How I Lost Weight With Insulin Resistance
So you've just been told that you’re insulin resistant or prediabetic - you might be feeling overwhelmed, scared and even a little defeated. You might be wondering, does this mean I’m going to become a diabetic? How is this gonna affect my health? Does this mean I’m never gonna be able to lose weight?...I know I had a million thoughts like those going through my head when I first found out I was insulin resistant.
I want to say that it's completely normal to feel that way since insulin resistance is strongly linked to so many health issues like Diabetes, Heart Disease, Alzheimer's etc so it's definitely not something to take lightly and it's normal to have questions and concerns.
The good news is that insulin resistance is reversible - and it's not as complicated as you might think. It does take diet and lifestyle change which isn’t always the easiest thing to do - especially when you’re changing habits you’ve had for years…maybe even decades - but the things you need to do aren’t complicated.
As crazy as it may sound I’m glad I finally found out that I was insulin resistant. Don’t get me wrong, I was definitely worried at first and honestly I didn’t really know what insulin resistance was - the only thing I knew about insulin was it was something diabetics took to control their blood sugar - you might be in the same place.
But the reason I’m glad I finally found out was because I had been struggling for a long time…with my weight - I couldn’t seem to lose it no matter how “good” I was and if I did happen to drop some pounds it usually came right back and brought friends…
I had no energy. I was hungry and had cravings ALL THE TIME. It's really hard to “eat less and move more when you're always hungry and exhausted. I felt fatigued, my muscles and joints were sore and achy. I was bloated, had seasonal allergies - that never went away even when the seasons changed. I had horrible periods, suffered from anxiety and depression…you name it…
I felt like I was broken because even when I was doing “everything right” nothing seemed to work…I always felt like shit and I couldn’t figure out why.
So when I found out that I was insulin resistant and learned what that actually meant - it made a lot of things that didn’t make sense, make sense. It explained why I couldn’t lose weight, why I had no energy and all the other stuff that was going on…
It also meant that as I worked to improve my insulin sensitivity all those health issues started to get better too. Had I not found out I was insulin resistant I might still be struggling all these years later and likely things would be worse…that's why I say I’m so glad that I found out that was the culprit.
So what exactly is insulin resistance? It's when some of the cells in your body stop responding to insulin the way they’re supposed to (this happens when your insulin levels have been too high for too long). This means that insulin has to work harder to move glucose from your bloodstream into your cells for energy.
Over time, this increased insulin demand can lead to elevated blood sugar levels and eventually type 2 diabetes. But just like you can become insulin resistant you can also improve your insulin sensitivity as well.
Its kind of like what happens with alcohol. If someone doesn't usually drink 1 or 2 glasses of wine may give them a pretty good buzz. But the more often they drink the more they build up a tolerance to it. Over time it may take 3 or 4 glasses to feel that same buzz they used to get from 1 or 2 because now they’re more resistant to its effects…
But just like that if that person were to stop drinking for a while they could become sensitive to it again - you can do the same with insulin resistance.
To reverse insulin resistance you need to lower your insulin levels. The simplest way to do that is to manage your blood sugar - because anytime your blood sugar is elevated insulin will follow.
You’re probably thinking…ok, so how do I do that. This is what I did:
The very first step was eating in a way that kept my blood sugar and insulin low. To do that I:
Controlled my carbs. Carbs are not the devil but many of us consume more of them than we need or can use - or maybe better put we’re eating too many of the wrong types of carbs in the form of ultra processed foods.
Insulin resistance is a condition of carb intolerance - your body just can’t handle a whole lot right now. So keeping carbs in check is key.
If you were to follow a typical standard American diet (SAD) you could easily consume upwards of 300g of carb/day. That's a lot particularly when you consider that a lot of us live pretty sedentary lives as well - meaning we don’t have a chance to use up a lot of that quick and easy energy so any excess gets stored as you guessed it FAT.
Typically a low carb diet is classified as under 150g of carbs per day. So if you’re eating a standard American diet lowering your carb intake to under 150g can help. Many see good progress getting under 100g while still others may find they feel better and get better blood sugar control being under 50g or even 20g a day.
This might sound extreme at first but when you focus on getting your carbs from things like non-starchy veggies, low sugar fruits like berries, nuts, seeds and dairy it's not that difficult to stay within those ranges.
Pick a starting point that feels doable for you - give it a few weeks to see how you do and then assess and adjust from there depending on how you feel and the results you see.
I prioritize protein. I aim for AT LEAST 30g at every meal. Protein is really the powerhouse macro and many of us women just don’t eat enough - and because of that we struggle with hunger and cravings. If you’re around my age (I’m 50) it's likely been kind of ingrained in you to keep protein portions small - the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand - sound familiar? When you undereat protein you’re far more likely to overeat carbs. Protein is the most satiating of the 3 macros (protein, fat and carbs) so getting sufficient quantities really helps you to be able to eat less overall without having to fight hunger and cravings. It also helps to keep your blood sugar stable.
Don’t fear fat. Fat alone is not what makes you fat - it is however very satiating especially when combined with protein. Getting enough good healthy fats is also crucial for good cell, hormone and even brain health.
You don’t need to gorge on fats or eat sticks of butter, use this as a lever for flavor and to help with satiety.
So when looking a good blood sugar balancing meal you want to be able to look at your plate and make sure you have:
Plenty of protein (I aim for at least 30g/meal). Animal protein is the most complete and bioavailable protein source.
Add some natural fats to cook your protein in and to add flavor. Natural fats are things like: Avocado, olive, and coconut oils. Butter, tallow, lard (non hydrogenated - no “crisco”), duck fat, bacon fat, ghee, and dairy.
Then add some non-starchy veggies and low sugar fruits if you want to add some variety. This is also another great place you can add some healthy fats. Gone are the days that you need to choke down plain steamed broccoli. Add some butter to that broccoli, sautee your veggies in some bacon fat, or roast your veggies in some avocado oil.
There you have a good blood sugar balancing meal that will also help to keep you feeling satisfied for several hours.
And I can tell you from experience, weight loss is sooooo much easier when you’re not freaking hungry and thinking about food all the time!
Some other things I did to help manage my blood sugar were:
I walked after meals whenever I could - even just 10-15 minutes can help lower your blood sugar.
I don’t eat naked carbs - meaning that when I do eat carbs I always have them with some protein and/or fat to help minimize the impact on my blood sugar.
Instead of snacking and grazing all day I have meals that keep me feeling satisfied for several hours. You may have heard, like me, that eating every couple of hours “keeps your metabolism firing” - I followed that advice for YEARS and just kept gaining weight! What that actually does is keep your blood sugar and insulin elevated all day. That's the opposite of what you want if you’re trying to improve your insulin sensitivity. Because everytime you eat your blood sugar and insulin rise and just about the time they start to come back down you eat again and back up they go - then you just rinse and repeat all day long causing your body to constantly have to digest food and deal with elevated blood sugar and insulin levels.
I cut back on cardio workouts and started focusing on strength training - building more lean muscle mass is a great way to help manage blood sugar because the more muscle you have the more glycogen (storage form of blood sugar) storage you have. Think of your muscles as little glucose sponges.
I prioritize sleep - this one is hard because for many of us sleep can feel out of your control with kids, stress…LIFE…but when you don’t get enough sleep it's a huge stressor on your body. Any stress will increase your cortisol which will increase your blood sugar. Lack of sleep also wreaks havoc on your hormones - including those that impact your hunger and cravings. Have you ever noticed how you feel hungrier and have more cravings after a bad night's sleep? That's not your imagination - that's your blood sugar and hormones! It's a double whammy too because since you’re exhausted and just want to feel better and get some energy - you’re more likely to give into those cravings.
See none of these things are particularly hard or complicated but for many of us these things may be a pretty significant change from the way we’re used to living life. But I can tell you the effort IS worth it.
Reversing my insulin resistance - which I think looking back started developing for me when I was around 10 years old - I was 38 when I found out I had it - was one of the best things I ever did for myself.
Not only was I able to finally lose the weight and keep it off for 12 years and counting, everything about my health improved too. I have so much more energy at 50 than I ever did in my 20-30’s. I’m not bloated or constantly congested. I’m off all meds for anxiety and depression (something I didn’t even think was possible for me - I thought I’d be on meds for life). I no longer wake up with sore and achy muscles and joints. The arthritis that was developing in my hands is gone.
So if you’ve recently found out you’re insulin resistant or prediabetic and you’re feeling worried or discouraged know that there is hope - you can take control before it progresses to type 2 diabetes and worsening health issues.
If you need more help and support - you’re welcome to join us in our new Facebook group. You don’t have to do this alone. You can request to join here.