Intermittent fasting, do you do it?

[hankjam]

I do but I am wondering if it is right for me.

Up until 3 months ago I used to test once a day for my FBG and it was okay. Recently it's gone a bit Pete Tong and jumped up from 5.2s to 6.0s. This has made me question my approach. So started back with testing before and after my main meal and the numbers are fine, 5.0 ad 6.5 respectively last night for example.

Evening meal is the main meal of the day, not great but it is what it is. Ends around 8 pm and I don't often eat till 13:00 the next day, often a light lunch, currently 2 sticks of celery, cheese, olives and a bit an apple.

Something has changed and I am not too sure what so would be a happy for anyone's thoughts.

Thank you.
Hj

 

[LaoDan]

I have, though I eat my last meal around 4pm and eat breakfast. I’m still on that schedule when not doing IF, but I eat something lighter before sleep , just a tub of cottage cheese or something

 

[ziggy_w]

Hi @hankjam

Hugs for the higher fasting levels. I am experiencing something similar right now, so I empathize.

For me, feeling hungry usually elevates levels (including fasting) if I don't have anything later in the day/night -- probably due to a stress response.

However, if you've been doing intermittent fasting/reduced eating window before and it hasn't affected your fasting levels then, it's probably not doing it now. Have you changed anything else in your routine?

 

[Lamont D]

Yes, I do!
My window is between 3pm and 7pm.
My blood levels are normal range and because I don't trigger a reaction, I don't eat or drink anything except water. Because I don't have want my BS to be either high or low before retiring.

Have you considered that you have increased your carbs?
Or are eating more?
Changed brands?
More stress?
Doing less exercise?
Unaware of hidden sugars?
Have another new condition?

It is usually one of these.
Best wishes.

 

[hankjam]

Hi @ziggy_w
Sorry to read that your numbers have jumped a bit. Nothing has changed in terms of my diet / exercise, even though the weather is not as conducive I am still managing a couple of walks a day.
Stresses from life are probably a thing. Mrs Hj has had a recurrence of her breast cancer, treatment is on going and she has returned to work after her mastectomy and her 94 year old mother is not keeping the best of minds.
I am still thinking about getting another job as retiring is not quite an option at the moment.

We're making a lot of lemon juice!

 

[ziggy_w]

Hi @hankjam,

You certainly have lots on your plate, so no wonder you feel stressed. There is a good chance that this might also contribute towards your higher levels -- though they fine throughout the day. Maybe try to have a little bit of food, maybe only a bit of cheese right before you go to sleep or right after you get up and see if it makes a difference.

For me, I have a pretty good idea what is causing my problems. Due to the Covid crisis, I've been working from home for the last two years. This has killed some of my routines (such as walking to and from the railway stations) and has blurred the lines between work and leisure -- as probably for many of us. As a result, I've lapsed a bit with regular exercise and have been consuming too much red wine (which might have led to some liver fat and increased insulin resistance).

Luckily, food is still been fine, so levels have increased only modestly. Just need to get back to my routines. At least, I hope this will solve the problem.

Thinking of you and your wife and your MIL. Keeping my fingers crossed that your wife will conquer breast cancer once more.

 

[KidDougi]

I’ve been following a similar fasting pattern, but I’ve been tracking my BG levels on an hourly basis, since been diagnosed with T2 about 4 months ago. What I have noticed is that now that I am into a steady routine with food and exercise, my BG levels start to creep up just before I’m due to have my main my meal, irrespective of wether I eat or not. Literally can go from a steady 5 through to 6.5 and sometimes higher.
I have no knowledge as to why this is but I have come up with a possible reasons.
My logic is that my body is expecting me to eat so assumes that I need a glucose boost so that I gave the energy to hunt.?? But it took a while for me to see this pattern so there is clearly an element of my body becoming accustomed to the routine.
My suggestion would be to try an mix it up, from time to time. Change the timing of your fast so that your lunch is your last meal and your breakfast is your first. Do this for a couple of weeks then go back to your current routine.
Also you could try a 24 or 62 hour fast as one-offs. There’s plenty of advice on this on the web.
Again this is so that you are changing the routine and keeping your body guessing as to what you will do next.

I also found that the amount of exercise you do can affect the levels of BG you are storing.
Also, remember that exercise can help reduce stress which will be good for both you and your wife.
All the best.

 

[ianf0ster]

My IF is mixed because on weekdays my first meal is at 12:30 to 13:00 and on weekend I only eat one meal a day (OMAD) so this is between 15:30 and 16:30.
I rarely ever tested my FBG even back when I ate 'breakfast at a normal time, and I hardly ever test my BG at all test days, but if I do it is always around a meal time (just before eating and the 2hrs after first bite) because I don't see the point of measuring something that I have no control over.