Get your FREE BOX OF LMNT hydration support for the perfect electrolyte balance for your fasting lifestyle with your first purchase here!
In this episode, Dr. Scott and Tommy discuss the topic of protein sources and timing in regards to lifting weights and resistance exercises to promote lean muscle growth. There is a distinction that is made between fat loss and building lean muscle during and after a fasted state. If you are trying to achieve fat loss and lean muscle gains, then there is a way to do both while fasting. Dive in and enjoy it!
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16002802/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5568273/
Fasting For Life Ep. 31 was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the latest audio-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors. Sonix is the best audio automated transcription service in 2020. Our automated transcription algorithms works with many of the popular audio file formats.
Hello, I'm Dr. Scott Watier, and I'm Tommy Welling, and you're listening to the Fasting for Life podcast.
This podcast is about using fasting as a tool to regain your health, achieve ultimate wellness and live the life you truly deserve.
Each episode is a short conversation on a single topic with immediate, actionable steps. We cover everything from fat loss and health and wellness to the science of lifestyle design.
We started fasting for life because of fasting has transformed our lives and we hope to share the tools that we have learned along the way.
Everyone, welcome to the Fasting for Life podcast. My name is Dr. Scott Watier. I'm here, as always, my good friend and colleague, Tommy Welling. Good afternoon to you, sir. Hey, Scott. How are you doing? Great. We're going to hop into a pretty awesome topic tonight, one that hits home with me. We're going to talk about whey protein and its effect on insulin and blood sugar and why we believe that this is something that is not necessary in today's world where people are trying to lose weight and increase their lean body mass to regain health. What do you think?
Don't we need to be supplementing with whey protein in order to lose weight and gaining muscle?
All right. So we're just going in the episode just one minute in, we're just going to say no, cut out the way protein and we'll move on. But no, this came this question came from a one of our clients who is asking about, you know, supplementing with whey protein and branching amino acids after their workouts. And so there's a few different layers here. First, though, was we want to make the distinction between, you know, fat loss and muscle building, right?
Mm hmm. Yeah, there are two very distinct things, two very different physiological processes in the body. And I feel like there is a history. We've we start to link these two things together, usually early on in our lives when we need to eat less, move more, eat better, go to the gym, workout more, and the two get linked. And that's fine. They're they're both part of a healthy lifestyle. But at the same time, they're they're very different goals and different things that are happening in the body. And sometimes the overlap can actually be detrimental where we're trying to pursue both in the wrong ways. And we may not be getting the results that we want on either side.
And there's some numbers we're going to share in just a second from a couple of research articles that will pin in the in the in the notes.
But it's really looking at, you know, like you just said, those two processes being different. So sometimes there's things that you're not realizing they're happening. And whey protein is one of those things where when you look at the percentage spikes, when whey is included in a meal, it's the numbers are crazy how much insulin actually gets spiked, but it doesn't necessarily show up in the blood sugar side of things, which is really where most people look. So if your blood sugar normal numbers are normal, then, OK, well, you don't have diabetes, you don't have an income problem. Well, that was me for decades. And for a lot of people that are having trouble losing weight, keeping it off or kind of yo yo ing is that, you know, we have to look at insulin, which is the cause of the weight gain or the lack of your body's ability to burn off the fat. So the numbers are pretty shocking.
Yeah. And the insulin, like you're alluding to, is is sometimes the man behind the curtain where we can we can see the A1, see our long term blood glucose levels and how they're tracking. We can easily measure our glucose, but it's it's not it's a very deliberate, specific thing to look at our insulin levels and do a fasting insulin test. So so that's the that's the secondary player that comes along years and decades later. So if we have an insulin problem and whey protein is spiking that insulin, that's a big issue. And and one you may not realize at all because the sugars aren't moving.
And it's so when we look at just just to make sure we hit home with that is, you know, when you take away protein, which this hurts my heart to say because I did it for so many years, but weight protein spikes, insulin high. Right. But can consequently result in a lower blood sugar. So that sounds good to most people. I got my blood sugar is low. Well, if blood sugar were the cause and the problem, then that would be great. Blood sugar is the effect. Yeah. When is the gatekeeper insulin resistance, pre diabetes, metabolic syndrome, type two diabetes, cardio bellambi, cardiometabolic issues, heart problems later in life. So diabetes and the blood sugar issues are not a blood sugar problem. There is some problems. So if we're looking at burning fat, decreasing our body fat, increasing our lean muscle tissue, so using whey protein would actually be contributing to our bodies and ability to burn fat and then it would cause the insulin to spike within our body. We go into storage mode. So really, when we look at whey protein, you know, getting it from a food just made, let's make it simple, right? Getting it from a Whole Foods source. And Tom, I know you had a couple of numbers you want to share in regards to the timing of meals. Like if we looked at whey protein for breakfast and lunch, what those numbers look like. Like we just want to keep this simple. If you're working out and you're worried about that anabolic window. Right. Which has been really just proven. In terms of protein consumption, you can as long as you're getting adequate protein throughout the day or with your meal that your body is going to do with it, it's it's designed to do, which is burn fat and build building muscle when it's given the opportunity.
Yeah. And as far as the specific numbers go, you know, one study found over a 30 percent insulin increased insulin spike after a breakfast supplementation with whey protein. And the same study found almost a 60 percent. Spike in insulin over and above with whey protein supplementation, so so one hundred and sixty percent, one hundred and fifty seven percent of your insulin spike happening just from in taking the same calories, but with a way protein supplement. I mean, and that's exactly what we're trying to avoid, what we're we're fighting against. We're combating with fasting. So, I mean, that's a direct step backwards from your fasting goals and what you've been doing, even if even if you've been on a longer, fast and then you work out you're feeling great and you're working towards your lean muscle goals, that's great. But to supplement with the way and and have an unnecessary huge increase in your insulin spike, that's a very, very bad thing. That that's that's what we want to avoid.
And so if we look at just from the supplement standpoint, you know, Broadway and branch chains are pretty much what branch shamim acids really have been. It's been concluded that they do not really promote muscle building. So the simplest thing to do is if you want to avoid the cause, which we're talking about, like Tommy just mentioned, those numbers is the insulin spike then just keeping it simple, getting a good quality protein, chicken, beef, steak, just turkey, whatever it is that you want to eat with your meal. And Tom, you always say start with some veggies, have a nice balanced meal, and your body is going to do what it needs to do. So it's just crazy to me to think that for so many years and I can't believe we're saying it, but like, you don't need it. And the person who is asking the question was more concerned about the end goal was like, all right. Well, what about what about the the physiological effect of my exercise? Am I getting the best benefit? You know, and again, this Caveh, there's a caveat here, too. If you are using whey protein and amino acids, I encourage you to go kind of look and dive into it. But if you're getting results and you're not having problems and you're not the ideal body percentage and you don't really think you have an insulin resistance issue and you're able to lose weight and keep it off, then this message is not for you. This is for the rest of us, like myself and yourself. Tommy, you've been struggling with these types of things over the years, and this was a big thing for me. Never mind was I eating multiple times a day. But I was also supplementing with whey protein multiple times a day with an before and after meals. So your body's got everything it needs to do. And that's why we just want to promote keeping it simple and, you know, eliminating it's going to save some money, too.
Absolutely. I mean, that's one of the benefits of fasting that we talk about. But I remember times when I would have four meals a day and include another couple of whey protein shakes in there as well. So, I mean, I'm getting six different insulin spikes and then the ones that I I thought weren't really spiking the insulin because I would control the carbohydrates with the with the protein supplementation that they were actually having the largest effect on my insulin levels. And all the while, I'm taking on more and more fat over the years and unsure why that's happening, because I'm working out more than ever.
Yeah. And that's where that's when the frustration starts to set in to. Right. So we want to make sure we're really clear about two separate processes, two separate sets of goals. If you look at a body builder, they're not bulking and cutting to get on stage all at the same time. Right. They're talking and then cutting. They go through cycles and whatnot. So, you know, for the average Joe, like ourselves, the dad bod, well, it's that bad. Right back down to that high school college. You know, look, it's possible, but this is one of the things that we feel might be inhibiting it. And it's really just a misconception. So one Take-Home message for everybody, Tommy, that's listening other than just cut out the way. Right. Like we're just going to make this really simple.
Yeah. Yeah, it would be look at look at anything that you're taking as far as supplementation or that you're trying to do to to optimize your gym and your workout and your lean muscle goals and and see if if they are on track with your fast and goals, because a little bit more focus on on your fast and goals might take you to the endpoint a bit sooner or more effectively. And you may not need to be focusing on the the other supplementation so much if if at all, maybe.
That's great. I love it still hurts my heart to say, though, I mean, it really does like it's still it's still stings a little. These words are coming out of my mouth. But, yeah, I mean, the research is backing it up. And, you know, we really need to look at an insulin friendly lifestyle and an insulin friendly diet. So start with a lean protein. Add in some veggies on the plate. If you want to have a small amount of carb, that's fine. Sweet potato, brown rice, those types of things. But really just keep it in balance and it's just going to be easier for you to stick to over the long term, too, so. Absolutely. All right, Tommy. Well, thank you, sir. And we'll talk soon.
Thank you. But.
So you've heard today's episode and you may be wondering where do I start? Head on over to the Fasting for Life Dotcom and sign up for our newsletter, where you'll receive fasting tips and strategies to maximize results and fit fasting into your day to day life.
Why are you there? Download your free Fast Start guide to get started today. Don't forget to subscribe on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Make sure to leave us a five star review and we'll be back next week with another episode of Fasting for Life.
Sonix uses cutting-edge artificial intelligence to convert your mp3 files to text.
Better audio means a higher transcript accuracy rate. Sometimes you don't have super fancy audio recording equipment around; here's how you can record better audio on your phone. Sonix takes transcription to a whole new level. Here are five reasons you should transcribe your podcast with Sonix. Create better transcripts with online automated transcription. Do you have a podcast? Here's how to automatically transcribe your podcasts with Sonix. Rapid advancements in speech-to-text technology has made transcription a whole lot easier. Lawyers need to transcribe their interviews, phone calls, and video recordings. Most choose Sonix as their speech-to-text technology.
Sonix is the best online audio transcription software in 2020—it's fast, easy, and affordable.
If you are looking for a great way to convert your audio to text, try Sonix today.
The Fast Start Guide takes the guesswork out of using intermittent fasting. Your guide will be immediately delivered to your inbox, giving you the confidence to get started now!