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Is There Ever Gonna Be A Cure For This?

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Vanchatron

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I'm 21 years old & have had Type 1 diabetes since I was 9 years old, and I'm getting extremely fed up of it. The main reason for this is that it goes against one of my main passions in life which is bodybuilding. I've been bodybuilding now for around 6 years but I'm finding that because I'm diabetic it's getting extremely hard to add muscle/lose fat.

The reason for this is (as you all know) the body doesn't produce Insulin... OK, well straight after a workout non diabetics receive something called an "insulin spike" which is their pancreas giving out Insulin in order to meet the demands of all the post workout food you're taking in. Now obviously because I'm diabetic this doesn't apply to me, and post workout nutrition is one of (if not "THE") the most important meals for a bodybuilder.

Also, being diabetic my blood sugar levels are "at times" a little high, although I try my best to keep them as low as possible, and because of this my body suffers. Having high blood sugar levels makes it extremely difficult to add muscle or lose fat.

Another thing is that I require a hell of a lot of food (6-7 meals a day) in order to keep adding muscle and obviously some of these calories are going to have to come from carbs as I can't have 7 meals of just Protein & Fats. Carbs are regarded as the devil when it comes to Diabetes, and obviously this completely goes against my wanting to be a bodybuilder.

To be honest, I haven't even thought of a cure until now, and I've just been reading some things about type 1 diabetic mice being injected with a drug used for patients with Tuberculosis, and miraculously they were cured of diabetes & their pancreas went back to working as normal.

What do you all think in regards to a cure? I would give up ALL my upcoming Christmas's & Birthdays in a flash if it meant I could be cured of this ****.
 
Hi Vanchatron

It must be really hard if diabetes is directly affecting your ability to do the sport you care about. Have you ever managed to get contact with other Type 1 body builders on bodybuilding forums to see if they have any tips about how to increase muscle (I'm sure there must be a few diabetic body builders out there).

I think when I got diabetes (10 years ago) I just accepted without question that it was for life and never really imagined it would be cured. But then the other day I was reading about Dr Faustman and got all my hopes up. Have you seen this video of Dr Faustman discussing her research? http://www.diabetesdaily.com/edelman/20 ... s-cure.php It's quite long (48 mins) but really fascinating.

Even if her research offers a cure she said it will take 8-10 years to finish the trials so maybe it's best to operate on the principle that there is no cure in the imminent future and keep you sugar as low as you can without it affecting your enjoyment of your personal interests.

I would love to know what any of you sciency bods think of Faustman's research? Hannadr? Does it sound plausible?
 
Thanks for that link, I'm gonna sit & watch that later :D

I haven't actually spoken to any other diabetics who enjoy bodybuilding, even though I'm a member of numerous bodybuilding forums. I just never bothered to discuss it with anybody there, because I assumed nobody would know how to answer me.
 
Hi Vanchatron and welcome to the forum.
I don't recall anyone ever having asked about bodybuilding before and I'm afraid it's a topic that I know little about. Have you tried Googling "bodybuilding and diabetes"? I just did and found loads of hits, to sites with sections specifically on bodybuilding when you have diabetes, and one bodybuilding web forum where there was quite a lot of discussion about diabetes.

Have a look - there might be something of value in there (even if all the site did seem to be American ones).
 
Cheers for that mate. I too just did a search and found quite a number of articles on it. I didn't realise bodybuilding was that popular in diabetics. There's even a pro bodybuilder who makes his living off of it, and he's diabetic which is great, I only just found out about him :o

Timo, that link you posted opens up new hope for me I guess, although I can't see them coming up with a cure as soon a I'm hoping for one haha, it'd be a little too coincidental I think. I'd sorta think I was in the Truman Show if a cure came out tomorrow and I'd just asked about it :lol:

It lets us hope though, which is a good thing. At least it lets us know that people out there aren't just forgetting about us & brushing diabetes to one side.

Thanks.
 
Hey mate,
I go to the gym and get so far and thats it - no further growth for me - I dont really want huge muscles tho cos find being 6ft 1 its even harder to get clothes to hang on me properly!!!

However my best mate does bodybuild and has done for years. he is type 1 and has a huge chest and biceps!!

I use whey protein and occassionally venture into creatine but I seriously dont believe it can do you any good longterm, however he has no problems and maintains good control. I believe he uses the esther creatine and whey protein along with some other stuff.

His carb intake is huge compared to mine tho! Low carbers steer clear of this topic :lol:

Do you want me to see if he will talk to you?? You can share experiences at least. He may give you some pointers.

Paul
 
That would be brilliant mate, thanks a lot. I too take some supplements such as Whey & the Esther creatine you mentioned (CEE). I'm also on a pretty hgih carb diet compared to most round here, and just wondered if there was any long term implications because of it.
 
Hi mate, just been directed to your query by my mate Paul.

I've been insulin dependant for 19 years and have been training for about the same time.

At the last check I was 84kg and 6% bodyfat. My diet consists of around 300-350g carbs, 120-150g protein and <80g fat per day - so about 2700 cals. My job is quite inactive (sat at a desk!) so any more cals would = more body fat.

Insulin-wise I'm on 22u Lantus and 18 Humalog - so roughly 15g carbs per unit. If I'm eating more then I'll increase insulin (usually just the humalog) in this ratio. eg if I have an extra 60g carbs (curry night!) then i'll have an extra 4 units to work with the extra carbs. If you want to increase your carbs for bulking up then you first need to work out youw insulin/carb ratio as above.

Protein throughout the day is essential - and especially within an hour of your workout when nutrient take-up is at its most efficient. I have 4 protein shakes a day (of approx 25-30g). I use the low-carb ones although I've tried the 50/50 protein/carb mixes and they don't seem to have any affect on BM levels when taken either side of a workout.

I also use CEE (2x1100mg tabs a day) adn ZMA. These both increase strength quite noticably so you will work harder - just make sure you have enough protein for recovering from the extra intensity.

My training plan is simple - 5 days a week, 1 body part per session. (Arms, Legs, Chest, Shoulders, Back). I try not to train more that 3 days without a recovery day. Each session consists of several sets of compound exercises (one or 2 exercises) followed by a few defining exercises. I also try to do 20-30 mins cardio at the end of each session. I find I'm at my most productive after work (3-4 hours after lunch, although i will have a shake and cee half an hour before training). I drink plenty of water through the day too - slight dehydration will have a big impact and we're quite vulnerable to this, especially if BM goes a bit high after meals.

In terms of managing BM level during the weights session I don't find this a problem - the humalog is usually fairly inactive by the time i get to the gym and the short intense training-rest cycle prompts your liver to maintain enough glucose in your bloodstream for an hour-hour and a half session. Sometimes i find the CV session reduces it below 4 so beware of this - you probebly won't feel the symptoms until you stop.

Hope this helps!

A.
 
ha Al, you're gonna be well popular on here having that amount of carbs lol!!! - PLEASE NOTE THIS ISNT FOR EVERYONE lol!

My carb intake is 'only' 240ish grams!!

Paul
 
Paul - High carb diet isn't a problem as long as your insulin matches the type and quantity. If in doubt or drunk, just ask Martin!
 
I'm just gonna stand back and watch the fallout from that on here.....ka boom!
 
There's room for everyone's opinion on here! 8)

Although even I think 240's pushing the boat out. Then again if you're using the energy...
 
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