When it comes to fat loss, we often focus on calories in versus calories out, but there's another crucial player in the game: insulin. Understanding how insulin works and why keeping its levels low can be a game-changer in your fat loss journey is essential.

What is Insulin?

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps regulate blood sugar levels. Its primary job is to shuttle glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into your cells, where it can be used for energy or stored for later use. While insulin is vital for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, it also plays a significant role in how your body stores and burns fat.

1. Insulin as a Fat Storage Hormone

When you consume carbohydrates, they are broken down into glucose and released into your bloodstream. In response, your pancreas releases insulin to help cells absorb this glucose. If your cells don't need immediate energy, insulin signals your body to store the excess glucose as glycogen in your liver and muscles,...

Okay, so let’s get down to business. How can we enjoy eating out while not blowing our meal plan and sending your blood sugar skyrocketing into orbit?

Here are some basic guidelines that you can follow to help keep blood sugar in the normal range and reduce the risk of fat storage:

1. Be obnoxiously picky. Ask to substitute or add items. Request your food to be cooked in butter, coconut oil or olive oil. It’s quite common now for people to have food allergies and other food sensitivities so many restaurants don’t have any problems doing this.
   
   
2. Stay away from fast-food chains. Choosing local restaurants will usually offer a larger menu most times with locally grown vegetables, locally caught seafood, and good cuts of meat. Many times I will choose a variety of foods from appetizer menus to make up a meal. Greek and Middle Eastern restaurants are very good options as they have a variety of meat skewers and salads.
   
   
3. Say no to bread on the table. Remove the temptation of...