Just out of curiosity if anyone has experience, how can people with impaired insulin sensitivity best time/prep/macro-out their meals for best performance, progress and results?
I have had impaired insulin sensitivity for a number of years due to several lifestyle and genetic factors which I’m changing now (my fasted blood sugar readings over the years has ranged between 99 and 100) so I suffer from insulin resistance.
Is there any “general” tips you have for someone like this trying to put on muscle (I’m fairly skinny-fat but decided to not cut before I have some size because I’m small and weak)
What are you doing currently? I’m of the belief that it’s better to do piecemeal adjustments that have a chance of sticking than trying to leapfrog to the endgame.
Ideally, you’d want carbs during snd/or after your workout. That way you don’t have to rely solely on insulin to get nutrients to the muscle.
I am a fan of apple cider vinegar 20 minutes before big meals, Flameout taken alongside the ACV for my large evening meal, and keeping carbs low whenever possible. I used to time carbs around training, but having just cut them out near entirely, I’m finding my insulin sensitivity cranked up to max, evaluated purely by the subjective standard that I start breaking out into a sweat if I have a spoonful of stuffing on thanksgiving and my abs become stupid vascular the next day.
Carbs out completely?! Holy crap, what are you eating then?
I imagine a lot of fatty meat, its very hard to find something non-meat/cheese that is carb free I imagine.
I still get trace carbs from things like macadmia nuts, pecans, natural peanut and almond butter and some greek yogurt, along with fibrous veggies (no starches) but no real carb sources to speak of.
I keep fatty meats to a minimum. I stick with leaner meat sources and get my fat primarily from plant sources, like nuts, nut butters, and avocados, along with whole eggs (organic/pasture raised), grassfed cottage cheese and a limited amount of grassfed butter. If I eat animal fat, I try to get it from animals that have been raised on their natural diet, which means it’s mostly grassfed beef for me, along with some wildcaught fish. Otherwise, it’s lean cuts of white meat.
I am currently on no carbs as well with the occasional refeed (to begin soon as per coaches request) aimed around training days.
Similar to @T3hPwnisher, I get most of my fats from almond butter, avocado, and eggs. I do eat a lot of steak as of late because I have been missing a few meals here and there. I am also eating 6-7 meals per day spread out throughout my waking hours.
Can vouch towards cheat meals really lending themselves to some serious muscle energy storage haha. You really feel it, like rocket fuel.
Do some hard conditioning/fitness work at least once a week. Can then cut back on so much time spent walking also.
Could just be adding metabolic finishers or tough row like below or directly working on building VO2 max/run 6 or even 5 min mile etc
Diet, yeah as others alluded, keep carbs to just pre and/or post workout meal. Whatever gives you better recovery. Crank up good fats and veg and other times.
Not recently. I have clown tier conditioning, but I am lookin to improve it in general.
I have had one of the worst lifestyle in this forum probably for the last X years (despite doing weight training), struggled really hard with diet mainly/conditioning.
I liked training with weights, I’ve gotten really serious last 2-3 months and esp since I opened this log. Whoever suggested definitely helped me big time, I hope to improve in all such aspects (training, diet, conditioning) as time goes by. Luckily, I have been able to really improve diet and training somewhat, altho I’m still in one of the worst strength here, but progress is progress I guess.
Then don’t start the process with VO2 max runs. Build to it. If you are not already walking daily, start there. And then progress. Think of it the way you would a barbell lift, your first day in the gym are you going to go for a 500 lbs squat or start with the bar?
If you are already walking, maybe light jogging (Just Run is an okay app, there are several Couch to 5K apps). Or jump rope.
Maybe, but I can’t help but notice this post,
How’s your mental health? How much are you obsessing right now? As you said, progress is progress, so if you are progressing then you don’t need any changes in stimulus unless you are bored and/or unmotivated. I’m all for building a conditioning base but start where you are at, not where you want to be. I’ve made that mistake myself plenty of times and it never ever pans out no matter how much you desire it.