Lifestyle Changes

So, as I mentioned before in my last post,  I recently found out I am insulin-resistant. So this past week I have dived into learning more about this diagnosis and making some notes on how I can incorporate a lifestyle change to help better myself.

What Is Insulin Resistance?

Insulin resistance is a complex condition in which your body doesn’t respond as it should to insulin. Insulin is a hormone your pancreas makes that’s essential for regulating blood sugar levels. Several genetic and lifestyle factors can contribute to insulin resistance.

I have learned quite a bit this week, concerning insulin resistance. I did not know that it could be classified as pre-diabetic, my knowledge around insulin resistance mainly came from TikTok and as we all know that social platform is not a good tool to get viable information.  I also was alarmed at the percentage of people that actually live with this condition. I was reading this article about this condition, and it mentions that on average 40% of people in North America live with it, and many do not know.

My Signs and Symptoms,  

Some signs and symptoms I had researched and found out about insulin resistance, is that some people can develop skin tags, which is in turn makes a lot of sense in my case as about 4 months ago I needed to get 3 skin tags removed around my neck, and I had just assumed they had developed from pregnancy, as that can happen. I also had symptoms like weight changes, I felt like I was gaining weight and I was not able to keep it off, no matter how much I tried. I also just chalked that up to getting older, and having hormonal issues. Increased hunger was also a factor I was struggling with, I felt like my appetite was insatiable.  Looking back I had ignored these signs for a long time, and honestly it was not until I had an appointment with a naturopath doctor, and him putting things into perspective for me, and explaining the prognosis to me in language I could understand.  I felt a little better being taught what it was instead of having prescriptions and tests done with no results from my clinic visits.

I will have to admit that I have some health anxiety around health conditions, as we know the web can be a scary place, and when researching things like this can send us down a rabbit hole.  I luckily talked things through with my doctor and they had given me a realistic timeline of expectations and goals to work towards in order to better my lifestyle.

Goals!

Some goals my doctor and myself have set to help ease into this lifestyle change without being completely overwhelmed, is trying to limit the amount of carbs, refined sugars, and making sure I can fit in physically activity when I can.   He stressed to my that I need to ensure I am making these goals reasonable and to not overwhelm myself with thinking I have to restructure my entire life.

Some things I have slowly incorporated;

• Taking my dog for a walk around the block every evening (even if it is cold, bundle up)
• When having carbs, seeing if I could possibly substitute other things such as vegetables or proteins into my meal (not always possible)
• Do not eat in the evening (as i was informed it will help my body not have to work in overtime breaking down sugars while I sleep)
• Trying to reach a goal of having 60 g of protein a day (surprisingly harder than I anticipated)
• Be mindful of my portions (eating off of a child’s plate, to help fool my eyes)

I am starting with these things and allowing myself to have some grace, as change is never an easy thing but it is crucial now so I do not have issues in the future. So moving forward, I will be sharing the journey of changing my habits, and how things are going.  I am taking you all along this ride with me, so buckle up!