The Hidden Metabolic Problem Behind Cravings And Weight Gain

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Hi, how are you?
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This is Damirez Grossman, Doctor of Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner, Integrated Nurse Practitioner.
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And here kind of chatting about the insulin resistance, right?
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What is that?
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Does it matter?
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What is it for our bodies?
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And is it the metabolic warning?
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Like, is there a warning to that?
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What's the sign that you may be having it or may not even realize it, even if the lab work does not show it?
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So let's first kind of talk about insulin resistance and weight.
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And so, first off, insulin resistance is your body's increase of insulin within that has been in overabundance.
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Now, to get insulin resistance is the body is not able to necessarily get rid of it throughout the blood.
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So then you become hyperensemia, which is excess.
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Now, what you put into your body is a great reason why you have excess.
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Think of it like you're not putting in the right nutrients, so your body is in excess of blood sugar.
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You ever wondered why someone says, is your blood sugar normal?
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What is your A1C?
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Why are you tired?
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Why are you struggling?
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Why do you have cravings, carbohydrates?
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There's it is a complex thing, but insulin resistance is probably one of the biggest problems and reasons for metabolic disbalance, dysfunction, obesity, and why the world, 85% of us have this problem.
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It's a combination of food, it's a combination of lifestyle, and then also a genetic behaviors.
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So, what does insulin actually do?
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You know, it's very important.
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It's a very important hormone in the body that, you know, when glucose or food, a sugar or carb we eat, we digest it, we break it down, turns to glucose, you know, then it goes into the pancreas and hormone called insulin, which is our messenger, it's a positive thing, it's what we need.
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It's telling the cells throughout your body, hey, energy is available, let's use it and let's store it.
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Your muscles can use the glucose for energy, the liver helps manage and store the glucose, the fat tissue participate in the energy storage.
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And you know what?
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What happens is when we have excess, and sometimes there's a little more than needed, then we have insulin resistance.
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Basically, pancreas is doing its job.
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Releasing the insulin, you're not having problems there.
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The problems you're having is getting rid of it.
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There's too much in the body, too much overload, and eventually you can end up with more illness.
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Initially, you may not even know it.
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You may not know, there's no obvious signs, it's not even pre-diabetes yet.
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You are just tired, fatigued.
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I would say about five to 85% of the population in some way has this, or will be leading toward a metabolic disbalance.
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Now, you know, you may not believe me, but I have it.
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I've had it.
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Most people have access to food that's not whole foods that are easy.
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It's easy to go to fast food, it's easy to not have a simple meal, it's easy to have the boxed stuff, the frozen foods, the like at your fingertips, the junk is there.
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When you have the more whole foods, you have a better option.
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Now, I'm definitely eat don't always eat well.
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So I can tell you for a fact that it is in my genetics and in my thought process.
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I think about food constantly.
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So, what puts us at higher risk when you finally get insulin resistance?
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What happens is yes, there's a genetic component, there's a metabolic imbalance, age can be a factor, but it's not always your sleep lifestyle management, it is always important, very, very important.
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Um, and of course, there's other predisposing factors for some individuals.
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You know, some people are already in the obese category, they're not active, they have a prehistory of diabetes, family history, cardiovascular illness, and then their body wants to have the sugar because it is completely off hormonal changes.
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So before they've even reached the obesity category, their body is already fighting against them.
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So that's one percentage of population.
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Then there's just the regular percentage population that is just exposed to so much foods at the grocery store everywhere.
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I mean, it's like a dollar to go to get like a hamburger nowadays.
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I don't know, maybe a dollar of the inflation, probably five dollars, but comparative to cooking a meal at home and it is sus.
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So, why is insulin resistance even worse than diabetes?
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I mean, it can eventually lead to diabetes or is part of a diabetic patient.
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But the reason why it's like can lead there is that think beyond just the blood sugar.
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Think about how it can affect the entire body.
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How you guess you can have increased weight circumference, you can have elevated cholesterol, triglycerides, you have elevated blood sugar, you're getting eventually it affects all parts of your body.
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So not only is it a fat you know issue, it is a weight issue.
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It is abnormal throughout, and it affects so much inflammatory markers and increases such an it's such a multidimensional and multifactual problem that insulin has affected our body.
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So that's why it's important to know where you lie.
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Now you can be insulin sensitive and still not and not go, oh, I'm not exposed to it, but you'll know if you're going in that direction is when you just you crave the sugar more and more.
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And does that mean you're gonna get diabetes?
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No, but the more direction that you go in higher carbs, less exercise, less of the more of the processed stuff, then yeah, you can eventually get there.
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Now, the A1C number is a like very variable.
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Like that's a one that we use from for if like about a three-month time of adhesian to see if it's high or low ranging, anything over 5.7 to 6.4 is considered kind of in that glucose mismanagement, pre-diabetes.
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But honestly, I think anything over 5.5 is considered, you know, irregularity.
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When you're going for blood organs, someone says, Hey, let's go check your glucose, they say between 100 to 125.
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My parameters with more conservative numbers really is 85 to 95.
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And that has to do with because the populations range from small to very large.
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And if you go to 100, I think you're in trouble.
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By then, I think you're going to go to insulin resistance.
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So if you're thinking 100 is normal, yes, I'm a large percentage of patients will still be okay.
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But I mean, if I could go more conservative, I feel like we could benefit.
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So, does that mean that everyone has insulin resistance?
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No, it does not.
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You know, it's just a matter of trying to do as much prevention.
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And then when you have it, where do you go?
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Like, whatever steps.
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And what does insulin resistance have to do with obesity?
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So, looking at the research on obesity, how it drives insulin resistance is that the adipocyte hypertrophia in obesity triggers a cascading metabolic disruption.
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So, what that means is that excess-free fatty acids within the body enlarge adipose tissue in the body and the liver and the muscle throughout, generating lipid intermediate insulin signals.
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So then those signals increase your insulin more, increase your pancreas to work more.
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Those individuals that have an infiltration of adipose tissue will also have an inflammatory markers, which then will increase production of insulin.
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Those with more visceral fat and fatty livers, hepatic fat, particularly strong association with insulin resistance and independent of just their total fat.
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So there it's saying in itself that excess net of insulin resistance is because it's has excess inflammation at a post-tissue.
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So what that means is when you have an excess, and the research shows higher insulin, higher insulin within the body, or they call it hyperinsulemia, promotes weight gain.
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So it's if you can get it early on, get the treatments, get the medications, get the understanding, then you don't you have a better, better options.
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Now, just because you know the knowledge, just because you're aware of it, you don't do anything about it, doesn't mean it's going to get fixed.
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So I can be aware and I have knowledge, but if I don't take medicine, exercise, and change my habits, I'm not losing a single pound of weight.
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So that's kind of the, this is just like a very quick overview, but it's like saying, you know, when you understand the importance of how insulin is in the body and how it affects many things, it's a it's part of that.
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Now, how does weight loss in affecting insulin resistance?
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So why is losing weight, or most patients that are obese usually are insulin resistant or have an excess, even if it's not showing fully?
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Just losing 5% of their body weight loss or body fat generally achieves better metabolic rate.
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So that's why you know the GLP1 medications right now are so big because it changes their metabolic landscape.
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It improves insulin resistance and it improves multitude of diseases.
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So I've not even gone into how many disease processes are affected metabolically and endocrinally, endocrinology-wise throughout the body, just through the insulin.
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Exercise independently improves insulin lifestyle management, whole foods and exercise.
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And that's due to when you have the weight loss combined with exercise diet and interventions, it will improve your it is improving.
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So it's not just okay, I ate this diet exercise, and a good percentage of patients need medications to improve.
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Now, overweight individuals can also be insulin resistant, so don't be surprised, like they call that skinny fat.
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Happens all the time.
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Majority of people, they they think that they can eat whatever they want, but then they start to look in more deeply, they're more tired, they're they're showing other signs of health issues, they probably are skinny fat.
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So it doesn't mean that they're and they also have a harder time starting to lose that 10, 15 pound thing.
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And you know, that's again why these medications that have come out on mainstream are so big and so relevant, because, like I said, about 85% of the population has hyperinsulinia or an insulin problem.
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Now, is medication the only answer?
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Absolutely not, but it is part of the equation with diet and exercise and lifestyle management.
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Why it's important to not be taken off meds or understanding where insulin is so important is when you regain the weight back, it will then increase your insulin because your bodies will then store more fat.
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So that's why it's so important to try to keep in a sustainable level for yourself so that you can have maintenance.
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Now, there are many medications out there and there's many resources to improve this, but I will go on, go with that on another time.
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But generally, I wanted you to kind of understand why it's important and what we can do to improve it.
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So your previous history, it affects your overall health, it can affect your waste and body.
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You know, you're checking, you know, where you need to be.
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And what do you need to do to check all this?
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You go to your healthcare professional that's gonna listen to you.
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They do a regular physical anyway.
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But if they're more overweight than you and they're not taking the time to do stuff for themselves, you got to get a check there and be like, are you checking your stuff?
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Because I'm not gonna go to you if you're not doing your thing.
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I mean, we we need to be on the same page here.
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And when do you need to get screened?
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I think everybody should be screened for insulin resistance.
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You know, even children that are obese or having weight issues from like, you know, six years old and up.
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Like if they're if they're already overweight between six and ten years old, that's a problem.
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We have insulin resistance already.
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I'm not even talking about obesity completely.
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I'm talking there's a problem.
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And if we're starting there, that means what are these kids and and families putting into their bodies?
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We can't even give meds to children.
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So let's start, you know, basic foundations.
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I diverse.
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So I don't want to, you know, get too much into family stuff just yet.
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But you know, it's so important and you know, it changes our metabolic dysfunction early.
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You know, we've got to intervene early and get as much preventative medicine into the mix so that you don't have further health issues, major ones like stroke, diabetes, and heart disease.
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Those are, you know, the big ones, right?
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Not to mention other things.
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So, what do we do to help reset?
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What is what's the the solutions?
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Not even going to meds yet, but what are the main five things that have to be done?
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Lifestyle management, build the meals with less processed foods.
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So build your plateau and your family with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, protein, fats, and less ultra-processed foods.
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My husband is the best at this, way better than I am.
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And he's taught me even more.
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Prioritize protein and fibers, the good stuff.
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You know, don't forget the good quality meats, you know.
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Don't forget, you know, what fruits and veggies are.
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I mean, at least have that, you know, cut up and prepare them.
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I cut up apples, I put in a container, blueberries, I wash them, strawberries, and whatever's in season, put it out there.
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Mix your veggies into your foods.
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Try to prepare things as much as you can or get pre pre-done nice foods from a good uh grocery store.
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Find ways to, you know, make it a little bit more accessible.
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Don't forget fiber.
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I mean, fiber's in a lot of things that could be like these things help lower our insulin.
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This helps lower our obesity.
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This is all related, and you'll hear so many of that cycling through if you always listen to my podcast and listen to things I talk about.
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Your GI health, your overall health, they're all related.
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It's all related.
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So you're adding in the vegetables, add in the berries, add in the fiber.
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There's many different things.
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I like psilium husks, that's pretty easy, you know, with a little warm water, nice and yummy.
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I will do we do beans and rice, we do flax seeds, we do hemp seeds, chia seeds.
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Um, there's there's a lot of great, great, complete proteins, too, that you can add in there.
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Like so, and then move, get your body moving.
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I'm gonna go for a walk right after this podcast that I'm doing.
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Get yourself out moving, do resistance training if it's available for your age group at your level.
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That means if you're small, if you're old, wherever that is for you, do that.
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Walk whenever's possible, strength train as needed, move and just move.
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Um I have a sedentary job.
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I have to do sit and stand, and I gotta move.
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I gotta go.
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I gotta get up, or I'm gonna be just fat.
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I'm I'm gonna just get heavier and heavier and sicker and sicker.
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And yes, I have to be on nuts and I have to do the do the things.
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That's what we gotta do.
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What you don't want to do is just rely on supplements.
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Yes, I like some supplements, some of them are good.
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You don't want to completely get rid of everything that you like, but you really have to look at the big macros, the proteins, the fats, the carbs, and keep in mostly good things, but you gotta also, you know, understand.
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Don't blame yourself, always.
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You know, some of this is a genetic component, but also no, it's partial willpower, but there's also a genetic brain thing there too.
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And, you know, insulin is not an enemy, it's a phenomenal hormone and needed in our body to live, but it's just the excess and improving our metabolic health is really the goal.
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That is the main goal.
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And how do you do that on a daily?
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I challenge you to just give me 10 minutes a day.
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10 minutes, whether that is a 10-minute walk, whether that is sit-ups, a squat, giving yourself some jumping jacks, some push-ups, a walk, some stretching.
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Give me 10 minutes and see if you can then focus on more sleep, quality sleep.
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But start there.
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Let's get there.
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And then see if that's made a difference.
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And of course, just switch out one thing, whether it's putting a little bit more water into your diet, you know, even if that's an electrolyte drink or something, don't worry.
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You know, you can get these checked out.
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I'm just giving you some ideas.
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And if you already have pre-diabetes, you're already in like a little bit of trouble, it's okay.
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We'll get there.
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You know, it's just understanding that insulin resistance can lead to other health issues.
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And if we can get it early and understand the numbers and understand what's going on, you can get yourself into a better state.
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So whether you're going to need meds or whether you need you're always gonna need foundation, diet, lifestyle.
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Then we pull in exercise, then we pull in medication, then we look at what's going on and look at the labs.
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And little by little, you know, it's an ongoing thing.
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This is unfortunately not like, oh, I'm done.
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It's management, it's long term.
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And then you understand your risk factors, you build the muscle, you move your body, and you nourish yourself to what it needs and protect your sleep.
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Get sleep, get sleep.
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So, so, so important.
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First off, you know, I just want to say thanks for joining in today.
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Thanks for listening, and make sure each and every day is a mindful day, a mindful way for you because no one else is gonna live your life, only you.
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Take a deep breath in, take a deep breath out.
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Make sure you make it a mindful way each and every day.
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Because it's you, it's for you, it's for you.