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Do calories still matter if I have insulin resistance?
Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated
The short answer
Yes. On Ep. 200 of The WarriorBabe Show, Morgan explains that low-insulin calories are still calories, and losing body fat still requires an energy deficit. What changes is how hard that deficit feels. In her coaching and personal experience, it is easier to stick with on a lower-insulin way of eating.
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Morgan on why low-insulin calories still count and a deficit is still needed
Plays from 22:30 · Ep. 200: Fat Loss, Hormones and Metabolism Advice for Women Over 40
Morgan on insulin resistance without obesity and why insulin testing can help
Plays from 23:01 · Ep. 200: Fat Loss, Hormones and Metabolism Advice for Women Over 40
The full answer
Morgan's view on Ep. 200 holds two ideas together. Insulin matters: she describes high insulin levels as driving fat storage and low levels as making fat burning easier. Then she is clear that this "is not to mean that calories don't matter." If your goal is losing body fat, you still need an energy deficit. Insulin does not replace the math. It shapes how easy the math is to live with.
That is the practical point. In her experience coaching clients and in her own life, a deficit is easier to maintain on a lower-insulin diet. So if you have been told you have insulin resistance and have been cutting calories without results, the takeaway is not that your body is broken. Your plan may need to work with insulin instead of ignoring it, while still landing you in a deficit.
She adds some nuance about what "lower insulin" means:
- It does not automatically mean low carb, especially if you do a lot of exercise, though she says it usually does.
- Insulin resistance can contribute to weight gain, but it is not always accompanied by it. She mentions "thin on the outside, fat on the inside," where body weight or waist size looks normal but fat is stored around the organs.
That is why she points to insulin testing as useful, since it can catch things body weight and waist measurements miss. If you suspect insulin resistance, that conversation and any testing belong with your doctor. The show's message is about fat loss strategy: calories still count, and choosing foods that keep insulin lower may help make the deficit feel doable.
From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.
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32 minFat Loss, Hormones and Metabolism Advice for Women Over 40
Episode 200 · Oct 21, 2024