I had first sent this to Tampa-Terry as a PM because of the sound dietary advice TT gives, and I fear the flame. I have done some searching in the t-forum and there is a TON of info about r-ala. I am going to do a lot of reading about this over the weekend, but I wanted to get some opinions about my particular questions from the forum brain trust. Here is my question(s).
- In JB’s massive eating article, he suggests different macronutrient ratios for different insulin sensitivity levels. “In my experience, individuals who have high insulin sensitivity maximize their muscle to fat ratio on diets that are high in carbs and lower in fat (50% carbs, 35% protein, 15% fat). Those with moderate insulin sensitivity tend to do best on diets that are more isocaloric (30% carbs, 40% protein, 30% fat). And those with poor insulin sensitivity do best on diets that are low in carbs (50% protein, 35% fat, 15% carbs).”
There is a big difference between those ratios. He offers the glucose tolerance test, which I know doesn’t measure insulin sensitivity but gives some type of indicator about it (correct)?
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Another question I have is about r-ala. I am bulking up. I take 100mg r-ala 15 minutes before working out and the workout drink consists of 60g glucose/maltodextrin. I workout for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. I then take 100mg r-ala 5-10 minutes before the post-workout drink, which consists of 80g of glucose/maltodextrin. What does it mean if I get a small bout of the jitters about 2 hours later?
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Are there other ways to determine insulin sensitivity without having to go to the doctor? I came across Cy’s article and TT directed me to it also. It states:
Are You Insulin Resistant?
Since there have been a lot people asking me for tips on how they can tell if they’re insulin resistant, I’ve come up with a few quick tests. Now, don’t get me wrong here, these aren’t by any means 100% accurate indicators of insulin sensitivity. They may, however, tell you if you’re higher up the scale in terms of insulin resistance.
It’s been shown that insulin acts as a vasodilator, causing the blood vessels and vascular tissue to expand and relax.(29) So, it can be assumed that if you’re insulin resistant to a significant degree, then your veins may not come to the surface very well after ingesting some type of carbohydrate. This is because the receptors aren’t allowing insulin to dock. (Of course, if you’re fat, you won’t see too many veins anyway.) It’s also known that a large increase in blood glucose levels will cause an increase in insulin as well. If muscle tissue is resistant to insulin, then the normal hypoglycemic “bonk” or blood glucose drop that causes drowsiness won’t occur.
Combining these two ideas together, I came up with this test: In the morning, before consuming anything else, take in some type of high GI food, like white bread or anything with a GI above 100. Then, for about the next 20 minutes to an hour, see how you respond. If you notice an increase in how pumped your muscles feel and your veins come to the surface, and you start to feel drowsy, then it’s likely that your insulin sensitivity is high (and that’s good.)
If, however, these things don’t occur, it’s likely that you may at least be insulin resistant to a moderate degree. If you are, try the foods and tips above. Don’t waste time. It’s been shown that consuming a low GI meal can improve insulin sensitivity and lower triglyceride levels in only one day!