Hi @IronLioness
Diabetes - may the problem - but indirectly.
We are all different. We react to food and training differently and diabetes only magnifies the vast range of differences.
I've heard that muscle loss can be an issue and that it is important for diabetics to maintain size....and therefore strength - after all, bigger muscles burn more fuel (ue more energy....i.e. sugar)
However, if you are low carbing, you may be losing glycogen stores in your muscles - this will be particularly noticeable in large muscles like the quads. The reduced glycogen will lead to flatness and a loss of definition.
Water is also an issue - without the glycogen, water is not pulled into the muscles to enlarge them.
Add to this the possible effects of any medication plus any increase in aerobic activity (walking/jogging etc) you might be doing, general change of diet, medication and of course..........stress (even with a small s) from dealing with your new condition.
One last one. It strikes me that most of the side effects of T2 (I don't know much about the other types) are similar to age related conditions - loss of sight, limbs, heart disease, kidney disease, using the bathroom more frequently and of course a reduction in muscle mass and strength.
Diabetes may be causing an 'unavoidable effect' BUT, you can do what I know you can do. You can fight this and you can slow down some of the ageing effects. Hell, you can even reverse them. Keep the weights heavy. Go 'YATES' in the gym - you know what I mean, and by making your muscles work hard, you will maintain muscle mass for longer and you can even pack on a few pounds. (My shoulders, legs and back are still growing - you can do this.)
Now get out there, sling some extra iron on the bar, tighten up and belt out out those reps. You're doing this for you!
Gofrit
Sean
Diabetes - may the problem - but indirectly.
We are all different. We react to food and training differently and diabetes only magnifies the vast range of differences.
I've heard that muscle loss can be an issue and that it is important for diabetics to maintain size....and therefore strength - after all, bigger muscles burn more fuel (ue more energy....i.e. sugar)
However, if you are low carbing, you may be losing glycogen stores in your muscles - this will be particularly noticeable in large muscles like the quads. The reduced glycogen will lead to flatness and a loss of definition.
Water is also an issue - without the glycogen, water is not pulled into the muscles to enlarge them.
Add to this the possible effects of any medication plus any increase in aerobic activity (walking/jogging etc) you might be doing, general change of diet, medication and of course..........stress (even with a small s) from dealing with your new condition.
One last one. It strikes me that most of the side effects of T2 (I don't know much about the other types) are similar to age related conditions - loss of sight, limbs, heart disease, kidney disease, using the bathroom more frequently and of course a reduction in muscle mass and strength.
Diabetes may be causing an 'unavoidable effect' BUT, you can do what I know you can do. You can fight this and you can slow down some of the ageing effects. Hell, you can even reverse them. Keep the weights heavy. Go 'YATES' in the gym - you know what I mean, and by making your muscles work hard, you will maintain muscle mass for longer and you can even pack on a few pounds. (My shoulders, legs and back are still growing - you can do this.)
Now get out there, sling some extra iron on the bar, tighten up and belt out out those reps. You're doing this for you!
Gofrit
Sean
, but definitely I'll test out upping carbs as I don't think it's good to be losing this amount of muscle, and it's only been since diagnosis, ie, when I dropped carbs right down. Stupidly, I didn't even consider this as a side effect of the diagnosis, yeesh. I need to really get in gear with figuring out nutritionally how to have reasonable carbs without pushing up my BG rating, especially to keep it sustainable.
