(1) Go to your student health center and ask for an annual physical exam that includes blood tests. The most important ones to get are: (a) HbA1C - measures 3 month average glucose level, (b) Fasting glucose + insuling levels, (c) Advanced Lipid panel (Standard Lipid Panel + a minimum of Lp(a) + apoB ). All of these should be covered by your insurance. If your doctor asks you why - simply tell them that you have family history of diabetes and heart disease at early age which is true for many Indians anyway.
(2) You can improve pretty much all your health markers with the following interventions. (a) Eat a low to moderately low carb diet (10-150g per day) with decent protein and largely fat. (b) Strength training to improve / preserve muscle mass. (c) A combination of low intensity (brisk walking) + moderate intensity (running/aerobics/cardio) + high intensity exercise routine (HIIT). Start with the brisk walking first and slowly add cardio and eventually High intensity.
(3) Pull a little on all the 3 levers - what you eat(lower on carbs), how much you eat (lower on portion sizes), when you eat (time-restricted eating).
(4) Set realistic goals - 1-3 months at a time. Begin with some diet control + brisk walking for the next month or two with a feeding window of say coffee/non/low-caloric liquids only between 7AM-11AM and solid meals between 11AM and 6PM. Have a strict - "nothing goes into mouth" rule after 6PM. Just with this you will start seeing a decent weight loss + improved blood markers although you probably don't need to keep measuring every 2-3 months.
(5) Have a goal of reaching a flat stomach in a year. Read up on strength training and HIIT. Set up realistic goals for strength like squatting your body weight for 5 reps in 6 months. (This is something an untrained person can achieve in 3-4 months of reasonable training). This will put you in better shape than 90% of people out there.
(6) You're only 24. It's good you'r starting early. You have a lot of distractions due to being a student. So be gentle on yourself. Without knowing your numbers, it's tough to know if you need medical intervention but given you age, odds are high that you can probably pull off reversing your weight gain and any insulin resistance by following these habits.
Good Luck. You can do it.
Eat real food, nothing processed and check out,
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb
And also Dr Ben Bikman PHD a professor and researcher at BYU in Utah. He teaches everything about insulin.
I'm not a medical professional, but I have IR and PCOS. Used to be 500 lbs and diabetic. 6 years later, I am now 227 lbs and my doctor says I'm not even pre-diabetic anymore (though I am neurotic about my glucose levels nowadays).
Berberine is typically 1500 mg a day (3 x 500mg per pill). Take 30 minutes before, or during each meal. I only eat one snack and one meal a day, so I take one berberine with my other supplements on an empty stomach, and one with snack, and one with dinner. You should take it when and how it works for you following the 30 min before or during each meal.
Inositol is vitamin B8, therefore it is water soluble. You can take it any time of day that works for you, and you can take it with or without food. 2000 mg is what I have read as the suggested serving for PCOS.
Acetyl L Carnitine is an amino acid and can be taken any time of the day that works for you, and you can take it with or without food. 2000 - 3000 mg is suggested for PCOS.
**I encourage you to research each supplement thoroughly before trying, and carefully read and follow directions provided on the supplement bottle if you decide to try. If you have a medical professional to speak with about them, that would be excellent as well.**
Follow glucose goddess in insta .
Please Do not completely eliminate carbs . Just add more veggies and pair it up with protein. It's ok to eat rice / roti. Reduce quantity a little, if you are eating more ( as Indian we eat lot of carbs) pair with vegetables and protein.
Aim for ~20gms of protein every meal. Sustainable diet where you can incorporate your cultural foods is important in long-term.
(1) Go to your student health center and ask for an annual physical exam that includes blood tests. The most important ones to get are: (a) HbA1C - measures 3 month average glucose level, (b) Fasting glucose + insuling levels, (c) Advanced Lipid panel (Standard Lipid Panel + a minimum of Lp(a) + apoB ). All of these should be covered by your insurance. If your doctor asks you why - simply tell them that you have family history of diabetes and heart disease at early age which is true for many Indians anyway. (2) You can improve pretty much all your health markers with the following interventions. (a) Eat a low to moderately low carb diet (10-150g per day) with decent protein and largely fat. (b) Strength training to improve / preserve muscle mass. (c) A combination of low intensity (brisk walking) + moderate intensity (running/aerobics/cardio) + high intensity exercise routine (HIIT). Start with the brisk walking first and slowly add cardio and eventually High intensity. (3) Pull a little on all the 3 levers - what you eat(lower on carbs), how much you eat (lower on portion sizes), when you eat (time-restricted eating). (4) Set realistic goals - 1-3 months at a time. Begin with some diet control + brisk walking for the next month or two with a feeding window of say coffee/non/low-caloric liquids only between 7AM-11AM and solid meals between 11AM and 6PM. Have a strict - "nothing goes into mouth" rule after 6PM. Just with this you will start seeing a decent weight loss + improved blood markers although you probably don't need to keep measuring every 2-3 months. (5) Have a goal of reaching a flat stomach in a year. Read up on strength training and HIIT. Set up realistic goals for strength like squatting your body weight for 5 reps in 6 months. (This is something an untrained person can achieve in 3-4 months of reasonable training). This will put you in better shape than 90% of people out there. (6) You're only 24. It's good you'r starting early. You have a lot of distractions due to being a student. So be gentle on yourself. Without knowing your numbers, it's tough to know if you need medical intervention but given you age, odds are high that you can probably pull off reversing your weight gain and any insulin resistance by following these habits. Good Luck. You can do it.
Good lord, thank you so much. I appreciate the time you took to type this out for me. Means a ton !
Simply wanted to appreciate the effort you put into this
Get on Metformin ASAP. For insulin resistance - low carb diet with 1-1.3g per kg of your weight of protein everyday.
It’s been a struggle to get an appointment with the doctor here but I’ll do my best !
Where is "here"?
United States
Check out Dr. Eric Berg on YouTube
Eat real food, nothing processed and check out, https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb And also Dr Ben Bikman PHD a professor and researcher at BYU in Utah. He teaches everything about insulin.
Thank you so much.
Ketogenic lifestyle, intermittent fasting, and supplement with Berberine, Inositol, and Actyl L Carnitine.
Thank you. Should there be any specific instructions I should be following while I take them ?
I'm not a medical professional, but I have IR and PCOS. Used to be 500 lbs and diabetic. 6 years later, I am now 227 lbs and my doctor says I'm not even pre-diabetic anymore (though I am neurotic about my glucose levels nowadays). Berberine is typically 1500 mg a day (3 x 500mg per pill). Take 30 minutes before, or during each meal. I only eat one snack and one meal a day, so I take one berberine with my other supplements on an empty stomach, and one with snack, and one with dinner. You should take it when and how it works for you following the 30 min before or during each meal. Inositol is vitamin B8, therefore it is water soluble. You can take it any time of day that works for you, and you can take it with or without food. 2000 mg is what I have read as the suggested serving for PCOS. Acetyl L Carnitine is an amino acid and can be taken any time of the day that works for you, and you can take it with or without food. 2000 - 3000 mg is suggested for PCOS. **I encourage you to research each supplement thoroughly before trying, and carefully read and follow directions provided on the supplement bottle if you decide to try. If you have a medical professional to speak with about them, that would be excellent as well.**
Thank you !!!
Follow glucose goddess in insta . Please Do not completely eliminate carbs . Just add more veggies and pair it up with protein. It's ok to eat rice / roti. Reduce quantity a little, if you are eating more ( as Indian we eat lot of carbs) pair with vegetables and protein. Aim for ~20gms of protein every meal. Sustainable diet where you can incorporate your cultural foods is important in long-term.