Bodybuilders with Diabetes

[Running2live]

This thread is brilliant. It's so hard to find info on bodybuilding and t1d. Even my nutritionists at the hospital can't give me much info. They just give me info about running marathons etc not lifting. I had to learn a lot myself through trial and error and piecing it together.

I've been diabetic 17 years, been pretty active for the last 5 years or so but got serious about bodybuilding just under a year ago. I've definitely found that keeping my blood sugars tight helps with fat loss and muscle gains. Although the fat loss can happen at an infuriatingly slow pace. Getting my macros on point was the most beneficial thing, any bodybuilder has to sort their macros but it helps with my blood sugars too because I'm really concentrating on my portion sizes and weighing food etc so I can count my carbs really accurately and get better level control.

Was wondering, do we go catabolic when we go high? Just before I was diagnosed I was insanely skinny even though I ate like a horse, they estimate I got diabetes 4 yrs before diagnosis. So wouldn't this mean we go catabolic when we go high? Because our body eats itself because it can't get the energy from the food out of our blood stream.

Keep the posts coming. So motivating to see other t1d's out there smashing and getting the bf% down. Shows it's possible!!!

I was 85 lbs at diagnosis - 30 lbs lighter than I am now. And I am relatively thin now so yeah I know about that. Your body when blood sugar is high starts using fat for energy. It sounds all fun and games except that it's horribly dangerous for you and you can die.

As far as catabolic - I don't know what percentage of that being burned is muscle. When your blood sugar is high and there is no insulin or not enough insulin, your body has to get it's fuel elsewhere, hence the fat burning. I'm sure there is some muscle burning going on in there too.

[ChevyBFit]

Yeh going high is the killer indeed. At the moment I'm managing to keep mine under 10mmols (as much as possible) once I redo my basal testing then I'm hoping to be able to tighten that up to under 8mmols. It means a lot of testing but it's worth it. Both for diabetes and fitness!

[bobseh]

Really nice thread. Good to hear from other diabetics.

I had a trainer at my local gym who was also diabetic. My blood sugar was out of control at the time and my levels were always relatively high, about 180 - 360mg/gl. I noticed that during and post workout, my blood sugars would always spike which left me confused. My trainer and some sources online seemed to both agree that if your sugar was in the higher zone before exercise, it'd increase whereas if it lower, it'd decrease. After getting my blood back under control, this seems to be the case.

Could be different for everyone. When I was sitting at 210mg/dl+ pre-workout my blood/s would sky-rocket, and now that I sit about 140mg/dl pre-workout they seem to drop but still remain pretty steady. I workout after eating breakfast or lunch and make sure my meal has a good amount of complex carbs and do the full amount of insulin to cover the food. I've heard of people cutting back on their insulin for pre-workout meals to avoids lows and have also been told to do so myself, but I don't to make sure my blood doesn't go high, as explained above. And my blood remains pretty consistent.

But again - everyone is different. Also note that I don't do much cardio.

I should probably mention that I sip a sugary drink towards the latter end of my workout and have a protein shake when I get home, followed by a meal 1-1.5 hrs later. I never have problems with lows or highs. The highest my blood sugars have been the past few weeks is 198mg/dl and the lowest is 108gm/dl. Due to the close monitoring of macros, I've never had better control since my diagnosis 8 years ago. Most diets you find on this site/similar sites are ideal for us, too.

[redash8]

Really nice thread. Good to hear from other diabetics.

I had a trainer at my local gym who was also diabetic. My blood sugar was out of control at the time and my levels were always relatively high, about 180 - 360mg/gl. I noticed that during and post workout, my blood sugars would always spike which left me confused. My trainer and some sources online seemed to both agree that if your sugar was in the higher zone before exercise, it'd increase whereas if it lower, it'd decrease. After getting my blood back under control, this seems to be the case.

Could be different for everyone. When I was sitting at 210mg/dl+ pre-workout my blood/s would sky-rocket, and now that I sit about 140mg/dl pre-workout they seem to drop but still remain pretty steady. I workout after eating breakfast or lunch and make sure my meal has a good amount of complex carbs and do the full amount of insulin to cover the food. I've heard of people cutting back on their insulin for pre-workout meals to avoids lows and have also been told to do so myself, but I don't to make sure my blood doesn't go high, as explained above. And my blood remains pretty consistent.

But again - everyone is different. Also note that I don't do much cardio.

I should probably mention that I sip a sugary drink towards the latter end of my workout and have a protein shake when I get home, followed by a meal 1-1.5 hrs later. I never have problems with lows or highs. The highest my blood sugars have been the past few weeks is 198mg/dl and the lowest is 108gm/dl. Due to the close monitoring of macros, I've never had better control since my diagnosis 8 years ago. Most diets you find on this site/similar sites are ideal for us, too.

I have been lifting less than a year and after experiencing some highs (high 100's to high 200's) for unexplained reasons, I believe the culprit may have been outside stressors (work, personal, etc.). My sugar has been spot on pre and post work-out for last week and my shape is steadily changing for the better. It feels great to be back to managing my D the way I had been all along, prior to my last year and a half of hell with unexplained high bg's and swings. To top it off, I'm at the best shape of my life and I'm only getting better every day. My gym manager/trainer has discussed going on a diet plan to about 1,650 cals for a week, increase +500 next week, then drop -500 from 1,650 the next, etc., but there is so much more to consider outside of calories, protein, work-out regimen.....we have blood sugar, insulin on board, type of work-out, you all know this!

I appreciate any information y'all are able to provide and I will be watching this post regularly!

[Gaknilak]

Interesting forum, have been looking for one for ages. I live in London and diagnosed diabetes 1 nearly 1 year ago but doctors said i am between a normal and diabetic person. I take 12 unit of insulin a day+1 metformin tablet. I also started to attend at gym for the last 3 weeks. I do super sets that burns sugar quite fast so i keep checking my BS and if needed i eat some power bar or any sugary such as snickers. Point being, BS stays around 5-7 during the sessions but today i dis some squat and as someone mentioned BS went high up to 9-10. I take whey protein before and after session+super cissus for my elbow. Funny thing is that i can't really sweat regardless how hard i go. But i do drink lots of water which only leaves my system 1 hour after my workout. Any idea why?

[bigben3304]

Hello, I was reading some of the very inreresting posts that people have submitted. I am type 1 and have been for 10 years now. Not quite as long as most of you have been. I work in the medical field, Radiology, and my wife is a nurse. We are very knowledgeable of the disease and know a lot of different tips and tricks to watch for while lifting. Insulin is very anabolic and is a very good way to either lean out or bulk up. But, very dangerous in the same sense. Cutting can result in hypoglycemia due to reduction in card intake. One of the best ways to maintain a stable Blood sugar reading is to watch the amount of far your ingest with your carbs. If you were to eat lots of carbs with little to no fat, pineapple for example, then your blood sugar would spike then come down quickly (high glycemic index). But, eating something like pizza which is high in fat and carbs then your BS would stay high for a long period of time due to the slow metabolism of fat. When cutting you don't need to cut carbs as drastically like a non diabetic. You can simply watch the ratio if high carbs/ low fat or low carb/ high fat then adjust you insulin boluses accordingly. When you take a large bolus of insulin it opens your muscle fibers and stores whatever you ingest along with it. So, if you take high carbs with high fat them you store the fat rapidly. Make sense? Making it harder to loose the weight. L-carnitine, l-arginine, and zinc help with insulin sensitivity but, you have to watch you BS levels closely. Those are just a few tips to help if possible. But like someone stated earlier everyone is different. And consultant a physician about anything you decide to attempt.

[redash8]

Interesting forum, have been looking for one for ages. I live in London and diagnosed diabetes 1 nearly 1 year ago but doctors said i am between a normal and diabetic person. I take 12 unit of insulin a day+1 metformin tablet. I also started to attend at gym for the last 3 weeks. I do super sets that burns sugar quite fast so i keep checking my BS and if needed i eat some power bar or any sugary such as snickers. Point being, BS stays around 5-7 during the sessions but today i dis some squat and as someone mentioned BS went high up to 9-10. I take whey protein before and after session+super cissus for my elbow. Funny thing is that i can't really sweat regardless how hard i go. But i do drink lots of water which only leaves my system 1 hour after my workout. Any idea why?

It's quite possible that you are still in the honeymoon phase, which from what I understand, can last for an indefinite period of time after diagnosis. I was told I still have slight functioning of islet cells and I'm 5 years post diagnosis, but I was in a honeymoon phase for well over a year after diagnosis. I'm not sure about the sweat question, other than maybe you just aren't a sweater? LOL...I sweat if I'm just sitting still, so needless to say I keep extra deodorant on me at the gym!!!

[tombarcelona]

I've been diabetic for 25 years and been lifting off and on most of my adult life.... Been really dedicated for the past 2 years tho. I have been doing intermittent fasting for the past couple months with huge success in both fat loss and BS control. Definitely suggest looking into it. Also about the highs during workouts look up about glucogenesis from the liver. Your body carries a store of glucose in your muscle tissue and can release it into the blood stream causing unexplained rises in blood sugar...

[atownboy18]

I have not got on bodybuilding here in awhile, but thought I would glance to see if there has been any posts on type 1 diabetes. I'm actually a competing bodybuilder and have 2 more weeks before my first show. I'm glad to know that there is plenty more people out there facing the same issue as me. This has been my first year competing and I have just been trying to manage my type 1 diabetes especially during my cutting phase. Times have been rough, but I'm steadily learning more as I go. I have lost 12 pounds since bulking season to cut back for my shows. My hardest challenge is going to be cutting all my carbs next week before my show. I do know though with me being type 1 that I have to have some sort of carbs so I will have to try and minimize my carbs instead of actually cutting them all out. I have a medtronic pump and basically do not bolus at all during my meals because my BS level has been 65-105 at all times. My basal rate is only at 5.4 Units per day which is not much. I'm afraid I might have to reduce it even more next week. Has anyone ever dealt with a show and doing this procedure?

[katihope]

Hi everyone. I'm 29 and have been diabetic for 21 years. Although I've never actually competed (although I'm going to try and do a show this spring) I have done some fat loss contests at my gym which required me to get my body fat as low as 3-5%.

I think most of the success I had was a lot of trial and error. I take a lot of supplements that I truly believe help my insulin sensitivity, like cinnamon and ALA. It's true like someone else said that when you start to really shed the weight, your insulin sensitivity goes WAY up. When I was 4% BF I was taking <20units/day.

The biggest thing I've found to help lose weight it to cut down on the carbs. Any of the diets you hear other people talking about in these forums should be good for us too. The main thing is limiting the amount of insulin spikes you have with meals to help prevent fat storage. I'd be happy to help anyone with questions in any way I'm able!

Hi, I have had T1D since 2009, and I have been lifting for about a year. My consistent problem is "feeding the insulin" and being really insulin sensitive. No matter what I seem to do though, I can't shed the last bit of fat that's on my body. I eat really clean, rarely drink alcohol, and try to maintain a balanced diet. I'll admit though one of my biggest struggles is managing an eating disorder on top of everything else, so it becomes a fine line of being healthy and strong vs obsessed and stressed. Do you have any advice that might help me?

[Gfe919]

This thread is brilliant. It's so hard to find info on bodybuilding and t1d. Even my nutritionists at the hospital can't give me much info. They just give me info about running marathons etc not lifting. I had to learn a lot myself through trial and error and piecing it together.

I've been diabetic 17 years, been pretty active for the last 5 years or so but got serious about bodybuilding just under a year ago. I've definitely found that keeping my blood sugars tight helps with fat loss and muscle gains. Although the fat loss can happen at an infuriatingly slow pace. Getting my macros on point was the most beneficial thing, any bodybuilder has to sort their macros but it helps with my blood sugars too because I'm really concentrating on my portion sizes and weighing food etc so I can count my carbs really accurately and get better level control.

Was wondering, do we go catabolic when we go high? Just before I was diagnosed I was insanely skinny even though I ate like a horse, they estimate I got diabetes 4 yrs before diagnosis. So wouldn't this mean we go catabolic when we go high? Because our body eats itself because it can't get the energy from the food out of our blood stream.

Keep the posts coming. So motivating to see other t1d's out there smashing and getting the bf% down. Shows it's possible!!!

I don't think your body will go catabolic simply from blood sugar being high. The reason you were so skinny when diagnosed is because insulin shuttles carbohydrates and other nutrients into cells that can use them(muscle for example) at that time with no insulin being excreted by your pancreas or being injected, your muscles weren't receiving nutrients, leading to the emaciatec state many newly diagnosed t1s will be in. This is why some bodybuilders take insulin. It's a highly anabolic hormone. In fact since I have began eating about 60% of my daily carbs directly post workout(and taking insulin with it obviously) I have had great gains.

[AtomicFist]

I am a type 1 diabetic.had it for 20 years...I notice that my blood sugar levels drop on leg day, back day and on days I do cardio/sprints...looking to connect with you all..I want to drop bf%...

[NRoidsJInsulin]

I have not got on bodybuilding here in awhile, but thought I would glance to see if there has been any posts on type 1 diabetes. I'm actually a competing bodybuilder and have 2 more weeks before my first show. I'm glad to know that there is plenty more people out there facing the same issue as me. This has been my first year competing and I have just been trying to manage my type 1 diabetes especially during my cutting phase. Times have been rough, but I'm steadily learning more as I go. I have lost 12 pounds since bulking season to cut back for my shows. My hardest challenge is going to be cutting all my carbs next week before my show. I do know though with me being type 1 that I have to have some sort of carbs so I will have to try and minimize my carbs instead of actually cutting them all out. I have a medtronic pump and basically do not bolus at all during my meals because my BS level has been 65-105 at all times. My basal rate is only at 5.4 Units per day which is not much. I'm afraid I might have to reduce it even more next week. Has anyone ever dealt with a show and doing this procedure?

Hey there. I've been a type one diabetic for 6 years now, 4 of which I have been lifting. In the experiences I've had, I've seen an incredible amount of progress and digression. I've gotten my lantus down to 2.5 units a day and about .5-1.5 units of humalog a day. The biggest problem I have faced when working out is experiencing low blood sugars, which can sometimes throw off a workout. One of the biggest secrets in decreasing my insulin has been fiber before carbs, whether that be a salad or a few stalks of celery. I eat oatmeal with cinnamon every morning and I'll eat a few berries beforehand to immediately increase my blood sugar and stop the secretion of cortisol and afterwards eat my vegetables THEN my oatmeal, which helps slow the digestion of the carbs and allows my body to better utilize the carbs over a longer period of time. I also include 3 egg whites and one whole egg for a small amount of cholesterol and fat. I do bolus for this meal as oatmeal usually brings my blood sugar up to about 160 if I don't.

About an hour to 30 minutes prior to my work out, I will ingest a whey protein shake (usually Optimum Nutrition or Syntha-6 for longer workouts due to the casein content for slower digestion of protein) and I'll eat a banana as well so I have some glucose readily available in my blood and the fructose later gets converted into glucose by the liver so I'll have a prolonged glucose.

During work outs, I usually drink about 20-24 ounces of water mixed with emergen-c, which has B vitamins to help convert my food into energy and contains electrolytes to keep me from burning out, plus it tastes so much better than just regular water

Post work out, I'll usually have 2-4 rice cakes (14g carbs each) and sometimes another banana, depending on the intensity of the work out. I'll down the food with another protein shake (about 20-25g of protein) and about an hour or two later I'll have a longer digesting protein, such as salmon or chicken breast. The problem with whey protein is that it only stays in your blood stream for about 2-3 hours.

Dinner is usually pretty light for me, with a small amount of meat, carbs and greens (which I ALWAYS eat first).

Prior to going to bed, I'll check my blood sugar and potentially have a small amount of fruit and follow it with a casein shake with milk (yes, I know that's redundant in casein) for a constant digestion of protein throughout the night and to keep me from waking up with low blood sugar.

[YaboySilenT33]

if anyone has questions, please feel free to PM me. I have a nutrition log on here called "type 1 diabetic getting SWOLE" where I chart my journey, and I also am a certified strength and conditioning specialist

[Cambactint88]

you should be hitting a gym
lift weights for 40-60 mins
then do your cardio after

in terms of protein shakes.. always get a low carb, low sugar protein shake.. the more pure the better

talk to other diabetics about exactly what they do...


keep everything balanced....
smaller portions
make sure u eat often

[bjle]

Hi everyone, interesting to read. I too am a type 1 on a Medtronic pump and have begun a journey to hopefully one day compete! I have found that in my success so far these things worked...
Firstly improve insulin sensitivity, I did this by carb loading in the evening after leg days.
Having a low to no carb diet on most days and only utilising carbs on work out days in the evening only. So even if I did a big legs session in the morning I still had no carbs till after 4.
Reducing my daily insulin and keeping sugars as normal as possible. I do not need carbs pre or post work out anymore as my body runs very efficiently on fat. I used to need to carry around a Gatorade with me. The better I use my insulin the better my results have been. Last hba1c was 6.5 and reduced my total daily insulin by nearly half. I could write a novel about my journey . Again everyone is different but I found this works well for me and gaining me results

[jayanth7228]

I'm 25 and have had type 1 since I was 15. I started lifting about a year ago and have been trying to gain weight (preferably muscle). I was able to gain 10-15 Lbs, but seem to have slowed. I'm on a Medtronic pump, though I'm hoping with my next upgrade I'll get the CGM sensor. I try to get my blood sugar 200-245 mg/dl before workout. During and after I tend to run crazy high (400+) but an hour after I end up cratering (>50). I work out 5 nights a week; weight/resistance and 30 minutes of cardio. I ignore the highs during the workout and treat the after workout lows with a protein shake and dinner. I put my basal rate as far low as my Dr and I think is safe a few hours before my workout, during and a few hours after, and treat any lows as they happen. I try for a 45-45-10 diet of protein, carb, and fat. This is only what I'm trying right now. If it works for me in the long run, great. If it helps others, that's even better.

Hey man, Try working out early in the morning. Just have a cup of milk (preferably 250ml of 2% fat milk) before you hit the gym. Working out early in the morning helps maintain sugars pretty good. Having sugars in 200-250 range before workout most of the time rises your sugars after workouts. And Try to split your routines between 3 day strength and 3 day hypertrophy with a one day rest. like 3-1-3 split. And dont do cardio daily (if you are) that will just put more stress on your body resulting in highs. DO a HIIT on the rest day for 20 mints max followed by 20 minute cycling at 120rpm (I prefer 120) or just fast enough to keep you breathing hard without the need to take breaks in between. I eat 3000-3200 cal diet by taking 22 units a day. AND YUP I AM ON MEDTRONIC PUMP TOO.

[luisisaiasrg]

Hi guys! it is great to know that i'm not alone! I'm 26 years old male and have had diabetes since i was 18. I've been far from the gym for a while but i'm retaking it! I hope this thread keeps going! it is good know that everyone is taking care and doing a lot of exercises! i have a Medtronic pump.

If anyone can give me any advices on how to restart my lifestyle i'm all ears! i'dont wanna mess up my diabetes!

[anacenteno]

I like this post I am joining. I have been a type I diabetic since very young (more than 30 years). I want to get strength. I have been exercising forever but do not gain muscles nor lose weight. What can I do?

[HelloMandarkk]

I am also type one. Only for about 2 years now (in October) I have been lifting since then. I follow my macros that were given on IIFYM.com and it seems to be working well. I am less than 100 carbs a day, the major carbs coming from after my meals, but I ALWAYS go high, no matter what I do. It's like the insulin doesn't work fast enough and I end up at 300+ after dinner. It is very frustrating. Any tips?

[erinannelies]

ive had T1D since July 2011 and have recently decided to take training seriously and gain muscle/lose body fat %. My main concern that I've been wondering about is administering insulin when there's barely any sub-q fat on my body. Will the insulin absorb normally or will the low body fat % stunt my blood sugar levels/health? Also, to those who wear a pump and have low bf, is it uncomfortable at all and do you have trouble finding areas to put your site? Would using syringes be more appropriate? Just some thoughts that have been circulating in my head... Currently 130 lbs and 5'5 if that makes any difference.

[MartinTR197]

Hi there, my first ever post on the forum, I have however been following this thread for some time...
Short story, type 1 for 23yrs. 37yrs old, 180lbs, 174cm, 9%BF.
From what I've read above, a lot of people struggling with their diets to reduce BF...

Only way to do this (diabetic or otherwise) is to be in a calorie deficit. For cutting..Work out your BMR.. Inc Activity levels and reduce it by 300cals.. That's a start.

For a macro split, I go 5x days per week on 40% protein, 40% fat, 20% carbs.. (Good fats such as avocado, eggs, peanut butter, fish oil, coconut oil), with chicken/fish/steak/whey as your protein sources... Carbs- oats , sweet potato etc....
fats can be great for you...

The other 2x days (heavy lift days) I go 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fats.

Mix up your eating plan with plenty green veg.. Broccoli is especially good with peanut butter.... Covers all macro and micro nutrients...

Drink plenty water (3lts / day min).

The key-
You also need to reduce your basal insulin intake.. Indicativly mines reduces from 18units to 12units on a cut. Bolus as per your normal meal requirements.
I often take less insulin (if at all) with my evening meal.. The basal works throughout the night.
Take a week getting familiar with the cut... If your BS goes low, react to it and don't feel bad.. Learn and improve next time..

Diets / macro control acts differently depending on LOTS of different factors (we're all unique).. You need to find what works for you.. A good PT will recognise the above and adjust an eating plan to suit...

Any questions, drop me a PM.
Good luck

[Ella1686]

I'm interested in hearing more about the effects of a high protein diet on our kidneys in addition to the strain placed on them already by being diabetic. I'm (loosely) using macros from IIFYM which have put me at around 110g-138g protein per day.. Have any of you talked to your doctors/endocrinologists about possible negative side effects of this in the long term? I've had a few people (not doctors) tell me I shouldn't ever go over 75g a day, which seems way too low to me for building any sort of actual muscle. For reference, I'm 5'5, 172 lbs. Thanks!

[Novo73]

I am an adult type one that just started a group on FB to help us all discuss ideas and help one another through our type one journey. I loved finding this thread. It's very hard to find information about adults and fitness with t1d. It's also a struggle to find any groups for adults with t1d. Please consider joining and also sharing with other t1d's. Find us on FB at Adult Fit T1D's.

[TheTeddy]

Hey Guys.

Love reading all your comments and inspires me to take up the bodybuilding thing. I think the best is to share one's experience with everyone on the thread so the others could learn from one another. Keep up the good work guys and you are all awesome!

[Swan347]

Hi guys, i am 23 years old, and was just scoping around trying to find some more information on the subject. The leanest i have been is about 6 percent bf, at 180 pounds. At the time, i was really limiting my carbs, and doing different types of cardio after lifting sessions. The best diet to cut down for me was very limited carbs, about 50 to 100 grams a day, high protein, and moderate fat to meet my caloric goals. I would have a serving of oats in the morning, and then depending on the day i would have a small or half sweet potato before my workout, and a banana usually after my workout. The only times i was using novalog was with these meals with carbs. If u really want to cut, i would eat a lot of vegetables, and limit the grainy and starchy carbs. Another thing to try to limit the amount of times with low BS is to lower the dose of long lasting insulin given per day. Although, you really need to be careful with this bc it is very easy to go high if u are not eating properly. Overall, just listen to your body, test frequently, and respond as needed. Once you start eating the same types of foods every day, and weighing them out, u will know how much insulin to give yourself. If ypu are looking ro gain more muscle, i would suggest eating more complex carbs and giving yourself more insulin, bc more insulin=more weight gain. Any advice from others is greatly appreciated, that is just what i know from my experience. Oh, and by the way, i think the proper amount of protein needed is about 1.5 to 1.7 g per pound of body weight. The carbs and fat ratio should be based around that

[falcs51]

24 year old T1D of 13 years checking in. Going to follow the thread because I find this stuff very interesting and it never hurts to pick up a few tips along the way. I feel like some workouts produce more adrenaline (heavy weights,etc) than others and when adrenaline is released, sugar from the liver seems to spike into the bloodstream. I've experienced this through competitive hockey for years. I try to keep my blood sugar as low as possible before I work out because I know it will usually be in the low 10's by the time my workout is over (hockey is even worse, BS in the 20's if I dont take insulin beforehand). Anyway, I hope to see more posts on what works for some people and what people find to not work. Good luck to all of you!

[ionseihastings]

I'm a type one diabetic training for a fitness competition. My first competitions will both be this October.
I know for me, CGM and pump is the key. I have my cgm set to go off when my blood sugar has increased to 180 mg/dL. This is when I know my body is having a glycogen dump from my lifting heavy so I increase my basal rate by 50% for two hours (this works for me. I've had to play with it and ask my doctor before I knew what worked).
If it gets too low sometimes I can pop a few glucose tabs and keep going. Other times I just have to stop, correct, wait and try again
My cycle can also play a part in insulin sensitivity and resistance so keep that in mind as you train, too.
There are other tricks of the trade. The best thing is just to be really diligent about testing and meal planning. Prevention in both highs and lows is key. If you're too high, your body starts breaking down the muscle you've worked so hard to obtain for energy. If you're low, you wind up eating out of schedule. In both cases your performance is lowered.
As you gain muscle your sensitivity for insulin goes up so for example is you have a 1:5 insulin to carb ratio you may find yourself going 1:10 eventually the more you train.
If you have any questions or want to exchange ideas, feel free to pm me.

[nchesher]

I am also type one. Only for about 2 years now (in October) I have been lifting since then. I follow my macros that were given on IIFYM.com and it seems to be working well. I am less than 100 carbs a day, the major carbs coming from after my meals, but I ALWAYS go high, no matter what I do. It's like the insulin doesn't work fast enough and I end up at 300+ after dinner. It is very frustrating. Any tips?

I'd suggest pre-bolusing if you're counting the carbs correctly or simply backing off them altogether. Are you dosing post meal?

[LunaLifts]

I'd suggest pre-bolusing if you're counting the carbs correctly or simply backing off them altogether. Are you dosing post meal?

I'm sure she won't come back after two years just to answer that.