Can I Lose Weight If I'm Insulin Resistant???
Have you recently been told you’re insulin resistant? If so you may be feeling scared and a little confused and overwhelmed.
I know that's how I felt. I had heard of the term insulin resistance but I really had no clue what it was or what this meant for my life now.
My doctor wasn’t much help. She just said losing weight would help…ok, but how? She said “well you can eat a little less and add some exercise” - like I’d never tried that before….
So I went home wondering…what does this mean for my health? Does this mean I’m gonna be a diabetic soon? Does this mean I’m not ever gonna be able to lose weight?
I went home and did what I do best - I dug into the research. I read, watched, and listened to everything I could get my hands on about insulin resistance.
I learned what it is, how it happens, and most importantly that it CAN be reversed.
So I got to work making some changes that not only allowed me to reverse my insulin resistance, but finally lose that weight I had struggled with for almost 20 years - oh and btw I’ve kept the weight off for 12 years and counting - something that seemed impossible before - so I KNOW you can do it too!
But in case you’re in the spot I was in when I first found out I was insulin resistant - let's start at the beginning - What exactly IS insulin resistance?
Understanding Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance is a condition where some of the cells of your body stop responding to insulin the way they’re supposed to. Insulin is a hormone, whose most famous role (though there are many) is to help regulate your blood sugar. When you consume carbs they are broken down into glucose in your body. One of insulin's jobs is to transport that glucose to the cells that need it and any extra gets shuttled to your liver to be converted to triglycerides and stored as you guessed it…fat.
When some of your cells stop responding to insulin, glucose can’t be taken up by those cells so your blood sugar remains high. Your body's response to that is to release more insulin to try to take care of it - so that often results in high blood sugar AND high insulin.
Insulin is a “storage” hormone. When it's high you are in storage mode - you can’t be in storage mode and burning mode at the same time. That means when insulin is high you’re going to store more fat and the fat you already have stored stays locked up and can’t be easily used when your body needs energy.
In this post, we'll explore how insulin resistance affects weight loss and provide practical tips to help you overcome these challenges. My goal is to empower you with the knowledge and tools you need to achieve sustainable weight loss and improve your overall health.
Common symptoms of insulin resistance include:
Fatigue: Feeling tired and exhausted all the time
Weight gain: Difficulty losing weight or unexplained weight gain
Hunger and cravings: Constant hunger and cravings - usually for sugar and carbs
Skin changes: Darkening of the skin (acanthosis nigricans) often found around the neck, in your armpits and groin area
Frequent infections
Slow healing wounds
Blurred vision
Energy crashes
You have difficulty get to, or staying asleep
Brain fog/lack of concentration
If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, it's important to talk to your doctor to get tested for insulin resistance.
Lifestyle Changes For Weight Loss
So if this is you you may be wondering so what now? What can I do to help keep this from progressing to type 2 diabetes and get the scale moving again. Luckily there are several things you can do.
Diet:
Prioritize whole, unprocessed foods: Focus on animal protein, healthy fats, non-starchy veggies, low sugar fruits (like berries), nuts and seeds.
Reduce or eliminate ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks (this includes fruit juices and smoothies): These can spike blood sugar levels and contribute to weight gain.
Don’t eat naked carbs: When you do consume carbs be sure to pair them with protein or fat to help reduce the impact on your blood sugar.
Increase fiber intake: Fiber can help regulate blood sugar levels and help keep you feeling fuller longer.
Have a high protein breakfast: Keep carbs minimal here as we tend to be more insulin resistant early in the morning. Also make this the biggest meal of your day to set yourself up for success. Often we do the opposite and start our day fasting or trying to save calories for later - then we have our biggest meal at the end of the day right before bed when you really don’t need the extra energy.
Have blood sugar balancing meals: Make protein the highlight of all your meals - I aim for at least 30g/meal. Add some good healthy fats for cooking and to add flavor. Then add in a non-starchy veggie or two to add fiber. This is a great combination to help to keep blood sugar stable and help keep you fuller longer.
Answer hunger with a meal rather than snacking and grazing all day: When you snack all day or eat every couple hours that keeps your blood sugar and insulin elevated all day long - just as it starts to come back down, you eat again, and they rise again.
Have your last meal at least 2-3 hours before bed: When you eat too late the elevated blood sugar and insulin (and the fact that your body is trying to digest a meal) can affect your sleep. Lack of good quality sleep can impact your blood sugar.
Move Your Body
Increase your N.E.A.T.: That is non-exercise activity thermogenesis. This is the energy you use just living life. Don’t just rely on your 45 minutes at the gym to make up for being sedentary the rest of the day. Find ways to move more throughout the day. It doesn’t have to be complicated, time consuming, or make you break a sweat - it can be things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking farther from the entrance, or doing a few squats every time you get up to go to the bathroom - get creative!
Your n.e.a.t. actually has a bigger impact on your blood sugar and metabolism than your formal workout. This can help improve insulin sensitivity and boost metabolism.
Incorporate strength training: Think of your muscles as little blood sugar sponges - the more muscle you have the more glycogen (storage form of glucose) storage you have. It also takes more energy to maintain muscle so you can “burn more calories” even while watching netflix before bed.
Walk after your meals: Walking after meals is a great way to help lower your blood sugar - even just 10-15 minutes can make a big difference.
Manage Stress…I know, I Know…But Do The Best You Can: I always hate to bring up stress because for many of us it can be something that feels out of your control. And then you stress more over being stressed…But stress does have a huge impact on your blood sugar. If you’ve ever worn a cgm you’ve probably noticed the impact a fight with your spouse or a serious conversation with your boss can have on your blood sugar readings.
Practice relaxation techniques: Meditation, yoga, and deep breathing can help reduce stress and improve overall well-being.
Get enough sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night.
Learn to say no: Don’t be afraid to say no to those things you don’t want to do or that you don’t have time for. It can be hard to say no, when you’re asked to do something, but if you’re already running on empty you’re going to be the one who ends up paying for it and feel resentful.
Don’t feel like you have to make all these changes all at once - it's not necessary and often just causes more stress and overwhelm - that almost always backfires. Choose one or two things to work on now - choose the things that make the most sense in your life right now. Work on those for a bit. You can continue to add on more when you feel ready.
And it's important to note that you can start to see big improvements by making small changes to what you’re currently doing. There's no need to overhaul your whole life overnight.
Insulin resistance can make weight loss challenging. But understanding the connection between insulin resistance and weight gain, you can start focusing on the things that will make a difference and help you reach your goals (and feel better too!) instead of just continuing to spin your wheels trying to diet and count calories.
If you made it this far, I’d love to hear from you! Which one or two things are you gonna work on first? Comment below and let me know!
P.S. If you need more support I’d like to invite you to join our FREE facebook group here - sometimes it helps to be able to hang out with other women that are working towards the same goals you are - and it's always nice to know you don’t have to do it alone - I hope you’ll join us!