Did you know even if you’re “low carb” you can still have blood glucose spikes?
Experiences I too encountered starting my carnivore journey 2 years ago & using a continuous glucose monitor from @nutrisenseio
New YouTube video where I show you how to apply a CGM & things I wanted to track with mine to see how my body responses to different food & stimuli. Code: lilbitoffitCGM10 link in bio to CGM info.
Blood sugar imbalances affect our energy, mood, digestion, cognitive function, metabolism, performance, as well as our ability to lose body fat.
How have I tracked my blood sugar?
I’ve used a simple glucometer in the past when I started with testing strips from Amazon & CVS.
I’ve also used a @ketomojo which tracks glucose & ketones from Amazon. On favorites list, link in bio & highlights.
What range should my blood sugar be for optimal body fat loss? I like mine in that 75-90 dL range fasting.
Mine tends to run a little bit higher during the day & fasting (usually around 90-100 fasting & around 105ish during the day. It stays steady & doesn’t spike much even after a large meal. I think the highest it spiked after a meat-based meal is 130 & 160 after consuming a few rice cakes one time)
I found what spiked mine the most was a high intensity workout while fasting. Duh. Your body does this to give you the boost of energy it needs to perform. It’s a big stressor. So to all of you who are beating the shxt out of your bodies, working out too much, even if you’re eating low-carb, your blood sugar is still spiking. FYI.
Again, we’re all bio individually different. Our environment, lifestyle, genetics, as well as the food we eat all play a part.
Some things you may be overlooking that can spike your blood glucose!
Swipe on IG & check out the new 6 minute video!
1️⃣Coffee
🔼adrenaline & cortisol (stress hormones) & blood sugar which can cause a release from our liver glycogen even when fasting. This was one thing I tested, luckily black coffee only affected my blood sugar like 2-5 points.
2️⃣Fasting too long
Again, increases body stress which increases your cortisol level which will cause liver glycogen to be released & your blood sugar to rise. Are you waking up in the middle of the night? Is your fasting AM blood sugar high (>95)? Try eating more, shorten fasting windows
3️⃣Dehydration
Less blood volume=higher concentrations of glucose in the blood. Shoot for 1/2 your body weight in Oz of water daily.
4️⃣Carbs
No they’re not the devil. Typically it’s our relationships with them & our habits that are. Carbs do keep us calm by 🔼serotonin & 🔽cortisol. Our tolerances vary bioindividually. Typically in a healthy individual the more active the more carbs we require & tolerate. Carbs do spike your insulin higher than protein or fats. Carbs obviously spiked my blood sugar higher than any other food even experimenting consuming 2lbs of a high-protein meal. 3 rice cakes spiked my insulin to 160. The 2lbs of beef #meatbars spiked my insulin to 130.
5️⃣Over exercising, under eating, &/or eating trigger foods. All huge stressors on the body which increase cortisol & thus blood glucose. That gut brain connection is so impactful on our body function as a whole.
6️⃣Artificial sweeteners & sweet beverages
If it tastes sweet typically it will cause a reaction in your body & spike your blood sugar to some degree. I’m all about moderation but don’t have the majority of your diet full of diet foods & Splenda just to save a few calories & carbs. They lack in micronutrients which your body needs to function properly. In my experience with the CGM, they did elevate my blood glucose slightly but not very much, maybe 5 to 10 points max.
7️⃣Alcohol. I’m just leaving this one there, y’all this is common sense. The higher the calorie, the higher the sugar, the higher the carbs the more it is going to spike your blood glucose. The “worst” options are beer, wine, sugary cocktails like White Russians, margaritas, Mojito‘s, Long Island iced teas, etc. I know it’s heartbreaking right 😂?! Vodka actually dropped my blood glucose when mixed in Diet Coke. Weird but it happens every time & I notice I get cold when this happens. This was not consuming any food with my drink.
8️⃣Sleep
Not only does this disrupt your satiety & hunger hormones like a leptin & Ghrelin which can cause you to crave carbs & feel like a bottomless pit, it also spikes your blood sugar, & your performance, fitness goals & recovery suffer. I found lack of sleep, & high intensity workouts especially fasting were the biggest culprits that spiked my blood sugar & made me feel like trash.
Which ones do you struggle with?
All info: https://linktr.ee/lil_bit_of_fit
Coaching FAQ’s: https://lilbitoffit.com/coaching-faqs/
IG: http://www.instagram.com/lil_bit_of_fit
NutriSense: https://www.nutrisense.io/
Code: lilbitoffitCGM10
#crossfit #bloodsugar #fatlosstips #leptin #cortisol #crohns #ibs #ibd #bloodglucose #carbs #sugarfree #lowcarbdiet #animalbasednutrition #animalbaseddiet #crohnswarrior #crohnsdiet #crossfitwomen #carnivorediet #carnivorewomen #nutrisense #cgm #continuousglucosemonitor #intermittentfasting #omad #ketocarnivore #carnivorecoach #meatbaseddiet #carnivoreketo #ketocarnivore #ketobodybuilding #carnivorebodybuilding