Joey Thurman enjoys a scroll-stopping well being and health problem. After we linked and he shared that he was about to do a 24-hour Dunkin’ Donuts problem whereas carrying a steady glucose monitor, I mentioned, “I need in.” Thurman, a Chicago-based health professional, who’s labored with a variety of clientele from WWE wrestlers to hedge fund executives, is thought for placing his physique via self-experiments to higher perceive what his purchasers would possibly undergo.
“I’m a human guinea pig myself,” he instructed me. “I like actually seeing what occurs to my physique and the way I really feel.”
This time, he got down to eat nothing however Dunkin’ Donuts a la carte for a complete day whereas monitoring his blood sugar response. Assume sandwiches, wraps, donuts, bacon snacks, and low. I jumped in to carry a feminine perspective to the metabolic insanity. Geared up with steady glucose displays (CGM) and a meals log app, we needed to see if resistance coaching, walks, and apple cider vinegar may blunt the injury, or whether or not the glucose curler coaster would run the present.
What the Numbers Confirmed
I aimed for roughly 2,000 energy and 100 grams of protein. Nevertheless, it proved to be a problem at a series the place donuts and croissants rule the menu. My precise log got here in at just below 2,400 energy: about 94 grams of protein, 202 grams of carbs, and 129 grams of fats. Joey went larger in each sense, consuming 4,500 energy with a a lot larger protein goal. He carries far more muscle mass than I do, so his goal made excellent sense.
My blood sugar began steady sitting at my 85 mg/dL baseline, but it surely rapidly became a Six Flags curler coaster experience that by no means appeared to finish. By the point of the problem I had been carrying the CGM for 10 days, so I knew my regular patterns properly. Most meals would spike me to 95-98, rarely cracking 100 until dessert was concerned. But each single Dunkin’ meal launched me into the triple digits.
Thurman’s ranges have been barely completely different however equally revealing. His glucose was within the triple digits a lot of the day and even hit 160 mg/dL at one level.
The spikes have been only one factor, it was the relentless frequency. To hit our protein aim, Joey and I needed to eat 5 occasions all through the day, roughly each three hours. This created a metabolic nightmare the place we’d set off one other insulin response earlier than our glucose may even return to baseline from the earlier meal. Our pancreases have been working time beyond regulation, pumping out insulin to cope with waves of refined carbs, by no means getting a break to let our blood sugar actually stabilize. Make sure to take a look at his video as he logged all the day! He even added a management day a day previous to see how Dunkin Donuts would affect his blood sugar with none exercise concerned.
Why Bioindividuality Issues
The variations between us have been attention-grabbing and certain rooted in bioindividuality. My blood sugar by no means soared into excessive highs, but it surely lingered longer after meals. Thurman defined that is perhaps as a result of excessive fats content material. “These are larger fats meals, which slows gastric emptying,” he famous once I described my sluggish glucose clearance.
However essentially the most fascinating distinction confirmed up in a single day. My knowledge settled into the 80s mg/dL and stayed regular. Joey’s, however, had a pointy drop to 73mg/dL at 3:15 a.m., which was lots decrease than at any level all through the day for him, adopted by a rebound spike to 140 mg/dl. All that seemingly a liver glucose dump that coincided precisely with him waking up.
“I dropped right down to 73 [mg/dL] at 3:15 AM, after which at 3:45, it jumped as much as 140 [mg/dL],” Joey mentioned, checking his sleep knowledge. “I used to be awake at 3:48. The very same time. That’s immediately coinciding.” For athletes and lifters who typically wrestle with sleep high quality, that sort of glucose swing is a reminder of how meals selections and meal timing would possibly ripple into restoration.
Energy vs Starvation
What struck us each was starvation. Regardless of consuming 4,500 energy, Thurman was ravenous. “The starvation was actually attention-grabbing,” he mirrored. “I felt extra full than every other day having half the energy.”
I felt the identical approach, and we have been each “hangry” all day.
The wrongdoer, he defined, was seemingly the dearth of fiber on the Dunkin’ menu. On the Dunkin’ day, Joey consumed simply 11 grams of fiber, whereas his common is at the very least six occasions that quantity. Whereas fats slows gastric emptying, it doesn’t set off the identical satiety alerts as fiber-rich meals. We have been consuming consistently however by no means feeling actually happy.
How Motion Impacted Blood Sugar
From a coaching perspective, the outcomes have been blended. Thurman loved the pump that comes with carb-loading. He stored his exercise easy and accessible. He did three working units every of again squats, bench press, and cable rows, totaling about 12-15 compound motion units. “My exercise was nice. I imply, I’m at all times vascular, however I used to be all pumped up, able to go,” he mentioned.
My expertise was completely different. I tackled a lower-body HIIT circuit. I may nonetheless elevate, however my legs felt heavy, and the power swings made it onerous to remain targeted. By dinner, the bacon-and-donut combos produced what felt like a pharmaceutical yo-yo of power and mind fog.
Thurman’s post-meal exercises and walks made a dramatic distinction, he recalled. Along with resistance coaching, he additionally tracked over 14,000 steps that day. “It stayed just about steady all the time from that stroll a couple of hours beforehand,” he shared. “Motion is the most important distinction maker, and a brisk stroll is the quickest, best and handiest hack.”
I additionally give credit score to his skeletal muscle performing like a glucose sponge, pulling sugar out of his bloodstream via insulin-independent pathways.
The Sensible Takeaways
So what must you take from this metabolic rollercoaster experience?
Stroll it off, actually. A stroll after meals is a straightforward however highly effective instrument. As Thurman put it: “5 to 10 minutes after a meal. Do it 3 times a day. That’s half-hour of motion with out ‘understanding.’ Sesame Avenue math,” he defined with a smile.
Protein helps, but it surely’s not a protect when paired with excessive fats and sugar. We each hit our protein targets however nonetheless felt undernourished and glucose spikes have been nonetheless frequent.
Fiber stays the inspiration for satiety and steady power. The considerably decrease ranges of fiber than what we each have been used to left us hungry all the day.
Timing issues. Consuming too ceaselessly earlier than glucose from the final meal would clear stored our blood sugar ranges elevated between meals.
The Psychological Recreation
The psychological element proved as vital because the physiological. Thurman’s perspective on deliberate indulgence versus guilt-driven restriction was significantly insightful: “When you’re going to have a day the place you go loopy, be ready mentally. You should know your self and your responses. When you can’t have a cheat day with out beating your self up the subsequent day, don’t.”
He advocates for reframing “cheat days” as strategic refeeds round high-activity intervals. “Construction it round a giant exercise day, like leg day.”
The Backside Line
You possibly can’t outlift donuts endlessly. Protein and train blunted the glucose spikes, however fats, sugar, and low fiber nonetheless dragged our focus, starvation, and restoration.
The information confirmed what we each felt: train helps lots, but it surely isn’t a free go. A easy stroll after meals can work wonders, however it may well’t fully override the metabolic price of consuming like a toddler at a celebration for a complete day.
Most significantly, this experiment bolstered that sustainable well being is about making knowledgeable selections and understanding the results. Generally meaning strategically deliberate indulgence round exercise. Generally it means strolling away from the donut case fully.
