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Dr. Michael Manning

Losing Weight and Keeping It Off

Updated: Mar 30, 2023

Losing excess weight can be tough.


Part of the reason why is because many of us become increasingly insulin resistant as we age…….basically, we are producing too much insulin in response to what we are eating. Insulin is a fat storing hormone.


We can improve our insulin sensitivity in the following ways:


1. The more muscle we have on our body, the better our insulin sensitivity will be. Resistance training aka lifting weights is the key. 3-4 times per week for 1 hour.

2. Intermittent fasting……..pick 8 consecutive hours and that is when you do your eating……..eat nothing for the following 16 hours except water, unsweetened tea, or black coffee. A good book to read about intermittent fasting is “The Eight Hour Diet”……..you can get it on Amazon. The health benefits of intermittent fasting are legion……take the time to learn about this powerful tool.

3. Apple Cider Vinegar…….ACV improves insulin sensitivity….I like doing the ACV gummies made by Goli…….you can get them on Amazon or at Walgreens. The other option is to simply mix ACV in water and drink it…….the directions are on the bottle.

4. The supplement Berberine…….it works like Metformin to improve insulin sensitivity…….Matt has it in our pharmacy or it can be ordered from Amazon. I take 1200mg of Berberine first thing in the morning.

5. The bacteria that live in our intestines, to a very large degree, govern our health. I take a pro biotic every morning followed by 2 tablespoons of Metamucil in 8 ounces of water. The pro biotic is the bacteria themselves, the Metamucil is food for the bacteria. Take the probiotic and Metamucil every morning from now on………the bacteria will help to keep you healthy and improve insulin resistance.

6. I drink at least 2 liters of water per day……..500cc bottles…….2 over the course of the morning and 2 over the course of the afternoon. The most important 500cc to drink is the absolute first thing in the morning. We are all very dehydrated after sleeping all night…….the first 500cc of water gets our systems humming and hydrates our intestinal bacteria…….we want those guys as healthy as possible because they will in turn keep us healthy. You want water that is alkaline…….two of the best, in my opinion, are Fiji and Essentia. I order them by the case from Amazon.


We must avoid foods that will spike our insulin levels because, once spiked, insulin sets the stage for fat storage for many hours to come. Probably the worst things to consume are sugary drinks of any kind…….high fructose corn syrup is the killer. It spikes insulin off the charts and increases inflammation throughout the body………start by avoiding those with no exceptions.


It is very difficult to lose weight in the setting of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is best addressed using multiple strategies……..the 6 that I listed above are a very good place to start.


Dr. Adams and myself are always available to members of The Men’s Clinic to discuss insulin resistance and the best management strategies for each particular health circumstance.


Dr. Manning




Learn about weight loss at The Men's Clinic Madison

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