Learning Out Loud: My path to metabolic health through self-advocacy

The self-advocacy playbook for metabolic health, part 1

Jun 22, 2025

a dirt path through a forest — Photo by Craig Thomas on Unsplash

This is the first in a series about how I am learning to advocate for my own metabolic health. I’ll be sharing what I’ve tried, what I’ve learned, and what’s made a difference for me. Maybe some of it will resonate as you sort through your own health and wellness expedition.

I’m not a medical professional. I’m simply sharing what I’ve done, what’s worked for me, in the hope that it might be useful to others. Everyone’s body, needs, and circumstances are different. This is not medical advice.

The wake-up call

I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2007. No one said the words "metabolic health." No one explained insulin resistance. I wasn’t offered a roadmap. Just a prescription. I was told it was chronic and progressive. That I’d likely be on medication for life.

It took sixteen years for me to begin questioning that narrative. When I read The Diabetes Code by Dr. Jason Fung in March 2023, everything shifted. I felt relieved. Maybe this wasn’t a life sentence. I felt angry. Why had no doctor ever told me that Type 2 Diabetes might be reversible?

That book was a turning point, but it was just the beginning. My real transformation began when I started learning for myself. And eventually, speaking up for myself.

What is metabolic health?

Metabolic health isn’t just about blood sugar or body weight. It’s about how efficiently your body produces and uses energy. This impacts nearly every system: your hormones, mood, hunger, sleep, blood pressure, inflammation, and long-term disease risk.

Over time, I began to see how all the scattered symptoms and vague advice I’d received were connected. Addressing the root cause changed everything.

Metabolic dysfunction often shows up before diagnosis

You don’t have to be diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes to have metabolic dysfunction. Many people are walking around with insulin resistance, unstable energy, and poor recovery, and don’t realize it until something breaks.

High visceral fat

Unlike fat you can see and pinch, visceral fat surrounds internal organs and increases risk of insulin resistance, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. Even in people who appear slim.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

This silent condition is increasingly common and linked to insulin resistance. You don’t have to drink alcohol to have it.

Silent inflammation

Chronic, low-grade inflammation often flies under the radar and contributes to everything from joint pain to brain fog. Gut health plays a major role.

Insulin resistance

Insulin resistance can exist for years before a Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis. It seems likely I lived with it unknowingly before my diagnosis. It affects energy, mood, and long-term health.

Why it matters

Metabolic health isn’t just about avoiding disease. It’s about improving quality of life:

More energy
Better sleep
Improved mood
Stronger resilience

My turning point

Reading The Diabetes Code and later The Essential Guide to Intermittent Fasting for Women lit a fire in me. But I didn’t dive straight into fasting. I waited until I was off insulin. I asked questions. I joined The Fasting Method community. I took notes. I started experimenting.

Eventually, I realized: no one is going to care more about my health than I do. That was when my self-advocacy really began.

The cardiologist appointment that tested my self-advocacy skills

Summer 2024, a CT calcium scan revealed high calcification in three of four arteries. My cardiologist recommended a high-intensity statin and daily baby aspirin.

I paused. I read The Great Cholesterol Myth (Revised and Expanded). I read Understanding the Heart. And I still thought to myself “Who am I to question a cardiologist??!!?”

But I also knew this: I couldn’t afford concierge medicine or functional health support. If I didn’t do the work to understand my options, no one else was going to do it for me. So I made an informed decision. Not to ignore advice. But to test another path: using food, movement, fasting, and rest to change my numbers.

It is a current experiment with numbers starting to shift in the right direction.

Building inner resilience

I had to override doubt: both from others and within myself. I reframed it all as an experiment. That mindset made it easier to take action.

Along the way, I’ve found strength and clarity in books that challenged mainstream thinking and helped me connect the dots for myself. Good Energy by Dr. Casey Means and Dark Calories by Dr. Catherine Shanahan reshaped how I understood the root causes of metabolic dysfunction and validated many of the questions I had about conventional care. Their perspectives, paired with earlier influences like Finding Your Way in a Wild New World by Martha Beck and Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown, helped me stay grounded, trust my instincts, and keep going even when the path felt uncertain. The community meetings at The Fasting Method gave me a place to learn out loud. And to hear from others who were navigating similar questions, doubts, and breakthroughs.