can Intermittant Fasting reverse prediabetes?

kumera

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153
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
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Diet only
From elsewhere in the forum it seems like intermittent fasting is the way to go to lose weight AND fix those beta cells. Sadly I've already lost weight by eating a low carb diet and moving more. I'm now on a BMI of 20 and if I go much lower I'll be pretty skinny (and wrinkly). Is it advisable to fast when you'd rather not loose any more weight? And if you follow the 5-2 diet, how to get the calories high enough on the normal days on a LCHF diet to make a big enough difference when you go 500 cal on fast days. Has anyone tried this without a weight loss in mind? I only want to shock the beta cells into working again, if possible, not lose weight.
 

urbanracer

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Not being able to eat as many chocolate digestives as I used to.
From elsewhere in the forum it seems like intermittent fasting is the way to go to lose weight AND fix those beta cells. Sadly I've already lost weight by eating a low carb diet and moving more. I'm now on a BMI of 20 and if I go much lower I'll be pretty skinny (and wrinkly). Is it advisable to fast when you'd rather not loose any more weight? And if you follow the 5-2 diet, how to get the calories high enough on the normal days on a LCHF diet to make a big enough difference when you go 500 cal on fast days. Has anyone tried this without a weight loss in mind? I only want to shock the beta cells into working again, if possible, not lose weight.

@kumera ,

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So depending on where you are in the cycle, you may still be producing insulin. But once beta cells have been destroyed you cannot (currently) rejuvenate them. This is the holy grail of diabetes treatment and there is plenty of research going on in this area.

You might find some of the posts in this thread interesting....
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/could-intermittent-fasting-be-the-solution.117044/
 
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Brunneria

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If you have a look at Jason Fung he is definitely not underweight, and he fasts regularly.

And fasting has been a way of life, all over the planet, for centuries (often religious fasts).

So it is definitely possible to do IF without continued and excessive weight loss. Just a matter of adjusting eating patterns to have fewer, larger meals. Or fewer more calorie-dense meals.

Regarding getting too skinny... BMI is a very rough guide, intended for general populations, not individual interpretation (although it is often used on individuals). So much depends on individual muscle bulk and bone structure, that a BMI of 20 can mean very different things on different people. Plus (unfortunately) our livers and pancreases don't look in the mirror to decide how good they look, before they decide whether to work or not... which is VERY annoying.

Have you seen the info about the Fasting Mimicking Diet by Valter Longo?
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...weight-loss-natural-plant-based-a7518081.html
You don't have to buy the expensive packets of food, and you don't have to follow that programme, but the thinking behind the fasting and re-feeding patterns is something you may find interesting.

Hope that helps.
 
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kumera

Well-Known Member
Messages
153
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
If you have a look at Jason Fung he is definitely not underweight, and he fasts regularly.

And fasting has been a way of life, all over the planet, for centuries (often religious fasts).

So it is definitely possible to do IF without continued and excessive weight loss. Just a matter of adjusting eating patterns to have fewer, larger meals. Or fewer more calorie-dense meals.

Regarding getting too skinny... BMI is a very rough guide, intended for general populations, not individual interpretation (although it is often used on individuals). So much depends on individual muscle bulk and bone structure, that a BMI of 20 can mean very different things on different people. Plus (unfortunately) our livers and pancreases don't look in the mirror to decide how good they look, before they decide whether to work or not... which is VERY annoying.

Have you seen the info about the Fasting Mimicking Diet by Valter Longo?
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...weight-loss-natural-plant-based-a7518081.html
You don't have to buy the expensive packets of food, and you don't have to follow that programme, but the thinking behind the fasting and re-feeding patterns is something you may find interesting.

Hope that helps.
Thanks, I think I'm getting a bit better at eating more fat, a bit hard in the beginning to not worry about that. I'm not sure 5 days fasting is for me, but I'll try the 5-2 for a month, it doesn't seem as hard to do with family and job. You're right about the BMI, I should just stay away from the scales and not worry about it :)