To focus more on losing weight, you will have loads of information to read up on. However, it is best if you can find simple ways to lose weight. You may hear about insulin levels and what those do for you when trying to lose weight. The hormone insulin will determine your levels of blood sugar. If you have higher levels, your pancreas will release insulin. The insulin in your body takes glucose out of the blood and brings into to the cells in your body to store or use for energy. If you have lower insulin levels, that glucose which is stored will be broke down from tissues or muscles and get sent into your blood. Does all of this sound a bit confusing? It might until you get more used to it.
Point #1: Too low or too high of insulin levels are harmful.
Point #2: Insulin resistance and obesity go together. Higher amounts of fat tissue, increase the body’s risk of losing insulin sensitivity.
Point #3: High insulin levels are necessary for sending messages into cells so glucose can come out of the blood. When high insulin is at a resting rate, there is a higher risk for having Type 2 diabetes.
Point #4: Higher insulin levels increase storage of fat which stunts weight loss. Insulin does also promote fat synthesis.
Point #5: Bringing down high blood sugar levels as well as insulin is beneficial.
Now that you have these points simplified for you, there are some lifestyle changes to make to get insulin levels in the ideal range for losing weight. Just be sure you speak with your doctor before making these changes.
Exercising
One of the first steps in getting all levels to where they need to be is by exercising more in one time or more often. Exercising helps in the lowering of glucose and insulin levels. Experts do recommend that those trying to lose weight and balance insulin levels exercise a minimum of three times every week. This is because exercising only affects the blood insulin levels for a few days at the most. If you are just beginning an exercise plan for this purpose, do exercises that you are comfortable with before pushing up the intensity. The best types of exercise to do when trying to lower levels of insulin are resistance and aerobic exercising. Exercising is also beneficial in getting the insulin sensitized again. This is the key that is needed to keep the insulin levels lower once you get them there.
No Liquid Sugar
Are you drinking sugar? This may seem like an odd question. However, it is an important one. You may be having higher levels of insulin because of a quick boost in blood sugar levels. If you are having drinks that are high in sugar, this boost happens very quick. When you have surge of insulin through sugary drinks, your blood sugar will crash quickly too. Once your body gets into the cycle of rising insulin and crashing blood sugar, you need to stop it. You can start by cutting out the sugary drinks. If you are drinking sweetened teas, energy drinks, sugary sports drinks or too much sugary juice, you must start eliminating these from your diet.
Raising Your Fiber Intake
Raising your fiber intake is important when needing to manage insulin levels so you can lose weight. If you want to slow down the sugar release into your blood, you need to eat more fiber. You should focus more on soluble fibers. You may think you are getting enough fiber in fruit juice but the truth is you need fresh fruit to get enough fiber for managing insulin and blood sugar levels. Fresh fruit is also going to help improve your body’s sensitivity to insulin too. You can get more fiber by eating more whole fresh fruits, refined grains, legumes, seeds, nuts and vegetables.
Now you are more aware about the link between insulin levels and losing weight. Keep this information near you when you create a weight loss plan.