Type1 Diabetes and bodybuilding

Hi @Sush25

Do you carb count and adjust your insulin?

Tagging @TorqPenderloin for you as he knows about such things.

Sush25 said:

Yah i count my carbs and adjust insulin dose

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Ok And how are your blood sugars?

Sush25 said:

@azure I don't track BG frequently but they are normal or slightly higher than normal

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How many times a day do you test?

If your blood sugar is higher than normal that may be causing you to lose/not be able to put on weight.

I know nothing about bodybuilding, but I would recommend close attention to blood sugars, which means frequent and regular testing.

Sush25 said:

@azure i check my BG 1 or 2 times a month
When go to doctor

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Don't you have a blood meter at home? How can you carb count and adjust your insulin if you don't know what your blood sugar is?

I would suggest that being unaware of your blood sugar throughout the day is going to make your bodybuilding much harder, as well as risk your health short term and long term.

What country are you in? Do you have difficulty accessing blood testing equipment?

Sush25 said:

@azure i am from India
I know some info about diet and nutrition
According to that i count carbs
I made a diet plan for muscle building
And i follow that
And i don't have bg tracking machine

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Ok If you can't access a blood glucose meter, then that makes control harder. I'm not sure what the alternatives are in India.

What insulins do you take and when?

I've tagged @TorqPenderloin for you but he may not be able to reply straightaway so do keep checking this thread

Sush25 said:

Ok t

@azure
Thanks for tagging
I take fast acting novomix insulin aspart

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Ok

I just got married and was on my honeymoon so was away from the forum for a bit.

First of all- you're not going to gain an ounce of muscle unless your blood sugar levels are under control. The unfortunate science of hyperglycemia is that your body will begin to breakdown muscle as a mechanism for survival. Fat retention is another mechanism for survival

Second of all- another unfortunate part of science is that gaining muscle, even with excellent blood sugar levels, is extremely hard. Look up pictures of bodybuilders in their non-competition months. Many of them will intentionally gain 50lbs in the hope that they can add 3-5lbs of muscle the following year.

-Avoid high blood sugar levels as much as reasonably possible. I realize that will be extremely difficult without a blood glucometer.
-Don't try to eat everything in sight. If you eat 4000 calories a day it will not only be hard to regulate your blood sugar levels, but you'll also likely be storing a ton of fat (without adding much muscle).
-Big weights need big muscles to move them. Focus on maximum strength in the gym rather than doing 15 repetitions of lower weights.

Congratulations @TorqPenderloin!

Hi!

Check out this guy: video

He talks about some of the necessities you're looking for, and he's close to your age.
If you check out his latest videos, you'll see that he's quite muscular. Great inspiration!

Then Phil Graham, a fitness expert, also has T1D and wrote a book about building muscle with diabetes.

Sush25 said:

Hi guys i am T1 diabetic
I recently started weight lifting
My age is 17
I can't gain because of diabetes
I use novolog fast acting insulin
Can anyone please suggest me how can i gain using insulin
I read much of web but i confused how to take insulin for muscle building
For now i take insulin like this:
1. 11iu before breakfast
Then eat 2 breakfast of 119g of carb
2. 9iu before lunch
Then eat 1 lunch and 1 pre workout meal of 97g of carbs
3. 12iu before post workout
Then eat 1 post workout, 1 dinner and 1 before bed meal total of 121g of carbs
Does this good?
I gained some muscle but I gained lot of fat
Please help
Thanks ;-)

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you must check your levels 3 times day min

There's loads of T1 diabetics who weight train and gain plenty of muscle. Again, look on YouTube. There's loads of different opinions to gain from eating carbs and protein to gaining on a keto diet. Insulin is incorrectly and dangerously by some weight trainers. Just ensure your blood tests are the best they can be. Eat tidy, clean, do some cardio and workout regularly. Unfortunately, carbs and insulin will sometimes lead to weight gain. Consider that you may be gaining weight and that this may either be muscle or fat. All the best.

@johnnybvilla and @Ktmpedro220 do you realised you are responding to a thread that is over 2 years old?