Using IF to increase insulin sensitivity

UsedToBeHusky

So I have an insulin resistance issue. I'm kind of new to this. I've never had to worry about insulin before.

I was attempting to manage my insulin by pairing high insulinogenic foods (carbs) with low insulinogenic foods (protein) to reduce the overall spikes in insulin. However, I am not very good at it. I have been doing the 5 to 6 meals a day method for years and I find that I can't get enough calories into a single meal to properly pair carbs and protein evenly. I either eat too many carbs one meal or too much protein... or too much fat.

Anyway, I was thinking that IF might help me solve that problem. If I only eat two meals a day, then I will have plenty of calories allotted to each meal to ensure balancing of proteins and carbs.

I decided to do some research and I learned that studies have been performed that showed that insulin became more responsive when participants fasted for 20 hours every other day. I also found people who specifically used the 5:2 IF method to manage my specific condition.

I was just thinking of skipping breakfast and eating only two meals a day. For those who have used IF to manage insulin, what do you recommend?

If you know nothing about IF, or just have strong opinions about managing insulin, feel free to leave a comment if you want, but don't expect me to respond. I'm obviously looking for very specific information, and if you don't have it, then I'm not really interested. But please folks, don't derail the thread so I can make certain I still get the answers that I need. Thanks.

dont_tap_my_aces

i've been on an IF regimen now for about a year on and off, and for the last 4 months no misses. so i have a lot of potentially useful advice, but before all that......

my only question is: Have you been diagnosed by a doctor about your insulin response issue?

yo_andi

I would be interested to know how people have fared with this as well. I've been reading up on the same thing lately in an attempt to manage my insulin resistance.

UsedToBeHusky

i've been on an IF regimen now for about a year on and off, and for the last 4 months no misses. so i have a lot of potentially useful advice, but before all that......

my only question is: Have you been diagnosed by a doctor about your insulin response issue?

Yes. I have PCOS.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother otherwise.

UsedToBeHusky

Bump

Any information on IF or insulin resistance is welcome...

waldo56

Nothing works as good as strength training for increasing insulin sensitivity.

UsedToBeHusky

Nothing works as good as strength training for increasing insulin sensitivity.

I didn't even know the two were related. I do need to get more consistent with strength training. I've been pretty hit or miss with it for a long time.

Curlysasha

I have PCOS too and it is a nightmare disease so any helpful info would be great for me too, a quick question to the OP are you taking Metformin and if so what is your dosage? Thanks

UsedToBeHusky

I have PCOS too and it is a nightmare disease so any helpful info would be great for me too, a quick question to the OP are you taking Metformin and if so what is your dosage? Thanks

I am taking Metformin although I'm not sure of the dosage. Sorry. I do not have the prescription with me.

UsedToBeHusky

I found this from Alan Aragon:

"Effects on Health & Thermogenesis



Research indicates that a haphazard meal frequency, not necessarily a lower frequency, negatively impacts thermogenesis, blood lipids, and insulin sensitivity [1,2]. Contrary to popular belief, a high frequency has no thermodynamic advantage over a low frequency under calorie-controlled conditions (as opposed to ad libitium or free-living conditions) using 24-hr indirect calorimetry [3,4]. So much for the magic of stoking the metabolic furnace with an extreme grazing pattern. It bears mentioning that lower 24-hour insulin levels as well as lower fasting and total LDL-cholesterol levels have been observed with higher meal frequencies [5,6]. However, in discovering this, studies have used unrealistic protocols for the higher frequency treatments, comparing 3 meals to 9 or 17 meals per day."

http://www.alanaragon.com/an-objective-look-at-intermittent-fasting.html

I could be wrong, but I believe this is suggesting that higher frequency meals are actually better for lowering insulin.

UsedToBeHusky

Alright... well thanks for the input everyone. Based on what I read, I don't think my theory will work. It sounds like it would make sense, but apparently, cortisol is another factor that could throw a wrench in the whole thing. I'm just going to have to really pay close attention to my macronutrients. Thanks again.

chatterjenn

i am insulin resistant as well. I usually eat two meals a day also. breakfast and dinner. and i snack a few times during the day. seems to be balancing me out. my BS has gotten alot better. I do alot of running and strength and I noticed when I started that up my BS got better as well. I have lost 105 in two years and still battling this disease!

elenathegreat

Bump

zombiemomjo

I have PCOS, too. And when I was pregnant, I had full blown gestational diabetes. All of the insulin controlling education I was given was that smaller meals with a balance of protein/carbs was best for regulating insulin. If you eat an IF diet, you are contributing to the spikes that are problematic to IR folks. Just what I have learned in my 20 years of battling this syndrome. Good luck!

UsedToBeHusky

I have PCOS too and it is a nightmare disease so any helpful info would be great for me too, a quick question to the OP are you taking Metformin and if so what is your dosage? Thanks

I believe I'm on 500 mg twice a day.

KerryITD

I have PCOS too and while I like the idea of IF (I'm not usually hungry until noon anyway), I find if I go too long without food I get a wicked headache.

albertabeefy

Nothing works as good as strength training for increasing insulin sensitivity.

Both strength-training and HIIT (high-intensity interval training). Based on the amount of research now coming in regarding HIIT and insulin-sensitivity increases, it's likely that strength-training contributes based on the fact it's also a type of high-intensity interval training.

http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/44/14/i11.2.abstract
http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/44/14/i9.2.abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18197184

There's dozens of articles, this is just a few ...

Regarding diet - there's considerable research now that clearly shows that lowering carbohydrate (especially refined/processed carbohydrate), keeping protein moderate and increasing healthy natural fats (to balance calories from reduced carbohydrate) improves the glycemic-control issues with insulin-resistance more than any other dietary intervention.

LKArgh

If you have an insuline resistance diagnosis and are on metformin, then you cannot experiment with your diet and most certainly you cannot go for hours and hours without meals. If you do not know how to handle this, talk to your dr. He/she should have given you diet guidelines and meal plans before even discussing medication.
And if you are not already doing so, start exercising regulalry and counting calories. Being active and losing weight (if you are overweight) are going to be more effective for both PCOS and insuline resitance than any meds.

albertabeefy

If you have an insuline resistance diagnosis and are on metformin, then you cannot experiment with your diet and most certainly you cannot go for hours and hours without meals. If you do not know how to handle this, talk to your dr. He/she should have given you diet guidelines and meal plans before even discussing medication.

You can certainly do Intermittent-Fasting on metformin if you choose. Metformin-alone does not cause hypo's, and by way of it's mechanism of action cannot. If on a basal insulin or other agent that can cause hypoglycaemia - yes, talk to your family doctor or endocrinologist first. But not with metformin.

It can cause some GI issues for people - but not all of those issues are actually helped by meals.

scubasuenc

My Dr and personal trainer have both told me that exercise is the best way to increase my insulin sensitivity. The initial recommendation was to aim for at least 30 minutes of cardio 5 or 6 days per week. I currently do 45 minutes or more almost every day.

I am a type 2 diabetic, and I used to require insulin to control my blood glucose. Now it is metformin only, and my sugars are in the normal range for someone without diabetes. I currently try to eat 40% protein, 30% fat and 30% carbs, but I don't manage to reach that percentage on every meal. I get close most days, and it averages out over the week.

I've never even considered IF as I used to have problems with hypoglycemia from fasting long before I was every diagnosed with PCOS or T2D. For me, many small meals has been the best way to control my blood sugar and insulin.

FabulousFifty

Bump

UsedToBeHusky

My Dr and personal trainer have both told me that exercise is the best way to increase my insulin sensitivity. The initial recommendation was to aim for at least 30 minutes of cardio 5 or 6 days per week. I currently do 45 minutes or more almost every day.

I am a type 2 diabetic, and I used to require insulin to control my blood glucose. Now it is metformin only, and my sugars are in the normal range for someone without diabetes. I currently try to eat 40% protein, 30% fat and 30% carbs, but I don't manage to reach that percentage on every meal. I get close most days, and it averages out over the week.

I've never even considered IF as I used to have problems with hypoglycemia from fasting long before I was every diagnosed with PCOS or T2D. For me, many small meals has been the best way to control my blood sugar and insulin.

Thank you. Your post was especially helpful.