Low carb, exercise and hypos

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tbcgaz

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Hi guys, new to the forum. :D

I stumbled across the forum searching online about low carb diets and diabetes as I am a type 1 diabetic who plays rugby and I am looking to bulk up. A few of the guys at my club are on low carb, high protein diets and i wasnt sure how this would affect me.

I think I would be ok with adjusting my insulin to suit the low ammount of carbs I would be taking but can anybody advise me about exercise. I train for rugby twice a week, play on a saturday, do cardio/conditioning for one or two days and rest one/two days.

It is obvious that I will need to take sugars/carbs before training so as not to become hypoglycemic but how would this affect fat loss from the low carb diet?
 
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hanadr

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You don't need to eat carbs before exercise and latest research has found that dieters on low carb and exercise, don't lose lean mass like low cal dieters do. I recommend you read Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. You'll find all you need there.
Hana
 
IanD

IanD

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tbcgaz said:
Maybe I am being silly but if I dont take on sugars before training then will I not become hypoglycaemic?
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Hana is T2, as I am, so our advice is not directly relevant, except that we both are elderly, & live active lives.

I'm not into rugby, but I play tennis & table tennis with no endurance problems. I only take water during play, not energy drinks nor bananas.

I learned my low carbing from a T1 Fergus who transformed his life (& mine!) by low carbing. He is young, & does distance cycling & running.
 
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Fletch

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Hi tbcgaz,

I am a 38 year old male Type 1 who has been following a low carb, less than 30g per day, diet for several months now. I do not play Rugby but I do weight train and cycle quite a bit. I do not take any extra carbs pre or post training and generally I find that my levels stay within a fairly tight range and tend not to dip all that much. For example, I cycled home from work on Monday evening - which is about a 10 mile commute and quite hilly - my BG was 6.1 before I set off - tested about 20 mins post cycle and it was down only a fraction to 5.6.

I find that when I follow the low carb diet exercise has far less of an impact than when I used to carb load - this could be down to the fact that there is less circulating insulin but I suspect also because your body has much easier access to fatty acids that you burn instead of the carbs when low carbing - overall I feel much better working out this way than I ever did whilst eating the carbs.

Like everything experiment and keep testing you will soon get the hang of it....as for muscle building you will find that you have no problems with that either - you will lose fat whilst maintaining or building muscle..try it...just keep an eye out for your BG numbers increasing if you lift heavy - you may need a little fast acting insulin to balance this out - something to do with stress hormones being released that increases your blood sugar I believe.

You may also want to read Fergus's posts on low carb and exercising as he is far better at explaining all of this than I am - Fergus keeps fantastic control and is a keen cyclists/runner so he has a vast amount of knowledge on the subject.

All the best, Fletch.
 
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tbcgaz

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Thanks very much for your help Fletch, it has put my mind at rest. I have actually suffered from high bg after weights sessions but could never understand it. Good to learn that it is normal. I am definetly going to start cutting carbs out my diet and starting start hitting the intense weights on monday.
 
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ally5555

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Thank you Ian for being sensible here - you and hana are not rugby players!

Rugby has various needs - most rugby players are not calculating their protein requirements and taking excessive amounts. The dear old protein shakes! Requirements vary between backs and forwards as their size and bulk is different. I have alot of experience with Rugby by the way!

As a rule I generally use around 1.4-1.7gprotein/kg but it is def not low carb either.

Players need carbs but the timing is the key - based on training and playing. I have lost track of those who have experimented with low carb and rugby and found their energy levels have decreased and recovery times dimished. Hana rugby players will not survive on 30gCHO /day. It comes and goes in rugby - and I have 2 living at home with me ( kids) as well!!

TBH my advice would be to find a sports dietitian near you and get some proper advice - I am one but cannot give you anything other than general advice. Runsweet.com is also a useful source of information!

If you cannot find one pm me as I have alot of contacts all over the UK.

allyx
 
phoenix

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IanD

IanD

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I played 4 sets of tennis yesterday afternoon over 3 hours. I had a cup of tea after the second set, but otherwise only water.

After
2nd set - 6.7
3rd - 4.8
4th - 6.7
home again - 6.4

My 'system' obviously sensed the low BG & supplied what was needed (& more?!)
 
clearviews

clearviews

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Yet another "elderly" (thanks for that one IanD :wink: ) T2 here who blossoms on around 30 grams of carbs a day and is not a Rugby player. However, I am a volunteer firefighter which can mean in a very short space of time I can be on a plane being flown interstate for a 5 day commitment as happened February 2009 in the disastrous Victorian fires. In 40+C heat my ketogenic diet easily matched the levels of extremely physically demanding conditions in mountains and never once did my energy levels need topping up with carbohydrates over and above my 30 grams a day. We instruct our crews to try to drink about a litre of water an hour to keep hydrated.

My system just uses a different fuel these days. Last week I did my very first class of Zumba dancing with a special 2 hour intro session. At 58 I was one of the oldest but kept up with the mostly 20 somethings who more than likely power their bodies on carbs. Twenty four years ago I would have worked the fireground powered on carbs but to say that I NEED carbs (above my 30) is no longer the case. I would not be included in a contingent ever again if I flagged and risked the lives of 3 or 4 others in my crew in the face of a firestorm. Low carbs does not mean low energy.
Alison
 
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