The 8 biggest fat loss myths - # 8

Myth: INSULIN OR INSULIN RESISTANCE CAUSES OBESITY

Insulin is a hormone your pancreas releases that's best known for regulating blood sugar and transporting glucose into your cells. Insulin also plays a role in the body fat loss picture because high insulin levels prevent your body from releasing fat. This may sound like insulin is bad news.

Insulin does not necessarily cause obesity, although controlling insulin should be a goal of any body fat reducing nutrition program. Gerald Reaven, the Stanford diabetes researcher who literally wrote the book on metabolic syndrome, said that insulin does not make you gain weight and neither does insulin resistance. In fact, he says, the notice is "almost ludicrous."

There is a close relationship between excess body fat, insulin, and metabolic syndrome, and losing weight will certainly improve your health. It's the surplus calories, however, that actually creates fat gain, and it will always take a caloric deficit to lose it.