Ahh hormones, those lovely messengers that travel all over the body telling everyone else what to do. Except when we can’t get them to do what we want, then they’re not so lovely. Hormones are vital and extremely complex. Their role, specifically Insulins role, will have a huge impact on your metabolic health. In this post, I want to touch on insulin and the role it plays in, or in some cases against, weight loss. Foremost, insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas. When we consume sugar or carbohydrates, the pancreas signals insulin to go to work. If we continually eat carbohydrates, especially refined carbs, the body will continue to signal for its release. So the cycle starts. Our bodies can only use so much glucose; thus, when excess glucose is present in the blood and your cells are no longer responding to the insulin, they become resistant. The excess is then stored as fat. Rinse, repeat. Insulin resistance can become tricky because it can often present as asymptomatic, meaning most people don’t even know there is a problem. But there will be signs… such as excess weight (specifically around the midsection), cravings for sugar, feeling hungry, and of course fatigue. Less commonly recognized symptoms can include high blood pressure, skin tags and skin darkening, migraines, and even ED. The good news is when we get the body’s insulin response working efficiently, these symptoms usually resolve themselves. Which begs the question: how do we get insulin under control and start losing some weight? The most important player here is what goes in your mouth or doesn’t…
One of the fastest ways to lower insulin levels is to start fasting. The more time we can go between meals, the longer the body has to process what we ate. When time elapses, our food is broken down and our insulin levels have a chance to return to normal. If you are at risk for having low blood sugar, take a modest approach here and extend your fasting time gradually. The last thing ate at your last meal will impact how successful you are. Try not to consume lots of sugar and carbs before fasting. This will help reduce sharp spikes in insulin levels and thus, steep drop offs. Most find intermittent fasting easiest to do by skipping breakfast. While challenging, skipping your last meal of the day can yield more dramatic results. Ultimately do what works best for you and your schedule. When you break your fast, try and have some protein macros, veggies and little to no carbs so as to keep blood sugar and insulin levels at this lower level. The body needs roughly 72 hours to make metabolic adjustments. Now once you’ve successfully reset your insulin levels, you want to keep them there. How do you do that? If you will simply stop eating seed oils (canola, soybean, etc. (overly abundant with inflammatory omega 6s)), artificial sweeteners and or high-fructose corn syrup, you should be able to keep those levels in a safe range. Yes, even if you’re eating carbohydrates. Read labels, cut the crap. That simple.
The second option to reduce insulin levels is to exercise. Burn off the carbohydrates you’ve signaled to the body as fuel. You don’t have to run to the gym for two hours slinging weights, this can look like taking a brisk walk after a meal for 5-10 minutes or rough housing with your kids!
Lastly, the best option to lower insulin response is changing what you put into your body in the first place. Carbohydrates will spike insulin the most. You can eat “good” carbs or you can eat “bad” carbs. Take a sweet potato for example, yes it has naturally occurring sugars but it also has a decent amount of fiber which will counter balance the effect of those naturally occurring sugars. Well sourced meat (grass fed and organic), fresh vegetables and healthy fats are not going to spike your insulin response in a dangerous manner, the way processed foods will. Trying to manage blood sugar and insulin while consuming bad fats and fake sugar is like spitting in the wind. Your body and brain are built to use two forms of fuel- glucose and ketones (one from carbs and one from fats, respectively). Adulterated forms of these such as HFCS, aspartame (amino sugar), hydrogenated and seed oils are recipes for disaster. These are your weight loss nemeses! If you haven’t done a keto diet or you’re currently doing a “dirty keto” diet, please see additional reading to address the most effective way to take this approach. I have so many clients that think they’re eating healthy when in actuality, so much of what they’re eating is unknowingly sabotaging their weight loss goals. When your body makes the shift to a ketogenic state (burning fat for fuel) it will increase insulin sensitivity and become more effective at regulating blood sugar levels. However, the same is true in reverse. If you start reintroducing carbs after doing keto, do so gradually to maintain healthy rises in blood sugar and insulin. When their levels are under control, you’ll notice weight will begin to fall. Even if you’re eating lots of butter and red meat (grass fed). Don’t believe the hype. Fat is not the enemy!
One caveat- a great way to reset insulin levels and blood sugar response can be via a keto diet. I personally do not think that a keto, long term, is beneficial to your health. I speak from personal experience and emerging research is backing this opinion. I have another blog post about different dieting approaches. The long-term effects on your hormones (including insulin) that might surprise you.
As always here are a few books you might be interested in for more information. Stay Haute out there-Jenn
“Good Energy” By Casey and Calley Means, their work is buzzing and momentous.
“How Not to Get Sick” by Benjamin Bikman
The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight loss by Jason Fung
“Fast This Way” by Dave Asprey for an efficient way to get the most out of your effort