Keto for weightloss. Is Insulin important?

(Kate) #1

Hi All, My name is Kate. I am on day 29 of Keto round 2 and have lost 13 pounds. My NHS doctor advised me to follow this diet as although I am not diabetic or pre-diabetic I am overweight and have been since I was 18. (And my DR has run Hba1c glucose and insulin tests on various occasions so I am sure I am not diabetic). My weight gain started when I had Glandular Fever (Mono/Epstein Barr) and had a prolonged hospital stay with 2 weeks on steroids. I went in a slim UK 12 and by the end of the year I was a size 16. I am currently an 18/20. I have tried every diet under the sun and failed to maintain a loss of more than 10 pounds. I first tried Keto last May and lost a stone and a half (21 pounds) but fell drastically off the wagon on holiday with a slice of bread and put 28 pounds back on over the next 9 months. I love exercise but have a tendancy to go hell for leather and overdo it. I’ve had back issues since I was 16 and slipped a disc 7 years ago so I normally end up hurting my back again! I used to work in catering, planning meals and menus for an airline so I know about the theory of nutrition and I am a good home cook - I rarely buy jars of sauce and prefer to make everything from scratch. Consequently Keto is a great diet for me.

I am working my way through the 2 keto dudes podcasts - am up to episode 22 - Non Scale Victories. My question is If I am non diabetic how does the whole insulin level impact me?. It is talked about a lot on the podcast and I have been kind of mentally skipping over it but I would really appreciate a basic explanation - Many thanks

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #2

Understanding insulin is key to how the weight gain and loss works.

High Insulin stores fat. Converts blood sugar to fat and pushes it into cells. Low Insulin allows the body to burn fat.

Read the Obesity Code by Dr Fung. It explains this and many other factors. It is an excellent read.

Watch the fasting moving and research time restricted feeding and intermittent fasting. http://fastingmovie.com/

You are likely on your way to insulin resistance (diabetes). It is usually just a matter of time. Now is a good time to reverse that progression.

You can start time restricted feeding now. You should not jump into fasting till you are fully fat adapted. That can take months on strict keto.

Time Restricted eating is to

  • limit your window of eating - no post meal snacks - say 7 am to 6 pm would be 11 hours. That means you are fasting 13 hours a day.
  • do not snack between meals.

If you are a snacker it may take a week or two of just resisting before it gets easier.

Good lunch on your journey. Welcome to keto.

(Running from stupidity) #3

THIS

(Kate) #4

Thanks you both so much! I am already an inadvertent IFer - I rarely eat breakfast even before Keto as it just makes me hungry and want to graze all day. Wednesday and Sundays are the exception to this - Wednesday cos our staff canteen makes fresh omelettes and Sundays I have a bacon and egg breakfast. I am eager to start EF but am making myself wait till week 8!

I am living with the firm conviction that Carbs are slowly killing me and that is making bread, and poatoes very unappealing and agree the the 2 keto dudes that in most cases my desire for carbs are not the actual carb themselves but because they are a vessels for something else - like butter or a sandwich filling. Thanks for the advise and support!

(Allie) #5

Insulin triggers fat storage in the body whether you’re diabetic or not which is why the focus of keto is on keeping insulin responses minimal.

(Carl Keller) #6

It’s pretty amazing how restricting carbs for just a short time drastically improved how I felt. I believed that constant aches and pains were just a part of getting older but less than a week of eating keto, it was like one morning I woke up feeling 20 years younger (49 now). I 100% know the foods I once adored are poison.

I really like Ted Naiman’s explanation of insulin and its relationship with blood glucose in this video.

#7

Welcome and well done on your weight loss.

Diabetics have to manage insulin levels moment by moment but the majority of us have to manage its long term effects.

Year after year it gets excess carbohydrates like bread, rice, pasta and obviously sugar stored as fat. This excess weight puts a lot of stress on the body. More wear and tear. Heart issues, blood pressure, out of control inflammation, and many other issues are all linked to excess carbs, especially sugar.

I watched Robert Lustigs “The bitter truth about sugar”. It helps me stay on the straight and narrow. Otherwise it’s easy to think hey it’s just one can of soda or fruit juice is healthy right (no! It is not)

(Janelle) #8

I had a blood draw as part of my physical today. I asked my doctor to order an insulin level. I did this because I am pretty sure I’m insulin resistant. I am a very slow loser, have high bp and cholesterol - classic signs. I want to have all the numbers. They’ll test my glucose too and I’ll get my A1C numbers as well. A year and a half ago, my fasting glucose was 97 and my A1C was considered good. Without knowing what’s happening with my insulin, I feel like I don’t have the full picture. Ideally I’d have a multi hour insulin response test but I didn’t have time and I’m assuming you have to find a lab that does it.