Type 1 Building muscle and the gym

RollingJovi said:

I am a 37 year old man with diabetes type 1 since 1993. I have been on and off from using the local gym but I am fed up with motivation and lack of results. I'm wondering if anyone has some tips on how to gain muscle and have good blood glucose level control.

I understand that because of my age it is also wise to limit myself to about 3 times a week at the gym for recovery. I'm looking to gain some muscle and become more lean in my body but I always fail to work out my insulin dosage levels which results in disabling hypos.

Has anyone got any ideas or information they have found about body building and diabetes type 1 and all the recommended meals to have whilst body building?

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I dont think you are in any age where you should not exercise optimally, I do that and I am 53 years old and have arthritis too but just exercise optimally every time I am in the fitness center also 3 times a week, must say some days are worse than others where I have to go little lower in speed or weight or endurance... but I do exercise as optimal as my body lets me, and that does change my body and I do gain muscle maybe faster than most women...
I think it differs from one person to the other also among men how hard it is to gain muscle... but the right kind of proteins are essential and also the right amount... if you want to gain muscle you need to eat around 1-1.5 gram of protein pro kg body weight EVERY day... also when excercising 3 days a week as your body build as much if not more the days you do not exercise...
it is essential to have a program to purposely gain muscle.... so worth having a personal trainer or talk with an expert initially.
there are lots of good advice in you tube videos.. but maybe it takes time to find the ones you could benefit from

I myself seek inspiration on you tube too, sometimes when sitting for an hour on a kondi-bike then if my pace is not too fast I sometimes do listen to different kinds of lectures or advice....
maybe also take a multi vitamin and mineral pill daily and have your diet excamined to see if it is healthy enough to gain muscle from.. hope your blood glucose is in low enough level and you do not have ketosis from too high levels of blood glucose as that in that case can break down muscle instead of build up muscle..

I would say you should spent at least 3 x 2.5 hours a week to build muscle

sorry I am not diabetic type 1.. ao there you need much better advice than I can give you

I'm not sure who told you only to workout 3 days a week, but that's something I have no intention of following when I'm 37. Heck, my father works out nearly everyday and he's 56 years old.

In my opinion, you need to start with a foundation.
-Assess when and why you're having blood sugar issues.
-Modify your insulin approach as necessary
-Set weekly goals for yourself (lift weights 3 days a week, run 5 miles, avoid processed sugar, etc)

Start with easy and obtainable goals to get into a routine and build your self-confidence.
Don't try to do too much at once or you'll get frustrated and quit.

Why don't you start by sharing a bit about what your current approach looks like and any goals you feel comfortable telling us about?

RollingJovi said:

I'm not very active currently and spend most of my times at home due to my mental illness but I am looking to start the gym by going when the gym is not busy at 7am. I test my blood at least 4 times a day and have input from the district nurses for my insulin doses also due to my mental illness. Basically I have a fixed dose of 12 units am and pm of Levemir and 8 units of Humalog 3 times a day. These are all fixed doses so I will find it hard to accommodate insulin changes in there. I have nice areas around my home to run but haven't done much running and enjoyed it as much as I used to.

I understand I need to take protein intakes and stick to a healthy diet but I really am restricted by my mental health at times.

:-(

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I also mental problems mostly depressiv reactions But They have actually improved from the execise . I exercise a lot 3 days of around 5-6 hours every week at first I was totally exhausted But now I feel so fine when I come home But my body is tired But really it feels okay and have lately misser my exercise when I have had to do somethingelse . It helps a lot to listen to ones favorite Music while doing all the physical "torture". And sometimes have a treat when a goal is reached .
When starting I burned 300-400 calories each time on mashines the 600 Then 800 Then 1200 Then 1800 and now 2000 most days if my body accepts it. Today I had stomach pain and had to stop at 1900 calories and besides do mashines with weigh on all around the body musclewise

The proteins you can eat can come from eggs or meat both contains the. Right combination so Hou could just boil 10 eggs daily Each has cirka 7 grams of protein . The rest 50 grams of the protein I guess you already get from the food you eat now

You can also do some of your exercise at home the days you dont go to the fitness . Then you will not miss your training just because you need to stay home that day
Remember that muscles need to ace a little before They build up more cells for muscle

I use the My fitness pal app on a daily basis to track the micronutrients I consume closely in terms of carbs, protein and fat! I also find it very useful for aiding carb counting! Good luck!

Are you taking a background/basal insulin? Do you happen to know at what hours it's working at it's strongest? I wonder is the fast acting insulin crashing into the action of the background insulin?