A Thread for people with Type I Diabetes (Insulin-dependent) Only

[xStevenx]

Medtronic/Minimed's previous sensor was a POS, but their new one is great!

IDK man the new one is terrible IMO. Dexcom for me!

[xStevenx]

Hi Guys, I am a type 1 since 93'. I am just getting into body building and Im alittle overwhelmed. I weight about 138lbs , 20% bf and looking to gain muscle mass and lose body fat. What is a good starter program to build a good foundation while not sending my blood sugars outta whack?

The first thing that you need to understand is the importance of nutrition. Not only for progress in the gym, but most importantly your diabetes. When blood sugars are "in range" and insulin levels are stable...you look better, feel better, perform better, and make better progress in the gym.

Unfortunately nobody can give you the diet to control your diabetes...it really comes down to trial and error. The same for gains in muscle/loss of fat. you need to find a diet that works for you with the appropriate amount of calories.

for a vague guidline

Calories:
15 x bodyweight to maintain
12 x bodyweight to lose
18 x bodyweight to gain

Macros: Protein/Fat/Carbs
Protein - 1g per pound
Fat - .5g per pound
Carbs - use remaining calories

For example for you....based on your stats. To maintain weight, a good place to start would be

15 x 138 = 2070
Protein - 140g (560 Cals)
Fat - 70g (630 Cals)
Carbs - 220g (880 Cals)

You have to adjust from there...we all tolerate carbs differently. You may need more...you may need less. I recommend keeping protein set where it is, and adjusting carbs and fats to fit your goals.

LIFTING
A great beginner routine that will help build muscle, lose fat, and get stronger would be Strong Lifts 5X5

http://stronglifts.com/5x5/

[StephenWA]

IDK man the new one is terrible IMO. Dexcom for me!

With Medtronic, I used to hate wearing the old one, now I hate not wearing the new one. I've never tried Dexcom. Maybe I'll take a closer look at them when the warranty on my Medtronic runs out.

[prakash1988]

Great insight from this thread. I took almost 4 hours to go through all the 31 pages!

[Flyers01]

Great Thread I have been diabetic for over 20 years. This year I am starting a new fitness journey. I have always lifted and kept in shape however I would like to be in better shape at 41.

Does anybody know an affordable coach diet and exercise that is great for diabetics

[YaboySilenT33]

hopefully this thread revives!

[kosowskimarek]

hi guys. My name is Marek . im from Poland but live and work in UK . im diabetic type 1. I also go to gym 4 times a week and try keep my BG best as i can.

[Sleev-les]

Keep healthy bro. How long have you been type 1? I'm going on 29 years....

[Cortezrii88]

How do I subscribe? I have enjoyed reading some of this thread but I don't have time to continued

[GRamy]

Hi guys, great thread , took me around 2 hours to read, very useful...i ve been diabetic(type 1-taking insulin) for 16 years now, i am currently 27... and i've been lifting for around 4 months now..my body is improving (slowly) and my BG levels have never been better (5.7 the last 3 months). My question here is, my gym coach is suggesting i take NitroTech protein in addition to another supplement that involves insulin(cell something)....normally i refused that other supplement, as it can really mess up my BG levels for me, my question now is if it is ok to take that NitroTech...and does it have any short/long term effects on my (Body/BG levels) i've read it stresses the kidneys but nothing 2 bottles of water a day wont solve. any help will be much appreciated as you all know the doctors always advise to go safe and stay away. Thanks guys

[KripsyKreme]

T1 brah checking in.

This thread has ran since 2005, I've not read the whole thing and jumped to the last page.

Diabetes:

- I've attempted to lift on and off since the age of 15, I always hit a brick wall, not being able to pack on muscle/strength, this led me to give up many times, and every few years since revisit the hobby.
- I noticed when I started upping the calories I just didn't grow, no matter how clean my diet was, macros, cal intake etc. (It's fair to assume I was dealing with a slow onset of T1 diabetes which went undetected)
- 4 years ago, I stumbled across the same problem, although this time it hit me a lot worse as close friends were lifting and making gains, they were leaving me behind pretty quickly, my diet was in check, my macros were correct.
- I literally could not bench more than 60lbs lol no matter what.
- Every time I ate, I use to had hot flushes, sitting there in sweat, it was really annoying.
- Ex of then tested my blood sugars, off the charts.
- Bought some Keto sticks, right off the chart despite eating carbs.
- Went to docs, Doc literally laughed at my BS levels and at that point said you have diabetes, and you're not a fat ass, so there's a chance you've T1/slow on-set of T1.
- Was given Metformin, didn't do much, BS was off the charts, Ketones registered.
- Re-visited doc, he put me on Insulin at that point and said given that I am not obese, exercise and producing ketones weeks after being on Metformin and eating carbs, I'm a T1 diabetic.
- I was placed on humulog at that point, I carried out my own research, went back to the doc and requested Levemir/Novorapid, doc agreed.
- Took a week or two for the insulin to become effective, and once it did, boy did I feel different. Elevated moods, better general well being.
- 6 months in, my average sugars are that of a non-diabetic, although I've done a lot to achieve this.

Controlling blood sugars:
- With the initial scare, I went full potato, buying into low-carb theories, using as little Insulin as possible.
- As time went on, I thought about it, hey a normal person eats their carbs, their Insulin sorts out their sugar levels life goes on.
- While I do not have the ability to do that naturally, I do have the ability to do it via injections.
- Pretty much went back to a 'normal' balanced diet.
- Started lifting again, holy chit, I'm getting strong, I can bench 180lbs now! Obviously this took it's time, and I got a bit carried away and went on a dreamer bulk...While I don't advise this, please understand when you're unable to build muscle for years, and suddenly given the ability to do so, it's easy to get lost and do something stupid.
- Now I was a fat ass, but my sugars were still in control, although I was using a fair bit of insulin.
- A full blown cut was due, I didn't mess around.
- IF, counting cals, done this for 3 months. Literally went from 35% bf, to 18% (estimates). I let my diet and cal intake slip, so lost strength, but this is still the best I've ever looked.
- During the cut, I started doing Martial Arts.
- I was lifting 5 days a week, doing Martial Arts twice a week.
- Blood sugars were tested, better than ever, doc was super impressed.
- Kidneys tested, all good.
- Liver tested, all good.
- Test levels and sex-binding hormone (I've incorrectly described that) was tested, results came back good. I have good test levels :-)


Blood sugar testing:

Before I start, I do NOT recommend anyone follow this, nor do I advise it, this is the risk I run, the risk I take, but it's what I do.

- When I was first diagnosed, I tested probably 10 times a day.
- I spent around 3 months learning my trends, my carb ratios and etc.
- I monitored during my cut, so could factor in for sensitivity.
- I no longer test my blood sugars, I can tell when my sugar is low/high. I'm pretty good at guesstimating my sugars.
- I've not tested for over 2 years now, but my average BS comes back at pretty much levels of a normal person, so I'm content with what I'm doing.
- With that said, I do keep glucose on me at all times just in case.

Lifting - what do I do?
- I now life 3 times a week. Tues: Chest-Tri-Bi, Weds: Legs & Back & Thurs: Shoulders & ABS.
- I do use protein powder and have done for a while, my kidney function came back as good whilst using protein, so I will continue to do so.
- I have a pre-workout snack to ensure I do not go hypo during a workout.
- Post work out: I have a protein shake with oats and use 1u of Novorapid to 20g of carbs.
- I am growing, I am getting stronger.

So does diabetes impact lifting?
- Well given what I've written so far, yes. As I'm running Insulin I have to be careful about sugar levels, it can be annoying.
- As long as I put the effort in, I find I can go toe-to-toe with my non-diabetic peers.
- I find fat retention around abdominal area is a total bitch, I've read diabetics tend to hold more around that area, although that would make sense for T2 as a large proportion are obese.
- Some doctors advise me against weight lifting, and tell me to stay trim and within BMI, I've discarded the advise. My blood sugars speak for themselves.
- My BP is within a good range.


In all honesty, I feel this post is poorly structured. Should any diabetics want some advice/hear of my experiences, I'm more than happy to answer any PMs as I will most likely forget I've posted in this thread and not check it.

As I let go of my physique and currently rebuilding it, I won't post any pics now, but perhaps in a few months time I will, as a testament that diabetics can lead a normal life/lift/prosper.

Diabetic brahs out there, fear not, not all is lost. We may have to try slightly harder, but that's the fun and essence of life IMO. Not knowing, being challenged, going against the odds.

Stay positive and prosper brahs and brahettes.

[DniceGermany]

Hello all my diabetic type 1 friends ,
I am Deniz, 21y old and have been diabetic type1 for 7 years. Due to the fact that there aren’t large communities like here for and with diabetic type1 bodybuilders I registered myself here on bodybuilding.com. I hope I can find some good advice from experienced people or give my experience. I have been lifting for almost 5 Years, first 3 years had been more fitness, the last 2 years have been very serious bodybuilding. I also wanted to compete at a national competition for drug free bodybuilders (GNBF). I did a cut for 5 month, and got to 10% bf. Did many hours of cardio and calorie intake was 1900 (84kg). 6 weeks before the competition I finished my diet and went to reverse diet. Now I am weighing 92kgs with BF of 16-18%. Little too high. My a1c was quite bad for the last 3 month (6.2), before 5.5/ 5.2. This quite worse value of 6.2 is due to my “bad” experience of IIFYM. Now I am like in my diet back to Metabolic Diet, where I eat my carbs in the morning and after training. Hope to get back on track und loose bodyfat.
I have 1 question: do you prefer to use whey or a blendprotein of egg, casein and whey? I am asking because of blood sugar increase.

Maybe you can follow me on Instagram to get more information of me: dnz_erc

I hope to get a part of the diabetic type 1 community.


Greets, deniz.

EDIT:

I read some pages here in this thread and found out, that the user advanc3d suggests to do a ketogenic diet. What exactly do you mean with that? The ketogenic diet a la Ori? No Carb days with 1-2 load days?
Is this diet comfortable to gain muscle? Loosing fat? Keeping a healthy lifestyle with low fat level (<10%) while building lean mass?

Many many questions, sorry for that .

[EVRiley77]

Hey there,
I am wondering if there is a place/forum/website that has support for those who have lost hand grip due to neuropathy for Type 1 Diabetes that went unchecked for too long. The nerve damage is already there and is permanent unfortunately. I am simply looking to gather resources for building strength that would normally be gained from heavy pulling lifts primarily. I really appreciate it!

[DniceGermany]

how is your hba1c going? How are your macroratios?

[ScivationLead]

Interesting thread. I was diagnosed with type 2 last month and am getting back into a workout routine while balancing my levels.

[Deathstroke]

I just went to get my eye exam, because I need glasses....I was turned away for the exam, the doctor kindly refused to do it, because my glucose readings are not where they should be for my loss. feels bad man. that is all.

[Sleev-les]

Your doctor should not have turned you away. Diabetes can cause blindness so you should be seeing one every year to make sure there are no signs. Find a new eye doctor since yours sounds like a moron.

[StephenWA]

Did you go to an optometrist or an opthamalogist? (Sorry about spelling... doing this from my phone.) You need an opthamalogist for a diabetic eye exam.

[thors5]

Subscribed. Will look through this thread later.

[BucketHeadJorge]

Hey Guys! I'm an 18 year old type 1 diabetic. I was diagnosed when I was 4 years old so I'm definitely used to the lifestyle. I'm using an animas insulin pump and I love it!

Anyway, I just have a question. I'm currently cutting at 5'8" 169 lbs and estimated at 10-11% bf. I've noticed that my insertion (lower back and posterior) areas are getting much more sensitive because of my thinning layer of body fat. If I get my bf any lower, will I encounter issues with my insertion site's canula contacting muscle tissues? I'm sure someone has dealt with this before...... Thanks!!!

[Vaughanabe13]

Hi guys, I'm 27, I've been a T1D for 8 years. I was diagnosed in college and let myself get too fat during those 4 years. I used to think, like a lot of diabetics, that I could "eat whatever I want as long as I bolus for insulin" and of course that meant I just packed on the pounds in college. In High School I was 5'10", 163 lbs and fairly lean, and in college I got all the way up to about 230 lbs (probably 35-40% BF, very little muscle and not lifting). Finally decided in about 2011 to do something about it, so I lost a lot of weight and started lifting and eating right, and in a year's time I cut all the way down to 8.9% body fat at about 160 lbs (DEXA verified) and then started focusing on gaining strength. Even when the DEXA told me I was 9%, I still couldn't see my abs, and I still had fat around my belly and love handles, which I now realize is probably because that's where I always had my pump connected. Now I'm in a bulk at about 175 lbs and unfortunately gained a bit of the fat back due to my wedding last year, but now I'm focusing on putting on lean mass and getting my main lifts up. I'm about 15% BF currently which is higher than I eventually want to be, but I think gaining strength is most important for me right now than cutting again. I have learned quite a few things about my diabetes over the years that I would like to share. Let me preface this by saying this is what worked for ME and may not work for anyone else.

Gear:
I have used a Tandem t:slim pump for the last 3 years or so, and before that I used an Animas pump. I was an early adopter of the pump, and I was using it within 1 year of being diagnosed. I use the Animas 4mm (shortest) inset infusion sets. The Tandem is simply the best pump on the market and I recommend that one over anything else. Recently (Last 6 months) I picked up a Dexcom G4 Platinum and that thing has opened my eyes to what my blood sugar is REALLY doing throughout the day and how different meals/macros affect my BG. I used to think I had perfect control because every time I checked my BG it was 100-140, but when I got my CGM I didn't change anything about my diet, which was already locked in solid, my training, etc., and I saw that my BG was actually fluctuating all over the place between meals and doing funky things during workouts. I used to think my control was good (A1C = 6.2 average) before I got my CGM, but since then I have reduced my A1C to 5.9 and that is taking into account that I only go low maybe 4x a month. I think A1C can be misleading for some people, because you have to realize it's an AVERAGE value, so if you are spending a lot of time low, that will lower your A1C and make it seem like your high BG's aren't as bad as they are. With my CGM I realized that, and I've made huge improvements in glucose control. I rarely go low, and I have figured out techniques to prevent going high after meals (more later).

Like (I suspect) many of you, I used to have a million excuses why I didn't want a CGM - too expensive, not accurate enough, insurance, don't want to wear a second device, don't want to carry the receiver around, etc. Finally I just called them up and had them check for me with my insurance and I realized the cost was actually quite manageable. My insurance covers 90% of the supply cost, so I pay about $30 for a 3-month supply of sensors, and those sensors actually last me more like 4-5 months because you can use them for longer than the recommended 7 days. Also once you buy it, there's nothing that says you have to continue buying supplies, so you could just buy one to try it out for 3 months or so and if you decide not to continue, you're done and that's it. Very low commitment in that sense, compared to a pump. I can not overstate this: If you are not using a CGM+pump, you are not getting the maximum results out of your training. Bottom line. If you can afford it with your insurance, DO IT. At this point the technology has improved enough that the only excuse not to have one should be the money/insurance reasons. And even that's a weak excuse because it's your life and your health we're talking about. Find the money and get a better insurance plan if you have to.

Diet:
I have tried several things over the years. During my cut I settled on a IIFYM approach because I'm the type that just can't deprive myself of foods without it causing me to binge later. When I dieted down to 9% I did it by keeping the protein high and by keeping carbs relatively low - usually < 100g per day, and I tried to keep the carb sources low-GI and nutrient dense (veggies/fruit/nuts/sweet potato/etc.). Another trick is I ate a lot of Kay's Naturals Protein Chips. They are about 120 kcal/12g protein per package and they are very low-GI and barely spike my blood sugar at all compared to other things like quest bars, plus they taste great. You can probably find them in the diabetic section of your pharmacy but I buy them online in bulk. Anyway, I had the best success cutting when I was eating fewer carbs and thus taking less insulin - when I got really lean (<10%) I noticed that my basal rates dropped way down and I was barely taking any insulin for meals - maybe 2-3 units max for dinner, for example. My overall insulin dropped drastically and my BG was NEVER more stable than that. It is my conclusion that if you want the most stable, rock solid BG, you need to be lean and you need keep the carbs moderately low. However, that doesn't mean that's the best thing for gaining muscle... Another tip when you're cutting is that if you get low BG, you should ONLY take a super fast acting carb source - that means pure glucose/dextrose only. No juice or soda, no candy bars, nothing except pure glucose. I used to litter my place with bottles of glucose tabs, but I got sick of the slightly bitter taste and high cost so I bought a huge 10 lb bag of Smarties instead. Smarties candies are made purely of dextrose, they taste better, and they are cheaper, and they come in convenient little portable packages. So I litter them all over the place and if I go low, I'll pop 1 or 2 packs and wait 15-20 minutes. The CGM helps assure me that BG has stopped dropping, and this has SAVED ME COUNTLESS TIMES FROM BINGING and thus destroying my progress on a cut.

I now do my diet a little different. As far as food and macros go, I still follow IIFYM principles, but now I do more of an intermittent fasting/leangains approach. I don't eat breakfast anymore, which means my BG is rock solid stable all morning until I eat lunch. I used to think IF was not compatible with diabetes because you have to eat carbs when you go low, but if you dial in your basal and your boluses carefully, you will get fewer lows and more consecutive hours of perfectly stable BGs, which will lower your A1C and fix a lot of other problems related to diabetes. My A1C has never been better and I hardly ever go low because of this. I truly think IF combined with carb/calorie cycling (aka Lean Gains) is the best way of eating for T1D, but that's just my opinion.

As mentioned, I cycle my calories and eat more on training days. I eat VERY LITTLE FAT on training days, usually <50g a day. I try to eat at least 350g carbs or more on training day, but this is how I do it - for lunch I have a big salad with a lot of chicken breast, avocado, greens, veggies, onion, tomato, cabbage/coleslaw, blue cheese crumbles, chopped bell pepper, and I use a low-cal greek yogurt dressing (bolthouse farms) or sugar-free BBQ sauce (Guy's). I also eat a plain greek yogurt cup with splenda in it. That means I get moderate fat and a few carbs for lunch but the carbs all come from low-GI veggie sources. Then I'll train in the afternoon. For pre-workout I drink a cup of black coffee, and if my BG is stable I try NOT to eat anything before the workout, because that means my BG won't be stable anymore and I tend to have worse workouts when it's fluctuating up and down.

After the workout I drink a PWO shake with the following ingredients - About 50g grassfed unflavored whey, 40g dextrose, 5g creatine, 5g beta alanine, 50g frozen strawberries, .75 cup Fairlife skim milk, and a packet of Oatfit instant oatmeal, all blended up in my bullet. What this does is spike my BG and allow me to give insulin to drive protein and carbs into the damaged muscle cells more efficiently. In order to prevent high BG's from the shake I start bolusing a couple units about 1 hr before I drink the shake and I monitor my CGM closely to make sure I don't drop low - more about this below. I have to keep my pump on during workouts and raise my basal rate for the second half once I get into my heavy stuff, because otherwise a heavy workout will skyrocket my BG thanks to the cortisol and adrenaline release.

For dinner I do a huge meal of >60% of my daily calories where I eat as little fat as possible, about 80-100g protein and the rest low-GI carbs. Since the insulin is now active in my system from the shake, and since my insulin sensitivity has skyrocketed after the workout, I usually only have to take another unit or so of insulin to cover all the carbs for the next few hours, otherwise I will go low. Then before bed I set a square wave bolus for the next 5+ hours while I'm sleeping for a slow release of insulin, otherwise I will wake up in the night in the 300's from the steady rise. Taking insulin before bed IS VERY DANGEROUS unless you have a CGM and you know what you're doing. But then I wake up in the morning with a 100 BG and then it stays rock solid at 100 for the next ~5hrs until I eat lunch.

On non-training days I reduce my calories, I eat very few carbs (<100g) and the carbs come all from veggies and low-GI again, and I up my fat a bit. So far using this strategy I have made pretty significant increases to my bench/squat/deadlift but I still have a long way to go. I follow GSLP right now and I add about 5 lbs to my squat each squat day (2-3x per week) and about about 5-10lbs to my deadlift (1-2x per week). Bench and OHP progress is a little slower for me but I can usually add 5lbs to my bench a week.

PART 2 COMING:

[Vaughanabe13]

PART 2:

Notes on macros and how they affect BG:
- Protein DOES raise blood sugar, it just takes much longer. Gluconeogenesis. Same with fat, but via a different mechanism in the body. I cannot eat a high protein&fat meal with 0 carbs and take no insulin or I will be high 3-4hrs later. Instead I have done tests to determine approximately the delay and rate that protein and fat both increase my BG so that I can proactively take a combo bolus to avoid going high.
- If you eat a lot of carbs WITH a lot of fat (aka pizza) you will need to bolus more total insulin than either of those amounts alone, and you will need to make the duration of your extended bolus longer with fewer units up front. The fat in the pizza slows digestion and makes carb absorption take much longer, but it also extends the total time it actively raises your BG. The biggest problem I used to have is eating pizza and bolusing too much insulin too fast, which would cause my BG to drop low an hour later and then eventually skyrocket later in the night. Now I just try to avoid pizza, sadly, because it's very hard to bolus correctly. I find that controlling your BG is SO MUCH EASIER when you partition out your carbs and fats and not eating a meal that is both high in carbs and fat. This limits your choices and meals somewhat, but it is worth the effort. I do allow myself to eat out and go off the diet from time to time but I try not to take a full 'cheat day' because that always results in eating way too much/binging/fat gain.
- Insulin has a "stacking effect" that you can use to your avantage, both for training and for maintaining low BG. I like to call it "insulin inertia". Basically, insulin has the tendency to stay at rest and do nothing, but when it starts to get moving it has inertia and it's harder to stop it from working once it gets going. Try this experiment and you will be surprised: Fast for 12 hours and get your BG stable right around 100. For example, do this experiment in the morning on a day when your BG is stable. Now bolus 1 unit of insulin and don't eat anything. See how long it takes you to feel any symptoms of going low - for me it takes over an HOUR to start going low. It's because of this 'insulin inertia' - the insulin just sits there and doesn't do much for that hour but then eventually it starts to work.

Here is my ultimate secret to perfect BG:
If you are fasted and have no food in your stomach and no insulin in your system, you must start bolusing insulin at least 1 hr before you eat your meal.
This sounds crazy, right!? Well once you get your CGM you'll see you can time it so that the insulin does not become active until you start eating, and then once you start eating the insulin will be available faster to your system, and it will prevent your BG from spiking an hour+ after the meal. Otherwise if you bolus at the start of a meal and then start eating, the insulin won't become "active" until an hour in, and by that time the glucose has already hit your bloodstream and raised your BG significantly. In those situations all you can do is play "catch up" for the next few hours and deliver multiple corrections and try not to go low. We all know how hard that is because you're trying to hit a moving target. If you think this issue doesn't affect you, try testing your BG 1hr after you start eating and I would be shocked if it isn't high. Most people don't test shortly after eating, they just test many hours after the last meal, at which point the BG has stabilized somewhat. It gives you a misleading impression of what your BG is really doing after a meal.

But if you give yourself a pre-bolus of insulin an hour before a meal, it signals to your body that food is about to come, and it starts prepping the insulin to do its job, if that makes sense. If I watch my BG trend during that hour before I eat, it does not decrease at all from the pre-bolus insulin, it stays flat on the CGM. It seems scary at first but when you do it enough times you start to learn the timing. Then when I start eating I deliver a combo bolus for the remaining carbs+fat+protein less the pre-bolus insulin, and if I do it just right I can keep my BG perfectly stable throughout the whole meal and all the way to the next meal. Even normal non-diabetics have insulin spikes when they eat high-GI carbs in a meal, but the key difference is that their BG returns to baseline within 1.5 hrs and ours take MUCH LONGER to come down once it has already been raised. I have developed a spreadsheet with some equations where I enter in the macros I'm eating and it calculates how many units to deliver, how long to make the extended bolus, and what % is delivered immediate vs extended. It's still a work in progress but it has helped me a lot so far.


Other random things:
- Make sure you see an endo that you LIKE every 6months, and switch endos if you're not getting anything out of your appointment. Not all endos are good, and some don't help you at all. I've had great ones and terrible ones. Ideally, find one that understands your training goals and can help you out. At the very least, don't find an ignorant one who cautions you about eating too much protein and training hard and all that outdated nonsense that we know is not true. You will realize many endos have NO IDEA what it's like to really have diabetes, so when you find one that does, hold on to them.

- I get my eyes checked once a year. My eye doctor says diabetics really don't have too much to worry about as long as they're keeping good control of BG and getting checked ever year. My eyesight has not deteriorated any more than the normal "getting old" since my diagnosis.

- I don't have any neuropathy, nerve damage, circulation issues, or any of that bad stuff yet luckily. I do think it's because I have been extremely proactive about treating my high BG's. I always treat my body like a science experiment. That being said, I have NEVER been hospitalized due to low or high BG, and I have never gone into diabetic ketoacidosis. Diabetics as a bunch tend to be afraid of acute hypoglycemia episodes but I'm more afraid of the long-term damage that hyperglycemia does to your organs, hence why I got the CGM.

- If you eat a ton of carbs at once, the research shows your glucose absorption rate actually slows down beyond what you would expect. So the difference between eating 50g of carbs vs. 200g of carbs in one meal is not linear - in the latter case your glucose won't rise as fast, which gives the insulin more time to work. This is the technique I use on my training days. You just have to be careful to make sure you don't take too much insulin which will cause you to go low.

So that's all that I can think of right now. Let me know if you guys have questions, not that I'm an expert or anything, but I can try to explain things further.

[Sleev-les]

Hey brahs/brahette's.... I need some insight and ideas.. On a cut, I'm down a chit ton of insulin.. Of course thats a good thing. BUT, I also get more low spells. I took insulin at noon yesterday and had 2 low spells.. No additional insulin was ever added. Heres what I ate from noon:

1. P28 wrap with 5 oz turkey, 2tbsp guac
2. 2 pieces p28 bread with P28 white chocolate spread
3. 2 piece ezekiel bread
4. Core Nutritionals Protein shake
5. 2 more pieces ezekiel bread

Was crazy that I didn't need more... Well, my point of this post is finally here... What are your go to's when cutting/bulking and sticking to your healthy eats.. I've been using

quest bars
p28 or ezekiel bread (depends where my protein and fats are sitting)

Thats really all Ive stuck to. What are your's?

[ScivationLead]

A1C already down 2 points in the month since I was in the hospital. Should be even better when I get my Dexcom G4 Monday!

[Sleev-les]

A1C already down 2 points in the month since I was in the hospital. Should be even better when I get my Dexcom G4 Monday!

Love my Dexcom bro.. A1C has been low 6's since on it

[Vaughanabe13]

Hey brahs/brahette's.... I need some insight and ideas.. On a cut, I'm down a chit ton of insulin.. Of course thats a good thing. BUT, I also get more low spells. I took insulin at noon yesterday and had 2 low spells.. No additional insulin was ever added. Heres what I ate from noon:

1. P28 wrap with 5 oz turkey, 2tbsp guac
2. 2 pieces p28 bread with P28 white chocolate spread
3. 2 piece ezekiel bread
4. Core Nutritionals Protein shake
5. 2 more pieces ezekiel bread

Was crazy that I didn't need more... Well, my point of this post is finally here... What are your go to's when cutting/bulking and sticking to your healthy eats.. I've been using

quest bars
p28 or ezekiel bread (depends where my protein and fats are sitting)

Thats really all Ive stuck to. What are your's?

When I'm on a cut, muscle preservation and hunger are my #1 and #2 goals, so that means I cut out all bread, because it does nothing for either goal and it makes it harder to control insulin/BG. As we know, bread is converted to sugar very quickly. Unfortunately I just haven't found a successful way of cutting that keeps the carbs high - I've only had success with moderate to low carb cuts. I used to eat a ton of quest bars but I could never figure out how they would impact my BG. Quest Bars are a little misleading in their macros - while I believe the macros are accurate according to their lab results, the way we digest that type of fiber means we get more calories/carbs out of it than what the fiber content suggests. It's also a bizarre food in that sometimes it takes a long time for my BG to spike and sometimes it spikes right away - I think there's a lot of variance between flavors in that way. It also seems to depend whether or not I'm eating the bar with other food. I suppose if you are always eating the same type of bar and you have figured out exactly how it impacts your BG then it would be a good cutting food, but at the same time they taste so damn good that I always have a hard time limiting it, so I have just eliminated them for the most part. I think Quest Chips are better anyway because they don't spike my BG very much and you still get the benefit of the high protein and low calories.

As I mentioned in my other post, I also really like the Kay's Naturals when I want a snack-food type thing on a cut. I'll also make a protein pumpkin cheesecake every once in a while. Chili is another food I like on a cut because you can dial up the protein and fiber really high and it's relatively low-GI. I like Layne Norton's chili recipe personally, I think it works well for diabetics and it's fairly low sugar and tastes great.

[Sleev-les]

When I'm on a cut, muscle preservation and hunger are my #1 and #2 goals, so that means I cut out all bread, because it does nothing for either goal and it makes it harder to control insulin/BG. As we know, bread is converted to sugar very quickly. Unfortunately I just haven't found a successful way of cutting that keeps the carbs high - I've only had success with moderate to low carb cuts. I used to eat a ton of quest bars but I could never figure out how they would impact my BG. Quest Bars are a little misleading in their macros - while I believe the macros are accurate according to their lab results, the way we digest that type of fiber means we get more calories/carbs out of it than what the fiber content suggests. It's also a bizarre food in that sometimes it takes a long time for my BG to spike and sometimes it spikes right away - I think there's a lot of variance between flavors in that way. It also seems to depend whether or not I'm eating the bar with other food. I suppose if you are always eating the same type of bar and you have figured out exactly how it impacts your BG then it would be a good cutting food, but at the same time they taste so damn good that I always have a hard time limiting it, so I have just eliminated them for the most part. I think Quest Chips are better anyway because they don't spike my BG very much and you still get the benefit of the high protein and low calories.

As I mentioned in my other post, I also really like the Kay's Naturals when I want a snack-food type thing on a cut. I'll also make a protein pumpkin cheesecake every once in a while. Chili is another food I like on a cut because you can dial up the protein and fiber really high and it's relatively low-GI. I like Layne Norton's chili recipe personally, I think it works well for diabetics and it's fairly low sugar and tastes great.

What do you do when you have a low blood sugar episode? What I have been eating on a my cut is working pretty well. I'm down 25 pound... Started at 225lbs and now at 200lbs. I just get agitated when blood sugar goes low and I have to incorporate something extra in there.. Thats where my quest bar comes in. Brings my blood sugar back up , but not spiking it to go too high...

[Vaughanabe13]

What do you do when you have a low blood sugar episode? What I have been eating on a my cut is working pretty well. I'm down 25 pound... Started at 225lbs and now at 200lbs. I just get agitated when blood sugar goes low and I have to incorporate something extra in there.. Thats where my quest bar comes in. Brings my blood sugar back up , but not spiking it to go too high...

Quest bars act way too slowly to raise BG so I wouldn't recommend it if you're severely low. As mentioned in a previous post, I bought a giant bag of smarties candy because they're made of pure dextrose and they are in nice small packs that you can take anywhere. I scatter them everywhere around the house and at work and in the gym bag and anywhere else I will be and I force myself to ONLY eat those when I go low. It will raise your BG faster than anything else and it will get rid of the cravings the fastest. I used to have problems binging on anything in the kitchen when I was really low, so I decided I had to stop that because it was impacting my progress on a cut. I no longer think of a low as an excuse to eat and I think it has been good for my progress.

[Sleev-les]

Quest bars act way too slowly to raise BG so I wouldn't recommend it if you're severely low. As mentioned in a previous post, I bought a giant bag of smarties candy because they're made of pure dextrose and they are in nice small packs that you can take anywhere. I scatter them everywhere around the house and at work and in the gym bag and anywhere else I will be and I force myself to ONLY eat those when I go low. It will raise your BG faster than anything else and it will get rid of the cravings the fastest. I used to have problems binging on anything in the kitchen when I was really low, so I decided I had to stop that because it was impacting my progress on a cut. I no longer think of a low as an excuse to eat and I think it has been good for my progress.

I'll have to give those a try. I was never a smarties fan so I won't be tempted to eat them any other time than with a low blood sugar.

[Vaughanabe13]

I'll have to give those a try. I was never a smarties fan so I won't be tempted to eat them any other time than with a low blood sugar.

Anything that is pure dextrose/glucose will work equally well, so there are other candies like pixy stix, sweet tarts, etc. that do the same thing if you prefer. And of course glucose tabs are the same, but I find them to be way more expensive and the taste is off-putting to me. I think the form factor of Smarties and portability is the easiest which is why that's what I do. Also some types of gummy candy work well too because those are pretty much just made with dextrose and corn syrup and flavoring, so that's pretty close to what you'll get with glucose tabs. However they do tend to melt, for example in a hot car, so I find they're not as useful to take around everywhere. My point in all of this is you want the fastest acting carb source to raise your BG, which will prevent binging episodes and prevent you from going super low. Eating a candy bar or anything with fat in it will slow glucose absorption and then you will feel like it isn't working and you just want more. Even a piece of white bread would be a better option than a candy bar.