Type 2 Diabetic Protein Timing

So, I’m a type 2 diabetic and I am concerned that the timing of my protein intake may not be ideal. I work out before dinner and in order to keep my morning glucose levels under control, I only drink a protein shake (52g of protein) and eat a salad for dinner (mostly broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, cheese and an egg or two). This is my last meal of the day. I am meeting my protein goals with the meals I consume before my workout. My concern is that not consuming the majority of my protein until well into the next day will inhibit growth/strength. I’ve been able to eliminate daily injections through a combination of diet and exercise (5-3-1) and currently this strategy works best for me. Any input is appreciated.

Thanks,

~Ron

Some people have better blood sugar control with protein at every meal. See how it affects your levels.

You would have to go for far more considerable time than a night’s sleep without calories and protein for you to lose growth and strength! There is protein in veggies and you say you have cheese and eggs at dinner, likely adding up to 20 to 30+ grams at your evening meal.

Thanks for the input. I’ll continue down this path and see where it takes me.

A couple things here:

You say you don’t have protein until well into your next day? What is well into your next day?

Assuming well into your next day means later than morning at least, what is your reason for skipping protein in the morning? A whey/casein blend with some type of whole foods that contain fiber and fat would likely keep your blood glucose levels in check if that is your goal.

Have you tried using a protein like micellar casein? Biotest sells a type of that, even. It is a very slow digesting protein and would likely have negligible effects on your blood glucose levels throughout night which should allow you to awake to morning blood glucose levels that are under control.

Lastly, as a type II diabetic I would use your work out as an opportunity to really take advantage of the non-insulin mediated glucose uptake mechanism and throw in some carbs peri-workout. Have you tried that? What was the result of your blood sugar levels in the morning? What types of carbohydrates did you ingest?

Lastly lastly, I am not so sure that your gap of protein fasting is going to undermine your muscle gaining goals. Plenty of people have success gaining muscle using an intermittent fasting approach. I think nailing down your peri-workout nutrition so it best serves your goal of protein synthesis and controllable morning blood glucose levels is probably the most important. Having said that, the rules don’t often apply to type II diabetics who have all sorts of metabolic dysfunctions. More information is likely needed.

To answer your questions…

I should have said I'm not getting any additional protein till morning.  I have 2 hard boiled eggs around 5 AM.

No I haven’t.

I have approximately 100g of sweet potato 2 hours before my workout and a protein shake 1/2 hour before working out. Morning blood sugars average ~130. They seem to be creeping up where as 2 months ago they were around 110-115. (The reason why I am trying to really limit my carb intake in the evenings) Dinner is another protein shake and a salad which is consumed within an hour of finishing my workout.

I will mention that there is some evidence that protein-only meals can spark gluconeogenesis where protein gets turned into glucose. Supopsedly having at least 30 grams of carbs with protein prevents the liver from activating enzymes to break down protein.

OK here is a problem potentially. When you eat only protein at dinner, or low carb plus a lot of protein the body will start up gluconeogenesis at night, turning protein into glucose and also possibly raising cortisol levels.

Fasting blood sugar usually goes up by the way as the percentage of calories from carbs goes down in the diet. This is for non-diabetics, but if you keep your carbs under basica glucose needs your body will tend to raise its fasting set-point. Some people who have eaten only meat for several months have developed “non-pathological” fasting blood sugar as high as 115-120.