Why Eating Less Won't Fix Your Blood Sugar….
You've seen the blood sugar spike on your continuous glucose monitor. Maybe it hit 180 mg/dL after lunch. Maybe even higher.
So you do what seems logical: you eat less at the next meal. Smaller portions. Maybe skip the rice entirely. Perhaps just have a salad.
And you know what happens? Either your blood sugar still spikes, or you're starving two hours later and end up snacking your way through the evening, which makes everything worse.
Here's what nobody tells you: eating less is not a blood sugar strategy. It's just restriction wearing a glucose monitor.
Let me show you what actually works, and it involves eating enough food, not less of it.
The Client That Started This…
Last month, a client sent me her CGM data with a frustrated message: "I ate a TINY dinner that was grilled chicken, half a sweet potato, and green beans. I was literally still hungry. And I still spiked to 175. What am I doing wrong?"
She wasn't doing anything wrong. She was just operating under the myth that volume is the problem.
When we looked at the order and composition of her meal, everything made sense. She'd eaten the sweet potato first (fast-digesting carb hitting an empty stomach), then added the chicken and veggies. Her body got a concentrated glucose hit with nothing to slow it down.
Same foods, different strategy, completely different result. And she got to eat more, not less.
Why the "Eat Less" Strategy Fails
Your body doesn't run on willpower. It runs on biochemistry.
When you eat a tiny portion of food, especially if it's carb-forward, here's what happens:
Fast glucose absorption: Without enough protein and fiber to slow things down, whatever carbs you eat hit your bloodstream quickly
Inadequate satiety signals: Your body doesn't register "full" because you didn't eat enough volume or protein
Blood sugar rollercoaster: The spike triggers insulin, which can lead to a crash, which triggers hunger and cravings
Evening grazing: You end up eating more total food throughout the evening than if you'd just eaten a proper meal
It's not a character flaw. It's physiology.
Plus, chronically undereating actually, makes insulin resistance worse over time. Your body interprets restriction as stress, which raises cortisol, which raises blood sugar. You're working against yourself.
What Actually Controls Post-Meal Glucose
After working with hundreds of clients and analyzing countless CGM patterns, here's what I've learned makes the biggest difference:
Not the amount of food. The structure of the meal.
Three factors matter most:
Order: What hits your stomach first sets the pace for everything else
Combination: Protein + fiber + fat slow glucose absorption from carbs
Timing: A short pause between starting your meal and adding concentrated carbs
Notice what's missing from that list? Portion size. Calorie counting. Restriction.
The 30-Minute Dinner That Actually Works
Here's the formula I've now tested with hundreds of clients. It consistently shows 40-50 point lower glucose peaks compared to eating the same foods in a different order.
The Formula:
Start (0 minutes): Big serving of non-starchy vegetables
Salad with olive oil dressing
Roasted broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts
Sautéed peppers and onions
Steamed green beans with butter
Add (5 minutes in): Substantial protein portion
Rotisserie chicken (counts!)
Grilled salmon or other fish
Ground beef or turkey
Baked tofu or tempeh
3-4 eggs
Wait (10 minutes total from start): This is the magic pause. Chat, set the table, whatever.
Then add: Your carbohydrate
Rice, pasta, potato, bread
Whatever you actually want to eat
Yes, really
Total time: 30 minutes from start to finish, including the pause. Most of it is just letting things cook while you do other stuff.
Why This Works (The Science Part)
When fiber and protein hit your stomach first, they create what I think of as a "speed bump" for glucose absorption.
The fiber forms a gel-like matrix in your digestive tract. The protein triggers hormones that slow stomach emptying. Fat further delays how quickly food moves through your system.
By the time the carbohydrates arrive, you've already created an environment that regulates how fast glucose enters your bloodstream. Same carbs, same amount, totally different glucose curve.
The research backs this up. Studies show that eating vegetables and protein before carbohydrates can reduce post-meal glucose spikes by 30-40% compared to eating the same foods in a mixed order or carbs-first.
Real Results from Real People
The client I mentioned earlier? Once we restructured her meals using this approach, her post-dinner peaks dropped from 170-180 mg/dL to 120-135 mg/dL. Same foods. More food, actually, because she wasn't restricting anymore.
Another client texted me after trying this with pasta: "I don't understand. I ate a full serving of pasta (like a REAL serving) not a sad little portion and my CGM barely moved. What is happening?"
What's happening is that you're working with your physiology instead of fighting it.
I've seen this pattern with:
Rice bowls (veggies and protein first, then rice)
Pasta dinners (big salad, then chicken, then pasta)
Burrito bowls (lettuce, beans, protein, then the rice)
Even pizza night (side salad first, then pizza 10 minutes later)
Average peak reduction across my clients using this approach: 45 mg/dL lower than their previous patterns.
What You Don't Have to Do
You don't have to:
Eliminate carbs
Count calories
Weigh your food
Eat tiny portions
Feel hungry after meals
Give up foods you actually enjoy
Spend hours cooking
You just have to think about order and combination instead of restriction.
The Bigger Picture
This isn't just about one dinner. It's about understanding that your body responds to how you eat, not just how much.
When you stop trying to white-knuckle your way through small portions and start building meals that work with your metabolism, everything gets easier:
You feel satisfied after eating
Your energy is more stable
You don't fight cravings all evening
Your glucose patterns improve
You can sustain this long-term because it's not miserable
That's the difference between a diet (which you'll eventually quit) and a system (which just becomes how you eat).
Start Here!
Pick one dinner this week. Just one.
Start with a big serving of non-starchy vegetables. Add a solid portion of protein. Wait about 10 minutes while you eat those. Then add your carbs.
Notice what your body feels like. If you have a CGM, watch what happens to your glucose curve. If you don't have a CGM, notice your energy and hunger levels for the rest of the evening.
You're not trying to be perfect. You're just testing a different approach.
My guess? You'll be surprised at how much better you feel and how much more food you can actually enjoy, when you stop restricting and start structuring.
Small system change. Big blood sugar win. And you get to actually eat dinner.
Want help building a sustainable approach to blood sugar management? I work with people who are tired of restriction and ready for strategies that fit their lives. No meal plans, no food rules, just practical systems that work.
Schedule a discovery call or listen to real strategies on my Blood Sugar Unfiltered podcast.
Feel Seen. Get Results. Live Steady.
