# Power lifting/strength training



## JoeA (Nov 27, 2017)

Hi.  Not a spwcific question here, more seeking general advice, voice of experience.  I was only diagnosed t1 in last few weeks after getting very very ill with ketoacidosis which saw my weight go from 14st 10 to 12st in under 3 weeks. I looked like i could have been in an ad for Live Aid.  

Well now since coming out of hospital and gradually getting enough strength back to do a bit of yoga and even managed a bit of planking and 2x10 push ups n tricep dips (a month ago i couldnt even manage 1 push up. ) I want to get into weight training to get into best shape possible. 

Really just looking for any advice on when to eat, can i take extra insulin for extra food oitside the standard 3 meals a day and low carb snacks, best times to train and what to expect. I've learned anaerobic exercise like weight training can cause blood sugar to rise as it causes liver to make glycogen from stored fat and aerobic caused bg drops due to burning glucose. Any advice appreciated.  Thank you.


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## HOBIE (Nov 27, 2017)

Welcome JoeA. Keeping fit is very important to anyone & well done. There are not many exact rules & if you test before & after you may see patterns in your BG. Really good luck & welcome


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## Matt Cycle (Nov 27, 2017)

Hi Joe.  Well done on getting back into exercising.  Yes you will need to take fast acting insulin to cover any carbs you have, whether this is a normal meal, an extra meal or a snack.  In general it's true that anaerobic exercise can increase blood glucose and aerobic exercise can reduce it but often exercise includes elements of both - reactions to it can be very individual so as Hobie says testing your blood glucose is key.  As you are recently diagnosed you should also bear in mind that your insulin requirements are likely to fluctuate quite a bit and may reduce as your remaining beta cells get a breather from the injected insulin.

I'm not a gym person so I can't really offer any specific advice on that but the Runsweet website has lots of useful information on T1 and various sports and exercise including gym and body building.


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## Chris Hobson (Nov 28, 2017)

Hello Joe
I can identify with your Live Aid remark as I suffered sudden weight loss prior to diagnosis, although nowhere near as steeply as you did. I can remember looking at myself in the mirror in the hospital and thinking 'bloody hell look at the state of that' when observing the combination of bones and wrinkles that was looking back at me. The good news is that, once I got seriously into exercising, the transformation was astonishing. I had to get used to being ragged by my wife for constantly admiring myself in the mirror. I can't offer much advice on controlling glucose levels and exercise as I am a type 2. I have learned from this forum that every single one of us is different and you have to try to work out via testing what combinations of food and exercise work best for you. There are some really cool hi tech systems for testing your levels via your smart phone which might help. I don't have to test so often now so I'm still pricking my finger.

Lastly I would say that, if you can afford it, it's great fun to have your own gym. I wrote about how I built and equipped mine here.

https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/how-to-build-yourself-a-home-gym.70220/


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## Northerner (Nov 29, 2017)

JoeA said:


> Hi.  Not a spwcific question here, more seeking general advice, voice of experience.  I was only diagnosed t1 in last few weeks after getting very very ill with ketoacidosis which saw my weight go from 14st 10 to 12st in under 3 weeks. I looked like i could have been in an ad for Live Aid.
> 
> Well now since coming out of hospital and gradually getting enough strength back to do a bit of yoga and even managed a bit of planking and 2x10 push ups n tricep dips (a month ago i couldnt even manage 1 push up. ) I want to get into weight training to get into best shape possible.
> 
> Really just looking for any advice on when to eat, can i take extra insulin for extra food oitside the standard 3 meals a day and low carb snacks, best times to train and what to expect. I've learned anaerobic exercise like weight training can cause blood sugar to rise as it causes liver to make glycogen from stored fat and aerobic caused bg drops due to burning glucose. Any advice appreciated.  Thank you.


Hi Joe, I was in a similar situation when I got diagnosed - I lost about 20 lbs over a period of about 18 months, then17 pounds in 3 days immediately prior, and weighed 8st 4lbs at diagnosis  I now have a very healthy BMI of 22.3  

It will take time, so give your body the time it needs - a diagnosis such as ours has a massive impact on the whole body and needs to heal gradually to build back up to full strength. I managed to run the Great South Run 4 months after diagnosis, but it was still over a year before I started getting back to a more healthy weight - I concentrated more on how I felt than how I looked 

I'd recommend getting a copy of the Diabetic Athlete's Handbook which I found immensely useful in understanding the processes involved, and it covers all sports, strength and aerobic  Regarding when and what to eat, this will be very much a personal thing, so the key is to try different things and do lots of testing to see how things go. Gradually you build up experience of when to eat, when to reduce insulin etc. It can take time, but once cracked becomes far less of a pain (just occasionally! ))


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## Chris Hobson (Dec 4, 2017)

Well I thought that my transformation was impressive, but this guy has me totally trounced.

https://www.boredpanda.com/weight-loss-biggest-losers-sam-rouen-firefighter/


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## Martin Canty (Dec 4, 2017)

JoeA said:


> do a bit of yoga


Welcome to the group, Joe....

I found that Yoga has been very good at helping to keep my BG relatively stable & body in trim.


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