I’d been strongly considering IF and mentioned it to my dietician, who’s recommended against it. Her position is that considering my genetic disposition to diabetes, it would cause dramatic spikes/falls in my blood sugar. This assessment makes sense to me but am curious what your thoughts are, thank you
I’ve been there. My doctor has diagnosed me as on the edge of T2. Insulin resistant, but A1c, glucose and other indicators were just inside of their limits. I am doing far, far better with IF and diet modifications without any meds involved. You can’t just do IF though, you need to modify your diet as well.
I have worked with multiple dieticians in a clinical setting. I’ve learned that any dietician who’s graduated even just 10 years ago has been taught that IF is dangerous and ineffective for anything ever, including improving insulin sensitivity and moving back from T2 diabetes. I’ve had these conversations. They’ve commonly been taught that regular meals and CICO is the only way to safely lose weight. While I believe there is a portion of the population that does respond very well to regular meals and CICO, I know from experience I’m a 15-pounds-and-plateau-forever person on regular meal CICO. I got really sick of being accused, however politely, of not sticking to my calorie plan.
I am not bashing dieticians in general! I’ve learned a lot about diet and health from the dieticians I’ve worked with. I’m just saying your dietician’s reaction is what I would expect and you will need to decide how to proceed. I’m also not saying your experience will be the same as mine. But given where you are in relation to T2, I’ll bet we have some things in common.
Here are my suggestions if you decide to go on the IF path. It has worked for me and others. But you really need to be knowledgeable and have your doc watching your metabolism, especially at first. When the dietician says it can cause wild swings in your blood sugar, that’s true if you don’t manage your diet appropriately.
Get under the care of a GP who is supportive of an IF regimen. I have had the same GP for 33 years and he’s paid attention to current research and is on board. It’s a fair question to ask the front desk if you’re calling around shopping for a GP.
Get educated. Dr. Fung’s book is a fine place to start. It isn’t the end-all on the topic IMO though. Get a wide view of nutrition, IF and T2 diabetes. Understanding the relationship between carbohydrates and insulin is everything. There are outstanding YouTube videos on the topic. Just be a careful consumer. The moment it becomes clear the presenter is going to try to sell you something, move on. You just want the key, unbiased information.
Even before you go to an IF regimen, I would recommend you rework your diet. This was something I required and it was more difficult than the actual fasting. I’m talking about spending one to two weeks eating regular meals without calorie limits, but with modifications. No snacking between meals. Meals eaten within one hour windows. No simple carbs of any sort! This. Is. Hard! You’ll need to give up white bread, regular pasta, any sweets, etc. You still get carbs, just make sure they have a glycemic index under 50 and limit them to 20 to 30% of your total caloric intake.
Have a plan. How you’re going to ease into IF and calorie restrictions. Pick a regimen to start. You can change at any time if it isn’t working for you or you want to try something else, but think about how long you’re going to try it and what your success criteria is.
I have given up all simple carbs permanently. It’s scary at first, but soon your body won’t miss them. Simple carbs will totally screw up my weight loss and get me feeling terrible. Even in small quantities. My carbs now are things like whole wheat toast, whole wheat pasta, quinoa. I’ll eat some fresh fruit even with higher glycemic indices, but smaller amounts and always with plenty of protein and fat. I never eat any carbs alone. Always with protein and fat. Keeping insulin calm is the name of the game and for us insulin resistant folks, we need to keep that dragon sleeping.
Good luck in your journey. I hope this helps.
I disagree with the doctor and agree with the posters here regarding carbs etc. I suggest you research yourself by checking your BS’s through out the day of fasting or after eating. I check mine and notice that my BS drop slowly during the day while fasting and certainly spike after eating carbs.
Thé only time I ever had an issue is when I broke fast with a Starbucks caramel apple latte. After fasting you have to reintroduce sugar slowly if at all. I break fasts with protein/ natural fat meals
Definitely do your research and get different opinions to decide if IF is suitable for you. Dr. Pradip a cardiologist have some very informative presentations that is easily digestible and his genuine honesty can be felt in trying to relay the information to you like Dr. Jason Fung. They don’t try to sell you anything. Check it out if interested
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN4uKfvSU2v2634pRsV0R-R_RDReCEvN6
I don’t really agree. Carbs cause sugar spikes, especially the bad carbs like bread and pasta, etc. And sugary foods will do the same. When you IF your body will start using fat as a fuel source rather than glucose, it’s more efficient. So the best way is to follow a Keto diet. You eliminate carbs and sugar and won’t spike insulin. If you’re introducing foods that cause spikes then you shouldn’t have them.
From an insulin perspective, blood sugar remains quite stable in the fasted state. If you stick to a lower carb diet and fast, you should see a fairly stable sugar profile. Id get a second opinion from a doctor familiar with fasting to help support your journey. Good luck!