Rating: 
Summary: Not Really a Diet, but a life-long eating plan
Review: The word insulin in the title may mislead people to believe this is a book for diabetics. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is a book that contains an eating plan that, with little effort, could fit everyone's lifestyle. The simple premise of the book is to balance carbohydrates with protein for optimum results. Unlike so many popular diets, the authors (who have some pretty impressive credentials) realize that diets eliminating carbohydrates will not be successful forever. There may be some temporary weight loss with those high-protein, fad diets. The dieter might even reach goal weight. But, eventually, the weight will come back. With this book, nothing is forbidden. The dieter reading this book will be pleasantly surprised to learn how easy it is to lose weight without giving up your favorite foods. The book includes suggested menus and a collection of tempting recipes. It's a bargain for an eating plan that will not only shed pounds, but also will boost energy levels and provide effective secrets for healthy eating and weight loss.
Rating:
Summary: Easier to understand, simpler to follow than most diet books
Review: There are quite a few books that propose a similar theory about food, diet and health. But "The Insulin-Resistance Diet" is probably the easiest to understand, the best-written and most no-nonsense of the lot.The basic theory is this: an excess of certain types of carbohydrates, namely sugars and starches, exhaust the body's ability to respond to insulin. Insulin is the hormone that allows your body to use sugar (glucose) which is the basic gasoline that runs your muscles and brain. We break starches and complex sugars like the high-fructose corn syrup in your soda and the sucrose in your coffee, plus the starches in breads, cereals and vegetables down to that basic component glucose. Only then can the body fuel itself. But, too much starch, too much sugar and the body, over time, loses its ability to respond to the insulin that's released, and we get Type II diabetes. We still can make insulin, but no longer make the receptors that pick it up. When insulin and receptors bind together, it sends a message thats tells the cells what to do with that glucose. The solution here is to eat a combination of carbs with protein to prevent too much insulin from having to be released, and to avoid high-glycemic foods, which means those foods that break down into LOTS of glucose. This is so simple. I've been doing this for a month, and I've lost a bit of weight, which for me is a difficult thing. I feel far less hungry if I follow the ideas here--mixing cottage cheese with lower glycemic foods like potatoes or whole grain rye, avoiding white rice, sweets and other problematic foods. I still sneak an ice cream or a roll once in a while, but I know how to balance it with a high protein, low fat cheese or tofu. While I have to watch that I don't eat just carbs for a meal, it is rewarding not to feel so hungry. Hey, this works.
Rating: 
Summary: Easy, effective--and somewhat incomplete
Review: This book addresses the needs of the many people in our society whose insulin response has gone astray, resulting in symptoms like high blood pressure or high cholesterol and triglyerides. The major pro of the this book/diet is its ease. The book itself is very well written and the diet plan easy to follow.You'll probably be finished reading the book in a couple of days. The plan is effective. I dropped 15 cholesterol points and 113 triglycerides in one month. I did not lose a lot of weight, but I did lose some. I knew the plan had to be doing something when I lost the weight and suddenly stopped craving crunchy snack foods. Now for the cons. The diet does emphasize protein, a higher amount than usually recommended. The book appropriately calls attention to this fact, but does not highlight that as part of the natural digestion process, animal proteins do leave some toxins in your system which the liver and kidneys have to clean up; thus this diet will put more stress on these organs. This casts a shade of doubt on the diet and is one of the reasons I don't give the book five stars. Another reason I didn't give five stars is because in its simplicity I feel that an important, more advanced point was left out. The book failed to give enough stress to the fact that some carbs are much better than others. This point is brought out much more clearly in other books such as "The Good Carb Cookbook." In failing to highlight this, readers are not given information which could give them an extra boost. This book plus another which delineates the difference between highly refined carbohydrates and low glycemic response carbs would probably be best. The Link and Balance system that "The Insulin Resistance Diet" recommends is important--it's ridiculous to assume that I'll never eat another piece of white bread--but part of the equation is missing.
Rating:
Summary: It's not your fault, it's your food!
Review: This book could be a bit simpler to understand, but this is it your answer for weight loss, preventing diabetes and treating polycystic ovarian syndrome. You don't have to live without carbs for the rest of your life. You don't have to starve yourself thin (like that really works anyway). What you need is this book! The authors explain why you keep regaining that weight, or can't lose it in the first place. The problem is not your willpower, it is the typical Western diet of refined foods. Following this plan you can learn how and what to eat so that you can eat what you like and still lose weight. Insulin resistance is the culprit for obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol and many other problems. This book will show you how to eat better, for life!
Rating:
Summary: Everyone should follow this method!!!!
Review: This book is a wonderful guide and should be used by everyone, whether they have diabetes/insulin-resistance or not. This book has already helped my lose 15 pounds in just a few months and has changed the way I eat. I like it becuase it is not a "diet", it is a new way of eating that is easy to follow for life.
This book shows how you can control your body's response to what you eat by balancing carbs with protein. It is very easy to understand and as long as you are willing to learn about portion control and read food labels, you can master the method easily.
The best part about the method is you get to eat everything you like, in the right portions when you balance it properly. You can have a small dessert with a glass of milk, for example. With this method, you will not feel deprived, you can actually eat more! My co-workers are amazed that I can eat every couple of hours throughout the day and still lose weight - I just eat the right combinations of foods.
This book makes learning the method simple, with descriptive lists of what proper servings are and what to eat from popular fast food restaurants. It also helped change the way I think about exercising - more isn't necessarily better!
I recommend this book to everyone I know - my friends, family and co-workers - and I recommend you give this method a try, too!
Rating:
Summary: big help
Review: This book was a big help. I saw how despite what some of
the famous diet doctors say, I can enjoy carbs sometimes if they
are balanced with protein and vegetables. This common sense
system really works, and the book was well worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: LOSE WEIGHT AND FEEL BETTER
Review: THIS BOOK WAS A GREAT HELP IN UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM OF INSULIN RESISTANCE AND HOW TO CONQUER IT. THE DIET IS EASY TO FOLLOW AND YOU DO NOT FEEL DEPRIVED...AND IT WORKS!!! YOU NOT ONLY LOSE WEIGHT YOU FEEL SO MUCH BETTER AND HEALTHIER. I WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE ..IN FACT I HAVE! AND THEY LOVED IT TOO.
Rating:
Summary: This diet is a breeze.
Review: This diet is a breeze. Anybody can be successful on it. I lost 96 pounds using their Link and Balance Method. I feel 25 years old again -- and my health report looks that way too. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to safely lose weight without a whole lot of rules and regulations. It makes perfect medical sense. I know. I was a fat doctor. I now give copies of this book to not only my overweight patients, but to all those patients that need to develop correct nutritional habits.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a diet for people with a problem other than overweight
Review: This diet is certainly an improvement over the average American diet, but the title is a bit misleading. I ordered it because I was diagnosed as being insulin resistant (Type II diabetes or almost there). As it turns out, this book is for weight loss only and will not work to alleviate symptoms for someone who has a medical problem. The plan is way too liberal with carbs for someone who is truly senstitive to carbs or who is so insulin resistant that they have developed noticeable symptoms other than weight gain. It bashes fat and tries to combine its principles with those of the American Heart Association's low fat diet. The Schwarzbein Principle by Diana Schwarzbein and Nancy Deville is a much better choice for anyone who needs to do more than lose weight.
Rating:
Summary: Best Book Around on Insulin Resistance
Review: This is a great book. I totally disagree with a new reviewer who said the authors don't go into enough detail about the diet. That is all they do! Some folks need to read the book over twice (there is a huge support group over on the www.soulcysters.com website), to "get it" but it's an easy read and very well written as well. Like some reviewers and followers of the plan, I totally ignore their "low fat" recommendations, and just "link and balance" my protein with carbs as explained in the book. Low fat diets never worked for me, they only left me hungry, so I just ignore the advice. I lost weight anyway. I wish the authors would now come out with a good cookbook! Great plan that cured my mood swings and insulin resistance. The best around, because you can just about eat anything you want if you cleverly "link and balance" your proteins with carbs, as explained in the book. I love eating this way and will do so forever!
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