I was watching the latest BBM YouTube video about intermittent fasting, and the topic of insulin resistance showed up several times in the background. At some point, Jordan mentioned that time-restricted feeding could be beneficial for people with insulin resistance. What is your advice on the topic of time-restricted feeding for people who are dealing with insulin resistance? but also in general? It was also mentioned that exercising at night could be beneficial as well.
For context:
I do 1 hour of cardio 6 days a week in the morning, and space my meals every 4 hours. My last meal is at 8 PM (it’s kind of light, 90g peanut butter and 3 slices of whole wheat bread). I also do resistance training sometimes in the mornings or at night. Is there something to fix/optimizein my routine?
35M
84cm waist
68kg - cutting weight because of insulin resistance problems and also pre-diabetic(diagnosed when I was 74kg)
179cm height
There’s some evidence for a reduced HbA1C level using time-restricted feeding in those with insulin resistance, wherein the person eats most of their Calories before ~ 8pm. It’s not a slam dunk however, especially in those who are exercising. I would not predict much benefit, if any, from adopting this strategy in you. I have other questions regarding insulin resistance problems and pre diabetes diagnosis you mention given your stats here. However, it seems like you are doing a good job self-managing.
It was a little surprise for me, since I am very active (I was doing 4 hours of cardio and 5 hours of resistance training weekly). My A1c wasn’t a big problem; I was borderline pre-diabetic at 5.7, and my waist was 89 cm if I recall correctly. The real problem was an insulin curve blood test that I did. Two doctors (one recommended the other because he is a pulmonologist) are following my case, and both said that my insulin curve wasn’t great and that I needed to make lifestyle changes to avoid becoming diabetic in the future.
They believe I probably have a genetic predisposition to become diabetic. So, I am making the lifestyle changes, adding more cardio, and not eating non-complex carbs, as well as portioning and timing my meals properly.
To be honest, my bulk diets were always a mess, so I decided to cut and restart the bulk with as little body fat as possible. I’ve seen people put on a lot of weight with just a 1’’ increase in waist size. That is my goal now, instead of bulking and increasing my waist by 6-8 inches before cutting.
I’m assuming it was an insulin: glucose ratio test suggesting insulin resistance. I don’t have a lot of experience using that test to guide management, but it sounds like your docs are on top of it.
Regarding weight gain in the future, I would make sure there’s a month or two-month long maintenance period after your weight loss phase. Then, go slowly up from there.