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How many carbs should I eat in a day for insulin resistance?

J

jettcrash11

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I have high insulin resistance and I am currently on no medications. How many carbs should I eat a day to lose weight weekly. My diet is mostly protein and low carb right now. Also does fat cause trouble with insulin? I wanted to try keto because I heard from one source that eating fat helps you burn fat quicker, but from another source they said that fat is a problem for insulin resistance people. Anyone with experience in this that has lost weight?
 
Both carbs and protein require insulin and fat impedes insulin so a good balance and not too much of any if you want to lose weigh.

Keto done best is about 80% fat, 15% protein and 5% carbs.
Lots of us doing keto eat 20 c or less per day, moderate our protein (.8-1 g per kg LEAN body mass and Justin enough fat to satisfy. The fat calories are meant to replace the carb calories. Not needing to gorge on them especially if weight loss is desired.
Many of us do vlc, moderate protein and moderate fat for weight management.

As an example. I eat about 5 oz protein a day divided into 2 meals. A whole avoacdo and the bigger the better. A few macadamia nuts or pumpkin seeds or small piece of cheese for snacks. Mayo on egg, tuna, salmon, chicken salad. A drizzle EVOO on salads or veggies. Sometimes a little butter. Carbs are all from above ground veggies, avocado and nuts. I don't pound bacon, coconut oil, grease, chicken skin etc. That's just my diet but many do just fine with saturated fats. I keep mine limited.
 
I'm afraid that there is no formula for weightloss - there are so many variables that even if you eat the same things and do the same exercise each week you might have weightloss one week and not another.
Fat is invisible to insulin and does not trigger the production of it, unless you are eating too little of it and as a consequence breaking down protein into glucose, of course.
 

I completely agree, it is so individual. Examples help to and I liked Kristin251 diet plan - really clearly laid out.

Also things will change overtime. Just consider that if now you are carrying say 10KGs of excess weight and you lose it - the body will be burning less calories because, in every normal activity your body has less work to do.

I can give you my own experience. Following the LCHF diet - I have tried to eat less than 30g carbs a day and not worried too much about protein amounts (I really like nuts and meat) and not eaten too much fat - just enough that I do not want to snack. I never feel hungry now and I did when I ate carbs - in fact then it was most of the time. I have lost over 2 stones in about 6 weeks. I have seen people lose more and seen people lose less but given I am about 4 stone overweight when I started very happy with that so far.

What I have read - but I do not claim to be an expert:-
You will be surprised how little your body really needs. I read that to satisfy your 2500 calorie demand in a day the body could just turn to your stored fat and burn about 1/2lb of fat. The cells in your body only need fat to operate and it is harder work for them to do this than use glucose in the blood - so you burn more calories. There is obviously one organ in the human body which cannot use fat (the brain) and that is the brain and the liver can easily satisfy that by burning stored glucose or worse case break protein (muscle). And if you have a slightly fatty liver then that will be great news as it starts to deplete it. That is why fasting isn't such a big deal for the body and a good way to lose weight but obviously not something to do for too long too often.

Medicines will also have an impact. You need to watch what you eat carefully if you are taking anything that will lower your glucose and some cause weight gain so you have to work a bit harder to get rid of it.

As I say not an expert, really happy to be corrected on any points here as this is all going to help my own education...
 
Quick note to add that when you are in Ketosis your brain runs partly on ketones so the glucose needs are low.
[You can thus obviously loose weight by thinking hard!]

I also thought you couldn't get glucose from fat until I read that the "glyc" part in triglycerides can be broken down; just not in a very energy efficient way.

Insulin resistance is also reduced by exercising your muscles if you can.
 
Just remember your insulin resistance level is personal to you.
I have severe insulin resistance and unable to exercise. I'm using diet and insulin injections til I can be re-evaluated after bariatric surgery.

There are quite a few posts now about insulin resistance. Give them a read?

The more insulin I inject, the more insulin resistant I get!!! Metformin works on the liver as well as gut/digestion.
Liver blocks can substitute metformin, partially. It doesn't help with satiety but can reduce bgs from released stored glucose.

Exercise is an excellent insulin resistance buster!!!
 
The main thing when considering changes in diet is to keep from dropping your metabolic rate - that just makes everything harder to achieve and it takes longer to do less.
I have done some really low calorie diets and my reaction every time was/is to shut down energy use so as to match it. That means that my metabolism is really efficient at hanging onto every last gram of stored energy.
It is almost like some conspiracy to create people able to withstand catastrophe.
 
I was always starving until I discovered avocado. As soon as I ate anything it seemed to turn on the hungry switch. Now I have half an avocado and celery bf and split the other half with lunch and dinner. The fat and fiber and low carb is my perfect fuel

The reason I keep my protein moderate, and I used to eat loads more but realized I don't need to and it too would make me hungry, is because it requires insulin. I have to take insulin for half my protein. If I eat more than three ounces at a time I have to take more insulin about an hour later to cover it. So if I eat 3oz ( 21g) I have to take insulin as if it were 10 carbs. I am extremely carb sensative but I'm also very insulin sensative AS LONG AS I EAT THE RIGHT DIET.

My body and brain thrive on ketones for energy. As soon as I add carbs in I'm on a downward slide. The brain uses ketones too The body will also go to carbs first and then to fat. So if you eat too many carbs you won't be burning fat. Hence when people want to gain weight, they eat carbs!

There are other foods that stall loss for many such as grains, starch, all forms of dairy and too many nuts. Some do very well with them in their diet. I don't with the exception of a few nuts but I don't want to lose weight.
 
HI Kristin251 -I like the sound of your diet BUT - Can you be clearer about units please ?
e.g You say 5 oz of protein a day. Call this 140 grams. Now is this grams of' protein containing food ' or grams of ' actual protein' . To get 140 grams of actual protein you would have to eat about 600 grams of beef steak. Or 17 eggs. If it is grams of protein containing food it would only be 28 grams of steak , or about a half of a boiled egg.
Don't laugh now - I am not being ridiculous. At my gym there is a chap who eats daily 12 boiled eggs [ without the yolks ] in an attempt to swallow more protein. Your explanation is welcome . Thanks.
 
Not ridiculous at all. Your question that is. 12 eggs without the yolk is haha.
If your in the U.K. Your measurements are different so I'll do my best to explain. It took me awhile to get it.
If I were to put my food on a food scale it would weigh 5 ounces. Figuring the average grams of pure protein per oz of animal/ fish protein is about 7 g per ounce. So 7 g times 5 oz is 35 g actual pure protein. I choose to stick to the .8 g per kg lean body mass. I'm 120 pounds(54kg) so that's means 43g protein. I get 35 from animal/ fish and the rest from veg avocado nuts and a small chunk of cheese with my evening cocktail before dinner.
Here's my meal plan which I stick to the same macros at each meal ( not the same foods though) and I know my insulin dose for each
Bf at around 8 am recently is a piece of organic deli chx or turkey ( 4-6 G protein depending on which or .8 oz) with an ounce or so of avocado smashed in it and 3 steamed asparagus spears. I take 1/2 unit or one depending on fasting Then an hour later another half or one. Usually one and then half or vice versa. It stops my morning rise.
Lunch around noon is 1.5 oz (12g) protein, more avocado and some veggies. One unit.
3 o'clock is a small snack like 1/2 egg and a scoop of avocado and some asparagus. 1/2 unit.
5:30 is a little cheese melted with a little butter. No insulin
Dinner 6:30-7 is 2-2.5 oz (14-18g protein) some more avocado and veggies. 1 unit
I often also use mayo on my proteins where desired.
Snacks are the cheese and a few macadamia, pecan or pumpkin seeds.

Recently I upped insulin at lunch as my cpeptide is horrid lol and I only take 2 units lantus so it's gone by morning. The 1/2 units covered my food but I would start going upwards after 2.5 hours as all insulin is gone by then. Hoping the one unit doesn't lower me and will last a bit longer.

At the end of the day I'm 80% fat, 15% protein and 5% carbs. I do gluconeogenisis quite quickly as I'm so low carb but the addition of avocado with each meal lowers and slowers it. It also keeps me powered and energy throughout the day. Keeps hunger tamed as well. It's magical for me.

Hope this helps and I explained right.
 
Thanks that's a very detailed explanation. Sounds like you knowwhat you are doing. I recently bought a little digital scales,very flat and discreet , though the other night I was contorting to read the dial ,hidden under a big plate , trying to weigh the serving of fish. without making a mess....and I attracted a few comments. Just explained I was testing the food for radioactivity ...ha ha ...Mayo on the proteins sounds like carbs ? Try Westbrae organic mustard. Delicious, zero calories zero carbs.
cheers
 
The "Low Curb Lifestyle" book has a section to help you decide, well worth reading the complete book.

Personally I am trying to choose low curb meal I am happy with for the rest of my life (and my wife likes) then fast 1 or 2 days a week. I did my first fast last week and due to a little miss planning did a 20 miles walk when I am aiming for closer 15 miles.
 
Haha about the fish. I used to do that. Now I'm fairly good at eyeballing. When we go out, which isn't often, my husband usually gets a burger with bacon and egg as well as cheese and I have 2 bites of that and order a side salad and share that with him. I either bring my own olive oil or order a creamy low carb like Parmesan peppercorn on the side. Then wet my salad a little with whatever I'm drinking and only need a little dressing. I get most of the fat from the burger and its toppings.

Mayo has zero carbs and doesn't effect bs negatively ever. Mustard ( vinegar) can be too acidic for me stometimes. Stomach and reflux.

Eating out is always a wild card. Found out one restaurant we frequented puts flour in their guacamole!!! Really?? I do often bring a little avocado with me as a security blanket haha. I know which restaurants I can eat safely at and they will make exceptions like hold the croutons and cheese from th esalad and give me a few avocado slices.

I am very carb AND insulin sensative. But protein needs to watched as much as carbs for me. Fat, I eat as much as I want. Not tons usually though. I love mayo on egg, chicken, turkey , tuna , salmon salads. The no lettuce kind. Just mayo and seasoning with a little onion and celery.
 
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