Top Insulin Expert: Insulin Is More Dangerous Than Sugar! This Will Strip Fat Faster Than Anything!

Jan 8, 2026 2h 1m 30 insights
Dr. Benjamin Bickman, a metabolic and fat cell scientist, exposes myths surrounding weight loss and highlights the surprising impact of insulin and ketones on our weight, brain, and mental health. He provides actionable strategies, including a ketogenic diet approach and lifestyle changes, to achieve health goals.
Actionable Insights

1. Prioritize Insulin Control for Weight Loss

Focus on lowering insulin levels by controlling carbohydrates, as this prevents hunger and allows the body to access stored fat for energy. Calorie counting alone often leads to hunger and unsustainable weight loss.

2. Eat Protein and Fat for Satiety

Consume ample protein and fat, which have minimal impact on insulin, to manage hunger effectively when lowering carbohydrate intake. This strategy helps sustain a low-insulin state without deprivation.

3. Eliminate Carbs from Breakfast and Lunch

Restrict carbohydrate intake during breakfast and lunch to maintain low insulin levels, especially given the natural morning glucose rise. This helps keep the body in a fat-burning state earlier in the day.

4. Avoid Evening Snacking for Better Sleep

Refrain from eating late at night, particularly sugary or starchy foods, to prevent hyperglycemia before bed. High blood glucose at night activates the sympathetic nervous system, disrupting sleep quality.

5. Exercise Fasted for Metabolic Health

Perform resistance training or other workouts in a fasted state if your primary goal is metabolic health and longevity. This approach helps the body continue to burn fat and maintain insulin sensitivity.

6. Find External Motivation for Change

Identify a compelling reason for making health changes that extends beyond personal desires, such as being a healthy role model for your children. Strong external motivations are crucial for overcoming challenges and sustaining new habits.

7. Prioritize Sleep to Reduce Stress

Recognize that sleep deprivation is a major cause of stress, which in turn leads to rapid insulin resistance. Improving sleep quality is fundamental to overall metabolic health and stress management.

8. Supplement Creatine for Brain and Muscle

Take creatine daily to enhance both muscle performance and cognitive function, especially when sleep-deprived or working intensely. A dose of 10-15 grams is recommended for brain benefits, while 5 grams suffices for muscle.

9. Use a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM)

Wear a CGM to gain real-time insight into how different foods and activities affect your blood sugar levels. This self-monitoring tool can provide powerful motivation for making informed dietary and lifestyle changes.

10. Recruit an Accountability Partner

Ask a family member or loved one to help you stick to your dietary plan, especially during periods of indulgence. An external ‘watchman’ can provide crucial support and reminders to get back on track.

11. Induce Ketosis via Fasting or Low-Carb

Achieve a ketogenic state by fasting for about 16 hours or significantly reducing carbohydrate intake. This metabolic state prompts the liver to produce ketones, which serve as an efficient fuel source.

12. Increase Metabolic Rate with Low-Carb Meals

Consume lower-carb, higher-fat meals to significantly boost your metabolic rate for hours after eating, compared to isocaloric high-carb, low-fat meals. This effect is driven by insulin’s role in energy regulation.

13. Cycle Low-Dose GLP-1 with Coaching

If considering GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, use a lower, cycled dose (e.g., 90 days on, then off) combined with low-carb diet coaching. This approach aims to break carbohydrate addiction and establish sustainable habits, outperforming drug-only strategies.

14. Women: Take Creatine for Brain Health

Middle-aged women and beyond should consider taking a higher dose of creatine (10-15 grams) daily to support cognitive function, as women are more susceptible to cognitive decline like Alzheimer’s. Creatine does not lead to unwanted muscle bulk in women.

15. Supplement Omega-3 for Muscle Building

If not regularly consuming fish or other omega-3-rich foods, take a good omega-3 supplement. Omega-3s play a meaningful role in promoting muscle protein synthesis and growth.

16. Take Morning Ice Bath for Sleep

Incorporate a morning ice bath or cold plunge into your routine to help regulate your circadian rhythm and improve sleep quality at night. The initial shock can help ‘get your clock ticking.’

17. Avoid Excessive B Vitamin Supplementation

Be mindful of consuming too many B vitamins, especially from fortified processed foods, as high doses may increase metabolic efficiency and promote fat storage. For weight loss, metabolic inefficiency can be beneficial.

18. Use Natural GLP-1 Boosters

Incorporate allulose (a rare sugar sweetener), Yerba Mate tea, or collagen peptides into your diet to naturally increase GLP-1 production. These can help enhance satiety and manage cravings, potentially aiding in transitioning off GLP-1 drugs.

19. Check Testosterone Levels (Men)

Men experiencing fatigue and weight gain should get their testosterone levels checked. Addressing low testosterone through weight loss, supplements, or cold plunges can improve energy and body composition.

20. Structure Indulgences with Time Limits

When faced with tempting foods, pre-define a specific, limited period for indulgence rather than relying on willpower alone. This strategy helps manage consumption without completely eliminating enjoyable foods.

21. Read and Challenge Your Brain Daily

Engage in activities that challenge your brain, such as reading books and learning new things, to promote cognitive health and potentially reduce the risk of dementia. This complements the brain-boosting effects of ketones.

22. Make Lunch Your Biggest Meal

Plan for lunch to be your largest meal, focusing on protein and fat, to promote satiety throughout the afternoon. A substantial lunch can help reduce evening cravings and prevent overeating later in the day.

23. Adjust Diet for Luteal Phase (Women)

Women should be more flexible and generous with their diet during the luteal phase (after ovulation) due to higher progesterone levels, which can increase hunger and cravings. It may be harder to stick to strict ketogenic protocols during this time.

24. Measure Fasted Insulin Levels

Request a fasted insulin test from your doctor, aiming for levels around seven micro units per milliliter or less. This provides a crucial indicator of your metabolic health, often overlooked in standard blood panels.

25. Calculate Your HOMA Score

Use your fasted insulin and glucose levels to calculate your HOMA (Homeostatic Model Assessment) score. This score offers a comprehensive assessment of your position on the insulin resistance spectrum.

26. Incorporate Cold Plunge for Testosterone

Men can consider doing an ice immersion or cold plunge followed by a workout to potentially boost testosterone levels. This combination has been anecdotally linked to significant increases.

27. Use Ashwagandha for Sleep and Stress

Consider supplementing with ashwagandha, particularly in gummy form, to improve sleep quality and reduce cortisol response. This adaptogen can help manage stress and enhance sleep architecture.

28. Ketones Reduce Anxiety and Stress

Understand that ketones, specifically BHB, act as an anxiolytic by signaling in the brain to reduce stress hormone activity. This contributes to the mental well-being benefits of a ketogenic state.

29. Ketogenic Diet Not Uniquely Stressful

Research indicates no statistically significant change in cortisol levels for women on a ketogenic diet, dispelling the misconception that it causes unique stress in women compared to men.

30. Stack Wearables for Holistic Insight

Combine data from continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) with other wearables like a Whoop strap to gain deeper insights into your body’s responses. This can reveal connections between stress, sleep, and blood glucose spikes.