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Bodybuilding and diabetes

M

Mal1978

Active Member
Messages
40
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I have very recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and was wondering if any of you guys are bodybuilders/gym goers and can give me a little info on when it would be safe to start training again, thanks in advance
 
I'm a massive gym goer and I often train about 13/14 hours a week so it is possible it just requires a bit of extra training. You can start now if you want if your comfortable
If your doing weights, then that for me doesn't tend to drop me massively whislt doing it however I drop like a brick about 2 hours afterwards.
Make sure you eat something beforehand and you must eat afterwards otherwise you will hypo. Also exercise can affect you 24 hours afterwards so you might find your a bit lower than normal. Also it might help to just test frequently when you are at the gym the first couple of times as then you will be able to find out what you personally do.
You need to take with you either Dexto tabs for if you do go low, or if your dropping a sip of lucazade is always good
If your looking for advice then a really good website is runsweet.com and that details loads of sports and ideas
The quicker you get into your normal routine the better as then you can adjust your diabetes accordingly
Good luck, feel free to message me any questions
 
@Mal1978 I will tag @mfactor as he is also a bodybuilder, and although he is Type 2 he might be able to also give you some advice.
 
Doug Burns is a type 1 that is or was (don't really follow it) Mr. Universe. For me it would be safe for you to workout when you have your BG under control. Generally speaking working out when your BG is too high isn't advised (like +250 Mg/Dl), too low is obviously a bad idea too.

When you start working out again you can expect some differences in your need for insulin, it will require you to search a bit for the right balance but don't let that put you off. Muscle is a much more useful fiber than fat especially when it comes to insulin sensitivity so have at it.

Edit: Forgot to say the most important condition namely, you need to be comfortable with working out with type 1.
 
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I posted in your other thread as well. If you had DKA at diagnosis I'd probably give your body a rest for a week or two. My blood sugar was around 33 at diagnosis but I didn't have DKA. I was back in the weight room within the week.

My general rule of thumb is to exercise as far from my last insulin injection as possible.

I'm currently recovering from a cracked rib (don't leg-press boys and girls) so I've been using that as an excuse to cut instead of bulk. I've upped my running from the usual 8-10miles/week to about 30-35miles this week.

I mention that because it's had a SIGNIFICANT effect on my insulin requirements. Even my basal (slow acting insult) had to be reduced as a result.

Another thing I've learned is that it takes longer to heal when your blood sugar is high and in some cases even when it's not when compared to before I had diabetes.
 
Mal1978 said:
I have very recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and was wondering if any of you guys are bodybuilders/gym goers and can give me a little info on when it would be safe to start training again, thanks in advance
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Another lifter woohoo ...........all good, as said I am T2 so things are a bit different , but quite a few type 1s on here so will let them advise you regarding your T1, but any questions about lifting and I will be happy to chime in....

@izzyj09 , 13/14 hours a week .... that's not all lifting is it .......remember the golden rule ....stimulate not annihilate ................ Unless you are under 25 where you can prob lift 8 hours a day............and then club all night
 
Evening all. I've just seen a research paper on the affects of doms on T2s. It says there were improvements in the pain felt by the group who were given BCAAs before, after and 24 hours later.
Apparently diabetes makes doms more painful? I just know that I'm always in pain somewhere 24 hours afterwards. (Or am I just a total wimp?)

Thought it was all age related stuff. I'm type 1 but wondering whether to give this ago. I need to research it first as my ideas of BCAAs are scrambled eggs afterwards.
Does anyone else use them?
 
Or OMG I can't get up the stairs to the loo without using my arms after leg day.
 
My blood sugars were 33 when diagnosed and I had large amounts of ketones in my urine but didn't pass over into DKA fortunately, I'm hoping to get back in the gym asap once I can get a balance on my bloods though weekly check ups could hinder that and the fact every little thing I eat seems to send my BS sky rocketing
 
I do lchf. It helps keep my blood sugars flatter. It might be worth your while taking it slow then. You must have felt like a bag of boiled s@@te.
Mine were 19 when I was diagnosed type 1 but I'd spotted it because almost everyone on my dads side were either type 1 or 2.
You were seriously lucky!
 
Yeah the doctors made it clear to me how lucky I was. I felt worse than a bag of boiled sh*te lol it is the lowest I've ever felt in my life, well until I had my first hypo today and thought I was going to fall apart I was shaking that much.
 
I think the two advantages (?) to being diagnosed as an adult is that you've lived a life (getting p@@@ed with mates and all that) and you are the only person in charge of how you sort it.
I ate the standard diet told by the hospital for years and spent 20 yrs on a roller coaster. Thought this is **** but better than the alternative. Then discovered the Internet and sites like this. Ended up in lchf and flatter more stable bloods. Still gave the occasion low but they tend to be high 3s and safe to sort out. Plus I don't have a lit of insulin on board with not eating loads of carbs.
I hated the old hypos because it makes you feel so out of control and I really do not want someone's help to survive. I'm too young for a carer.
You've still got lots to learn especially about your own responses to food, stress, alcohol, and...... Just to begin with.
You do have wanting to be healthy in your favour. I can sometimes get a free meal out of a training session because of increases insulin sensitivity. (Means a couple of squares of 90% chocolate - the Rock and roll life).

Sorry if this preachy. Not meant to be just test, test, test. And this is on an alcohol free night!
 
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The more information the better, I'm trying to soak up as much as possible as quickly as possible, I do have another question that someone maybe able to help with, I have my lantus about 9pm but I'm going to be working tonight till about 4am which means I'll wake later which will knock my day time routine out, will it make a massive difference?
 
If I was out late, I'd set my alarm for normal get up and test. Then go from there. I'd either eat and go back to bed or just go back to sleep depending on sugars. You might want to start a new thread with that as your heading because more people will see it.
 
Mal1978 said:
I have very recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and was wondering if any of you guys are bodybuilders/gym goers and can give me a little info on when it would be safe to start training again, thanks in advance
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Retired bodybuilder from the 80's.Competed with EFBB. I regularly trained with Francoise Chung - runner up light weight Mr Universe in 1982 (?) and my coach was Andrew Searle (EFBB Heavyweight champion and competed in the World's. If you look hard enough on the internet you may find one or two articles about me under the heading of Phoenix O'Shea. ( I came back from a car crash that would have killed most people. I broke my leg but was back in the gym within THREE weeks - doing leg work!) Qualifications over - I became diabetic in October 2015. First thing I did was read everything on this site. Second up - everything I could find on Tim Belknap -a diabetic body builder who went on to become an early day legend in the 80's.
Third - and this is the difficult bit, take everything with a pinch of salt and be careful. High intensity stuff is great (I still train like Dorian Yates (not as heavy but you know what I mean - warm up then one set to failure - intense and it works, just be careful and watch your blood sugar levels. I'm Type 2. You're type 1 - I suspect you are going to need some medical advice in there too.
 
@Sean01 I understand if you don't wish to discuss this bit but what do you know about 'supplementing' and diabetes and how safe if at all is it?
 
Mal1978 said:
@Sean01 I understand if you don't wish to discuss this bit but what do you know about 'supplementing' and diabetes and how safe if at all is it?
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Are you putting "supplementing" in quotations subtly referring to gear (steroids), or are you actually asking about supplements?

Obviously, it would depend on which supplements you were taking for us to be able to say if we think they're safe or not.
 
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