May 18, 2025 • 23 mins
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You reversed your insulin resistance — now what? Can you go back to a “normal” diet? Can you eat carbs again? Or will one off-plan meal undo all your progress? In this video, I’m breaking down what actually happens after you reverse insulin resistance — and whether or not you can reintroduce certain foods, especially carbs, without falling back into old patterns.
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Timestamps
00:00 Intro
02:13 Can insulin resistance come back?
03:40 What changes after reversal
05:33 CAT INTERMISSION
05:48 Can you eat carbs going forward?
08:48 The key to keeping insulin resistance reversed
12:04 Meal timing to stay insulin sensitive
14:04 CAT INTERMISSION 2
14:12 Intermittent fasting: a powerful tool
16:20 Big meals vs small, frequent meals
17:45 Are you ready to add in more carbs?
21:50 Can you go back to a normal diet after reversing insulin resistance?
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
If you have started making changes to reverse your insulin
resistance, if you're eating differently, if you've changed
your lifestyle, you might be wondering, do I have to eat like
this forever or can I go back toa normal diet once it's
reversed? Insulin resistance is caused by
our choices. It is a lifestyle condition and
therefore to reverse it, you need to change what you're
(00:21):
eating and doing now. I talk a lot on my channel and
with my community about making small, manageable changes
because depending on the changesyou've made, if you've reduced
carbs, if you're counting calories, it can feel very
overwhelming and like a lot of work and like something you
don't necessarily want to do long term.
(00:44):
So we're going to get into it. So we're going to get into all
of that in today's episode. And spoiler alert, I do have
some good news for you, but alsoa little bit of nuance and a
little bit of bad news. Now, if you're new here, my name
is Kate. I'm a nutritionist.
I specialise in insulin resistance and blood sugar
control. I have helped hundreds of
clients reverse insulin resistance naturally and
(01:06):
maintain the results. And so I'm here today to help
you. Now I want to start off by
clarifying what it means when people say a normal diet.
This is typically referring to, I guess, the standard American
diet, which is high in carbohydrates, high in processed
food, a lot of burgers, pizza, cereal, that sort of thing.
(01:28):
Typically it is low fat just because a lot of products
nowadays are made to be low fat so that we think they're
healthy, a little bit of marketing.
So we buy them. Although I do think that the
mainstream idea of what is healthy is kind of moving away
from this low fat narrative, which is good because fat, it's
an essential nutrient. We need to be getting it in our
(01:50):
diets, and especially if we havethe goal of reversing insulin
resistance, of balancing our blood sugar, of losing weight.
Fat is important for our hormones, for satiety.
It's not to be feared. So when we talk about going back
to a normal diet, what people mean is going back to eating
whatever they want, whenever they want.
(02:12):
When we're talking about this, we need to understand that yes,
insulin resistance is reversible.
It is caused by our diet and lifestyle choices over a long
period of time, and if we go back to eating the exact same
way we were when we became insulin resistant, then we can
redevelop it. We can think about it like this.
It's like weight loss. Yes, you can go on a super
(02:33):
strict diet, you can drop the weight fast, but if you go
immediately back to how you wereeating beforehand, you gain the
weight back. And we see this all the time
with people. When we go back to old habits,
then we have returning old issues.
So this is good and bad news forpeople.
You're never going to be able togo exactly back to how you were
(02:54):
eating beforehand, eating whatever you wanted whenever you
wanted and not worrying about macros or carrying foods or
blood sugar control. You're always going to have to
have some awareness about that. But This is why it's important
that the changes you make when you're reversing insulin
resistant, they are small and they are manageable.
(03:15):
Because if you're able to stick to them, if you are easily able
to incorporate them into your daily routine, then that's
what's going to lead to results and long lasting results.
Because yes, you might not go back to exactly how you were
eating before, but you can tolerate carbohydrates, hydrates
better when your insulin resistance is reversed.
And that means you do have a little bit more wiggle room and
(03:38):
a lot more food freedom because after you reverse insulin
resistance, your insulin sensitivity has improved.
So what this means is that your cells are responding correctly
to insulin. They are taking in glucose as
they should. Your blood sugar is remaining
stable and at a healthy level. You're not having big spikes and
(04:01):
crashing is in it. Your blood sugar isn't going to
be elevated throughout the day. If you are pre diabetic or type
2 diabetic, this means that yourfasting blood sugar has come
back down to a normal range. And yes, when your cells are
more sensitive to insulin, this means you can tolerate more
carbohydrates and your body willbe able to deal with the influx
(04:22):
in glucose and take that glucoseto the cells in your body that
need it. And the cells are going to take
it. Also, as your insulin
sensitivity improves, your metabolic flexibility ability
also improves. This means that your body is
able to switch between using stored fat as energy and the
glucose that's coming in. Because when you're insulin
resistant, your body isn't able to use glucose as it should.
(04:47):
It's kind of a wasted fuel source because your cells are
overwhelmed. And that's why a lot of people,
when they're insulin resistant, they will eat a big meal and
they'll still feel hungry for something sugary afterwards.
This is a sign of insulin resistance because your body
isn't able to process the energyfrom that meal efficiently.
And your cells, even though the energy is available, your cells
(05:10):
are essentially starving and your body is like, I'm still
hungry, I need energy, give me something quick, give me some
sugar. And that's why you have these
cravings. So when your insulin resistance
improves, then this isn't going to be the case.
You'll eat that big meal and your body will be able to use
that energy as it should. And this is really empowering to
know because it means that no, you're not going to have to
(05:34):
stick to a strict diet. Yes, Zeus, what can I do for
you? Yes.
Can't you see I'm a little busy?OK, You're just gonna act cute
in the background. All right?
As I was saying, this should be good news because it means that
no, you don't have to stick to astrict diet for the rest of your
(05:57):
life in order to maintain your results.
But you do have to still be mindful, because not being
mindful is what got you in this situation in the 1st place.
And this isn't just about the number of carbohydrates you're
eating. You can be smart about them in
different ways, for instance, byeating carbohydrates around
exercise. This allows your body to use
(06:18):
that energy immediately when you're exercising, even if it's
just going for a walk or something like that.
Or if you use carbohydrates in the context of a balanced meal,
that's going to make them a little bit more blood sugar and
insulin friendly. And just doing little things
like this, these little changes and being a little bit more
mindful is what's going to allowyou to have that freedom with
(06:42):
carbohydration hydrates and still remain insulin sensitive
and not have issues with your insulin resistance coming back.
Now I want to talk a little bit more about the habit changes
that you should be doing long term in order to remain insulin
sensitive and not have insulin resistance come back.
As I said, targeting your carbohydrates a bit more
(07:05):
strategically, making sure you have them around, exercise if
you are going to have them or ifyou're not exercising, making
sure you're not eating carbohydrates naked.
So what I mean by naked is eating carbohydrates in
isolation, because when you eat something that is almost
entirely comprised of carbohydrates, it's broken down
(07:28):
rapidly by the body. And this is what causes that big
spike in blood sugar because youdon't have anything that's
slowing down the digestion of them.
Now of course simple carbohydrates, things like
simple sugars, candy, white bread, that sort of thing are
going to be broken down quicker than complex carbohydrates like
sweet potato and other starches for example.
(07:50):
But they are still going to be broken down into the same thing,
into sugar and cause your blood sugar to go up.
Now there are ways to slow down the digestion, one of which is
to pair carbohydrates with protein and fat.
By doing this, both of these macro nutrients are digested
slower and this will cause a less or a more gradual, not a
(08:13):
less gradual, a more gradual increase in your blood sugar.
And then less insulin is needed all at once to deal with that.
When your blood sugar doesn't spike up as much, there isn't
going to be that huge crash as well, and you're not going to
experience cravings and that sort of thing.
Energy crashes, fatigue, headaches, they come when your
blood sugar dips after this. So just having that basic
(08:34):
awareness when you're going to eat something, what macro
nutrients are in this meal or inthis snack?
If you're having something beinga little bit, I guess, naughty,
you might say, and having like abag of chips, for example,
trying to add something that hasprotein or fat beforehand.
So this can even look like if you're having tortilla chips,
(08:56):
having it with guacamole, this is going to be a better option
than having chips on their own. Now, of course, I'm not
recommending this as like a healthy food choice, but we're
all going to be in situations where we can't eat 100%
perfectly and that's OK. The goal shouldn't be to be
perfect. At the end of the day, what are
(09:17):
we trying to get healthy for? We're trying to be healthy so
that we can live our best life, so we can enjoy ourselves.
And if we are so caught up with having a perfect diet and
worrying about every single little thing that we're putting
in our mouths, then we're missing the bigger picture
because that can be extremely stressful.
(09:39):
And honestly, you're never goingto be able to achieve it.
And This is why people kind of crash and burn after they do a
strict diet because they kind ofhave this whiplash.
They've been so strict, so regimented, and then as soon as
they have one thing that's kind of outside of their diet plan,
everything else crumbles. And that's what we want to
(10:01):
avoid. And that's why I always say to
aim for consistency over perfection.
If you're progressing towards your goals and you're getting
results, that's what matters. And consistently sticking to the
small habit changes over time iswhat is going to lead to this.
Yes, you might get quicker results if you dive straight
into A0 carb diet, but if you'renot able to stick to that long
(10:26):
term, then you're kind of missing the point.
So having that awareness about what's on your plate and if you
have protein and fat in that meal, that is honestly going to
be the biggest thing that's going to make or break your
results long term. And this doesn't mean you have
(10:46):
to track how much protein is in everything.
Just have a little bit of a basic awareness.
Know what foods are rich in protein.
Obviously meat, seafood, eggs, dairy, all great sources of
protein. You can get a little a little
bit from beans and legumes, but I don't recommend relying on
them as a protein source becausethey're actually higher in
carbohydrates than they are in protein.
(11:07):
And the protein in them is not as bioavailable as the protein
that we get from animal products.
So you aren't able to use as much of it.
So these types of foods can be used to supplement your protein
intake, but ideally you want to be getting some source of animal
protein in it every meal and just knowing what foods are a
good source of fat. So avocados, olives, ghee,
(11:32):
butter, tallow, those sorts of things for cooking.
Coconut oil, nuts and seeds can be good fat sources that can
help to control blood sugar and insulin.
Dairy as well. A good full fat Greek yoghurt
can be fantastic to add in just having an understanding of what
you can add to a meal rather than take away to make it more
(11:54):
blood sugar friendly. Because ultimately if you're
controlling your blood sugar better, you're controlling your
insulin butter. Having this awareness is really
what's going to matter. And then of course, meal timing.
So I know a lot of people when they're working to reverse
insulin resistance, find a lot of success through intermittent
fasting. And this makes sense because if
(12:15):
we are not eating for a longer period each day, that's allowing
our bodies to be in a low insulin state for longer
throughout the day. And it's when we're in this low
insulin state that our cells become more insulin sensitive
again. So if we can spend more time in
this state, then this helps to reverse insulin resistance
quicker. But there is obviously a tipping
(12:35):
point because if you are trying to fast for 23 hours every day
and only eat within one hour, doOMAD or one meal a day, again,
is this going to be sustainable?Is this something that you can
stick to? Are you miserable throughout the
whole rest of the day? And this comes down to you and
just knowing yourself and being honest with yourself because
(12:58):
yes, we all can be super disciplined and stick to
something for a period of time if we put our minds to it.
But ultimately we can't do it long term.
Yes, hello again. Hello.
Hello. Intermittent fasting can be
great and it can be as simple aspushing your first meal back a
(13:20):
couple of hours so you don't eatif you normally eat at like 7:00
AM, not eating till 8:00 or 9:00AM instead or even a little bit
later depending on what you can handle.
Or it can mean eating an earlierdinner.
So if you can stop eating at like 4:00 PM, five PM, 6:00 PM.
This allows your body to spend to digest your food before you
go to bed and spend more time healing, repairing, boosting
(13:44):
your insulin sensitivity. So there are different ways to
do it. And I've done other podcasts on
how to start intermittent fasting and everything you need
to know. I will link to one up above and
in the description box if you are watching on, if you're
listening on Spotify. I am so sorry about my cat Zeus.
What are you doing? Yes, yes, buddy.
(14:09):
Can I just finish this then I'llcome hang out with you.
OK, Now you made me lose my train of thought.
Where was that intermittent fasting and if you are just
starting to intermittent fast? Because I think this can be a
really, really powerful tool because it allows you to have a
little bit more flexibility within your eating window
(14:31):
because you are spending more time not eating throughout the
day. Just it's really important when
you aren't eating to make sure you stay hydrated and make sure
you are replenishing your electrolytes.
And that brings me to the sponsor of today's episode,
which is Soda's Everyday Hydration Salts.
This is an electrolyte blend that has been specifically
formulated for intermittent fasting, low carb diets and for
(14:54):
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the market do not not have anywhere near enough sodium.
They've added sugar, they have added artificial sweetener, and
they actually break your fast. That is not the case with SODI.
They have 0 added sugar, nothingelse weird added to them, and
they taste delicious while also being rich in electrolytes.
They blow any other brand I've ever used out of the water.
(15:16):
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getting headaches, if you're finding it difficult to stick
to, if you're getting cravings, try adding a packet of Sodi's
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Drink that. Let me tell you, it is a game
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(15:38):
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Thanks, Soda, for sponsoring this episode.
Now kind of tying in with intermittent fasting.
Another thing you can do is to snack less because essentially
(16:01):
this is giving you, I guess, micro doses or micro bursts of
intermittent fasting throughout your day.
It is allowing your blood sugar and your insulin to come back
down to baseline in between meals and allowing you a little
bit more time to be in that low insulin state and regain insulin
sensitivity. I am a huge advocate for eating
(16:22):
big meals that have at least 30 grammes of protein, a good
amount of fat, and are smart about carbs.
Two to three meals per day I find is the sweet spot for most
people and not snacking in between.
If you are someone who needs to constantly be snacking, that
could be the sign of a few different things.
It it likely means you're not getting enough protein in your
meals, so that should be the first thing you look at and
(16:46):
address. After that, it could just mean
you're not eating enough in general.
So that should be the next thingyou look at.
And if you're eating enough, andif you're eating enough protein
specifically, then you're not going to have these cravings in
between your meals and you're not going to feel the need to
snack. Now it could also be some
emotional eating or just the habit of snacking.
(17:09):
I find that I am a huge snacker when I want to procrastinate and
that is something that I recognise and that I kind of
think of every time I'm hungry for a snack.
I think, OK, what am I trying toavoid right now?
Yep, that's definitely what I'm doing.
I'm not actually hungry, I just don't want to do this task at
(17:32):
hand. So that could be part of it as
well. And that is a little bit more of
a mental thing. But honestly, start by
addressing your protein and youroverall calorie intake at your
meals and that will make a big difference.
OK, so now I want to touch on how to know if you are ready to
start maybe incorporating some more carbohydrates back into
(17:54):
your diet. If you are at a place where your
insulin resistance has reversed enough that you are ready to
kind of go back to what is considered normal.
We've already touched on how normal isn't really normal and
we don't want to go fully back to how we were eating before,
but there are some signs you canwatch out for that signify your
(18:15):
insulin sensitivity has improvedand you're going to be able to
tolerate carbohydrates better. The first one is going to be
more stable energy and mood throughout the day.
So if you are someone who used to always struggle with sort of
mid morning or mid afternoon energy crashes, if you were
someone who always needed to have a nap even though you got
sufficient sleep the night before and this isn't happening
(18:38):
anymore. This is a sign that your
metabolism is healing and your insulin sensitivity is improved
and you're on the right track. There are other physical signs
as well. If you have skin tags or dark
patches of skin in your armpits,around your neck, in your
groyne, if these skin patches start to fade or if your skin
(18:59):
tags start to shrink, that's another really good indicator
that you're on the right track. Your insulin sensitivity is
improving. Obviously, if you had excess
weight to lose and you're losingthat weight and specifically the
weight you carry around your midsection, which is caused by
insulin resistance, that hard belly fat is actually called
visceral fat and is directly related to high insulin levels.
(19:22):
So if your waist specifically isshrinking, even if you're not
losing weight on the scale, another really good indicator
that your insulin sensitivity has improved.
Now you can also look at your lab markers.
Of course, if you were someone who your insulin resistance had
progressed to pre diabetes or type 2 diabetes and now your
(19:42):
fasting blood sugar is at a normal level, then that's a
really good indicator that your insulin sensitivity has
improved. That's obviously going to be a
direct indicator you're going tobe able to tolerate
carbohydrate. It's better now, even if you
haven't had a recent fasting blood sugar test, but you track
your blood sugar at home, eitheryou use a CGM or a blood glucose
(20:06):
metre and you're noticing that your spikes aren't as high and
your blood sugar isn't staying elevated for as long because as
your insulin resistance progresses, as we said, your
body isn't able to utilise glucose efficiently.
So that means if you have a blood sugar spike, it can take a
while for it to come back down if your blood.
Sugar is having a healthy raise and then a healthy sort of
(20:28):
gradual decline. That's another really good
indicator. You can also get your fasting
insulin tested and compare it toyour previous fasting insulin.
For the most part, the lower thebetter when it comes to insulin.
Below 3 is ideal, but if it's below 5, that's good too.
Anything higher signifies that you are still insulin resistant
(20:51):
to some degree, but even if it'sbelow 10, you're going to be
able to tolerate carbohydrates better than you would have
previously. Now if you aren't really sure
how to look at these tests and interpret them, or maybe your
doctor won't test your fasting insulin, there is one company
that has an at home insulin resistance test.
(21:11):
Let me I have it somewhere here.So while health they have this
at home kit you can order and you just do a little finger
prick. It tests your fasting insulin,
your glucose. It also tests your A1C, your
vitamin B12 levels, your thyroidhormone and a few other key
biomarkers of metabolic health. You can do this all at home.
You send it back and within a few days your results are
(21:33):
physician reviewed and you receive a report with the next
steps you can take. So that can help you to
understand where your insulin resistance is AT and if it's
improving how. I really recommend this.
I'll link to it in the description box down below.
I do have a promo code as well. Again, this is only available in
the US though. But in summary, can you go back
(21:53):
to a normal diet after you've reversed your insulin
resistance? Well, yes and no.
Yes, you can go back to eating more carbohydrates and
tolerating them better, but you're going to have to accept
that. Bless you.
You're going to have to accept that you have a new normal and
(22:14):
if you have made the right diet and lifestyle changes and not
been too extreme in the process of reversing your insulin
resistance, then hopefully it should be a pretty seamless
transition. Again, it's important to
remember that you don't have to be perfect.
You just have to make the right choices as often as you can and
those will add up. Make sure you're having protein
(22:35):
forward meals. Make sure you're eating enough
fat. Make sure you're being smart
about your carbs if you can, just be aware of what you're
eating and focus on adding things in that are going to make
your meal more blood sugar and insulin friendly rather than
taking things out. This is what's going to have the
biggest impact long term. So yes, after you reverse
insulin resistance, you can incorporate more foods into your
(22:57):
diet. You can be a little bit more
flexible with things, but you just have to be strategic.
Anyways, I am going to wrap up this episode here.
So thank you guys for watching or listening.
Let me know in the comments downbelow, either on YouTube or
Spotify if you are at a place where you think your insulin
resistance has reversed and if there is any changes you've
(23:17):
made, if there's things you've started to incorporate back in
and how you feel eating them nowversus when you were insulin
resistant. I'm curious to hear from you
guys. So leave me a comment down
below. And before you go, remember to
check out Sodie's Everyday Hydration Salts.
I'll put the link in the description box down below.
Thanks guys for watching and I'll see you in the next one.
Bye.
If you have started making changes to reverse your insulin
resistance, if you're eating differently, if you've changed
your lifestyle, you might be wondering, do I have to eat like
this forever or can I go back toa normal diet once it's
reversed? Insulin resistance is caused by
our choices. It is a lifestyle condition and
therefore to reverse it, you need to change what you're
(00:21):
eating and doing now. I talk a lot on my channel and
with my community about making small, manageable changes
because depending on the changesyou've made, if you've reduced
carbs, if you're counting calories, it can feel very
overwhelming and like a lot of work and like something you
don't necessarily want to do long term.
(00:44):
So we're going to get into it. So we're going to get into all
of that in today's episode. And spoiler alert, I do have
some good news for you, but alsoa little bit of nuance and a
little bit of bad news. Now, if you're new here, my name
is Kate. I'm a nutritionist.
I specialise in insulin resistance and blood sugar
control. I have helped hundreds of
clients reverse insulin resistance naturally and
(01:06):
maintain the results. And so I'm here today to help
you. Now I want to start off by
clarifying what it means when people say a normal diet.
This is typically referring to, I guess, the standard American
diet, which is high in carbohydrates, high in processed
food, a lot of burgers, pizza, cereal, that sort of thing.
(01:28):
Typically it is low fat just because a lot of products
nowadays are made to be low fat so that we think they're
healthy, a little bit of marketing.
So we buy them. Although I do think that the
mainstream idea of what is healthy is kind of moving away
from this low fat narrative, which is good because fat, it's
an essential nutrient. We need to be getting it in our
(01:50):
diets, and especially if we havethe goal of reversing insulin
resistance, of balancing our blood sugar, of losing weight.
Fat is important for our hormones, for satiety.
It's not to be feared. So when we talk about going back
to a normal diet, what people mean is going back to eating
whatever they want, whenever they want.
(02:12):
When we're talking about this, we need to understand that yes,
insulin resistance is reversible.
It is caused by our diet and lifestyle choices over a long
period of time, and if we go back to eating the exact same
way we were when we became insulin resistant, then we can
redevelop it. We can think about it like this.
It's like weight loss. Yes, you can go on a super
(02:33):
strict diet, you can drop the weight fast, but if you go
immediately back to how you wereeating beforehand, you gain the
weight back. And we see this all the time
with people. When we go back to old habits,
then we have returning old issues.
So this is good and bad news forpeople.
You're never going to be able togo exactly back to how you were
(02:54):
eating beforehand, eating whatever you wanted whenever you
wanted and not worrying about macros or carrying foods or
blood sugar control. You're always going to have to
have some awareness about that. But This is why it's important
that the changes you make when you're reversing insulin
resistant, they are small and they are manageable.
(03:15):
Because if you're able to stick to them, if you are easily able
to incorporate them into your daily routine, then that's
what's going to lead to results and long lasting results.
Because yes, you might not go back to exactly how you were
eating before, but you can tolerate carbohydrates, hydrates
better when your insulin resistance is reversed.
And that means you do have a little bit more wiggle room and
(03:38):
a lot more food freedom because after you reverse insulin
resistance, your insulin sensitivity has improved.
So what this means is that your cells are responding correctly
to insulin. They are taking in glucose as
they should. Your blood sugar is remaining
stable and at a healthy level. You're not having big spikes and
(04:01):
crashing is in it. Your blood sugar isn't going to
be elevated throughout the day. If you are pre diabetic or type
2 diabetic, this means that yourfasting blood sugar has come
back down to a normal range. And yes, when your cells are
more sensitive to insulin, this means you can tolerate more
carbohydrates and your body willbe able to deal with the influx
(04:22):
in glucose and take that glucoseto the cells in your body that
need it. And the cells are going to take
it. Also, as your insulin
sensitivity improves, your metabolic flexibility ability
also improves. This means that your body is
able to switch between using stored fat as energy and the
glucose that's coming in. Because when you're insulin
resistant, your body isn't able to use glucose as it should.
(04:47):
It's kind of a wasted fuel source because your cells are
overwhelmed. And that's why a lot of people,
when they're insulin resistant, they will eat a big meal and
they'll still feel hungry for something sugary afterwards.
This is a sign of insulin resistance because your body
isn't able to process the energyfrom that meal efficiently.
And your cells, even though the energy is available, your cells
(05:10):
are essentially starving and your body is like, I'm still
hungry, I need energy, give me something quick, give me some
sugar. And that's why you have these
cravings. So when your insulin resistance
improves, then this isn't going to be the case.
You'll eat that big meal and your body will be able to use
that energy as it should. And this is really empowering to
know because it means that no, you're not going to have to
(05:34):
stick to a strict diet. Yes, Zeus, what can I do for
you? Yes.
Can't you see I'm a little busy?OK, You're just gonna act cute
in the background. All right?
As I was saying, this should be good news because it means that
no, you don't have to stick to astrict diet for the rest of your
(05:57):
life in order to maintain your results.
But you do have to still be mindful, because not being
mindful is what got you in this situation in the 1st place.
And this isn't just about the number of carbohydrates you're
eating. You can be smart about them in
different ways, for instance, byeating carbohydrates around
exercise. This allows your body to use
(06:18):
that energy immediately when you're exercising, even if it's
just going for a walk or something like that.
Or if you use carbohydrates in the context of a balanced meal,
that's going to make them a little bit more blood sugar and
insulin friendly. And just doing little things
like this, these little changes and being a little bit more
mindful is what's going to allowyou to have that freedom with
(06:42):
carbohydration hydrates and still remain insulin sensitive
and not have issues with your insulin resistance coming back.
Now I want to talk a little bit more about the habit changes
that you should be doing long term in order to remain insulin
sensitive and not have insulin resistance come back.
As I said, targeting your carbohydrates a bit more
(07:05):
strategically, making sure you have them around, exercise if
you are going to have them or ifyou're not exercising, making
sure you're not eating carbohydrates naked.
So what I mean by naked is eating carbohydrates in
isolation, because when you eat something that is almost
entirely comprised of carbohydrates, it's broken down
(07:28):
rapidly by the body. And this is what causes that big
spike in blood sugar because youdon't have anything that's
slowing down the digestion of them.
Now of course simple carbohydrates, things like
simple sugars, candy, white bread, that sort of thing are
going to be broken down quicker than complex carbohydrates like
sweet potato and other starches for example.
(07:50):
But they are still going to be broken down into the same thing,
into sugar and cause your blood sugar to go up.
Now there are ways to slow down the digestion, one of which is
to pair carbohydrates with protein and fat.
By doing this, both of these macro nutrients are digested
slower and this will cause a less or a more gradual, not a
(08:13):
less gradual, a more gradual increase in your blood sugar.
And then less insulin is needed all at once to deal with that.
When your blood sugar doesn't spike up as much, there isn't
going to be that huge crash as well, and you're not going to
experience cravings and that sort of thing.
Energy crashes, fatigue, headaches, they come when your
blood sugar dips after this. So just having that basic
(08:34):
awareness when you're going to eat something, what macro
nutrients are in this meal or inthis snack?
If you're having something beinga little bit, I guess, naughty,
you might say, and having like abag of chips, for example,
trying to add something that hasprotein or fat beforehand.
So this can even look like if you're having tortilla chips,
(08:56):
having it with guacamole, this is going to be a better option
than having chips on their own. Now, of course, I'm not
recommending this as like a healthy food choice, but we're
all going to be in situations where we can't eat 100%
perfectly and that's OK. The goal shouldn't be to be
perfect. At the end of the day, what are
(09:17):
we trying to get healthy for? We're trying to be healthy so
that we can live our best life, so we can enjoy ourselves.
And if we are so caught up with having a perfect diet and
worrying about every single little thing that we're putting
in our mouths, then we're missing the bigger picture
because that can be extremely stressful.
(09:39):
And honestly, you're never goingto be able to achieve it.
And This is why people kind of crash and burn after they do a
strict diet because they kind ofhave this whiplash.
They've been so strict, so regimented, and then as soon as
they have one thing that's kind of outside of their diet plan,
everything else crumbles. And that's what we want to
(10:01):
avoid. And that's why I always say to
aim for consistency over perfection.
If you're progressing towards your goals and you're getting
results, that's what matters. And consistently sticking to the
small habit changes over time iswhat is going to lead to this.
Yes, you might get quicker results if you dive straight
into A0 carb diet, but if you'renot able to stick to that long
(10:26):
term, then you're kind of missing the point.
So having that awareness about what's on your plate and if you
have protein and fat in that meal, that is honestly going to
be the biggest thing that's going to make or break your
results long term. And this doesn't mean you have
(10:46):
to track how much protein is in everything.
Just have a little bit of a basic awareness.
Know what foods are rich in protein.
Obviously meat, seafood, eggs, dairy, all great sources of
protein. You can get a little a little
bit from beans and legumes, but I don't recommend relying on
them as a protein source becausethey're actually higher in
carbohydrates than they are in protein.
(11:07):
And the protein in them is not as bioavailable as the protein
that we get from animal products.
So you aren't able to use as much of it.
So these types of foods can be used to supplement your protein
intake, but ideally you want to be getting some source of animal
protein in it every meal and just knowing what foods are a
good source of fat. So avocados, olives, ghee,
(11:32):
butter, tallow, those sorts of things for cooking.
Coconut oil, nuts and seeds can be good fat sources that can
help to control blood sugar and insulin.
Dairy as well. A good full fat Greek yoghurt
can be fantastic to add in just having an understanding of what
you can add to a meal rather than take away to make it more
(11:54):
blood sugar friendly. Because ultimately if you're
controlling your blood sugar better, you're controlling your
insulin butter. Having this awareness is really
what's going to matter. And then of course, meal timing.
So I know a lot of people when they're working to reverse
insulin resistance, find a lot of success through intermittent
fasting. And this makes sense because if
(12:15):
we are not eating for a longer period each day, that's allowing
our bodies to be in a low insulin state for longer
throughout the day. And it's when we're in this low
insulin state that our cells become more insulin sensitive
again. So if we can spend more time in
this state, then this helps to reverse insulin resistance
quicker. But there is obviously a tipping
(12:35):
point because if you are trying to fast for 23 hours every day
and only eat within one hour, doOMAD or one meal a day, again,
is this going to be sustainable?Is this something that you can
stick to? Are you miserable throughout the
whole rest of the day? And this comes down to you and
just knowing yourself and being honest with yourself because
(12:58):
yes, we all can be super disciplined and stick to
something for a period of time if we put our minds to it.
But ultimately we can't do it long term.
Yes, hello again. Hello.
Hello. Intermittent fasting can be
great and it can be as simple aspushing your first meal back a
(13:20):
couple of hours so you don't eatif you normally eat at like 7:00
AM, not eating till 8:00 or 9:00AM instead or even a little bit
later depending on what you can handle.
Or it can mean eating an earlierdinner.
So if you can stop eating at like 4:00 PM, five PM, 6:00 PM.
This allows your body to spend to digest your food before you
go to bed and spend more time healing, repairing, boosting
(13:44):
your insulin sensitivity. So there are different ways to
do it. And I've done other podcasts on
how to start intermittent fasting and everything you need
to know. I will link to one up above and
in the description box if you are watching on, if you're
listening on Spotify. I am so sorry about my cat Zeus.
What are you doing? Yes, yes, buddy.
(14:09):
Can I just finish this then I'llcome hang out with you.
OK, Now you made me lose my train of thought.
Where was that intermittent fasting and if you are just
starting to intermittent fast? Because I think this can be a
really, really powerful tool because it allows you to have a
little bit more flexibility within your eating window
(14:31):
because you are spending more time not eating throughout the
day. Just it's really important when
you aren't eating to make sure you stay hydrated and make sure
you are replenishing your electrolytes.
And that brings me to the sponsor of today's episode,
which is Soda's Everyday Hydration Salts.
This is an electrolyte blend that has been specifically
formulated for intermittent fasting, low carb diets and for
(14:54):
athletes. Most electrolyte supplements on
the market do not not have anywhere near enough sodium.
They've added sugar, they have added artificial sweetener, and
they actually break your fast. That is not the case with SODI.
They have 0 added sugar, nothingelse weird added to them, and
they taste delicious while also being rich in electrolytes.
They blow any other brand I've ever used out of the water.
(15:16):
And if you have started intermittent fasting and you're
getting headaches, if you're finding it difficult to stick
to, if you're getting cravings, try adding a packet of Sodi's
everyday hydration salts to yourwater.
Drink that. Let me tell you, it is a game
changer for cravings and headaches and fatigue and energy
and all of that stuff. When you're intermittent
fasting, if you are struggling to stick to a fast that should
(15:38):
be pretty manageable, you're notover fasting.
I mean, then give Sodia a try. You can head to
healthcoachkate.com/sodia electrolytes to check them out.
They ship worldwide. And make sure to use code HCK 15
at checkout to save 15% off yourfirst order.
Thanks, Soda, for sponsoring this episode.
Now kind of tying in with intermittent fasting.
Another thing you can do is to snack less because essentially
(16:01):
this is giving you, I guess, micro doses or micro bursts of
intermittent fasting throughout your day.
It is allowing your blood sugar and your insulin to come back
down to baseline in between meals and allowing you a little
bit more time to be in that low insulin state and regain insulin
sensitivity. I am a huge advocate for eating
(16:22):
big meals that have at least 30 grammes of protein, a good
amount of fat, and are smart about carbs.
Two to three meals per day I find is the sweet spot for most
people and not snacking in between.
If you are someone who needs to constantly be snacking, that
could be the sign of a few different things.
It it likely means you're not getting enough protein in your
meals, so that should be the first thing you look at and
(16:46):
address. After that, it could just mean
you're not eating enough in general.
So that should be the next thingyou look at.
And if you're eating enough, andif you're eating enough protein
specifically, then you're not going to have these cravings in
between your meals and you're not going to feel the need to
snack. Now it could also be some
emotional eating or just the habit of snacking.
(17:09):
I find that I am a huge snacker when I want to procrastinate and
that is something that I recognise and that I kind of
think of every time I'm hungry for a snack.
I think, OK, what am I trying toavoid right now?
Yep, that's definitely what I'm doing.
I'm not actually hungry, I just don't want to do this task at
(17:32):
hand. So that could be part of it as
well. And that is a little bit more of
a mental thing. But honestly, start by
addressing your protein and youroverall calorie intake at your
meals and that will make a big difference.
OK, so now I want to touch on how to know if you are ready to
start maybe incorporating some more carbohydrates back into
(17:54):
your diet. If you are at a place where your
insulin resistance has reversed enough that you are ready to
kind of go back to what is considered normal.
We've already touched on how normal isn't really normal and
we don't want to go fully back to how we were eating before,
but there are some signs you canwatch out for that signify your
(18:15):
insulin sensitivity has improvedand you're going to be able to
tolerate carbohydrates better. The first one is going to be
more stable energy and mood throughout the day.
So if you are someone who used to always struggle with sort of
mid morning or mid afternoon energy crashes, if you were
someone who always needed to have a nap even though you got
sufficient sleep the night before and this isn't happening
(18:38):
anymore. This is a sign that your
metabolism is healing and your insulin sensitivity is improved
and you're on the right track. There are other physical signs
as well. If you have skin tags or dark
patches of skin in your armpits,around your neck, in your
groyne, if these skin patches start to fade or if your skin
(18:59):
tags start to shrink, that's another really good indicator
that you're on the right track. Your insulin sensitivity is
improving. Obviously, if you had excess
weight to lose and you're losingthat weight and specifically the
weight you carry around your midsection, which is caused by
insulin resistance, that hard belly fat is actually called
visceral fat and is directly related to high insulin levels.
(19:22):
So if your waist specifically isshrinking, even if you're not
losing weight on the scale, another really good indicator
that your insulin sensitivity has improved.
Now you can also look at your lab markers.
Of course, if you were someone who your insulin resistance had
progressed to pre diabetes or type 2 diabetes and now your
(19:42):
fasting blood sugar is at a normal level, then that's a
really good indicator that your insulin sensitivity has
improved. That's obviously going to be a
direct indicator you're going tobe able to tolerate
carbohydrate. It's better now, even if you
haven't had a recent fasting blood sugar test, but you track
your blood sugar at home, eitheryou use a CGM or a blood glucose
(20:06):
metre and you're noticing that your spikes aren't as high and
your blood sugar isn't staying elevated for as long because as
your insulin resistance progresses, as we said, your
body isn't able to utilise glucose efficiently.
So that means if you have a blood sugar spike, it can take a
while for it to come back down if your blood.
Sugar is having a healthy raise and then a healthy sort of
(20:28):
gradual decline. That's another really good
indicator. You can also get your fasting
insulin tested and compare it toyour previous fasting insulin.
For the most part, the lower thebetter when it comes to insulin.
Below 3 is ideal, but if it's below 5, that's good too.
Anything higher signifies that you are still insulin resistant
(20:51):
to some degree, but even if it'sbelow 10, you're going to be
able to tolerate carbohydrates better than you would have
previously. Now if you aren't really sure
how to look at these tests and interpret them, or maybe your
doctor won't test your fasting insulin, there is one company
that has an at home insulin resistance test.
(21:11):
Let me I have it somewhere here.So while health they have this
at home kit you can order and you just do a little finger
prick. It tests your fasting insulin,
your glucose. It also tests your A1C, your
vitamin B12 levels, your thyroidhormone and a few other key
biomarkers of metabolic health. You can do this all at home.
You send it back and within a few days your results are
(21:33):
physician reviewed and you receive a report with the next
steps you can take. So that can help you to
understand where your insulin resistance is AT and if it's
improving how. I really recommend this.
I'll link to it in the description box down below.
I do have a promo code as well. Again, this is only available in
the US though. But in summary, can you go back
(21:53):
to a normal diet after you've reversed your insulin
resistance? Well, yes and no.
Yes, you can go back to eating more carbohydrates and
tolerating them better, but you're going to have to accept
that. Bless you.
You're going to have to accept that you have a new normal and
(22:14):
if you have made the right diet and lifestyle changes and not
been too extreme in the process of reversing your insulin
resistance, then hopefully it should be a pretty seamless
transition. Again, it's important to
remember that you don't have to be perfect.
You just have to make the right choices as often as you can and
those will add up. Make sure you're having protein
(22:35):
forward meals. Make sure you're eating enough
fat. Make sure you're being smart
about your carbs if you can, just be aware of what you're
eating and focus on adding things in that are going to make
your meal more blood sugar and insulin friendly rather than
taking things out. This is what's going to have the
biggest impact long term. So yes, after you reverse
insulin resistance, you can incorporate more foods into your
(22:57):
diet. You can be a little bit more
flexible with things, but you just have to be strategic.
Anyways, I am going to wrap up this episode here.
So thank you guys for watching or listening.
Let me know in the comments downbelow, either on YouTube or
Spotify if you are at a place where you think your insulin
resistance has reversed and if there is any changes you've
(23:17):
made, if there's things you've started to incorporate back in
and how you feel eating them nowversus when you were insulin
resistant. I'm curious to hear from you
guys. So leave me a comment down
below. And before you go, remember to
check out Sodie's Everyday Hydration Salts.
I'll put the link in the description box down below.
Thanks guys for watching and I'll see you in the next one.
Bye.
Host
Kait Malthaner
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