Why Insulin is Making You Fat

When we hear the word “insulin” we often think of blood sugar and diabetes. But one key aspect of the insulin hormone is not as commonly considered, and that is the fact that insulin is a “fat storage” hormone.

Here’s how it works:

When we eat foods that raise our blood sugar (i.e. carbohydrates) our bodies respond by releasing insulin in order to bring the blood sugar back down. The more our blood sugar raises, the more insulin our body must send in order to bring the blood sugar back down.

Insulin brings blood sugar down by shuttling the sugar off to different parts of the body. If you’ve been physically active, some of that sugar will be stored in your muscle cells to be used for future physical activity. If you haven’t eaten carbs recently, some of the sugar will be stored in your liver to be used as energy for regular body processes like digestion and brain function. Any sugar that’s left over will be taken by insulin into the fat cells to be stored. The more sensitive your body is to the amount of insulin required to lower your blood sugar, the less likely you are to gain fat from your food. However, the more insulin your body releases, the more likely you are to store the blood sugar as fat. This is known as insulin resistance. It means that insulin has been spiked very high very repetitively, and the body no longer has the ability to send the proper amount of insulin necessary to get the job done.

How do we ensure our body is sensitive to the affects of insulin?

If we avoid spiking our blood sugar repetitively, we decrease our risk of insulin resistance and therefore we will be less likely to gain weight due to insulin insufficiencies. Our goal for insulin management is to allow our blood sugar to go up and down in waves rather than spikes. For the average person, it’s not necessary to cut out all foods that cause a rise in blood sugar. Instead we want to identify foods that cause a blood sugar rise and adjust our portion sizes and activity levels accordingly. Over the next few days, try using this carbohydrate guide to decide when and how to eat carbs based on what they do to your blood sugar and insulin. Following this will allow you to wave your blood sugar without spiking it. Be sure to talk to your doctor if you have health concerns involving your blood sugar and insulin levels. 

Food Item            What it does to your blood sugar/insulin      When to eat it                            How much to eat

Candy/Chocolate                     Big Spike                                                        As little as possible                              As little as possible

Bread/Pasta                             Big Spike                                                       As little as possible                               As little as possible

Fruit                                         Big Spike                                   One hour before or after exercise         One medium sized piece or ½ cup berries

Rice/Quinoa                             Big Spike                                              One hour before or after exercise                        ¼- ½  cup

Legumes                                 Medium Spike                                        Three hours before or after exercise                    ½ cup

Starchy Vegetables                Medium/Low Spike                                 Three hours before or after exercise                    ½ cup

Non Starchy Vegetables         Wave/No noticeable change                                  Any time                                          As much as possible