy to help.