Still hungry after meals? Crazy sweet tooth? More tired than ever before?

If you're feeling like you are still hungry after meals, have a constant sweet tooth, and feel more tired than usual, hormonal imbalance may be at play. That weight that just won't budge? It could be a condition called insulin resistance.

If you're feeling all of these symptoms, it's definitely not something to ignore. Why? Well, because if it is insulin resistance, the condition left untreated could turn into full-blown diabetes.

So you might be wondering how do I prevent this? How do I get rid of these symptoms?!

The first thing you'll want to do is visit your doctor. You can't diagnose yourself from symptoms, so it's important to do the proper testing to see what's up.

There are some easy blood tests you can do like

• fasting glucose
• HbA1c

You can also tell your doctor your symptoms and concerns about why you think you may have insulin resistance.

Here's the thing about testing, though. It may not give you the most accurate results. Your body is always trying to correct itself. So when your cells aren't accepting insulin, your body pumps out more into your cells to try to correct the problem. Eventually, the cells become resistant, causing higher than normal glucose levels. So if your testing comes back normal, but you're still feeling all the symptoms, make sure to keep the conversation going with your doctor.

Once you know that you have higher than normal glucose, you can change your lifestyle to turn things around rather than the alternative of eventually being on diabetes meds.

What to do?!

Cut the sugar - the most important!

Sugar will spike your blood sugar and having processed foods with refined sugar will also cause your blood sugar to spike. High blood sugar levels over time increase the risk of insulin resistance and the risk of diabetes. Instead of foods high in sugar, do a whole foods diet with things like fruits, veggies, whole grains, healthy fats, and quality protein. It doesn't mean any sweets. There is plenty of monk fruit and stevia-sweetened desserts on my website! If you're confused about which foods are processed, stay away from the aisles and stick to the perimeter of the grocery store, that's always how they're set up to have the whole real foods and everything your diet needs on the edges.

Move your body daily

If you are insulin resistant, then movement is more important than ever. Exercise has so many benefits, from muscle strengthening to stress reduction, but most importantly here, moving is one of the fastest ways to lower blood sugar levels. Even just a 30-minute walk daily can really help. Switch it up, though, if you can! Walking, Pilates, yoga, swimming, or dancing. There are so many ways to get the blood moving and research shows that muscle strengthening, which you can do with Pilates, is especially helpful for insulin sensitivity.

More protein and fiber

Protein and fiber have a really powerful impact on blood sugar when combined together. The average woman should be eating about 40-50 grams of protein/day and about 35-45 grams of fiber. Eating a diet rich in protein doesn't mean eating only meat or cutting out good carbs. That's not what I'm about. It means having a balanced diet with enough protein and fiber to regulate blood sugar levels. While I'm sure you know all the meat sources of protein, some of my favorite plant sources include:

• beans
• seeds
• nuts
• tofu

and some of my favorite sources of fiber are:

• leafy greens
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• Brussels sprouts
• carrots

If you think this is you, don't ignore the signs! You can reverse it! I have a whole section in my course on balancing blood sugar and getting rid of these pesky symptoms.