Post: #1

I am in pretty good shape but my blood sugar has always run normal but high. Meaning in the 80s and 90s for blood sugar.


I have stumbled across various bits of bro science. But wondering would it be possible to make my insulin work more effectively.

I try to stick to IF and definitely think it helps with the weight. Plus exercise of course. But I tend to have a mediocre diet. I just like food too much.

Thanks.

Post: #2

Check out the Keto diet thread. There is a young guy on there who has insulin resistance and has been treating it with the ketogenic diet.

Post: #3

(02-03-2017 01:30 PM)Hell_Is_Like_Newark Wrote:  Check out the Keto diet thread. There is a young guy on there who has insulin resistance and has been treating it with the ketogenic diet.

This is what I did. Now my fasting blood sugar is around 70-72. And very rarely will I get above 92 after a meal.

Post: #4

Pretty easy to have low blood sugar when you eat nearly zero carbs.

Takes a little more expertise to get your body to mop up a carb heavy meal and be back down in the 80s quickly.

Post: #5

(02-03-2017 11:09 AM)samsamsam Wrote:  I am in pretty good shape but my blood sugar has always run normal but high. Meaning in the 80s and 90s for blood sugar.


I have stumbled across various bits of bro science. But wondering would it be possible to make my insulin work more effectively.

I try to stick to IF and definitely think it helps with the weight. Plus exercise of course. But I tend to have a mediocre diet. I just like food too much.

Thanks.

What's your general diet look like? Macros? Types of food?

Do you drink a lot of alcohol, fruit drinks or soda?

Post: #6

(02-03-2017 11:09 AM)samsamsam Wrote:  I am in pretty good shape but my blood sugar has always run normal but high. Meaning in the 80s and 90s for blood sugar.

Can you state whether that sugar level is fasting (at least 8 hours of zero calorie intake), pre-meals or after-meals?

A far more useful indicator for insulin resistance is the HBA1C test, which gives the average sugar level over the past 3-4 months. This is especially useful if you want to track what your diet changes are doing.

Post: #7

Thomas,

Mine is post fast.

My HBA1C jumped on my last test after being steady for years.

I always seem to pig out when I am away. I am much more disciplined when I am not traveling.

I probably shouldn't have tested so soon after returning from my trip.


-----------------
Thanks everyone for the advice. I guess I will just keep going with IF and low carbs. I do take ALA and cinnamon to help on carb meals.

Also discovered tumeric, specifically curcumin - which is supposed to help. Just started taking it.

Not a heavy drinker. Social drinker, don't smoke. I eat what I feel, try hard to get the protein I need. But if I want pizza, then I get pizza.

I do RFL to clean up every now and then.

Post: #8

Have you considered food allergies? I know it's a bit in left field but I seem to feel tired or bloat more depending upon the carb source and while I never tested my blood glucose during this time frame, I would assume it can make a difference.

RFL is great, requires a lot of discipline though. I tend to go for a general approach of IF mixed with IIFYM but have noticed lately certain foods bother/irritate me. I don't think it's all about calories in and out.

Post: #9

You can try to get a medication like metformin that helps with insulin resistance... Other than that I recommend keto dieting but to each their own!

Post: #10

(02-10-2017 08:17 PM)Ivanis Wrote:  You can try to get a medication like metformin that helps with insulin resistance... Other than that I recommend keto dieting but to each their own!

If you have hypertension, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telmisartan may be worth trying. I take 80mgs/day.

The book https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C6D0LCK/ref...TF8&btkr=1 is partly about this and may be helpful to you.

Aside from that--do you get enough sleep at least 19 out of every 20 days? Do you lift weights regularly & intensely, training all major muscle groups? Are you lean? Is your diet one you feel proud of?

Post: #11

(02-04-2017 12:49 AM)samsamsam Wrote:  Thomas,

Mine is post fast.

My HBA1C jumped on my last test after being steady for years.

I always seem to pig out when I am away. I am much more disciplined when I am not traveling.

I probably shouldn't have tested so soon after returning from my trip.


-----------------
Thanks everyone for the advice. I guess I will just keep going with IF and low carbs. I do take ALA and cinnamon to help on carb meals.

Also discovered tumeric, specifically curcumin - which is supposed to help. Just started taking it.

Not a heavy drinker. Social drinker, don't smoke. I eat what I feel, try hard to get the protein I need. But if I want pizza, then I get pizza.

I do RFL to clean up every now and then.

This rather high for a fasting sugar, and it is worrying that the HBA1C is rising. But IF and reducing carbs should help a lot. I also recommend cutting out junk drinks - sodas, juices, smoothies, some protein shakes i.e avoid liquid carbs.

Post: #12

Taking a shot of apple cider vinegar before meals helps to regulate blood sugar.

I do it every once in a while when I'm going to smash a carb heavy meal.

I'm running late for work so I can't google-fu the science behind it.

Post: #13

(02-03-2017 11:09 AM)samsamsam Wrote:  I am in pretty good shape but my blood sugar has always run normal but high. Meaning in the 80s and 90s for blood sugar.


I have stumbled across various bits of bro science. But wondering would it be possible to make my insulin work more effectively.

I try to stick to IF and definitely think it helps with the weight. Plus exercise of course. But I tend to have a mediocre diet. I just like food too much.

Thanks.

IF is helpful but depending on the source of your problems it may be not enough. It is possible that you have compromised digestion. Do you have regular bowel movements? Are your stools well formed, dark in color, without a foul smell, and do they sink? Do you have troubles digesting certain foods (heaviness, getting sleepy after a meal, too much burping/gas/bloating, increased inflammation in the body)? Do you have symptoms of acid reflux?

It is possible that for some reason you are not producing enough bile/hydrochloric acid/digestive enzymes.

Post: #14

I hear one good method is time-restricted fasting (TRF). Basically you consume all your day's calories within a certain window -- 12hrs is the max, 10 or less is preferred. So if you eat your first morsel of food (or coffee) at 8am, then you eat nothing after 8pm (or ideally 6pm)

there's a lot you can read about this, here's one link
https://draxe.com/time-restricted-eating/

Post: #15

(02-13-2017 08:28 AM)FilipSRB Wrote:  

(02-03-2017 11:09 AM)samsamsam Wrote:  I am in pretty good shape but my blood sugar has always run normal but high. Meaning in the 80s and 90s for blood sugar.


I have stumbled across various bits of bro science. But wondering would it be possible to make my insulin work more effectively.

I try to stick to IF and definitely think it helps with the weight. Plus exercise of course. But I tend to have a mediocre diet. I just like food too much.

Thanks.

IF is helpful but depending on the source of your problems it may be not enough. It is possible that you have compromised digestion. Do you have regular bowel movements? Are your stools well formed, dark in color, without a foul smell, and do they sink? Do you have troubles digesting certain foods (heaviness, getting sleepy after a meal, too much burping/gas/bloating, increased inflammation in the body)? Do you have symptoms of acid reflux?

It is possible that for some reason you are not producing enough bile/hydrochloric acid/digestive enzymes.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing. How would one figure out if they were short on the enzymes, bile etc?

Post: #16

(02-14-2017 01:28 AM)samsamsam Wrote:  Interesting. Thanks for sharing. How would one figure out if they were short on the enzymes, bile etc?

You will know depending on the answers to the questions I asked about your digestion. For example, floating and lightly colored stool is a symptom of low or no bile production (it is floating because it is full of undigested fats). Acid reflux and heartburn are in most cases actually caused by too little and not by too much acid in your stomach. And usually all these symptoms go together because the system is interconnected (if you are lacking in acid, the body will not get the signal to release the enzymes and so forth). Over time your body will lack the ability to absorb nutrients and your digestive system will become overloaded with bad bacteria and your body falls in a vicious circle, where it can't clean and heal itself which leads to inflammation and hormonal imbalances and eventually to chronic and autoimmune diseases, such as Chron's, psoriasis, diabetes etc.

It has been nine years since I developed psoriasis, but I always had iffy digestion. Recently I started a supplementation protocol in order to try and get a clearance which focuses mainly on fixing your gut and liver, and besides seeing improvement in psoriasis, I noticed (beside other things) my appetite and energy levels leveling off and bad/sugary food cravings disappearing. Hopefully in a couple of months when I heal myself I will write a detailed datasheet about it.

Post: #17

I recommend that you guys check out this thread on Intermittent Fasting.

Post: #18

Surprised I just stumbled upon this thread.

I am in good shape as well, yet I have a feeling that I am becoming insulin resistant. Pretty much for the same reasons samsamsam described.

I have been doing IF for more than 3 years, so I feel like that has helped me keep the weight and leanness in check. Yet IF on its own is probably not enough to stop development of insulin resistance.

Here is what I am doing to fix this:

Daily early morning fasted cardio

I have been lifting 3 times per week consistently for many years. And I have put on a lot of muscle mass and stayed pretty lean. However I never really could get into doing cardio for long term (more than a month) and I feel this is one of the reasons that is leading to insulin resistance. I am now going to try to wake up early and do around 40 mins of jogging right after waking up.

Intermittent Fasting

I have been intermittent fasting for years, usually breaking up the fast at noon. However now I am going to push it a bit more and break the fast around 6pm. Also I will start consuming some good fats in form of nuts a bit before breaking the fast.

Low Carb/Ketogenic Diet/Carb Cycling

I used to be in a low carb diet for a few weeks a few years prior. It helped me reach around 10% body fat and made me feel really good. I am thinking on going this path again, but probably consume a little bit more carbs on my training days.

Omega 3 Fish Oil Supplements

After reading about insulin resistance. I found that many different information sources on the topic state that Omega-3 supplements are very good for controlling and possibly reducing insulin resistance.


I think all the stuff laid out above should greatly help in getting rid of insulin resistance.

Post: #19

When you say good shape what do you mean? If you are below 12% BF it's unlikely you are insulin resistant. Getting lean is the best cure to this problem.

Post: #20

(02-26-2017 09:15 AM)Thomas Jackson Wrote:  When you say good shape what do you mean? If you are below 12% BF it's unlikely you are insulin resistant. Getting lean is the best cure to this problem.

It means I have developed a muscular physique beyond "newbie gains", while staying lean around 12-13% BF.

While I would tend to agree with your comment followed by a sigh of relief, I don't think this might be the for me.

I had a blood test more than a year ago and I came out with very high cholesterol, I did a subsequent one half a year later and came out with lower cholesterol but still quite relatively high. I am going to do another blood test soon and see the result.

From what I have read, it is possible to be diabetic while still being relatively lean. So this makes me believe that is still possible to be insulin resistant while still being relatively lean.

Post: #21

Here is an article you might want to check : Testosterone replacement therapy improves insulin resistance, glycaemic control, visceral adiposity and hypercholesterolaemia in hypogonadal men with type 2 diabetes.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16728551

Post: #22

you should also try to get your gut bacteria healthy. It will improve your energy and reduce your cravings for bad carbs. basically you need to take pre-biotics like resistant starch along with probiotics, and then eat as many vegetables as possible. psyllium husk for the fiber is good too. an ounce of ACV is good too

set a goal to replace breakfast with a smoothie consisting of 2 cups of greens like Kale or spinach, an apple for sweetern, a cup of blueberries for antioxidants, 2 tablespoons of potato starch for resistant starch, a tablespoon of psyllium husk for fiber. I usually throw in a cup of celery or beats or another veggie, and a shot of ACV. I add some water as well. It fills a 32 oz stadium cup. I then supplement with a probiotic I'm already seeing improvements in my cravings, energy, etc. after about a week. Give it a full month and you may reduce some of your symptoms. Its a pretty easy thing to do, doesn't cost much, and is low cost.

Post: #23

The best way to "reset ones insulin resistance" is to increase insulin sensitivity. The best way to get the most out of insulin sensitivity is to deprive the body of carbs as long as possible AFTER a workout. Try and eat the majority of carbs as close to the beginning of your workout as possible. This is called CPWO. I've talked about CPWO in another thread. Carbless post workout. My schedule today is trainging @ 4pm. So I will eat the majority of my carbs @ 2-230pm. After 4 pm no carbs until then next day, usually at night. This would be 25% of my daily carbs. For me, 25% is just enough fuel to keep me from feeling droggy from keto. Since I train every other day, the next training day I would eat 75% of my carbs a few hours leading up to my gym day. This is very very very advanced. Also, its extremely hard to get used to. But if you can manage to do this for a few months, go take a blood test and check your blood sugar, you will be amazed!