How to Tame Insulin and Lose Weight
If you want to lose weight, you must control your insulin levels. We have a strategy to lower insulin which includes the right diet, exercise, and the use of supplements.
To lower insulin levels, we need to manage the triggers that stimulate insulin secretion. A calorie-controlled diet is important. Equally essential is to avoid high-glycemic carbohydrates. Insulin secretion is triggered by eating a large number of calories at one time and by eating or drinking high-glycemic foods that lead to a rapid, steep increase in blood sugar. The right diet, which helps you control the glycemic load of the diet, is the most important guideline here.
Exercise is also very effective at lowering insulin levels. If you exercise regularly, you will find that insulin levels will fall, and you can start burning fat.
Healthy Guidelines to Control Insulin and Lose Weight
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Get plenty of exercise
- at least 30 minutes/day 5 times per week. Exercising muscles burn up a lot of glucose and lower insulin levels, increasing insulin sensitivity. -
Control portions and calorie intake.
Large meals stimulate a large insulin response. Eat small meals and reduce portions of higher calorie foods. This will limit the insulin surge. It will also prevent fat storage from excess calories you can’t burn up immediately. -
Eat frequently and avoid skipping meals.
When you skip a meal, your body invokes the starvation response. A variety of hormonal signals act to decrease your metabolic rate. They also tend to increase the insulin response of the meals you do eat, leading to weight gain. On the other hand, when you eat frequently, insulin sensitivity increases, and you can burn fat more easily. -
Eat high fiber foods.
Fiber slows down digestion and slows the release of glucose from the digestive tract to the blood stream. Fiber is also filling, and helps you eat less without feeling hungry. Good fiber choices include vegetables, fruits, beans/legumes, nuts and seeds, and whole grains. -
Consider a fiber supplement
as well, but be sure to drink plenty of water or other fluid with it to avoid any intestinal blockage. Consider glucomannan, ground flax seeds, and psyllium seed powder. -
Eat protein frequently.
Try to include protein as a part of every meal and snack. This will help keep blood sugars levels on an even keel and decrease the insulin response. Eating protein also helps control appetite. -
Increase your intake of healthy omega-3 fats.
Research has shown that healthy fats from fish oils (EPA and DHA) and flax seed oil help to improve insulin sensitivity. These special fats actually stimulate PPAR receptors in the nucleus of fat cells, turning on fat burning and decreasing insulin sensitivity. We highly recommend taking a fish oil supplement. -
Keep healthy snacks handy.
Learn to enjoy healthy foods. This will help prevent those snack attacks that sabotage your weight loss efforts. Eat small frequent meals that help prevent hunger. Planning ahead is the key word here. -
Consider adding dairy foods but make them non-fat.
Carbohydrates in dairy are considered low-glycemic and do not elevate blood sugar levels as significantly as many other carbohydrates. The protein in dairy also helps control appetite. -
Avoid processed foods and trans fats.
Foods that have been manufactured, refined, or processed often have a number of artificial ingredients. These unnatural substances can have drastic effects on our health and our waistline.
Trans fats are often in the form of partially hydrogenated oils. These may be listed in the ingredients on packaging, even when the label says that there is no trans fat included. This is because of a loophole in U. S. food-labeling laws, allowing food manufacturers to state “zero” trans fats when there is less than 0.5 gm per serving. The true amount is not zero.
Foods that contain trans fats include French fries, potato and corn chips, commercial baked goods (cookies, crackers, cakes, and pies), shortening, and some types of peanut butter. Many restaurants use trans fats for cooking, although some are making the change to more healthful oils.
Trans fats have been identified as a cause of insulin resistance, diabetes, and high cholesterol. These artificial fats were invented by the food industry and are in a number of processed foods. They are not found in nature, however, and the body cannot break down these fats. Instead, they are incorporated into our tissues where they take the place of normal fatty acid molecules.
Recent research has shown that trans fats directly increase insulin resistance, causing weight gain. If you continue to consume these trans fats, your weight loss efforts will be severely hindered.
We strongly recommend that you avoid any deep fried food. Restaurants frequently use unhealthy fats and oils, and these fats often become drastically oxidized due to the high temperatures and exposure to air for long periods of time. Oxidized fats contain free radicals which damage multiple cellular structures of the body. Consuming oxidized or rancid fats may ultimately lead to heart disease and cancer.
Other ingredients to avoid include flavor enhancers (MSG, hydrolyzed yeast proteins, others) and artificial sweeteners which may stimulate the appetite centers of the brain, causing us to overeat. Choose whole, unprocessed foods whenever possible.
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Avoid refined carbohydrates, including white flour, white rice, and baked goods.
These foods have a high glycemic index. They are digested easily and cause the blood sugar to skyrocket. Minimize these foods in order to control your blood sugar, tame insulin, lose weight, and regain your health.
Worst on the list are sugary drinks such as soda pop and fruit punch, but also includes fruit juice. (Eat the fruit with the fiber and avoid the juice when possible.)
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Minimize intake of saturated fats.
from animal products, such as butter, cream, and fatty meats. These are associated with increased insulin resistance and may affect insulin receptors on cell membranes. -
Sleep.
7 – 8 hours of sleep per night is recommended. A recent study showed that adults who slept only 5 hours at night secreted 50% more insulin than those who managed to sleep 8 hours. Over time, lack of sleep can lead to insulin resistance and weight gain. Other hormones such as leptin and ghrelin are affected by sleep deprivation as well. -
Try vinegar.
A recent study demonstrated that drinking 2 Tbsp of vinegar before a meal could dramatically reduce the insulin and glucose spikes in the blood that occur after eating. Some participants lost weight from this regimen as well. Vinegar is not a tasty drink, but you can be dilute the vinegar in water or mix with a healthy oil for salad dressing. The Grapefruit Diet
Eat a half a grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice before each meal. A study of obese subjects lost 3 ½ pounds in 12 weeks by eating a ½ grapefruit three times per day before meals, without any other change in diet. This success was compared to a placebo group which lost less than 1 pound. Drinking 7 ounces of grapefruit juice worked almost as well. Another group tried grapefruit capsules and lost over 2 pounds. Insulin levels were significantly reduced in the grapefruit group.Try meditation or other relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or yoga.
These relaxation techniques reduce cortisol levels and helps control blood sugar and insulin levels as well. When you are in the right state of mind, you will control portions and choose your food more wisely.
It’s Time for a Change
If you have insulin resistance, whether or not you have progressed to type 2 diabetes, it is essential for you to follow a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and lose weight. Measure your waist size to monitor progress toward your goal of shrinking your abdominal fat. Weight loss will prevent or improve significant health problems that you may otherwise develop.
In fact, a landmark study on the prevention of diabetes was reported in the February 7, 2002 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. Study participants were middle-aged obese individuals with pre-diabetes. Researchers looked at the effectiveness of lifestyle changes to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes compared to the use of the drug Glucophage (metformin) or placebo.
The lifestyle intervention group followed a lower calorie diet, walked for 30 minutes, 5 days per week, and lost on average 5 – 7% of their body weight. When compared to the use of medication, the diet and exercise group won, hands down! The group that exercised and achieved modest weight loss had a 58% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes over a 3 year period compared to the placebo group. The Glucophage group cut their risk by 31%, also beneficial, but not as remarkable as making simple lifestyle improvements.
Diet Programs Recommended for those with Insulin Resistance include: