For mums: are your hormones making weight loss difficult?

For many women, the child bearing and rearing years are also the years in which our hormones can play havoc especially when it comes to weight control.

Not only can hormones make our weight fluctuate. Hormonal conditions including PCOS, hypothyroidism and insulin resistance can make weight loss near impossible. If you have been eating well and exercising and are not seeing subsequent changes on the scales, it may be worth chatting to your doctor to determine if you have insulin resistance.

What is insulin resistance?

Insulin resistance is a clinical condition in which insulin – the hormone secreted by the pancreas to control blood glucose levels in the body – no longer works as efficiently as it should. Numerous factors including a diet high in processed carbohydrates, an inactive lifestyle or genetics can cause insulin to become less efficient. This means the glucose we consume in carbohydrate-based foods – including bread, cereal, fruit and sugar – is not being processed as effectively as it should be by the body.

What happens when insulin is not working correctly?

When insulin is not working properly the body is forced to produce more and more insulin. These increased amounts of insulin are used to process the same amount of glucose that we consume in food to fuel our muscles and brain.

Unfortunately, when it comes to weight control the higher amount of insulin that you have circulating in the body the harder it becomes to burn fat. This means if you have insulin resistance you can be physically unable to lose weight even though you are eating a healthy diet and exercising as recommended.

Remember, insulin is the central regulator of both glucose and fat metabolism in the body. When it is not working the basic energy balance equation of “calories in versus calories out” simply does not hold true.

How do I know if I have insulin resistance?

The body may show signs of insulin resistance in a number of ways. Resistance builds up over many months (and sometimes years) if these signs and symptoms remain subtle and only slowly become noticeable over time.

Fatigue is a common symptom as glucose is not being taken to the cells as efficiently as it should be. Sugar cravings are also a common symptom as insulin and glucose levels fluctuate

widely during the day. However, one of the most powerful signs of insulin resistance can be seen in the way fat is deposited on the body. Insulin likes to deposit fat around the abdominal area, which is why women (and men) with severe insulin resistance have a larger belly. If the waist measurement for a female is greater than 80cm it may be a sign that insulin resistance is present.

How to encourage weight loss when you have insulin resistance?

From a lifestyle perspective, the standard low-fat high-carbohydrate diet – filled with wholegrains, fruit and low-fat snacks may exacerbate insulin resistance. It may even act to prevent weight loss. While a high-carbohydrate diet is “healthy”, highly processed carbohydrate-rich foods will result in a relatively high release of insulin.

The more insulin we have circulating at any one time, the less likely it is we will burn body fat. This means those with insulin resistance require a high protein, moderate carbohydrate diet that eliminates as much processed carbohydrates from the diet as possible.

This type of diet does not mean eliminating all carbs! It means learning to combine small amounts of carbohydrates with protein-rich foods such as eggs, fish, meat, dairy or nuts at each meal and snack. This will ensure the body has small amounts of carbohydrates at any one time which will help regulate the release of insulin. The proteins will help keep you full and provide essential nutrients including the good fats, calcium and iron.

How to manage insulin resistance?

Ultimately, insulin resistance is a clinical medical condition which needs to be diagnosed and managed accordingly. If you feel you may be insulin resistant see a GP with an interest in the area, or an endocrinologist to have it diagnosed via a Glucose Tolerance Test.

The best long-term diet to support weight loss with insulin resistance is a tight calorie controlled plan with moderate levels of carbohydrates and protein.

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