I’ve been pre diabetic for about the past 2 years. I stared intermittent fasting in may of last year. I do 20:4 (I eat dinner) with one 36 hour fast a week and an occasional 72 hour fast. I’ve lost 35 pounds. However, my morning blood sugars have gone from about 110 in the morning to 120s to 130s. I know this is the dawn phenomenon and was researching what to do about it. A few sources say that eating breakfast can help, but I’m really hesitant to do that because of the weight loss success I’ve had with fasting. I guess another alternative would be to have my fasting window from noon to 8 am, but I really want to have dinner with my family. Any thought?
Answer
Dr. Jason Fung seems to think that’s the liver trying to release its overload of glycogen and fat. It’s in Obesity or Diabetes code. Although I’m sure it’s unsettling to see your numbers going up, not down, it might possibly be a good thing? 110 to 130 isn’t enough to do any harm that I am aware of. It’s possible it might boost your A1c a tad. I had fastings consistently around 140 for years, and still had an A1c well under 6. I found eating even a small amount dropped my levels, but if you are fasting, I would just continue fasting.