Does Insulin Resistance Mean You'll Be Overweight Forever? (My Story)
If you just found out you have insulin resistance—or you suspect you might - You're probably a little scared. Maybe overwhelmed. Possibly thinking, "Great, one more thing I have to deal with…
That's how I felt too when I first found out - I also thought that meant I was just destined to be overweight for the rest of my life.
But I need you to hear this: Finding out I was insulin resistant actually ended up being a blessing in disguise.
I know that probably sounds crazy. But stick with me, because I'm going to tell you why—and why it might be the breakthrough you've been looking for too.
The Day Everything Changed
Let me take you back to where I was before I knew I had insulin resistance.
I was struggling. Like, really, really struggling.
A few years earlier, I had lost over 50 pounds doing the typical diet thing—counting every calorie, tracking all my food, working out A LOT. I thought I had finally done it. I had finally found the answer.
I managed to keep it off for a bit, but it was exhausting. It felt like I had another full-time job just maintaining my weight.
Then it stopped working.
Despite the fact that I was still doing everything that had helped me to lose the weight in the first place - tracking every bite that went into my mouth, getting my steps in, drinking my water, making "healthy" food choices—I started gaining weight again.
I was working out an hour and a half to two hours a day. Treadmill, high-impact cardio, every BeachBody DVD that came out (I owned them all).
But I kept gaining weight.
I was frustrated and scared. I didn't know what to do. I knew I couldn't eat less—I was already hungry all the time. And there weren't enough hours in the day to exercise more.
I felt defeated. And honestly? I just wanted to quit. I felt like a failure. Like everyone else could lose weight, but I couldn't.
It Wasn't Just About the Weight
But the weight? That was just one piece of it.
I was dealing with so many other things that I didn't even connect at the time:
I was hungry ALL the time. Like, I'd eat a meal and be starving again an hour later. I couldn't go more than two or three hours without eating or I'd feel shaky, irritable, like I was going to pass out.
The cravings were intense. Especially for sugar and carbs. The food noise in my head was constant. I thought about food ALL DAY LONG.
I was always bloated. My hormones were a mess. My cycles were all over the place. My periods were brutal. I had seasonal allergies that never went away - even when the seasons changed.
I had zero energy. I'd wake up tired even after a full night's sleep. Every afternoon I wanted to just put my head down on my desk and take a nap.
I was dealing with anxiety and depression. Some days I could barely function.
I felt broken. Like my body hated me. Like everyone else could lose weight, but I couldn't. I felt like a failure.
The Turning Point: "You Have Insulin Resistance"
And then my doctor mentioned insulin resistance.
Honestly, I'd heard the term before, but I didn't really know what it meant. All I knew about insulin was that it was something diabetics took to control their blood sugar.
My doctor wasn't much help. She basically just said, "Eat less sugar and lose some weight."
Which was super helpful considering that's exactly why I was there in the first place—I was struggling to lose weight and nothing was working!
But I'm a researcher at heart. So I went home and I dove in. I read everything I could find. I watched videos. I listened to podcasts. I consumed everything about insulin resistance.
And you know what? It actually gave me hope.
Because for the first time, I felt like I had an answer to why I'd been struggling so much. It explained things. It gave me direction.
The most important thing I learned? Insulin resistance is reversible.
And that changed everything.
What IS Insulin Resistance?
So let me explain what insulin resistance actually is—because once you understand this, everything starts to make sense.
Insulin is a hormone that your pancreas makes. And one of its main jobs is to keep your blood sugar in a healthy range.
Your body can only handle about a teaspoon of sugar in your blood at one time. So if you eat something that raises your blood sugar—like sugar, or carbs, or even "healthy" whole grains—insulin's job is to get that blood sugar back down.
It does this by shuttling glucose into your cells—either to be used for energy right away, or to be stored.
Now, we have very limited storage for glucose. We can store a little bit in our muscles and liver, but not much. And any excess? It gets converted to fat and stored in your fat cells.
Which, unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on how you look at it—we have almost unlimited storage for.
Here's where insulin resistance comes in:
If your blood sugar and insulin are elevated too often—which happens when you're eating a lot of carbs and sugar, or snacking all day long—your cells can start to become resistant to insulin.
They basically stop responding when insulin shows up and knocks on the door trying to get the glucose in.
But your body still needs to get that blood sugar down because high blood sugar is toxic. So it releases MORE insulin to try to force the glucose into the cells.
And now you've got high blood sugar AND high insulin.
That's insulin resistance.
Why Insulin Resistance Makes Weight Loss Nearly Impossible
And here's why this matters for weight loss:
Insulin is a storage hormone. When insulin is high, you're in fat storage mode. Which means you’re gonna store more fat.
And here's the kicker: You can't be in fat storage mode and fat burning mode at the same time.
So when your insulin is always elevated - which is what happens with insulin resistance - the fat you already have stored stays locked up. Your body can't access it efficiently.
And because your body can't access that stored fat the way it should be able to between meals, it has to rely on you eating constantly to keep your energy up.
Which means more hunger and cravings for you.
Your body isn't getting the energy it needs from your stored fat, so it's screaming at you to eat.
It's not a willpower problem. It's not lack of discipline. It's your hormones.
And once I understood that? Everything changed.
The Changes I Made to Reverse My Insulin Resistance
So once I understood what insulin resistance was and how it was affecting me, I got to work figuring out how to reverse it.
And the key? Lower my insulin levels.
The simplest way to do that is to manage your blood sugar—because when blood sugar is high, insulin follows.
So here's what I changed:
1. I Completely Overhauled My Meals
Instead of those sad, giant salads that made me feel like a rabbit and left me starving an hour later, I started building my meals around protein, healthy fats, and non-starchy vegetables.
Think: steak, ground beef, chicken thighs, salmon, eggs. Butter, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil. Broccoli, spinach, peppers, zucchini.
And it was amazing how much longer I stayed full. It was so much easier to not be hungry all the time and trying to white-knuckle my way through the day.
2. I Broke Up with Snacking
I used to snack every two hours because I thought it was keeping my metabolism "fired up." And quite frankly, I needed to because I was always hungry. But what it was actually doing was keeping my blood sugar and insulin elevated all day long.
Every time you eat, blood sugar and insulin go up. And just about the time they'd start coming back down, I'd eat again. So they were essentially elevated all day.
No wonder I couldn't lose weight. I was in fat storage mode 24/7.
Instead, I switched to eating protein-focused meals that kept me full for several hours.
3. I Completely Changed My Breakfast
I used to eat cereal, a banana, and orange juice. Which, in my body, was basically sugar, sugar, and more sugar.
It was spiking my blood sugar first thing in the morning, and then when insulin brought it back down, I'd crash. And that's when the hunger would hit.
I was starting every day on a blood sugar roller coaster.
Now? I eat things like eggs, bacon, and avocado. Protein and fat. And I'm not hungry until lunch.
4. I Started Taking Short Walks After Meals
Just 10 or 15 minutes. Around the neighborhood, nothing intense. But it helps lower blood sugar naturally.
Plus, I get fresh air, a little vitamin D, and it just makes me feel better.
5. I Switched from Being a Cardio Queen to Building Muscle
I grew up in the '90s when it was all about cardio—the more, the better. But you actually get more bang for your buck by strength training and building muscle.
Muscle takes more energy to maintain, so you're burning more calories even when you're just sitting on the couch. And more muscle means more glucose storage (which helps you manage blood sugar) - your muscles are like little glucose sponges.
What Happened When I Fixed My Insulin
And you know what happened?
The weight started coming off.
And not just that—all those other health issues I mentioned? They started improving too.
The constant hunger went away.The cravings stopped. The food noise got quieter.I got my energy back. I wasn't dragging myself through the day anymore.
No more bloating. My allergies went away. My periods got better.
Even my anxiety and depression improved significantly.
I feel better now in my 50s than I ever did in my 20s and 30s.
And here's the best part: I've kept the weight off for over 13 years.
Not by micromanaging calories, being hungry all the time, or working out 2 hours a day.
Because I fixed the root cause. I reversed my insulin resistance.
Before vs. After: My Life With and Without Insulin Resistance
BEFORE (With Insulin Resistance):
Hungry every 2-3 hours
Constant food noise
Exhausted all day - no matter how much sleep I got
Gaining weight on 1200 calories/day
Working out 2 hours/day
Bloated all the freaking time
Brutal periods and PMS
Anxiety and depression
Felt like my body was broken
AFTER (Reversing Insulin Resistance):
Full for 4-6 hours between meals
Food noise disappeared
Energy all day long
Strength training 3-4x/week
No more bloating
Normal, manageable periods
Off meds for anxiety and depression
Feel better at 50 than I did at 30
What This Means for You
So if you just found out you have insulin resistance—or you suspect you might—I want you to know:
This is not a life sentence. This is not something you just have to just accept and live with. Insulin resistance is reversible for most people.
Yes, it takes some changes. Diet changes. Lifestyle changes. And I'm not going to sugarcoat it—it's not always easy, especially at first.
But it's so worth it.
Because when you address the root cause - when you fix your insulin resistance - you're not just losing weight. You're getting your health back. Your energy back. Your life back.
You're not going to have to fight your body anymore. You're not going to be hungry all the time. You're not going to be obsessing about food all day.
You're going to feel like yourself again.
So if you're feeling scared, overwhelmed, or defeated right now this could be the missing piece that finally makes everything click.
Because it's not about trying harder. It's not about having more willpower. It's not about eating less or exercising more.
It's about fixing what's actually broken - your insulin sensitivity.
And once you do that? Everything else gets easier.
Ready to Get Started?
If you're dealing with insulin resistance—or you think you might be—know that you're not alone. And you're not broken.
Your body isn't betraying you. Your hormones are just out of whack and you can get them back on track.
I've created a free Weight Loss Unstuck Guide to help you take the first steps toward improving insulin sensitivity. It includes strategies for balancing blood sugar, and practical tips to get you started.
Download your free guide here .