At my last doctor appointment, I was surprised to hear my doctor say, “Jane, you have prediabetes.” 

She pointed out that my fasting glucose level falls into the prediabetes (also called insulin resistance) category — and has since 2024. I was shocked because I don’t eat much sugar.  

 As I thought about it, I realized I have a few risk factors for developing diabetes. I had gestational diabetes with my third pregnancy, I am over the age of 45, and my maternal aunt had diabetes.

So, this past few months, I’ve been doing a deep dive into managing my glucose levels. Perhaps you’ve been told you’re prediabetic or you already have diabetes. Either way, there are things you can do to improve —and in some cases — reverse your condition. 

What is Prediabetes/Insulin Resistance?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, insulin resistance happens when your muscle, fat, and liver cells don’t respond correctly to insulin (the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels). In return, glucose continues to build up in the blood. The pancreas then tries to compensate by making more insulin to balance your blood sugar levels (called hyperinsulinemia). If your cells become too resistant to insuliun, blood sugar levels increase (hyperglycemia), which over time can lead to prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes. 

I am in the prediabetes stage — and I don’t want to progress to Type 2 diabetes.

What I’m Doing

Here are some of my tactics to reverse insulin resistance.

Recently, I discovered the French biochemist Jessie Inchauspe. Known online as the Glucose Goddess, she has written two books about blood sugar: Glucose Revolution: The Life-Changing Power of Balancing Your Blood Sugar and The Glucose Goddess Method: The 4-Week Guide to Cutting Cravings, Getting Your Energy Back, and Feeling Amazing. These books are packed with information and actionable hacks to lower your glucose levels or flatten your glucose curves — without increasing the amount of insulin in your body.

I highly recommend these books. If you can only get one, get the Glucose Goddess Method. It’s a plan to help you implement four of the ten hacks from her first book. I am following her plan to learn how to avoid spiking my blood sugar. It’s amazing how effective the hacks are. 

Glucose-Lowering Hacks

So far, here are the hacks I have implemented:

• Eating a savory (not sweet) breakfast
• Putting 1 tablespoon of vinegar in a glass of water and drinking it before I eat my lunch or dinner
• Taking a 10-15 minute walk (or other exercise) after I eat
• Not eating carbs by themselves

In addition, I am wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). This amazing device tracks your glucose levels in real time, so you can see exactly how your body reacts to a food as you eat it. (NOTE: You don’t need this to follow the Glucose Goddess Method. You can implement the plan without it.)

If you already have Type 2 diabetes, your insurance may pay for a CGM. If you have prediabetes, it probably won’t, but it doesn’t hurt to try. I am using the FreeStyle Libre 14-Day System. I have also used the Dexcom CGM. Both of them work well. More CGM devices are coming to market all the time. I’ve recently discovered the Lingo brand CGM by Abbot. You don’t need a prescription, and they offer several options, including a 2-week plan for just $54 and a 4-week plan for $89, neither of which auto-renews. They also offer discounted autorenew options. Lingo is even available on Amazon.

How It’s Helped

As I learn the Glucose Goddess Method and follow the plan, I have been able to flatten my glucose curves and lower my blood sugar to within a normal range when I follow her plan.  Because I am wearing a CGM, I am learning which foods I can eat and which ones cause me to spike. Starches (and sugars), particularly white potatoes, are one of the worst for me, spiking my blood sugar to almost 200. Spikes cause damage in your body. 

Here are two screenshots from the Libre app of my glucose levels. The left one shows a day when I had fairly stable blood glucose levels. The one on the right shows a huge spike from a food I ate.

As I continue to level out my blood sugar, my glucose levels should stabilize and my fasting glucose level in the morning should drop to a level where I am no longer considered to be insulin resistant (prediabetic).

Closing Thoughts

As always, this information is for educational purposes only. This is simply my story about trying to reverse insulin resistance. Contact your doctor for information on how to manage your health. It’s my prayer that you’ve heard some helpful and encouraging information today. Let me know if you decide to try any of the hacks.

God bless you on your health journey!

Note: Some of the links in this post are Amazon affiliate links. I only link to products I use, believe in, or are similar to what I use