How managing glucose can help you maintain your weight

If you're currently thinking about your weight, odds are you’ve embarked on some type of diet intervention or weight management strategy in the past. Maybe you even had success, but it’s common for dieters to gain back the weight they’ve lost. ¹ This weight regain goes beyond a lack of willpower or falling back into old habits – your metabolism plays a big role in how you’re able to reach and maintain a certain weight. ² 

Habits like lack of physical activity and consuming too much ultra-processed food or sugary drinks can contribute to weight gain. ^3,4 But other underlying factors such as genetics, stress, hormones like insulin, and how well your body utilises glucose play a bigger role than we may expect. ^5,6  

While your body does need to burn more calories than it takes in to lose weight, the “calories in vs calories out” concept can be misleading. Your body responds to calories from simple carbs (sugar, white bread, pretzels) differently than it does to calories from protein, fat, and fibres (fruit, vegetables, whole grains). ⁷ So, it’s not just the quantity of the food you eat, but also the quality. ^8,9 

In this article, we’ll explore how glucose impacts your metabolism and weight and provide helpful tips you can implement to help you maintain a healthy weight.  

How glucose impacts your metabolism 

Losing weight typically involves creating what is called an energy deficit, meaning you burn more calories than you consume. However, this simple idea hides how complex the body’s metabolism can be.  

At its core, metabolism encompasses all the biochemical reactions occurring in the body. One key role of these reactions is converting food and drinks into energy. When people refer to having a “fast” or “slow” metabolism, they’re referring to metabolic rate – put simply, the number of calories your body expends daily. 

How our bodies use energy is influenced by many things, including factors beyond your control like age and genetics. But your metabolism is also impacted by muscle mass, food intake, and activity level, all of which you can change to improve your metabolic health.  

The glucose-weight management connection 

Glucose plays a central role in metabolism. It’s a fuel source used for immediate energy and is also stored in the muscles and liver for later use. How well the body can process, use, and store glucose is one marker of metabolic health. 

Insulin is a key hormone involved in fat storage and weight gain. As glucose (blood sugar) rises after eating, so does insulin. ¹⁰ When insulin levels are chronically elevated, it can impair the body’s ability to burn fat for energy. ^11,12 The high levels of insulin shift the way our body partitions fuel, leading to increased production and storage of fat. ¹³ 

So while the body technically needs to be in an energy (i.e. calorie) deficit to lose weight, unmanaged glucose and insulin levels can impact how efficiently your body uses energy.  

By using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) like Lingo, you can understand your individual glucose response and the foods that cause a spike. Then, you can make better choices to lower your glucose and insulin response, and thus improve your body's ability to burn fat. Research shows that wearing a CGM can help you lower your glucose exposure and stick to healthy habits that support weight management. ^14,15,16

Why people gain weight back  

It’s common for dieters to gain back the weight they’ve lost. ¹ While this can be due to a number of factors, one overlooked reason is how certain weight loss methods can negatively impact metabolism. When someone undergoes aggressive calorie restriction or follows a rapid weight loss plan, they may be unknowingly sabotaging long-term success. 

If you cut your calorie intake by too much or for a long period of time, the body enters metabolic conservation, slowing down various physiological processes to conserve energy. ¹⁷ This often leads to a reduction in resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is the amount of energy your body uses at rest (think: lying motionless on the couch). Over time, you may find you must consume fewer and fewer calories to maintain your weight, making weight maintenance increasingly challenging. ¹⁸ 

Additionally, rapid weight loss without sufficient protein or exercise can often result in the loss of muscle mass, further exacerbating metabolic changes. ¹⁹ While fat tissue doesn’t burn many calories at rest, muscle tissue is highly metabolically active, meaning it burns a significant amount of calories even at rest. ²⁰ Having less muscle tissue means a slower metabolic rate. ²¹

Healthy muscle tissue also utilises glucose. ²¹ A reduction in muscle mass can have profound negative implications for metabolic health, including impaired glucose metabolism and a further decline in metabolic rate.  

Not everyone who loses weight will succumb to these negative metabolic effects, but it’s worth noting that a slow and steady approach with sustainable habit change – rather than fad diets or severe calorie restrictions – is more likely to yield successful weight management, especially over time. ²² 

Tips to get you started on your weight management journey  

There are some lifestyle habits that can help boost your metabolic rate and set you up for success with managing your weight, both in the short term and sustainably. While your body does need to be in a caloric deficit to lose weight, the source of calories and how you achieve that deficit tends to be the most important.  

Here are some healthy and sustainable ways to approach weight management without negatively impacting your metabolic health: 

1. Eat enough protein: You need protein to build hard-working muscle tissue, and consuming adequate amounts can help you with weight management. ^19,23,24 Protein is the most satiating of all three macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fat), so you’ll feel fuller after eating it compared with the other two. ²⁵ Plus, protein has the highest thermic effect of all three macros, meaning your body burns more calories digesting and processing protein than it does carbs or fat. ²⁶ Most adults need at least 100 grams of protein per day (based on 1.5 grams of protein per kg of ideal bodyweight). Aim to front load your day with at least 30 grams at your first meal.  
2. Strength train: Exercise burns calories, but strength training has specific benefits for weight management through increasing the main tissue that drives metabolism — muscle. ²⁰ Not only does resistance training promote the creation of new muscle tissue, but it also improves its function by increasing the ability to use fat and carbohydrates. ²⁷
3. Avoid ultra-processed foods: Ultra-processed foods generally come in a package and contain mostly refined grains, free sugars, and processed fats. Eating ultra-processed foods in excess over a long period of time can not only derail weight management efforts, ³ but also lead to associated health issues such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. ^28,29,30 Opt for whole or minimally processed foods as close to their natural state as possible like fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, dairy, meat, seafood, and poultry.  
4. Swap your sugary beverages: It’s easy to drink an abundance of calories if you’re not careful. ⁴ Coffee orders with extra sugar or sweetened milk alternatives (we’re looking at you, oat milk) can spike your glucose and tack on extra calories from refined carbs. Try your coffee black or with just a splash of milk. Swap sugary beverages like soda or lemonade for plain sparkling or fruit-infused water. Save alcohol for special occasions and opt for something low in sugar like a shot of pure spirits in unsweetened sparkling water and a slice of citrus, or a dry wine such as merlot, pinot grigio, or brut Champagne.  
5. Pay attention to how you respond to food: Ever notice how some meals leave you feeling comfortably satiated and give you energy, while others make you feel lethargic or even hungrier a short time later? This could be because of your glucose levels. ³¹ A CGM like Lingo can help you understand your unique response to food and help you make better choices to balance your glucose and assist in weight management. ^14,15,16 High-quality protein, fibre-rich vegetables, and healthy fats are satiating and help balance glucose and insulin, while refined sugars and simple carbohydrates can spike your glucose and lead to the negative effects of a glucose crash like tiredness, hunger, and cravings for more simple carbs. ^31,32,33 
6. Increase overall physical activity: You don’t have to engage in intense workouts to reap the benefits of physical activity. Short bursts of activity interspersed throughout the day, known as “exercise snacks,” can significantly impact metabolic health and support weight management. ^34,35 Take the stairs instead of the elevator, go for a brisk walk during your lunch break, or do some bodyweight exercises while watching TV – every bit of movement counts towards improving metabolic health.  

A final note from Lingo 

Incorporating lifestyle changes that prioritise metabolic health is essential for a successful weight management plan and will set you up for success to keep the weight off in the long run. 

A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) like Lingo can offer valuable insights into your own metabolic response to food, activity, and stress. By leveraging this real-time data, you can make informed choices and adopt new habits that support long-term weight management and overall wellbeing. 

Remember: the most efficient strategies for weight management are the ones you’ll actually stick with. Transformations don’t happen overnight, so focus on gradual, sustainable habit change to support your metabolic health while you work towards your weight goals. With the right approach, it is possible to achieve lasting success in the journey to a healthier lifestyle.  

^ALB-02409