Biallowons: How insulin resistance shapes cravings, weight, and energy
Why blood sugar swings, between-meal cravings, and creeping weight gain often travel together
What this episode covers
- Insulin resistance is a reversible state where cells stop responding well to insulin, often associated with years of refined-carbohydrate intake, excess energy intake, and visceral fat accumulation.
- The HOMA index combining fasting insulin and glucose may catch it earlier than fasting glucose alone.
- A simple eating order (fiber and protein before carbohydrates), plus muscle building and stress management, may help shift the body back toward sensitivity.
Why it matters
If insulin resistance shapes blood sugar, weight, energy, mood, sleep, fatty liver risk, and long-term cardiovascular and dementia risk, then catching it early may matter for many systems at once. Standard fasting glucose tests often miss insulin resistance until it has been quietly progressing for years. Catching it earlier and reversing it through dietary and lifestyle change may prevent the slide into type 2 diabetes that affects many adults by middle age.
Best-supported action
The single highest-leverage move from this episode, anchored in the strongest evidence the speaker presents.
Start each main meal with fiber-rich vegetables and protein before reaching for the starchy or carbohydrate portion.
Where to start
Small low-friction starters covering the main moves from this episode.
- Start each main meal with fiber-rich vegetables and protein before reaching for the starchy or carbohydrate portion.
- Walk 10 to 15 minutes after your largest meal.
- Add two short resistance-training sessions per week, focused on the largest muscle groups.
Other supported actions
Further actions discussed in this episode, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence. This is one expert's view, the full topic compares and ranks across experts.
- Consider eating fiber-rich vegetables and protein before the carbohydrate portion at each main meal, especially if your blood sugar runs high or you struggle with afternoon energy crashes, to help flatten the post-meal blood sugar rise.
- Consider 2 to 3 short resistance-training sessions per week (20 to 30 minutes each), especially if you currently do mostly cardio or no formal exercise, to help build the muscle mass that may improve insulin sensitivity over weeks to months.
- Consider asking a clinician for fasting insulin alongside fasting glucose to calculate the HOMA index, especially if you have family history, weight changes you cannot explain, or cravings that persist, so any insulin resistance can be caught earlier and tracked.
Full context, impact ratings, and timing — available in related topics
Questions to take to your doctor
- Given my fasting glucose has been borderline, would also testing fasting insulin and calculating the HOMA index change how we approach next steps?
- Given my family history of type 2 diabetes, what specific markers should we track over time to catch insulin resistance early?
- Given my current medications, would a meaningful reduction in refined carbohydrates require adjusting dosing, and on what timeline?
Full doctor prep with ranked questions available in the full topic page
Context
Practitioner focused on complex chronic conditions, working from a functional medicine framework that emphasizes gut barrier health, microbiome, nutrient status, and stress regulation as upstream drivers of immune balance. Strongest on clinical pattern recognition across patients and on translating immunology into daily habits; less rigorous on population-level intervention evidence than mainstream specialists, and operates a clinical practice and related businesses (Biallomed, Aescolab) offering the testing and consultations she describes.
This does not prove the HOMA index is universally accurate at distinguishing healthy adults from those with early insulin resistance, or that any single eating order works equally well for all individuals. The specific HOMA cutoffs and reference ranges used in functional medicine may differ from those in standard clinical practice. The speaker offers clinical consultations and may have commercial framing; this does not invalidate the content but is worth knowing when weighing recommendations. This does not mean you should change or stop your current diabetes medication on your own; coordinate any major dietary change with your clinician.
Where people go wrong
- Cutting calories aggressively rather than improving food quality and meal composition.Cravings and energy crashes often worsen on aggressive calorie cutting, and the underlying insulin resistance is not addressed. Many people regain weight when willpower runs out, frustrating both patient and clinician.
- Trusting only fasting glucose to detect early insulin resistance.By the time fasting glucose climbs above normal, insulin resistance has often been progressing quietly for years. The window for easier reversal may already be narrower.
What to expect over time
- First 4 weeks of lifestyle changeMany people notice fewer energy crashes, reduced cravings, and more stable hunger within the first 2 to 4 weeks. Early weight loss may come mostly from glycogen and water rather than fat. The eating-order practice typically becomes habit by the end of the first month. Adjustments to medication may be needed quickly if you are on diabetes medication; coordinate with your prescriber so blood sugar does not drop too low.
- Months 2 to 6HOMA and fasting insulin may improve meaningfully over 2 to 6 months for many adults. Waist circumference often shrinks before total weight changes much, reflecting visceral fat loss. HbA1c (the long-term blood sugar average over the past 3 months) tends to improve in this window. Fatty liver markers like ALT and AST (liver enzymes that drop as fatty liver responds) may drop noticeably. Real fat loss typically begins now rather than just water weight.
- Year 1 and beyondFor adults who maintain the changes, the meaningful long-term benefit is a real reduction in type 2 diabetes risk. Sustained weight loss may continue if adherence holds, though the rate slows. Medication needs may drop in some individuals; this requires clinical supervision rather than self-discontinuation. Drift back to old eating patterns is the main risk past year one, often with metabolic markers drifting back alongside.