Can you overcome insulin resistance mainly with exercise??

mistesh

It isn't eliminating carbs in total that helps, it's increasing protein big time.

This is great advice! I have eggs for breakfast almost every morning.

Joel Fuhrman, author of The End of Diabetes: The Eat to Live Plan to Prevent and Reverse Diabetes, "goes into great detail on why a high-protein diet including animal products is dangerous, and cites research that for every 5% of calories consumed from animal protein, the risk of diabetes increases by 30%. Another cited research example shows that of the more than 60,000 men and women studied, those following a vegan diet had diabetes prevalence that was only one-third of non-vegetarians. Dr. Fuhrman also addresses myths that fish and eggs are healthy components of a disease-preventing diet, and emphasizes the need for the inclusion of healthy fats from nuts and seeds.
...
With the plant-based dietary approach and a call for daily exercise outlined in The End of Diabetes, Dr. Fuhrman claims that, in most cases, patients can reduce the need for medication, and even reverse type 2 diabetes completely."

Book Review: “The End of Diabetes” by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
http://www.ourhenhouse.org/2013/02/book-review-the-end-of-diabetes-by-joel-fuhrman-m-d-bonus-giveaway-and-free-recipes/

zzcharge

Ok...I opened up my food diary so others could see it. I made some adjustments...so only look at the last 3 days. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. How am I doing???

Current plan:
Still doing 30DS every am upon rising but after warm lemon water w/cayenne pepper
But now eat breakfast within an hour of workout...so around 8ish
Added more protein
Cut back on carbs

Now my question is:
How/where to add more fiber???
If I cut back on the Ezekiel bread in the am...How can I eat my almond butter?? I love that stuff!!!

Lupercalia

Avocados have lots of fiber and healthy fat, and they are very tasty. Greens like kale, chard, red chard, etc. have lots of fiber as well. So do nuts.

My son likes nut butter with slices of apple. That, or celery perhaps?

chanel1twenty

You should definitely consider the need for you to cut out carbs and bad sugars all together.
Look into glucose shakes. They are made for diabetics and allow them to safely get appetite suppression and sugar that is good for you.
The majority of diabetics who undergo gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries end up no longer needing to take insulin, so I'd imagine that weight-loss would absolutely help you.

Don't get discouraged about the weight-loss situation. Losing inches is better than losing weight!! Remember the cliche, but very true statement, that muscle weighs more than fat. You will gain muscle working out. It is normal to lose weight and then suddenly stop losing, or even gain, weight while still losing inches. That's good!
It's easy to lose weight. Chop a leg off, and Good job! You just lost 10-15lbs! Losing BODY FAT is hard, and if you're losing inches but not so much losing pounds then that's what you're doing!! Losing the body fat! We should all be so lucky.

-Chanel

kcaffee1

You should definitely consider the need for you to cut out carbs and bad sugars all together.
Look into glucose shakes. They are made for diabetics and allow them to safely get appetite suppression and sugar that is good for you.
The majority of diabetics who undergo gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries end up no longer needing to take insulin, so I'd imagine that weight-loss would absolutely help you.

Don't get discouraged about the weight-loss situation. Losing inches is better than losing weight!! Remember the cliche, but very true statement, that muscle weighs more than fat. You will gain muscle working out. It is normal to lose weight and then suddenly stop losing, or even gain, weight while still losing inches. That's good!
It's easy to lose weight. Chop a leg off, and Good job! You just lost 10-15lbs! Losing BODY FAT is hard, and if you're losing inches but not so much losing pounds then that's what you're doing!! Losing the body fat! We should all be so lucky.

-Chanel

NOOOOOOO!!! Not the glucose shakes!!!!! Check the carb counts in almost any of the comercially available ones, and you will be FLOORED at how many carbs those are loaded with!!!!! Those shakes are still formulated (for the most part) on the old belief system that diabetics need to stay away from SUGAR and eat MORE carbs! NOT A GOOD IDEA!!!

And, if you are insulin resistant, then ALL sugars need to be watched, not just the refined, or added sugars. Many, many, MANY diabetics see a blood sugar spike with even simple fruits, and so have to limit them. Especially the sweet fruits like pineapple, banana, and such.

Agree BIG time about the inches coming off - that is the body fat melting away. However, 1 pound of fat = 1 pound of muscle to the scales. Just muscles are denser, so take up less room. So, if you are loosing inches, but not seeing the scale budge much, there IS a good chance you are loosing fat while gaining some muscle.

I'm still learning where to get fiber from, and which foods I can eat without driving my numbers crazy. Each person is different, which makes offering specific advice more difficult. However, there are a few things that seem to be agreed upon throughout the spectrum - leafy veggies are good for fiber and nutrients, broccoli and cauliflower are good for the same thing. Carrots and peas may have to go onto the "limited quantity" list depending on how you react to them. Same with sweet potatoes - though these do have a good fiber to nutrient ratio. Asparagus and celery are also good sources of fiber.

Some fruits have an excellent fiber to nutrient ratio - strawberries are one of the most recommended that I've seen. Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries are some others. I've also seen cherries on the recommended list, but haven't looked into them too closely because where I am, they can be just a bit expensive (even in season).

jennifershoo

I am almost 41...on OCP...and insulin resistant. I know I need to eat low carb and no simple sugar to lose weight. This is NOT sustainable for me...yet. I can have 3 no simple sugar days...lose 2lbs....day 4 have moderate dessert...step on scale day 5...gained 1 lb.
I am currently doing 30ds monday-friday am before breakfast. Losing inches like crazy...not no weight loss. Is this enough exercise to battle insulin resistance and lose some weight??? How much more exercise do I need to do??? I curerently eat around 1200 cal per day...not rigidly tho.

You don't lose 2 lbs of fat in 3 days or gain 1 lb of fat in one day except if you eat way over or way under your maintenance calories. It's mainly water retention due to carbs.

Try drinking green smoothies full of veggies to keep your blood sugar stable.

You say you "need" a cheat treat at least every weekend. You have to work on the mental aspect of it. You don't really "need" to eat bad carbs. You just want to because you're addicted to them. You need to detox. Start by cutting every juice and soda out of your life. The only thing you should drink is water and green veggie smoothies. Fruits must be low glycemic index. And do NOT replace anything sugary with artificial sweeteners. It doesn't matter if they are zero calories, they are way worst for your health, especially aspartame (it's linked to cancer).

JNick77

This is NOT sustainable for me...yet.

It is sustainable for you, you just don't have the willpower to implement it. Develop mental fortitude and profit.

He is right. Lifting and cardio should help you out. I've read that cinnamon helps increase insulin sensitivity as well.

jennifershoo

I am not a fan of artificial sweeteners. I kicked the soda habit 20 years ago in high school. I never like diet sodas. My ONLY drink is water and organic tea with no sugars added.

When I have something sweet...its the real thing...not fake.

Maybe thats part of the problem

No it's good! Artificial sweeteners are linked not only to cancer but to diabetes as well. The fake chemicals have weird effects on our brain and hormones.

jennifershoo

I think I am extremely sensitive to sugar....

Heres my entire food for the day: Nothing left out!

7am warm water with lemon and cayenner pepper
8am 1 slice ezekiel bread low sodium with a little butter, 2 eggs scrambled in olive oil spray
sipped on water and organic peppermint tea all am
1pm out for lunch w/mr...ordered 6 oz sirloin...only ate half
side salad with no dressing...ate all of it
baked potato with butter...ate most of it
1 chicken tender
1 dinner roll with a little butter
2 glasses of water
5pm...made homemade chocolate chip cookies for my husband...I had 4 small cookies
sipping on water all eve
Will have my diluted apple cider vinegar as soon as i finish this post

This I consider to be a CHEAT day. But I can expect the scale to register somw sort of weight gain.

You eat way too much for lunch and not enough for the rest of the day. No wonder why your blood sugar levels are all wacky!!! Try to eat 5-6 smaller meals every 2-3 hours instead. Seriously, you must know that only eating cookies for diner is bad.

1223345

It will help to remove as many refined carbs as possible. Exercise is key. Make sure you get your daily 30 minutes. It won't happen overnight, but it will improve. Once you get your body on the right track again, just do what it takes to keep it there!

saxmaniac

Over the years my glucose swings....one reading I can be borderline pre-diabetic and the next reading normal...and next reading low blood sugar. This started in my 20's. I feel different after I have had simple sugars. If I have one cookie too many...I feel the energy plunge and become shaky. I try to balance with some protein and I have a shot of braggs apple cider vinegar diluted every pm.

Your BG is supposed to swing, from 70 (fasting) to 130 (after a meal). It is not supposed to be steady.

150 carbs in a day is not a lot. Space them out more, but you will find that losing weight and being more active will really help a lot with insulin resitance, since you're not having a lot of carbs.

jennifershoo

It isn't eliminating carbs in total that helps, it's increasing protein big time.

This is great advice! I have eggs for breakfast almost every morning.

Joel Fuhrman, author of The End of Diabetes: The Eat to Live Plan to Prevent and Reverse Diabetes, "goes into great detail on why a high-protein diet including animal products is dangerous, and cites research that for every 5% of calories consumed from animal protein, the risk of diabetes increases by 30%. Another cited research example shows that of the more than 60,000 men and women studied, those following a vegan diet had diabetes prevalence that was only one-third of non-vegetarians. Dr. Fuhrman also addresses myths that fish and eggs are healthy components of a disease-preventing diet, and emphasizes the need for the inclusion of healthy fats from nuts and seeds.
...
With the plant-based dietary approach and a call for daily exercise outlined in The End of Diabetes, Dr. Fuhrman claims that, in most cases, patients can reduce the need for medication, and even reverse type 2 diabetes completely."

Book Review: “The End of Diabetes” by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
http://www.ourhenhouse.org/2013/02/book-review-the-end-of-diabetes-by-joel-fuhrman-m-d-bonus-giveaway-and-free-recipes/

Joel furhrman is just a quack vegan with an agenda.

DebbieLyn63

Ok...I opened up my food diary so others could see it. I made some adjustments...so only look at the last 3 days. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. How am I doing???

Current plan:
Still doing 30DS every am upon rising but after warm lemon water w/cayenne pepper
But now eat breakfast within an hour of workout...so around 8ish
Added more protein
Cut back on carbs

Now my question is:
How/where to add more fiber???
If I cut back on the Ezekiel bread in the am...How can I eat my almond butter?? I love that stuff!!!

Diary looks BEAUTIFUL for the past 3 days. Good job!

1223345

Over the years my glucose swings....one reading I can be borderline pre-diabetic and the next reading normal...and next reading low blood sugar. This started in my 20's. I feel different after I have had simple sugars. If I have one cookie too many...I feel the energy plunge and become shaky. I try to balance with some protein and I have a shot of braggs apple cider vinegar diluted every pm.

I dont have PCOS but I definitely have some sugar issues.

Are these FASTING blood sugars or blood sugars during your day? Fasting blood sugar at an ideal level should be around 83 or less. Any more than that and you are then entering a bad area. They say it's "normal". but it is on the very high end of normal and entering the pre-diabetes neighborhood. Do you use a glucose monitor? I think it would benefit you to get one and check your blood sugar first thing in the morning before even having so much as a sip of water. You can get a good idea of where you stand this way. If you see trends developing either in the rise or fall of your fasting blood sugar, you will be able to better tweak diet and exercise accordingly. You can actually get a free meter. Many meters offer a rebate by mail. You would just need to get things like the lancets, alcohol pads, and test strips. This would only become a financial burden if you were testing your blood sugar several times a day. I got a one touch mini ultra for 20 bucks. The test strips run around 25 bucks for a pack of 25. Of course, some places charge more than others. I have watched my fasting blood sugar drop by 20 points over the past several weeks.

Delicate

Try high intensity interval training, it should help alittle i believe it was covered in 'the truth about fat' by michael mossley?

chanel1twenty

quote]

NOOOOOOO!!! Not the glucose shakes!!!!! Check the carb counts in almost any of the comercially available ones, and you will be FLOORED at how many carbs those are loaded with!!!!! Those shakes are still formulated (for the most part) on the old belief system that diabetics need to stay away from SUGAR and eat MORE carbs! NOT A GOOD IDEA!!!

And, if you are insulin resistant, then ALL sugars need to be watched, not just the refined, or added sugars. Many, many, MANY diabetics see a blood sugar spike with even simple fruits, and so have to limit them. Especially the sweet fruits like pineapple, banana, and such.

Agree BIG time about the inches coming off - that is the body fat melting away. However, 1 pound of fat = 1 pound of muscle to the scales. Just muscles are denser, so take up less room. So, if you are loosing inches, but not seeing the scale budge much, there IS a good chance you are loosing fat while gaining some muscle.

I'm still learning where to get fiber from, and which foods I can eat without driving my numbers crazy. Each person is different, which makes offering specific advice more difficult. However, there are a few things that seem to be agreed upon throughout the spectrum - leafy veggies are good for fiber and nutrients, broccoli and cauliflower are good for the same thing. Carrots and peas may have to go onto the "limited quantity" list depending on how you react to them. Same with sweet potatoes - though these do have a good fiber to nutrient ratio. Asparagus and celery are also good sources of fiber.

Some fruits have an excellent fiber to nutrient ratio - strawberries are one of the most recommended that I've seen. Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries are some others. I've also seen cherries on the recommended list, but haven't looked into them too closely because where I am, they can be just a bit expensive (even in season).
[/quote]

I'm confused by your statement in your first paragraph about sugars and carbs. Carbs is sugar, and carbs are the most important foods to be watched and consumed by diabetics. The amount of carbs a diabetic needs is based on things like activity level and medications taken. If you're active you need more carbs than a diabetic who isn't active.
Simple carbs are made of 1-2 sugars, digested quickly. Thus spiking your blood sugar significantly and quickly. These are your syrups, candies, and soda.
Milk and fruits are also simple carbs, and are the better simple carbs because of the vitamins and nutrients. (This is why you get spikes from fruits)
Complex carbs are starches, and made of 3 or more linked sugars. These carbs are digested signiiiiificantly more slowly. Think pasta, grains, bread, oatmeal-even corn, legumes like kidney bean, and believe-it-or-not, broccoli. Yes, broccoli is a complex carb, and great for fiber.
When it comes to carbs, diabetics need complex because of how slowly they are digested. They will not cause huge blood sugar spikes.
Carbohydrates are not black and white. Things, like glucose shakes, help because the carbs are absorbed very slowly.
I've also heard from numerous diabetics that the most helpful thing for them is...cinnamon! Which you can get in pill/supplement form.

Complex carbs/slowly absorbed carbs are great because they prevent sugar getting too low. Blood sugar too low can cause blood sugar too high. When your sugar gets too low, your liver compensates by releasing mass amounts of glucose-thus you get a massive spike.

Bottom line, you NEED carbohydrates. COMPLEX carbohydrates.
Carbs=Sugar, Sugar=Carbs. Saying "eat carbs but cut out all sugar" or vice-versa, doesn't make any sense. Only a healthcare professional can tell you how many carbs you need as a diabetic. It's different for everybody. A standard diet should be around 61% carbohydrates, second most protein, third most your good fat.
When you are diabetic or pre-diabetic, carbs are the most important things in your diet and should be counted and monitored daily, and the amount should be consistent and near the exact same day to day.

OP, have you seen your doctor? People with your condition should NEVER start a weight loss or weight gain plan/program without consent and supervision.
Good luck to you! I hope everyone in the forum has helped you out with knowledge, information, ideas, and facts.

Chanel

kcaffee1

@chanel1twenty

I agree totally - the OLD belief system does NOT make sense and that diabetes or any metabolic disorder varies greatly from person to person.

I know when I got the "Glucerna" shakes, I not only watched my blood sugars start merrily tap dancing all over the place up in the danger zones trying to sprint into the low 200's, but I ALSO got some rather good slaps upside the proverbial head from friends who had been dealing with and learning about diabetes for MUCH longer. (I was still in the first couple of weeks of learning about this myself at the time.)

Restricting carbs, increasing CARDIO exercise has been the consensus for the general group that I am part of regarding how to help control blood sugars. Each person can tolerate different TYPES of carbs at different levels. Some are more sensitive than others to the types of carbs found in breads/pastas, or in milk dairy, or even in fruits.

Yes, fiber is a GOOD thing to have because it does slow the absorption/breakdown of carbs into the blood stream, helping to keep the blood sugars from spiking and going on a horrible roller coaster. But that is not the only factor. I cannot speak for every diabetic, pre-diabetic, insulin resistant person out there, because I am not those people. I can say, for myself, there are a FEW limited yogurts that I can eat without sending numbers sky rocketing (forget any milk! Though almond milk seems to be OK for now.) Forget almost every bread or pasta or cereal. I DO have a small bowl of cereal almost every morning, and I know that this "treat" may have to be eliminated any day. Why one type of one brand of cereal doesn't do crazy things, but all the rest (including oat meal, oats, or even barley) sends things up in a rocket, I have no idea. But, because of psychological factors about that bowl of cereal in the am, I'm thankful for it.

As for the assertions that diabetics NEED carbs - that myth has been severely shaken. Not completely debunked, but definitely shaken. There is a growing population of individuals with insulin based metabolic disorders who CHOOSE to restrict carbs voluntarily, and who have successfully driven at least Type II diabetes into remission and been taken off of ALL of their diabetic medications. In fact, one of my friends list was able just TODAY to announce such. I have also watched my numbers settle down into safer zones with just cardio exercise and carb restrictions. That is the basis for the outburst against the "glucose" shakes. If someone with an insulin problem can find one of the rare, palatable brands of shakes to help with hunger, or nutrient fillers, that's great. But, MOST of the food stuffs marketed FOR diabetes has a TON of carbs in them. And, even if the carbs are complex, or simple with a heavy leavening of proteins and/or fats to help slow down the absorption, there is STILL a spike in the blood sugar numbers. It is just delayed. Sometimes as much as 4 HOURS before the spike hits.

I will also grant that carbs are not simply - complex = good/ simple = bad. Lord knows I LOVE sweet potatoes! (supposedly low GI, high fiber, generally all around good for a diabetic!) BUT... if I have a sweet potato and broccoli, I can guarantee that things will spike up into the low 150's within the first 2 hours, and then HOLD there for up to 2 MORE hours. Not a great idea. Yet, on the flip side I can have 3 oz of Greek yogurt, 1/4 c fruit, and the simple carbs in a protein powder all blended together with almond milk into a smoothie and those same numbers will glide up to and flirt with 130 before settling right back down in under an hour.

Each person handles different carbs differently.

diwijo13

bump

silvercanoe

bump

ldrosophila

Muscle is a beautiful thing along with increased exercise capacity. It can actually bypass the whole need for insulin. Keep moving your body and giving it resistance training which is always advice for anyone who is insulin resistant or a diabetic.