insulin resistan

Jennolli

I am 34 years old and have been diagnosed insulin resistant for the past 4 years. I may have been this way for a lot longer because I have been struggling with my weight since I was 10. I have tried to control my resistance and lower my blood sugar with both metformin and diet to no avail. I need help. so the question I am posing is : What do you do if you have had static weight (changes of 10 pounds or less) for over 10 years and insulin resistance for at least 4 years but diet, exercise, and metformin have not helped either your blood sugar or your weight?

erinsueburns

It doesn't look like you are logging your foods, so I would start there. And if you haven't spoken to an endocrinologist, that should probably be next. But, what research I've read on the subject seems to indicate exercise would probably be the key here. Strength training seems the logical next thing to try.

Jennolli

not logging my food is just shear laziness on my part. I never want to keep track of what I am eating. as for the endrocrinologist, I have no insurance so I can't afford to go. I do get exercise, I just don't go to a gym. I have 1/2 acre of land that is in constant need of weeding somewhere, animals to take care of, a hotdog cart I take to festivals every weekend and work, and recently opened a booth at a local swap meet. not to mention keeping my house clean after 3 kids and my massage office ocasionally get's a client so I am very busy. thus is why I hardly log on here to keep track of my meals.

melissarae27

Drop the sugar and grains, they will cause your insulin to spike.

mschf3

Here's an idea - I do this and it works a LOT better when a person has a busy schedule. Log your foods a day early! I do mine the night before so I have a PLAN for my food for the next day. I then can make changes either on the fly during the day from the app on my phone, or later in the day when everyone is settled in and I get a minute to myself. It helps to print out the day's "plan" and have a pen handy so you can scribble stuff you added and cross out stuff you didn't decide to eat. You have to make yourself priority, because no one else can do this for you. I know it's a pain, but after you start doing it, it gets easier. ESPECIALLY when the scale starts showing lower numbers! Good luck!!!

AJ_G

First off, get over the laziness, and track your food. You need to be eating a consistent amount calories everyday or you won't see progress. Also you should consider a high protein high fat diet as this is less likely to cause blood glucose spikes and resulting insulin spikes. If you're diabetic or pre diabetic, then only stick to complex carbs, and low Glycemic Index carbs. I don't usually tell people to try a keto diet, but if you are diabetic, it is an option that might work well for you.

TheBitSlinger

Type 2 diabetic here... I WAS insulin dependent. I started eating less and moving more. I don't eat or drink anything with sugar, and I go for complex carbs over simple carbs. My BSL is no longer controlled by medicine.

Get a copy of Sugar Busters! from your local library.

I agree with @AJ_G. You're going to have to find exactly how many calories you're consuming. You will be surprised.

You will either have to do aerobic workouts (getting your heart rate up to 80% of your maximum heart rate) or you are going to have to add muscle mass in order to get a bigger engine to burn calories.

TheBitSlinger

thus is why I hardly log on here to keep track of my meals.

Until you make dealing with these issues a priority, there will always be something else stopping you. I don't mean this to sound harsh, but it's truth. In order to workout 4 to 5 days a week, I have to watch far less TV than I used to.

zombiemomjo

I have PCOS, so I have the same insulin resistance. Exercise and cutting carbs are all that have worked for me. Logging what you eat and cardio exercise. I have two young boys who keep me hopping, and I don't like to be sitting still, but I still kept going up and up. Only when I started logging and doing the cardio consistently did I start to lose, and now I'm no longer considered pre-diabetic. You can do it! After the first week of logging, it becomes so much easier to do.

ldrosophila

Very insulin resistant high numbers. What has worked best for me, when I'm consistent :grumble: , is logging, portion control, and cutting out all sugared/caloric drinks (besides alcohol).

saxmaniac

While insulin resistance can sometimes correlate with a fairly moderate diet, it almost certainly too much carbs.

Our bodies can only produce so much insulin at once, and the amount of insulin you need rises in proportion to the carbs you consume. Note that I did not say sugar, or even grains. Carbs.

That's right, eating 500g of carbs in cauliflower produce a similar glucose load as 500g of sugar. The only difference is that it's a lot more difficult to consume 500g of cauliflower. There is nothing magic about whole grains or anything, other than they have a lower carb density, and so you feel fuller.

Use MFP, and track your carb goals. Unless you are very physically active, you probably don't need more than 200g of carbs a day, and would likely do better around 150g - from ALL sources.

Sadly, the education for people who are pre-diabetic is very, very bad.

Mia_RagazzaTosta

It's not just going to happen. You have to make it happen.

NumbrsNerd

First off, get over the laziness, and track your food. You need to be eating a consistent amount calories everyday or you won't see progress. Also you should consider a high protein high fat diet as this is less likely to cause blood glucose spikes and resulting insulin spikes. If you're diabetic or pre diabetic, then only stick to complex carbs, and low Glycemic Index carbs. I don't usually tell people to try a keto diet, but if you are diabetic, it is an option that might work well for you.

I agree with this 100%! I have PCOS, so I eat as if I am insulin resistant - in accordance with a high protein, high fat, low GI diet. I also keep my calories consistent - typically three 400-450 calorie meals per day with no snacking. As you can see from my ticker, it's worked for me.....

doonelm

Logging is very important, but perhaps a pedometer to really see how active you are could help also. I have a fitbit zip, and it syncs to my computer, and MFP really keeps track of my miles per day. Also makes me want to top it the next day. Good luck, Diabetes is a hard road, and even a fever can throw your levels off.

Hlm103010

I have PCOS and Insulin resistant. I just recently started logging my food ( and in recently I mean the past 2 days!) but it's amazing and how I actually stick to the meals now! But like others have said before cut out the carbs ( love carbs so it's hard for me) drink a lot of water and exercise, there really isn't much more you can do, unless you go back to your doctor and take a different approach.

tekwriter

I am a type 2 diabetic and it is indeed difficult. What are your numbers? Do you test daily? Have you had an A1c? This information would be helpful. Being diabetic and not in control is not an instant weight gain. It is imperative that you count your carbohydrate, even if you do not track on here. Are you walking? Keeping up with your children doesn't count. You really should pay attention to this condition, diabetes is an ugly disease with many aspects that most people don't think of.

macielittle

I think you need to separate your house work/farm work/ work work from exercise. You literally need to dedicate 1/2 an hour a day 3 times a week (at least) to exercise for the sake of exercise rather than those other things. I also am not trying to be harsh, and I truly don't think anyone else here is either. The fact that you stated that "laziness" was why you don't log your food seems indicative of your commitment to get healthy.
As someone that has endocrine issues and had gestational diabetes (putting me at higher risk for developing type II within 10 years) I understand the frustration. Diabetes is serious and after losing limbs you won't be able to do the same exercises to control it. I suggest using the app called C25K. It's free, takes 25 minutes 3x per week and if you don't feel ready to move on you can repeat. Please, for your sake, do this for yourself! And if you need a new friend to encourage you feel free to add me!!

mdhummel

If you don't want to log in your meals and you can't find time to exercise then you probably don't really want to lose weight.

There is no magical pill - just willpower.

allshebe

My husband is type 2 diabetic. He is responsible for his own health, but one of my suggestions to him was to test his blood sugar 20-30 minutes after every meal for a couple of days, along with logging what he ate, so he could see which foods spiked his blood sugar and make better informed decisions about what he ate. He still doesn't avoid everything I wish he would, but I don't think I've seen chips in the house for a while. (changes come in baby steps). He tells me he has lost a couple of pounds, also.

dellaquilaa

not logging my food is just shear laziness on my part. I never want to keep track of what I am eating. as for the endrocrinologist, I have no insurance so I can't afford to go. I do get exercise, I just don't go to a gym. I have 1/2 acre of land that is in constant need of weeding somewhere, animals to take care of, a hotdog cart I take to festivals every weekend and work, and recently opened a booth at a local swap meet. not to mention keeping my house clean after 3 kids and my massage office ocasionally get's a client so I am very busy. thus is why I hardly log on here to keep track of my meals.

If you don't log and don't really keep track of what you're eating and how much, how can you honestly say that diet & exercise changes have not worked?

I don't mean to be judgmental. But it's better to give 100% to the whole eating-healthy-and-watching-carbs thing before you up and say it's not working.

DMicheleC

I'm type 2 diabetic, I would suggest logging all food and exercise, reduce carbs and sugar, only two portions of fruit a day. Eat mostly protein and veg, if you need to have bread, no more than two slices a day and try burgen bread or seeded bread. I don,t eat potatoes or rice, if I eat pasta it's only once a week. Watch your salt intake also. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day and try to do at least 4 lots of exercise a week, even just walking. I have got my glucose levels down to almost normal levels and my blood pressure is excellent now. Keep trying and don't give up, it's been a struggle for me to loose the weight but its coming off slowly.

tmccarter11

I agree with other posters here. I am insulin resistant and without actually logging my food, i would have no idea how many carbs i eat everyday. I work full-time and work out 5 days a week and sometimes don't feel like logging but that's what i have to do to stick to my eating plan. It's called commitment.
I try and eat about 140-180g carbs per day and have tailored my macros to reflect that. I eat a little more protein and fat than most but it's what i have to do to keep my blood sugar levels down. If you test after you eat, you can see what is causing the spikes and try and avoid those foods. How food affects our bodies is different for everyone, so you have to get serious about what you are doing and start with some monitoring. Try it before you say it's not working.