You’ve gained fifteen (OK, twenty) pounds
in the last three years. Your doctor says that
your blood pressure is high, and that you also
have pre-diabetes. You’re not sure how all of
this has happened, because you’re still
avoiding junk food and eating low-fat meals
and snacks. But you’ve been stuck in the cycle
of overconsumption, worsening leptin
resistance, worsening insulin resistance, and
an even more disrupted cortisol rhythm.
Things are Not Good.
After another rotten night’s sleep, the
alarm goes off. Thanks in part to your chronic
poor-eating habits, cortisol levels are still
abnormally low in the morning, making it
even harder to drag yourself out of bed. A cup
of coffee gets you motivated enough to
shower.
Your out-of-whack cortisol keeps you
from being hungry for breakfast, but you force
yourself to eat a bowl of shredded wheat with
skim milk, a piece of whole-wheat toast with