Joey Thurman enjoys a scroll-stopping well being and health problem. Once we related and he shared that he was about to do a 24-hour Dunkin’ Donuts problem whereas sporting a steady glucose monitor, I mentioned, “I would like in.” Thurman, a Chicago-based health skilled, who’s labored with a variety of clientele from WWE wrestlers to hedge fund executives, is understood for placing his physique by way of self-experiments to raised perceive what his purchasers may undergo.
“I’m a human guinea pig myself,” he informed 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 occasional. I jumped in to convey a feminine perspective to the metabolic insanity. Outfitted with steady glucose displays (CGM) and a meals log app, we wished to see if resistance coaching, walks, and apple cider vinegar may blunt the harm, 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 slightly below 2,400 energy: about 94 grams of protein, 202 grams of carbs, and 129 grams of fats. Joey went greater 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 secure sitting at my 85 mg/dL baseline, however it shortly become a Six Flags curler coaster journey that by no means appeared to finish. By the point of the problem I had been sporting the CGM for 10 days, so I knew my regular patterns nicely. Most meals would spike me to 95-98, hardly 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 many 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 objective, 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 take care of waves of refined carbs, by no means getting a break to let our blood sugar actually stabilize. Make sure to try his video as he logged your complete 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 fascinating and certain rooted in bioindividuality. My blood sugar by no means soared into excessive highs, however it lingered longer after meals. Thurman defined that may be as a result of excessive fats content material. “These are larger fats meals, which slows gastric emptying,” he famous after I described my sluggish glucose clearance.
However essentially the most fascinating distinction confirmed up in a single day. My information 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 quite a bit decrease than at any level all through the day for him, adopted by a rebound spike to 140 mg/dl. All that doubtless a liver glucose dump that coincided precisely with him waking up.
“I dropped all the way 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 information. “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 type of glucose swing is a reminder of how meals decisions and meal timing may 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 fascinating,” he mirrored. “I felt extra full than another day having half the energy.”
I felt the identical manner, and we have been each “hangry” all day.
The perpetrator, he defined, was doubtless the shortage 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 continuously however by no means feeling actually happy.
How Motion Impacted Blood Sugar
From a coaching perspective, the outcomes have been combined. 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 raise, however my legs felt heavy, and the vitality swings made it arduous to remain centered. By dinner, the bacon-and-donut combos produced what felt like a pharmaceutical yo-yo of vitality 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 secure your complete time from that stroll a number of hours beforehand,” he shared. “Motion is the largest distinction maker, and a brisk stroll is the quickest, best and best hack.”
I additionally give credit score to his skeletal muscle performing like a glucose sponge, pulling sugar out of his bloodstream by way of insulin-independent pathways.
The Sensible Takeaways
So what do you have to take from this metabolic rollercoaster journey?
Stroll it off, actually. A stroll after meals is an easy however highly effective software. As Thurman put it: “5 to 10 minutes after a meal. Do it thrice a day. That’s half-hour of motion with out ‘understanding.’ Sesame Road math,” he defined with a smile.
Protein helps, however it’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 muse for satiety and secure vitality. The considerably decrease ranges of fiber than what we each have been used to left us hungry your complete day.
Timing issues. Consuming too incessantly earlier than glucose from the final meal would clear stored our blood sugar ranges elevated between meals.
The Psychological Sport
The psychological part proved as essential because the physiological. Thurman’s perspective on deliberate indulgence versus guilt-driven restriction was notably insightful: “If you happen to’re going to have a day the place you go loopy, be ready mentally. You could know your self and your responses. If you happen to 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 durations. “Construction it round a giant exercise day, like leg day.”
The Backside Line
You may’t outlift donuts without end. 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 quite a bit, however it isn’t a free cross. A easy stroll after meals can work wonders, however it will probably’t fully override the metabolic price of consuming like a toddler at a birthday celebration for a complete day.
Most significantly, this experiment strengthened that sustainable well being is about making knowledgeable decisions and understanding the implications. Typically which means strategically deliberate indulgence round exercise. Typically it means strolling away from the donut case totally.
