The Real Reason You Struggle To Lose Weight (and How To Fix It)

Want to Lose Weight? The #1 Tip Most Diets Miss

As a nutrition coach, I hear it all the time: “I’m trying everything, but nothing helps me lose these last few kilos.”

Some people tell me they’re starving themselves on salads. Others try quick-fix diets, eating nothing but rice one day or only meat the next. They push themselves, hoping the scale will finally budge—only to end up frustrated, hungry, and ready to give up.

Here’s the truth: it’s not your willpower that’s failing. It’s your hormones. More specifically, it’s insulin. If you don’t understand how insulin works, no amount of calorie-cutting or fad dieting will give you the lasting results you want.

So today I want to give you the #1 tip to lose weight and feel great: balance your insulin by keeping your blood sugar steady.

What Insulin Really Does (In Simple Words)

Insulin is one of the most important hormones in your body. Its job is to help move sugar (glucose) from your blood into your cells, where it can be used for energy. Without insulin, you wouldn’t survive—it’s essential.

But here’s the catch: when insulin is high, your body stores fat. When it’s balanced, your body can finally use fat for energy.

That’s why diets that focus only on “calories in, calories out” miss the bigger picture. You might eat less, but if you’re spiking your insulin all day long, your body won’t switch into fat-burning mode.

How We Damage the System

The modern lifestyle works against us. Constant snacking, sugary drinks, processed foods, and refined carbs keep our insulin levels high from morning to night.

Think of it this way: every time you eat a cookie, sip a soda, or grab “just a small snack,” you’re ringing your insulin alarm bell. Do it often enough, and your body stops responding the way it should. This is called insulin resistance—and once it sets in, weight loss feels almost impossible.

It’s not that your body is broken. It’s that it’s been overloaded. The good news? You can reverse this pattern by learning which foods to avoid and which ones to lean on.

Foods That Spike vs. Foods That Support

One of the simplest ways to start balancing insulin is by paying attention to the glycemic index (GI). Don’t worry—you don’t need to memorize numbers. Just remember this: high-GI foods spike your blood sugar (and insulin) the fastest, while low/medium-GI foods keep things steady.

• High GI foods to minimize: white bread, white rice, pastries, candy, soda, fruit juice, chips, and sugary breakfast cereals.

• Better options to choose more often: vegetables, beans, whole fruits, oats, quinoa, and sweet potatoes.

When you swap high-GI foods for better options, you’re helping your body stay in balance—without starving yourself or following extreme diets.

A Common Question I Hear

I often get messages like this:

“Valeria, I keep eating so much; I just have so much appetite. I tried eating cottage cheese in the evening because I heard protein makes you full, but I’m still hungry. I think there’s something wrong with me—it must be hormonal.”

And here’s what I always explain: it’s not that your body is broken. It’s that your insulin is out of balance. When insulin spikes and crashes, your blood sugar drops, and your body sends strong hunger signals—even if you just ate. By keeping insulin steady, those uncontrollable cravings calm down. You feel full longer, and food stops controlling you.

Why Protein Alone Doesn’t Solve the Problem

You might be wondering, “But I already tried eating protein in the evening—why am I still hungry?”

Here’s the thing: if the rest of your meals during the day were full of sugar or high-glycemic carbs, your insulin has been spiking and crashing for hours. By the time evening comes, your body is already on a rollercoaster. Even a bowl of protein-rich cottage cheese can’t stop those strong hunger signals, because your blood sugar is still unstable. While protein does increase satiety and lowers the glycemic response of a meal, if the person’s insulin and glucose were already on a rollercoaster all day, that one protein meal can’t undo the earlier dysregulation. Hunger may persist because of blood sugar dips or increased ghrelin (hunger hormone).

When you start balancing insulin, you’ll notice a shift—but your body may need some time to adjust. At first, eating slow-digesting carbs (like oats, quinoa, or beans) instead of fast sugars might feel strange. Your body is used to quick energy boosts, and now it has to learn to rely on steady, slower-burning fuel. This is similar to the short “adaptation phase” people notice when lowering refined carbs. In the first few days, they might feel hungrier or have lower energy, but within 1–2 weeks, appetite and energy stabilize. Once your system adapts, the endless cravings calm down and your energy levels smooth out.

So where should you begin? Instead of trying to change everything overnight, focus on one meal at a time. For example, start with breakfast. This is a solid behavioral strategy. Breakfast sets the tone for blood sugar stability throughout the day. Studies show that higher-protein, lower-GI breakfasts reduce hunger and cravings later on. Swap out sugary cereal or white bread for eggs with vegetables or oatmeal with nuts and berries. Once that feels natural, move on to lunch, then dinner.

You also don’t need to graze all day. In fact, the more often you snack, the more you keep insulin elevated. Most people do well with 2–3 balanced meals per day, with no snacking in between. Eating fewer, balanced meals helps keep insulin lower between meals. Frequent snacking—especially carb-heavy snacks—keeps insulin elevated. Intermittent fasting approaches (2–3 meals, no snacks) are backed by studies for improving insulin sensitivity.

And here’s a powerful addition: try adding a 12–14-hour fasting window overnight. This is called time-restricted eating. It’s simple—finish dinner by 7 p.m. and eat breakfast around 8 or 9 a.m. Evidence shows that even moderate fasting windows (12–14 hours) improve insulin sensitivity, lower fasting glucose, and support fat metabolism. While full ketosis usually requires very low carb intake, short fasts (12–14 hours) still encourage the body to burn fat for fuel, especially overnight.

The Big Picture

You don’t need expensive programs, fancy supplements, or complicated rules to start losing weight. You need awareness—and the willingness to take one simple step.

By balancing your insulin, you’re not just losing weight. You’re protecting your long-term health, reducing your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and energy crashes that steal your joy.

My goal as a nutrition coach is to make health affordable and accessible for everyone. And it all starts with this: you hold the key to your health, and your journey begins with the choices you make today.