Insulin Resistant and feeling lost.. a few EASY links please? page 2

[sbhikes]

I think you don't need a complicated diet plan. Just eat as close to pure Primal Blueprint or even pure paleo as possible, stay low on fructose and starches for now and do whatever it takes to never touch any sugar of any kind at all. Do a lot of walking and if you can, do some lifting.

[Linny]

Sbhikes has good ideas. You might also add a magnesium supplement to your diet. It helps make your cells insulin sensitive. I find I have to spread out my dose between breakfast and dinner. I was taking it all right at bedtime to help with sleep but it was causing me to have dawn effect high blood sugar levels (brought on by going hypo in the middle of the night and my liver dumping sugar).

[Kymma]

Sbhikes has good ideas. You might also add a magnesium supplement to your diet. It helps make your cells insulin sensitive. I find I have to spread out my dose between breakfast and dinner. I was taking it all right at bedtime to help with sleep but it was causing me to have dawn effect high blood sugar levels (brought on by going hypo in the middle of the night and my liver dumping sugar).

How much magnesium do you take? I am also going to add in some Vitamin E that Dr. Bernstein recommends. I already take magnesium, but once again, consistency is key. I need to take it with dinner or shortly after, bc I usually end up getting so sleepy I forget to go and take my supplements.

[geostump]

I take 500mg magnesium before bed. It doesn't help me sleep so much as it keeps me from having muscle cramps. Also, found out from my OB in July that I am no longer PCOS. Just following a primal lifestyle helped with that.

[CelloIsLove]

You say you're only 80% paleo? I agree with Mark's 80/20 idea, but it seems everyone has their own interpretation of it. I'm not going to say that I'm always right on spot with my diet; we all need wiggle room.

However, when you are beginning this way of eating, it is crucial to go 100% at least for the first month or so. You need to reset your body into fat-burning mode as opposed to sugar-burning. Also, by doing this, you're going to eliminate most of your cravings for non-primal foods. You can still eat fruit, but limit yourself to around 3-4 servings a day. Throw in some very dark chocolate and wine in there too. Look up as many recipes as you can; try something new each day. Make this fun. Come here for support.

80/20 really means that you should eat primal almost all the time, save for a treat every few days if you really want to. You'll most likely get to the point where you're mildly grossed out by those foods because you know how they make you feel.


I'm also insulin resistant, and my dad was diagnosed with diabetes this last year. I know how difficult it is to make the transition for real, but you just have to challenge yourself and find ways to reward yourself that aren't self-destructive. Also, the easiest way for me to go primal was by fasting beforehand. This shortens the transition phase so you have less of the low-carb "flu".

One last tip; find a good quality bittersweet chocolate chip (Enjoy Life is a really good brand) and some raw almonds. Eat a chocolate chip and an almond at the same time. Awesome treat! Fills you up and helps you limit your intake of either. This makes a really good evening snack or desert.

:]

[WeldingHank]

Keto and some heavy weight lifting helped me rebuild my insulin sensitivity.

[Kymma]

You say you're only 80% paleo? :]

I'm not a beginner. I have been on and off primal/paleo for a year and half, but 98% wheat free since April '12. Thank you for the advice, and once I start back into the more tradional primal WOE, I will follow your advice. This insulin resistance thing has me determined. Consistency is a big issue for me in many aspects of my life, so I know that I have to change the "treat" mentality, but doing the lo carb WOE until I take off 60 lbs and become insulin sensitive again should help with that. Retraining and all.

For now, I am doing Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution diet. VLC, but surprisingly, it isn't killing me. I think it is because I have been in the process of changing my WOE for over a year now. Carb flu has been a little intense on the muscle side, but I know next week I'll feel freaking great. Looking forward to it actually!

Next week, I am tackling consistency with exercise. It is a process, but one that has a lot of great results.

[Kymma]

I take 500mg magnesium before bed. It doesn't help me sleep so much as it keeps me from having muscle cramps. Also, found out from my OB in July that I am no longer PCOS. Just following a primal lifestyle helped with that.

Um, OMG Girl!!!!! That is huge, congratulations!!!! What an amazing thing for you, you must feel amazing!

[Kymma]

Keto and some heavy weight lifting helped me rebuild my insulin sensitivity.

Rock! Still working on getting confident with the heavy lifting. May need to ask for some help on that one, but think it is time! Surely I can find some body builder round here to help me.

[quelsen]

insulin resistance is about sugar intake.

i respectfully suggest you remove not limit completely remove all sources of glucose until your number gets down.

i understand this will suck initially and that nobody will think you are doing the right thing but that number says you have a shit ton of glucose and glycogen stored, plain and simple. you have eaten enough sugar. period.

no fruit, no starchy veg, no honey, no sugar

nothing

if i can do it, you can too, if you want to.

i also respectfully suggest that eating to blood glucose wont fix this problem, BG levels are subjective not objective.