Arun’s Journey: From Insulin Resistance to Muscle Gain
Meet Arun!
39 year old, Male, a business owner, living in Chennai
When we first spoke his goal was to gain muscle. He had been hitting the gym for a few months, getting in his protein, but still no muscle gain. His diet was very regulated, he was consuming multiple scoops of protein shakes and eating high quantities of protein-rich foods like eggs and chicken. He was spending 2-2.5 hours at the gym where he would lift weights, play badminton and then do yoga in the evenings.
Initial Goal: His initial goal was to gain muscle, that’s all!
Our Analysis
On a deeper inquiry, understanding his health status, blood work, family history, daily routine, sleep patterns, and stress levels, we found the following:
- He was insulin-resistant (IR)
- He had low grade chronic inflammation (LGCI)
This, we identified, because despite a good workout and diet he was unable to gain muscle and his uric acid was elevated. He also had a strong family history, had had 2 rounds of COVID, and had slightly higher HbA1c, cholesterol and had a fatty liver. There were also signs of inflammation – frequent fevers, slightly high ESR and CRP.
The inability to gain muscle and elevated uric acid levels were a marker of underlying, unaddressed metabolic dysfunction.
Our Journey Together
Phase 1: Fixing Insulin Resistance
The plan of action was simple – we started off by focusing on getting insulin function sorted and adding anti-inflammatory foods and lifestyle habits.
Since stress was a factor, we focused on improving his relationship with food and his body. This actually made a very big impact on his overall progress.
Phase 2: Uric Acid
3 months in, we redid the tests and as expected all was sorted except the uric acid which only came down a little.
Through the addition of uric acid-lowering foods like celery juice, tart cherry capsules, vitamin C etc, we started seeing a reduction here.
Phase 3: Original Goal – gain muscle
We now started increasing protein again, but this time, through a combination of foods and supplements. We also worked on increasing the bioavailability and absorption of protein. While this took a little longer, since he was at the time prone to bloating and gastric discomfort, a few weeks in we started seeing results.
Changes in Weight:
At the start: 76.5 kg, more fat, less muscle
At the end: 76.3 kg, less fat, more muscle
Result
By the end of nine months, we saw a complete transformation, both physically and mentally. We were able to improve his insulin sensitivity and inflammation and as a result his prediabetes, high cholesterol levels, uric acid levels and fatty liver.
Testimonial
“I signed up with Khushboo exactly a year ago because my sugar and cholesterol levels were near the border, and my uric acid was beyond the borderline.
I spoke to her after talking to multiple other nutritionists, all of whom recommended a standard package. One even recommended a genetic test for Rs 65k! Speaking to Khushboo was a huge relief because she first heard me out, understood my lifestyle and eating habits, and then predicted my issues even before I could tell her about them. She did not promise a miracle but explained what was going on in my body and the roadmap to getting better.
Ever since I signed up, my eating and lifestyle habits have changed dramatically. She has debunked many food myths for me, and helped me become more aware of, and connected to, my food. All my parameters have been fixed with just nutrition and no medicines. She never stopped me from eating my favourite foods. Instead, she asked me to limit them while proactively taking countermeasures to offset any downsides of the favourites.
I have never been happier with my body, eating habits and biomarkers at least in the last five years. I cannot thank and recommend her enough. I hope she finds a way to onboard more people so that they can learn the basics of nutrition and how to connect with their food.
Food indeed is one of the best medicines if only you know which ones.
FINAL WORDS
Getting a deeper understanding of your health requirements is very important before defining any health goal. In Arun’s case, he came to me looking for muscle gain, but the only way we could do it was through other underlying health issues. I cannot emphasis this enough – always get the opinion of an expert when it comes to your health.
If you have health goals that you have been finding difficult to accomplish or plan for, feel free to book an exploratory call with. You can click on this link.
You can also get tons of tips on my Instagram. Click here to check it out.
All the best
Stay Healthy, Stay Unprocessed
