Syndrome X is the most common cause of inability to lose weight.  It mostly occurs in people with excess abdominal fat.

Syndrome X also goes by the names metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes and insulin resistance.  Insulin resistance basically means that the hormone insulin, which is made by your pancreas has become less effective at controlling your blood sugar.  This makes you prone to symptoms of unstable blood sugar, such as fatigue, sugar cravings, anxiety, insomnia and feeling unwell if you haven’t eaten for several hours.

Syndrome X also places you at much greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and fatty liver.  People with syndrome X also have a three-fold higher risk of having a heart attack.  Clearly it’s important to avoid developing Syndrome X.  There are certain diagnostic criteria used to determine if a person has syndrome X.

Your doctor will use the following criteria to determine whether or not you have syndrome X:

  • HDL <50 mg/dL in women and <40 mg/dL in men
  • Triglycerides  >150 mg/dL
  • Blood pressure exceeds 130/85 mmHg
  • Fasting blood sugar is >100 mg/dL
  • Waist circumference greater than 40 inches in men and greater than 34 inches in women

If you have three or more of these conditions, you may have syndrome X.

What can be done to reverse syndrome X?

Luckily syndrome X can be reversed.  This will greatly reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and it will also help you lose weight and eliminate sugar cravings. Syndrome X is also a common cause of fatigue, and people find their energy level increases significantly when they reverse syndrome X.

Diet recommendations

You must eat a diet that is higher in protein and healthy fats and lower in carbohydrate, such as the eating plan in my book "I Can't Lose Weight!...And I Don't Know Why". This is an excellent starting guide for low carb recipes which are good for the liver. The book is also a wealth of information on Syndrome X and its associated symptoms and gives you a lot of information on the correct strategy to overcome the imbalance. You need to limit starchy and sugary carbohydrates and include protein at every meal. Good sources of protein are red meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, seeds and nuts.

How long does the Syndrome X Diet take to work?

This varies depending upon the degree of insulin resistance and the amount of fat in the liver. You should start to lose weight within the first 2 weeks and the weight loss will be sustained. If you have a very fatty liver and moderate to severe insulin resistance, the weight loss will be slower and you may have weight loss plateaus, where you find that weight loss stops for 2 to 3 weeks. After the plateau your weight loss will resume.

Remember it takes time to remove the excess fat from the liver, and if you do not do this, long-term weight loss is impossible. Some patients with advanced degrees of fatty liver take up one year to completely remove all the excess fat from the liver.

Recommended supplements

Livatone Plus: A good liver tonic will help your liver to burn fat more efficiently.  This is important if you have a fatty liver and will help you lose weight from your abdominal region.

Glicemic Balance: These capsules contain the herbs bitter melon and gymnema, as well as the nutrients chromium, magnesium, lipoic acid, carnitine and manganese.  They help to keep blood sugar stable, therefore reduce hunger and cravings for carbohydrates.

Vitamin D: A large percentage of the population have insufficient levels of vitamin D in their bloodstream; this is especially the case for people with diabetes or a fatty liver.  Your doctor can order a blood test to measure your level of vitamin D; it should be between 40 and 60 ng/mL.  Taking a vitamin D supplement can help to lower blood sugar and blood pressure if they are elevated.

A whey based protein powder is a handy addition to your diet. It can be used to make smoothies that you can drink for breakfast, or another meal. Whey is extremely high in bio-available protein and is very low in carbohydrate and fat. It helps to stabilize the blood sugar level and therefore helps to prevent excessive hunger and sugar cravings.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.