7 New Weight Loss Rules

You don't need to go on an extreme diet or eliminate carbs entirely to lose weightYou don't need to go on an extreme diet or eliminate carbs entirely to lose weightIn the world of fantasy wish lists, wouldn't it be great if--instead of prompting us to snack all the time--our bodies would just use up fat we have already stored?

One major reason this doesn't happen has to do with our diets. When you consume starch and refined sugar, these foods enter the bloodstream quickly, causing a sugar spike. Your body then produces the hormone insulin to drive that sugar from your bloodstream into cells. But over time, excessive levels of insulin can make your muscle cells lose sensitivity to the hormone, leading to type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Your fat cells are another story: They always remain sensitive. Insulin spikes lock fat into them, so you can't use it for energy.