Insulin Resistant

I am insulin resistant as well. I don't see contemporary doctors who use western medicine as my wife is a certified herbalist and clinician as well as a nutritionist. I have found much success in sticking to a diet that lingers between the paleo and the ketogenic diet and I do three days of HIIT per week, three days of weight lifting. I try not to count calories, carbs, protein, etc., but I find that this app helps...a lot. With this app, I don't have to pay TOO much attention. I keep a very regular diet and I sure as hell notice when I have eaten something I knew I shouldn't have. I can't eat any carbs before bed or my heart is pounding and I get a lot of anxiety and I can't sleep. Its not so bad during the day, but it still happens. I just, straight up, stay away from carbs and sugar. All of our bodies are different, and what works for me might not work for you. I would suggest taking a chromium supplement. Chromium has been shown, in specific studies, to assist in processing insulin and therefore, weight loss in individuals with insulin resistance. I take 600 mcg daily. 400 in the morning after breakfast and 200 in the afternoon after lunch. I am not a fan of pharmaceuticals and will suggest to all of you taking Metformin to see an herbalist or naturopath and replace it with chromium, diet and exercise. Thats all I've got, ladies. Good luck!!!

Walking. Track fiber and eat at least 35g/day. Pull sugar and fruit and grains from the diet for a little while. Eat high fiber/fat/protein, get your carbs from slow sources such as beans/lentils/veggies. You don't have to be this "strict" for a long time, in only a couple of weeks you'll probably see your blood sugar readings get back into range! But stick with it for that period of time, no "cheat" days. I actually love eating this way, and tend toward it on most days.

yorkielass71 wrote: »

Hi there, my name is Michelle and I'm a mother of 3. 3 weeks ago I was diagnosed as having insulin resistance with a BSL of 35. I've been put on Metformin and have had no side affects so all seems well there. I'm just a little confused as what I should be eating and what I should stay away from. Anybody who has this and could shed some light would be a great help. Thanking you all in advance. Michelle

Welcome aboard the roller coaster ride! It really is a very individual situation.

The literature you read will give you general information about what works for the average population ... and even those instructions fall into a pretty wide range. The information you will get from other people will be based on what worked for them, and that means it may or may not work for you as well.

You need to know that you can eat everything everyone else can, but that certain specific foods will have a stronger adverse affect on your blood sugar profile, and you will need to learn which and how much of those are ok for you to have. How do you know what foods affect you adversely? Well, you cannot know that, really, without doing blood glucose tests with a finger prick and testing kit, which is inexpensive to get innitially but the test strips are expensive and are best gotten with a script from your doctor (who may or may not want you to test yourself at this point).

The general information will also tell you to increase your activity level ... generally with such activities as walking for 10 or 20 minutes after meals and doing some form of formal activity several times a week for about 30 minutes ... whatever form of activity you like. This is because research has shown that moderate exercise helps the body be better at using insulin and thus using the glucose derived from your food.

The general guidelines will tell you that per meal, your carb load should be no more than 45-60 grams ... and this translates into three to four 15-gram servings of carb ... be careful with the carbs as many standard servings of a food have that nearly that much carb in just one portion. Thus, you need to learn the values for the different food and their portions ... and here is where MFP is your friend. If you don't already know how to read food labels, learn it.

The other point is fat ... all the literature is still insisting on low fat ... even though recent research has come out in favor of increasing fat content ... just not the fat you get from hydrogenated vegetable oils but from foods such as what is naturally found in the meat you eat and other foods such as nuts, seeds, and olives. So ... be careful of how much deep fried food you eat and choose more often to have food that is saute'd or boiled, roasted, baked.

I'm specifically not telling you anything about what I have found works for me because I want to stick with the general sound principals of eating with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. However I will share that I have, over time, lowered my A1c through following through on the information I have shared with you.
Good luck. Get smart.

PS ... add to the carb PER meal load ... a snack would allow 15 -30 grams of carb. All your meals and snacks should have a combination of the 3 macronutrients in them ... carb, fat, protein. (Don't eat a big apple, eat a small apple with some nut butter or some cheese is an example. Or, don't eat a bowl of baby carrots, eat a cup of baby carrots weith some hummus instead).