I fear some of the lack of progress might just be due to poor insulin sensitivity (not saying its the main cause) but being borderline pre-diabetic and having shit insulin sensitivity doesn’t help probably.
Can’t things like Berberine and metformin help with insulin sensitivity issues? I honestly have no idea but might be worth reading about.
Lol those are full on medications, I think its seriously not recommended for anyone not with full blown diabetes.
My dad takes those but he has had type2 diabetes for decades and he is having to boost his doses just to barely maintain now.
1 Like
Are there lifestyle issues that could help with this?
Berberine is sold over the counter.
The like here was for not diving straight into “magic pill” thinking. I think that’s smart.
That’s what I am wondering, what better I can do in regards to lifestyle specifically.
I’m at 200g carb per day but I have started getting symptoms again (urination etc) which I hadn’t had when I was low-carbing.
I’m working out really hard now, no skipping, none of that and also cut out all high GI sugar spiking foods (mostly, some stuff still has a little bit of sugar).
I’m thinking of adding more intense cardio once per week as well (Saturdays maybe)
1 Like
You’re right. And that’s my bad. Definitely not suggesting a magic pill over diet and lifestyle choices.
1 Like
I don’t know the answer to this, by the way. But if this is a genuine question, I admire the thought process.
1 Like
Yeah its kind of a catch-22 in a way. To get good results you need good insulin sensitviy, to get good insulin sensitivity you need good results lol.
I don’t know too much about insulin sensitivity tbh. I’ve been too fat for years, despite having a decent amount of muscle underneath - i always considered blaming it on insulin sensitivity, but that would have been misplaced… I never did bloodwork to check, and in my uneducated opinion - insulin sensitivity serves merely as the boogeyman to those who aren’t dieting properly (it almost was my boogeyman).
There are a couple tricks i’ve heard of to mess around with insulin to help a little here or there, but i cannot speak to their effectiveness. Apple Cider Vinegar should play a role in your diet, and having some form of either intra-workout nutrition that has some simple carbs (sugars) has worked for others.
For me - I do better with a pre-workout snack (I eat an uncrustable PB & J about 45 mins prior to lifting) to give me some short term energy (sugar), longer term energy (bread), and better fat intake profile from peanut butter.
I know insulin plays a big role in the body, but i haven’t found a need to start messing with it - or tracking variances/effects.
Ah I see, is there anyone on this forum who could know perhaps? Some ppl here are very experienced in this type of hormone related stuff it seems.
I have actually had impaired sensitivity for a few years, even when I was 17 my fasted sugar was around 99, which is kind of yikes (but bad lifestyle choices for years and some terribly serious genetic predisposition).
I’m still trying to dig myself out of this, I think adding muscle really helps but I think I will have to reduce carbs in my diet as well.
Here’s what i got…
Apple Cider Vinegar
Eat a little slower. not less, just slower
Eat proteins/fats before any carbs on your plate. I have eaten in the following fashion for YEARS without knowing its’ benefits: Protein first, veggies second, carbs third. Turns out this is the better way to eat anyways lol
Insulin Sensitivity Test
Fish Oil and CLA for supplements if nothing above works
Still, i think that worrying about insulin sensitivity is a bit overkill at the moment. There’s no reason not to adjust a few lifestyle behaviors mentioned above though
2 Likes
IMO, carbs don’t need to be ultra high to get good results, but at 200 g, your carbs aren’t all that high. I was thinking if you were following a traditional BBing style diet that has about 50% calories from carbs, that you could cut it down to 25-30%. If you are eating 200 g, that is 800 calories from carbs, which is 800/3100*100=~26%. That isn’t all that high IMO, and I think performance might suffer a bit going much lower than that. You could try 150 g (about 20%) of carbs and see if performance takes a dip or not.
Try your best not to eat sugar. That is the biggest bang for your buck. Then it would be highly processed carbs.
3 Likes
Ask the question, outside the confines of this log. If you put something in the nutrition section, I’m sure people will chime in. At least you’ll hit a wider audience than here.
2 Likes
I don’t know anything about any of that.
I wasn’t kidding I don’t give any of that any thought.
1 Like
Great advices, thanks.
I’m still pumped that I got 2x5 with 160 lb on bench today, never thought I could get this far.
My end of month goal if you guys remember was 3x5 with 165, feels so close, I still have 3.5 weeks to get there, if I am blessed I may even cross 170, but let’s see. Getting too excited 
1 Like
What is your A1C?
I haven’t been able to get a reading in a number of years and I can’t seem to recall what it was a couple years ago. I’m going in for some bloodwork some day (if the docs here agree) so A1C is on my mind as well.
@burt128 , just checked
A1C was 4.8 but fasting glucose was 105 back in late 2018.
Damn, maybe I should get some bloods done ASAP, I havent gotten readings done in a while this seems concerning…
This is when I was 19 years old I think