Many years ago I crossed the line from pre-diabetes into type 2 diabetes.  My condition was caught too late, and the advice I was given was less than optimal.  In fact, I was told to go on a high-carb, low-fat diet to lose weight. I not only gained an enormous amount of weight on a high-carb, doctor-provided diet, but I ended up irreversibly type 2 diabetic. And, to make things more infuriating – the doctor accused me of being a liar and cheating on the diet otherwise I would not have gained weight.

That was back in the 1980s.  Today, we know more about what causes insulin resistance and pre-diabetes and how to treat it. We also know that anytime you eat carbohydrates your body needs to produce insulin to move glucose from the bloodstream into body tissues and cells.

People who are insulin resistant need to make more insulin than normal to maintain normal blood sugars (and, in some cases, even then they cannot maintain normal blood sugar and end up pre-diabetic or develop type 2 diabetes).

All this extra insulin does some really bad stuff to you, your body, and your weight:

• Over time, it can wear out your pancreas
• Excess insulin interferes with other hormones, like estrogen and can lead to irregular periods and infertility;
• High blood pressure;
• Heart disease;
• Increased risk of developing pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

Does this look familiar? The darkening shown here is acanthosis nigricans caused by insulin resistance and a diet too high in carbohydrates.

Overproduction of insulin (hyperinsulinemia) also causes other problems, including:

• Scalp hair loss (especially in women)
• Hirsutism
• Skin tags
• Acanthosis nigricans
• Adult acne

The bottom line is this:  the more carbohydrates you eat, the more insulin you produce.  The more insulin you produce, the harder it becomes to lose weight.  Not only is insulin a hormone that triggers the body to store fat, excess insulin cannot be excreted and is then stored as body fat.

Before you grab the side of fries, late-night ice cream snack, or other high-carb, no-nutrient foods, remember, if you have pre-diabetes or insulin resistance, your body simply will not properly metabolize these foods and you will make your condition worse.