The Surprising Reason You Feel Fatigue and Can’t Lose Weight
June 29, 2020
Last week we talked about insulin resistance and how feeling “hangry” is not normal.
We also talked about what normal blood sugar levels should be and how to interpret those labs from your medical file. If you missed my last blog you can see it here so you can catch up.
Insulin is a fat storage hormone. It makes you fat, tired and hungry! In this article, I’ll show you how to normalize your blood sugar levels and how to regain your energy and your life back.
Most obese people have insulin resistance or diabetes. People have elevated insulin levels for years; even decades, before the formal diagnosis of pre-diabetes is made. Up to 16-25% of people are insulin resistant. If you’re lucky, your doctor will discover your pre-diabetic status and you’ll have some time to reverse it before it’s too late. Elevated blood sugar has been linked to chronic disease, cardiovascular disease and even Alzheimer’s! Now is the time to reverse this condition!
Pre-diabetes and Diabetes type 2 are reversible. It’s important to note that medication is not going to reverse it. Medication is designed to keep the liver from secreting glucose, however it does not reverse pre-diabetes or diabetes. Even on medication, it’s still recommended that people follow a lifestyle that is conducive to decreasing intake of processed and refined carbs because excess sugar in the blood has the potential to damage every single cell in your body.
What to do to reverse this condition? Here are a few lifestyle changes you can make that will help you keep blood sugar under control:
- Reduce or eliminate convenience and packaged foods that contain mostly refined grains and sugars. Carbs are 100% sugar and they will raise blood sugar. Refined grains behave as sugar. You don’t need refined grains in your diet.
- Consider “crowding out” processed and refined foods with whole foods that are high in vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein and healthy fats.
- Eat a variety of vegetables in every color of the rainbow. This increases healthy fiber in your diet, which slows down the absorption of glucose from the blood, allowing insulin to do its job.
- Keep fruit to a minimum (eat mostly berries and green apples; avoid tropical fruits which are very high in natural sugar).
- Include wholesome sources of protein in your diet, like pastured chicken, wild-caught fish, pastured turkey, organic eggs, nuts/seeds and non-GMO tofu.
- Include healthy fats in the diet, like avocados, coconut, nuts, seeds and olives. Remember, fat is satisfying and it will help you stay full longer. This will help you maintain a balanced blood sugar level, decreasing the sugar crashes and cravings you may have been experiencing.
- Move your body on a daily basis; walking, hiking, jogging, dancing, yoga, tennis, etc. Your body was designed for movement. Even if you have pain, movement has been shown in studies to help improve pain and brain neurotransmitters that help moderate pain.
- Foods labeled as “low fat” or “fat free” are high in carbs. Avoid most packaged foods, especially those with such labels.
- Avoid “food-like substances” (i.e. fast foods, packaged or man-made)
- If you have insulin issues, you don’t need grains. Eat high fiber vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts.
- Cutting carbs is good for you, no matter whether your blood sugar is normal or not.
- Use non-grain based flours (coconut flour, almond flour, cassava flour)
- When in doubt, eat vegetables. Be exaggerated with vegetables.
- Eat protein in moderation. You don’t need a high protein diet.
- Healthy fats: Olive oil, ghee, olives, avocado and avocado oil, nuts, seeds.
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