On Thu, 23 Nov 2000, Mary wrote:

> Lois, I have a friend who eats meat and fat and she can't lose weight. She
> has insulin resistance problems to the max. Does anyone have any
> suggestions? I do not think she has a strong exercise program at all. Also,
> she really really LVOES meat. She's also in her late 50's... Maybe she is
> overeating meat? Mary

In the chapter on obesity in Life Without Bread, Allan and Lutz
point out that carbohydrate reduction does not work for everyone,
or it doesn't work as well as it does for others.  This is based
on Dr. Lutz's clinical experience.  His observation was that the
more the excess fat is concentrated in the abdomen, with the
extremities remaining relatively normal, the more likely it is
that carb restriction (or even other diets) will work.  The "pear
shaped" person carrying lots of excess fat in the extremities is
in for a harder time of it.

Diana Schwarzbein refers to abdominal fat as the "insulin
resistance meter."  At any rate, it's possible that the
pear-shaped syndrome, which is more common in women, is caused by
something other than insulin resistance.  Carb restriction, which
is a specific strategy against IR, simply may not work.
Unfortunately, Allan and Lutz also confess that they do not know
what the cause of this pattern of obesity is, or how to treat it.

I don't know how your friend's fat is distributed, but this is
certainly something to think about.

Todd Moody
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