I’ve always put on weight easily and even though been athletic my whole life have always carried around some fat , especially midsection. Got some bloodwork and cholesterol and triglycerides were a little high and also my blood sugar was a little in the high range , my question is what are some good ways to increase insulin sensitivety and how much does insulin resistance affect muscle growth and the bodies response to testosterone
If you actually wanted to test your insulin sensitivity, an FPG and/or A1C test would tell you way more.
Insulin and Testosterone are not really related (they are, but moreso as a secondary relationship). Insulin and Growth Hormone are related though, but this is a different subject.
To answer your question: intermittent fasting has done well for those who are not insulin sensitive. Also, going keto for a short term (4-6 weeks, depending (could also be done long term)) has shown to help increase insulin sensitivity.
Before assuming you have poor insulin resistance though, may I ask your diet and training? Fluff around the midsection is hardly an indicator of insulin insensitivity.
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A1c is 5.4 , 5.7 being pre diabetic
6’0 210 44 yrs old doing a push pull split 6 days a week , i average around 11,000 steps a day at work so I’m fairly active been on trt for at least 15 yrs but I find it extremely difficult to lose my love handles and the fat on my back , just wondering if that could possibly be part of the problem
Been doing low carb / carnivore diet and have def dropped some fat but have hit a wall , I have recently incorporated intermittent fasting and have really struggled with cravings even after two meals a day in which I’m averaging 200 or better grams of protein
Respectfully, as much information as is here, there is very little to go off.
You can be low carb and run intermittent fasting on carnivore diet, but that doesn’t stop you from eating in a surplus.
If you’re in a deficit, you will lose weight. If you’re no longer losing weight, you likely aren’t in a deficit.
Being that you’re on TRT, your insulin sensitivity has even less impact on your Testosterone. This being said, elevated levels if Testosterone have shown some link to less insulin resistance. Still, i think looking at insulin resistance as the sole culprit is likely misplaced. Not losing weight almost always indicates you are not in a deficit (see thermodynamics).
Thanks for the reply and yeah ur right , I’m amazed at the work and suffering people go thru to get super ripped , I’m just trying to lose some love handles and struggling to just do that
How much weight should u be trying to lose a week ? Is there a certain number that’s healthy and won’t affect muscle too much ?
Have you considered
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I think I will try it , it def can’t hurt
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This is kind of a loaded question, but cutting to the chase…
- A rate can be too slow, where the dieter gets bored and stops dieting.
- It can also be too fast, where it’s too hard to maintain.
- The best goal weight loss rate is the one that is the easiest for you to comply with.
For most people, it seems about 1lb/wk is maintainable and also not too slow. You may be fine to diet harder than this, or you may need to take it slower… this is what you will have to learn for yourself.
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The best way to increase insulin sensitivity is fasting.
Also Cardarine. Cardarine and fasting combined is epic for this.
How’s your general health, especially aerobic fitness?
Walking 11000 steps a day doesn’t necessarily mean your CV system is at a high level (unfortunately). I’ve noticed in my own experience that aerobic health/fitness is very closely related to how I tolerate the foods I eat.
Pretty good , very good blood pressure don’t jog as much as I should but can handle a few miles with no problem , I cut back on cardio here lately to give my legs a break . I hit them hard twice a week and can’t handle much more
I’m trying the fasting now and slowly becoming adjusted to it , I hope by sticking with it that my cravings will eventually get easier to handle
Fasting is super easy because there are no cravings on it, because you actually CANT eat while in a fasting so cravings dont matter at all
How consistent are you? I find, when I want to lose weight, I have to suffer for a couple weeks. The stricter I am, the better; my stomach “shrinks” and my cravings go away and then I’m fine. It’s actually way worse when I’m trying to do it in a moderate way.
Food for thought.
Also, your A1C is at the bottom of the pre-diabetes range; it’s not really scary yet. Losing weight will improve all your markers, lipid panel included. I like @ChickenLittle’s Indigo-3G suggestion; my understanding is it was more or less formulated for specifically your scenario: you just want to manage carbs a bit better. GDAs are supposed to improve glucose metabolism, too, so we might see your cholesterol numbers improve just from that.
Anyway, keep us posted. If you need help with a sustainable diet, hit us up.
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