Insulin Resistance Help?

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pacwoman92
pacwoman92 Posts: 12 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm 19, female, and I weight 248 pounds (Weighed 250 when I started getting serious into dieting). I was diagnosed with insulin resistance whenever I was 16 and I paid it no mind. Now that I'm older I'm beginning to get problems from it. I've developed ovarian cysts and will eventually develop PCOS or Endrometriosis and be at a high risk of infertility, I'm tired all the time, I'm sick all of the time, I'm irritable and stressed constantly, I get really bad headaches, and I gain weight very rapidly. It's scary honestly... I could also develop diabetes or heart disease in a few years if I don't get this under control. Unfortunate for me, I've never liked a lot of fruits and veggies and I've never been much of a healthy eater. I've tried every fruit I can find at Walmart and I'm going to start on veggies in a few weeks. Here is my usual diet plan, if anyone knows much of anything about insulin resistance and can shed any light on my normal diet plan PLEASE let me know? I'd greatly appreciate it, as I'm beginning to feel helpless and lost.


Breakfast:

Oatmeal with a dash of Cinnamon(for the antioxidants) and water
or
Eggs, 2 slices of turkey bacon, a piece of 100% wheat bread toast

Lunch:

A lean turkey and cheese sandwich with 100% wheat bread toast
or
A can of drained and rinsed thoroughly green beans
or
A bowl of oatmeal(if I didn't eat any for breakfast)
or
1 piece of 100% whole wheat bread toast with a thin layer of crunchy peanut butter
or
A bowl of low carb low sugar cereal without drinking the milk

Dinner:

Usually just a drained rinsed can of green beans and a small spoonfull of corn
or
100% whole wheat noodles spaghetti with a little sauce that is high in veggie content and parsley and oregano on top
or
100% whole wheat hot dog buns with hot dogs (usually only 2)


Snacks:

Strawberries
Oranges
Apples(If I can make myself eat them)
Grapes(If I can make myself eat them)

Also as supplements I take: flax oil, biotin, and a multivitamin.


Can anyone at all help me add in a bit more food for a picky eater? Or tell me something interesting that I might add in. I don't have much variety in a day and so I'm anticipating it getting harder. Also, I walk for 35-73 minutes each day. If anyone else has this problem feel free to add me as a friend as well!

Thanks for reading :)
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Replies

  • SweetSammie
    SweetSammie Posts: 391 Member
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    You might want to try for more protein. Drink the milk with your cereal, eggs are great. Fruit is a good thing, but with Insulin Resistance, I believe you are supposed to go lower carbohydrates. You are doing well with the whole wheat/complex carbs though. If you google Insulin Resistance diet, you will find a lot of great suggestions.
  • pacwoman92
    pacwoman92 Posts: 12 Member
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    See, when I googled insulin resistance, it said that milk was one of the worst things I could have unless it was soymilk. Even my doctor said that it basically turns into sugar in my body, because of the insulin resistance, so I take a vitamin supplement and try to stay away from milk, but I seem to have a hard time of it lol.
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
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    I can tell you what my Dr. tells me for mine -- no more than 75 net carbs and 80 grams or more of protein per day.

    75 net carbs is hard to stay under. I get all mine from fruits and veggies since they go so fast I do not eat potatoes or many grains (although I do use beans in soup/chilis).

    Did your Dr. prescribe meds or refer you to dietician? If not, you should seek one out. My Dr. is wonderful and under his guidance I have lost almost 80 lbs in less than 6 months. Look for a board certified bariatric Dr. as they know the nutrition better than a GP.
  • LReneeWalker
    LReneeWalker Posts: 213 Member
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    If you dont take care of it now you will end up in my shoes. Doctors and nutrionists tell you the wrong things to eat!
    Milk is not bad for you! A lower carb diet is best. Learn to love veggies and fruits (in moderation). Learn to live without white flour and sugar. It sounds bland but there are so many yummy healthy things out there.
    Exercise is key! It lowers the blood sugar. I learned all about this stuff after years of denial. By then I had screwed myself over. After a hysterectomy, almost ruined feet and liver, I decided I had to change. I still have good eyes and pretty good kidneys and continue to lower my sugars with diet and exercise.

    I highly recommend you learn all you can on your own. You will get so much false information from those trying to help who are clueless, as well as those who know because they have been there.

    It can be reversed if you lose weight!
  • kadins_momma07
    kadins_momma07 Posts: 328 Member
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    Bump.
    I'd like to keep up with this post. My doctor recently said I may have PCOS. I've been trying to eat better and am slowly losing some weight and trying to get this under control. I'm interested in everyone's input on this subject :)
  • calliope_music
    calliope_music Posts: 1,242 Member
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    i saw an endocrinologist who diagnosed me with insulin resistance and PCOS and then sent me to a dietician. he also gave me Metformin to help with insulin regulation.

    basically, the dietician told me that carbs are the enemy. she gave me a limit of no more than 150g/day, and that's definitely on the high side.

    foods she told me to eat: chicken, fish, beef, turkey, eggs, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, non-starchy veggies (so no peas, corn, potatoes). light, whole wheat bread and the starchy veggies only a few times per week, and don't mix them together (so corn and potatoes would be a no-no for me).

    the key is protein - my doctor explained that my body is looking for carbs for quick energy and when it can't find them, it will move onto burning fat and then protein for energy. the high protein is supposed to help in keeping muscle.

    i highly encourage you to see a doctor or a dietician if you can. they have definitely helped me. since January 1, i have lost almost 30 lbs. i could have definitely lost more but i have fallen off the wagon a few times :/

    feel free to add me if you'd like :)
  • jinkies54
    jinkies54 Posts: 40 Member
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    There's an awesome book out called "The Glycemic Load Diet" (don't fret about the word diet in there...the book is very well written and basically exists for us insulin resistant folk). I stopped following it and gained back the thirty pounds I had lost in a month :( Now, I'm back on it and it's my second day.
  • needles85365
    needles85365 Posts: 491 Member
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    I too have been told I'm insulin resistant. Carb restriction is key, so whole grains, little process flours. Watch you starchy veggies..white potatoes, corn peas---all my favorites. My Doc told me I can help by developing more muscle mass so strength training is important. Good luck to you.
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    Check out dlife.com
  • irdietinfo
    irdietinfo Posts: 29
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    This is such a common problem and what everyone else has said is right. You have to increase your protein and decrease your starchy carbs and sugar. It really works! I was diagnosed insulin resistant in Feb 2011 and just by making these dietary changes I got my insulin levels back in the normal range within six months. More importantly, I lost weight for the first time in years and also found this way of eating helps enormously to control cravings and constant hunger.

    As someone else said, Google insulin resistance diet. I have a website and Facebook page that many people have found very useful. There are some sites that say you should avoid dairy but I have not found that necessary. We are all individual, so you need to find what's right for you, but low carb is the key if you're IR.
  • ATOLLIT
    ATOLLIT Posts: 149
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    Agreed with what everyone else has said, if you eat less carbs and sugary things there is less for your body to easily use as sugar, and it has to work harder to use up the proteins and fats to convert them into sugar for fuel. And, the less sugar you have in your body, the less insulin you produce, so the less tired out the parts of your body that respond to insulin get, and eventually, the insulin resistance can decrease.

    As for different food ideas... sweet potatoes are a pretty good alternative to normal potatoes as they have a lot more protein and a lot less carbs in. Lean meats are a good source of protein too, as well as different kinds of beans and lentils. There are lots of different soups you can make that can be surprisingly filling without lots of unhealthy stuff in, maybe try googling for different recipes?
  • nsblue
    nsblue Posts: 331 Member
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    The diabetic diet is an easy one and is balanced to promote your levels to be even throughout the day...a balance of all food groups...for they all have a purpose in maintaining your sugar levels.that paired with some form of exercise works wonders.
    I was once on 170 units of insulin a day....i am now on nothing. a healthy balanced diet WORKS. getting it from a dietician should be top priority... get yourself on track and get those sugars level...n everything will fall into place.
  • Zeromilediet
    Zeromilediet Posts: 787 Member
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    As you've realized, ignoring the connection between food and health is not a good thing. Aside from losing weight, which itself contributes to better health, the right food choices can improve how you feel and look. At the weight you are, hopefully you're working with an endocrinologist who specializes in diabetes and fertility issues? If not, and you're trying this on your own, please read and learn as much as you can about nutrition and food. My profile has a number of resources, but of help to you might be Dr. Diana Schwarzbein's book;she is an endocrinologist who has a clinic focused on treating diabetes. Her book is here http://www.amazon.com/The-Schwarzbein-Principle-Healthy-Feeling/dp/1558746803 or you might fnd it in a local library.

    Good luck in your endeavors ... your's is a long term goal and I hope to get there :-)
  • moonbaby1o1
    moonbaby1o1 Posts: 10 Member
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    I have the same exact problem as you do! I have been to a dietician and I am going to lay out the exact program that she put me on.

    One serving of carbs is 15grams. A small apple is usually about 15grams of carbs. A cup of broccoli is about 15grams. Carbs that you eat needs to be slow carbs not fast carbs meaning you should really only be eating complex carbohydrates. So if you want to eat potatoes make sure your eating reds.

    Breakfast- 3 servings of carbs, and 2-4oz protein

    Snack- one serving of carbs

    Lunch- 3 sevings of carbs plus 4oz protein

    Snack- 1 serving of carb

    Dinner- same as lunch

    Snack- 1 serving of carbs

    I was told not to eat more than one piece of fruit a day because it turns to sugar too quickly. Also no white bread or anything made with all purpose flour, enriched flour, or enriched bleached flour except for on a rare occasion. You do not want to eat more than 5oz if you are a woman because your body will not be able to process all that protein at once. If you do eat more than 5oz you risk it turning to fat. This really worked for me when I was following it perfectly. My insulin levels were way down and I had lost weight. I started weighing a lot more than what I am right now but because I followed this I lost about 20lbs. I fell off the wagon on this diet and went back to eating poorly but I am trying to get back into the groove of it. I just hate restricting myself so much on what I can and can't eat. It ends up at 180grams of carbs a day, but it follows the idea of controlling your glycemic index. You cannot, I repeat cannot take out all of the carbs in your diet. If you do your glucose levels drop and your liver will create and secreat more glucose. When you are insulin resistant your body is fighting against you. Then best way to control it is controlling your carb intake and making sure your carb choices are right and exercize (exercize burns off extra insulin). Once you reach healthier weight the insulin resistance should go away because 9 time out of 10 insulin resistance is caused because your cell membranes are streached out and the insulin in your body cannot find the correct pathways into your cells so your cells send out messages to your pancreas that they aren't getting any insulin so your pancreas goes into overdrive. Once you loose weight your cell membranes shrink down and your pancreas won't have to produce so much insulin to get it into the correct places. The real fear with insulin resistance is that if you don't get it in control your pancreas will burn out and you can become diabetic. So good luck! I
  • rubysphoto
    rubysphoto Posts: 254 Member
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    My sister in law is a Endocrinologist. www.drlauraruby.com There is a lot of info there and in her blog. More resources for you.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    less carbohydrates 80-120g per day perhaps. 100g of protein and loads of oils and fat.

    So no more lean stuff - 800 calories from protein and carbs, the rest from fats and oils. Do the math.

    Oatmeal - carbs
    Bread - carbs - even wholemeal, nearly the same GI as white sugar
    Fruit - carbs
    Noodles - carbs
    Ceral - carbs
    Milk - carbs

    see where I'm going with this ?

    4 ozs sirloin steak with green beans and broccoli. Mmm.
  • melbaby925
    melbaby925 Posts: 613
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    Oh - you are so not going to like my answer to this. My history: I had crappy blood test results from my physical in December 2011. Which led to me being tested for my insulin levels - get your doctor to test not only your fasting glucose, but your fasting insulin and uric acid levels.

    Mine were all high. My insulin in January was 16. They want you to be less than 3 for optimal health.

    I cut out all grains (also tested positive for Celiac, then in a follow up test was negative for Celiac) - and by that I mean oats, rye, spelt, wheat, and CORN and all of their derivative products. I also cut out all sugar, I strive for less than 15g/day in any fructose consumption.

    It's excruciatingly hard. I'm not perfect at it and I have binged on sugar several times. It's not worth the hangover you get, so moderate, and cut down slowly on how much sugar you're eating.

    My insulin mid-April was 10.6 after eating this new way. My uric acid levels are still high - high UA levels are significant of fructose toxicity. So I still have a way to go. I'm hoping that I can reduce both levels by the end of this year to a healthy number.

    I've done a boatload of research on the last few months and I'm lucky to have a great integrative health doctor in my area who is patient and explains all of this to me.

    You can also look up the term "Diabesity" and read what Dr. Hyman says about this, and look at Dr. Lusting on YouTube - he's got several lectures posted that explain a bunch about this and how the biochemistry of the body works. Also, Dr. Mercola is forever preaching about whole foods and low fructose to heal these issues.
  • Sharonks
    Sharonks Posts: 884 Member
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    Exercise helps insulin resistance so keep up the walking.

    I think you need to eat a little more protein.

    Milk is not bad as long as you make sure it fits into your carb plan.

    Oatmeal (not the insta pkg sugar stuff but regular kind) is good. I only had to give it up recently but I'm full blown diabetic and my body is currently rebelling.

    Tropical fruits are higher in carbs so you want to watch your consumption.

    Look up the American Diabetic Assoc. diet. It is a fairly decent diet for those who are resistant. It doesn't always work for those who are diabetic but overall it is a good, moderate carb diet and will give you some good ideas of how you should eat.

    When you eat grains you want them to be grainy. So don't eat white bread but eat whole wheat, fibery type breads. Whole grains like quinoa, whole grain barley, and stuff like that are good. Experiment a little and you will find things you like. White rice is not a good grain choice as it seems to really mess with a lot of people's blood sugar.

    Learn to eat non starchy veggies. It may take a while to adjust since you don't really care for them but I would try hard. It is fun to cook so get some cookbooks or look up stuff online and start experimenting. Processed foods are often high in sodium and additives.
  • Gettittogether
    Gettittogether Posts: 2
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    If you love milk try silk pure almond unsweetened almond milk. I've recently discovered it, and I love it. I am not even a milk drinker, but I love this milk. It is only 35 calories, 1g carb, 1g fiber per cup.
  • melbaby925
    melbaby925 Posts: 613
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    See, when I googled insulin resistance, it said that milk was one of the worst things I could have unless it was soymilk. Even my doctor said that it basically turns into sugar in my body, because of the insulin resistance, so I take a vitamin supplement and try to stay away from milk, but I seem to have a hard time of it lol.

    Unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk.

    I think the coconut milk tastes better than the almond.

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