Please, Help Me!

[SM1997]

Hello everyone, this is my first post in this forum so I hope I can get the help I really need. My mum has type 2 diabetes and is on medication and, I think, my dad has pre diabetes too but I’m not too sure. I’m a 21 year old guy who is been training and going to gym for over 3 years and for the past two years I have been eating a lot less than my TDEE but I also ate a lot carbs but I never went below 18% body fat and this is really frustrating me but I actually know a lot of people that went to gym and in 6/12 months dropped their body fat percentage to about 10/12% so I went to get my blood tests done and my doctor said that I don’t have pre diabetes or diabetes but thank to Dr. Google and Dr. YouTube, I’m 100% sure I have insulin resistance because both my parents only have fat around the midsection and very skinny arms, legs and necks, with no fat at all in those places and exactly the same happened with me and I also found out that a normal diabetes test doesn’t say if you are insulin resistant or not. Even if I lose weight overall, the midsection doesn’t decrease unless I eat very low carbs but with the same calorie deficit, which I did for about 3 weeks and the fat from the midsection started melting away but I had to give it up because it made me feel very weak and depressed plus I do a very physical job and I need to be strong which is something that a diet high in carbs and sugar gives me but having high body fat percentages is giving major depression because I really hate the way I look. People, please help me, is there a medication I can take to decrease the insulin resistance? I’m willing to start a low carb diet again and take medication that lowers insulin resistance at the same time and slowly increase the amount of carbs I eat, until I hit the point where I don’t get into the fat gaining mode so that I can still lose fat around the midsection, reach low body fat percentages, have some carbs and be able to go to work.


Thank you for taking the time to read the post.


Sam.

 

[alf_Josiah]

I feel for you, but I can't offer any advice, but something that at first reading appear an insult, but it is not meant that way.
I suspect you are paying a gym subscription please go to your GP and ask him to recommend a diabetic specialist ( I think the posh name is Endocrinologist ) that you could see privately. Take a couple of months subscription for the gym and pay a specialist. Forget about nurses and GP's. They know lots but in my opinion not enough to answer your very complex issues.

 

[Resurgam]

Perhaps if you eat fat and protein you will become adapted to using fat for energy.
I stick to low carb and have seen my waist reducing ever since diagnosis. Although I doubt that I'll ever get back to a 24 inch waist I no longer have an equator, and have needed to get new clothes three times now as my shape has changed so much.
It is not necessary to have a calorie deficit to change your shape - meat with its natural fat, oily fish cheese and eggs are all excellent foods for body building.

 

[Alexandra100]

I went to get my blood tests done and my doctor said that I don’t have pre diabetes or diabetes

I presume you had an A1c test. Do you know what the number was?

 

[Daibell]

Hi. When you have a low-carb diet you need to have enough proteins and fats to keep you feeling full. Forget 'you need carbs for energy' which is a marketing strap-line. If you exercise you probably do need some but ensure you have the fats and proteins as well as fruit and veg. The fats and proteins can provide the body with some glucose and the carbs you do eat provide the rest.

 

[Shirley N.]

Hello everyone, this is my first post in this forum so I hope I can get the help I really need. My mum has type 2 diabetes and is on medication and, I think, my dad has pre diabetes too but I’m not too sure. I’m a 21 year old guy who is been training and going to gym for over 3 years and for the past two years I have been eating a lot less than my TDEE but I also ate a lot carbs but I never went below 18% body fat and this is really frustrating me but I actually know a lot of people that went to gym and in 6/12 months dropped their body fat percentage to about 10/12% so I went to get my blood tests done and my doctor said that I don’t have pre diabetes or diabetes but thank to Dr. Google and Dr. YouTube, I’m 100% sure I have insulin resistance because both my parents only have fat around the midsection and very skinny arms, legs and necks, with no fat at all in those places and exactly the same happened with me and I also found out that a normal diabetes test doesn’t say if you are insulin resistant or not. Even if I lose weight overall, the midsection doesn’t decrease unless I eat very low carbs but with the same calorie deficit, which I did for about 3 weeks and the fat from the midsection started melting away but I had to give it up because it made me feel very weak and depressed plus I do a very physical job and I need to be strong which is something that a diet high in carbs and sugar gives me but having high body fat percentages is giving major depression because I really hate the way I look. People, please help me, is there a medication I can take to decrease the insulin resistance? I’m willing to start a low carb diet again and take medication that lowers insulin resistance at the same time and slowly increase the amount of carbs I eat, until I hit the point where I don’t get into the fat gaining mode so that I can still lose fat around the midsection, reach low body fat percentages, have some carbs and be able to go to work.


Thank you for taking the time to read the post.


Sam.

Try cutting the carbs as much as you can, say to below 100 g per day gradually over the next few weeks. At the same time, increase the fat content of your diet to stop you feeling hungry, losing weight and to give you the energy for your work and gym sessions. Your protein intake should not need to change.

Carbohydrates are far more fattening than fats despite containing fewer calories by weight, because they increase your insulin levels and this make you put on bodily fat. Cutting back on carbs will make your insulin levels fall and make you burn this fat off instead.

One theory of Insulin Resistance is that it is the body's cells' way of protecting themselves from excess glucose which is toxic to them. Taking medication for this condition may just move the problem somewhere else. The first thing to do is to get insulin production switched off for longer periods between meals, and at the correct level after meals, which is done most safely and reliably by cutting carbohydrate intake. But measuring insulin levels properly involves a complex and expensive test which is not readily available and requires expert interpretation.

It is also not easy to eat enough fat, because it is uniquely filling and staves off hunger. A slice of bread goes down easily, the same weight of butter much less so. So you will automatically eat fewer calories than you anticipate.

By experimenting with various amounts of carbs and fats, you should be able to stabilise your weight at the point you want to and have plenty of energy for work and exercise. Your mid-rift and general physique should improve as a result.

I may be an old woman rather than a young man, but I have lost over three stone on a similar but stricter diet over the last year and a half. Most of the fat lost has gone from my waistline and I feel healthier than I used to. I've still a long way to go but I'm getting there.