I started studying diabetes back when I was 24 and met one of my best friends, who is a diabetic type 1. I was nowhere near repaired for what I learned over the years. Diabetics have to work hard and literally pay MONEY to survive. Their insulin levels are out of whack, and it’s different per diabetic.
One thing that is frustrating (and a health detriment) is the fact that insulin plays a very large part in building and KEEPING muscle.
Muscle is a large part of health. It increases the number of white blood cells in your body. It’s a literal suit of armor, it enlarges your heart mass to make it stronger, it vasodilates the veins for healthier blood flow, it keeps you lean because of the higher caloric demand per cell, and it even promotes higher brain function (contrary to the stereotype of the “Chad-Bro”).
People with diabetes come in all shapes and sizes, but one size that is rare is MUSCULAR.
That is because when their insulin levels are not constantly perfect, their muscle decreases due to a chain reaction starting with sugar. BUT. There is hope. And the strategy is different between Type 1 and Type 2.
Let’s start with Type 2.
Type 2 is an acquired disease that can possibly be reverted. There are more types of Diabetes, like onset and pre, but we are going to specify the major 2 for now.
The simple strategy for Type 2 Diabetes is to gain more muscle through a Mediterranean/keto diet (using your carbs very precisely singularly for muscle building and performance). This way the muscles will act like a sponge for glucose and the diabetic will not have to use insulin as much due to the lower free glucose in the bloodstream.
The strategy for type 1 diabetes is more complicated.
The precision has to be higher with carbs, and each diabetic has a different amount they can tolerate (they can only inject so much insulin).
Diabetic Type 1 does not produce any insulin. So they have to inject insulin in order to process any glucose in the body.
One thing that is often not accounted for is neoglucogenis from protein turning into glucose. When they are only counting their carbs but are eating way too much protein, or the lack of carbs the body needs takes away from the protein, glucose is added into the bloodstream.
The use of higher muscle for D1 is the same as for D2, but it is a much slower process. Using muscle as a sponge, there will be less glucose in the bloodstream and the individual can eat more carbohydrates and perform better.
Precision is key here. On the day you work out, eat the most carbs you can. Keep that up for the next day but by half. And then you can take it easy on the 3rd day. Keep this cycle up for optimal muscle building. Normally I would have a higher carb count recommendation for people trying to gain muscle, but you have to be patient. If you follow this cycle you will not lose muscle, but the growth will not be as fast as a healthy adult.
I will do my best to help anyone with this disease. Contact me if you would like some guidance.
