Did having muscles help you?

I'm no real expert here but as far as I can gather, I think eating really well is the key.
In other words if you eat loads of rubbish (carbs, refined stuff), even the most vigorous exercise won't keep problems at bay for ever. You may delay them a bit...?

I've heard that resistance exercise is really good for us. I cycle rather than do weights.
I suppose the point is that anyone who exercises lots and cares about their fitness is more likely to pay attention to their diet.

Having said all that, if you look like the guy in the photo, I won't argue whatever regime you wish to follow!

Best of luck

EllieM said:

While I agree that diet is key I certainly notice, as a T1, that I need less insulin if I am doing a lot of exercise.

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Maybe I'm being dim, but is that because you're burning up the glucose?
Do you think there's a different process in T2s?

IMO muscles are the key to remission or honeymoon or how you want to call it. They are responsible for 80% of postprandial glucose uptake from the circulation, so more muscles means less need for insulin.

I think I lost muscle mass when I lost weight so much so, that I include small weights in with my cycling and boxing workouts now. I have muscle now but I think my sugar levels are better now due to diet, exercise and only eating within a certain time frame. I too have muscles now in my arms, legs and places I never thought I had muscle!

I don’t have much in the way of muscles due to being a woman and also due to many years of dieting on low cal diets with not enough protein.
Those who have never tried to lose weight prior to diagnosis are at an advantage over those of us who have slowed down our metabolisms by punishing our bodies in this way.

So, not having good muscles puts me at a disadvantage when it comes to reversal. I am doing my best to improve my muscles to help combat IR but it's very difficult.

Calling @Mbaker

I think it helped me enormously. Originally my reason for weight training was to try to fill in some of what I lost in body fat. I found I like the lifestyle of bodybuilding (natural) and weight training, which is really aligned with being healthy. The videos seem like good information

Jo_the_boat said:

Maybe I'm being dim, but is that because you're burning up the glucose?
Do you think there's a different process in T2s?

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I think the process is the same in any human being but where we all differ is in how 'good' our bodies are at using stored glucose and how much insulin a body has on board at the time and whether it's efficiently operating or not or even getting through. So for me as a type 1, I too need to use less insulin sometimes reducing it the day before I wish to go for a run. The reason for this is that I do not have any control over exactly what injected insulin I have on board at any given second/minute or when it's going to drip out so I run...my body utilises its stored glucose as a burst of energy...glucose levels drop as they're being used up....previously injected insulin randomly decides to kick in and there's nothing you can do to stop it other than to try and predict what might happen by using less insulin before running etc, then it says hello to dropping glucose levels and helps it to drop even more...and introduces you to a hypo!

A non diabetics body will realise that its glucose levels are dropping so its very efficient insulin response will stop and start to maintain the balance. Or...sometimes my glucose levels will rise on a particularly strenuous run because my other hormones (cortisol/adrenaline) kick i as it thinks I'm fleeing and in danger so helpfully drops an even bigger dose of glucose. If I have insufficient insulin on board at that particular moment then there is nothing to bring those levels down and the time it then takes them to come down differs for everyone no matter the type. Of course I could then use a little insulin after my run but if I do that I can guarantee for up to 24 hours later its more hypos!

I can only tell you out of experience from my own body.
Large muscle mass on top of fat made me hugely IR. Muscle density didn't help my poor quality insulin or not enough insulin to work through the fat.
Body weight caused me to need hundreds of units of extra insulin to function and for the energy to breathe in and out.
I'm a middle aged woman but I suspect I was IR at 6yrs old so all the muscle building I did was in vain it seemed but I do believe my strong heart is due to good muscle building too.
In the cardiac ward for suspected heart attack a few years ago I was checked out and my heart did very very well. The advice was "to keep active". I saw mainly weak ladies next to me who had long term heart problems. I'm not sure if the heart problem came first then their weak slim bodies or weak body didn't help nurturing the healthy strong muscles in the heart. Of course some are hereditary conditions so muscle strength may help, I guess.
Diabetes effects most areas of the body including muscles. The healthier you can keep them (no matter the size) the better in my book.
I hope this helps in some way.
Also I know a rare few body builders have used insulin to interfere with metabolism in their favour (weight gain). Not safe hence most bodybuilders only use heavy protein eating and many gym visits a day.
Treating your body correctly is the answer to a healthy body, which includes the muscles.

I’ve been going to the gym for years, I stopped for a while but now back at it on average 5 times a week, I do both cardio and weights , I don’t really notice a drastic change in my insulin requirements ,. I don’t stick to any particular diet just try and have a good balance. I do know that my sugars change depending whether I’m doing cardio or weights , ( this is expected down with cardio up with weights)
I don’t know about insulin resistance etc etc when at the gym but I do know it keeps me fit it makes me feel healthier and I know from past experience that being fit has saved my life

Yes from my perspective muscle mass made a big difference. I stopped swimming when I started a new job and after a stressful day my blood sugar was 270.mg/dl.and after swimming again it would be 120 mg/dl.

I have already posted this the forum last winter we experienced a major snow storm and lost power for a week, The only thing I could eat was carbs due to the fact I could not cook anything. During that time my numbers where fine. I believed the increased muscle mass I got from swimming helped. I will admit I also lost a lot of weight. I do agree even with exercise you should never go off the wagon with the diet.