Deads

Deadlifting is an interesting movement to perform. Almost anyone can do it. For me, I love to deadlift because I won't require as much insulin for hours after I train my deadlift. 

I do make sure before I lift heavy that I bolus some insulin and have a small amount of carbs. I used to train fasted and my blood sugars would spike pretty high. Having insulin on board for strength training really helps with my post training blood sugars. If I were doing some type of cardio, I wouldn't bolus. 

It took some fine tuning to figure out what works best. About an hour before lifting, I will have 10-30 grams of carbohydrates and bolus normally for them. I wish I could have known a lot of what I know now back in the high school and college football days.

My favorite part of deadlifting or lifting heavy is I feel like I can run through a wall. I feel disease free which is huge. Type 1 can be very frustrating and feeling normal is something I have struggled with my entire type 1 life for the last 23 years. While I lift, I am Breaking Diabetes! 

Nutrition Battle

The one area of type 1 diabetes that has caused me the most frustration the last few years has been nutrition. I have tried everything under the sun. It seems like the more I know about nutrition and how the body works, the more confused I become. There are so many different approaches. There are books, the internet and other resources to sift through. Trying to find the ideal approach has left me questioning too much. There are high carb, low carb, no carb, Carb Nite, CBL, Paleo, the Zone, the ADA, IIFYM, traditional American diet and everything else. Ahhhh! 

A few weeks ago I was in the midst of a war on carbs. I was eating a lot of fat and protein. I was run down and tired. The blood sugars weren't doing that great either. I would be good for about an hour then the blood sugars would elevate and stay elevated for a few hours. They wouldn't get real high, but they hovered around 160-190. Lifting weights and training for strongman suffered as well. I needed to make a change.

I started working with a nutrionist that knows what is like to push the body. With her we setup a macronutrient breakdown of 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fats. I did this in the past with decent results. 

 At first, I was scared of all the carbs. I have kept the carbs to fruits, veggies, and gluten free foods. I have been feeling pretty good and have had good control. My caloric intake has increased a bunch and I keep track and measure out my food now. This can be a nuisance at times. It truley makes me realize how much I was under eating. There's no reason I should have only been around or below 2,000 calories a day. No wonder I stalled so often with my strength numbers. 

It's only been about 2.5 weeks, but I have leaned out a bit and I have had more energy training. What needs to happen is that I stay the course for the long run with minor adjustments made here and there. Consistency is key here. I want to feel good and become strong. 

The War On Carbs

For the last month and a half I have kept my carb intake to less than 40 grams a day. My control has been much improved. 

Using my Dexcom CGM along with my pump, has made things a lot easier. I have been using square wave bolusing because of the amount of fat I have been eating. Coconut oil is my new best friend.

Performance wise, things are going well. I am back to programming for myself. I thought I wouldn't have enough energy to train without the carbs, but that hasn't been the case. Since my numbers have been more regulated, I feel pretty good day in and day out. 

I have no idea what my next athletic endevour will be. For the last month, I have been lifting and doing short spurts of conditioning. I still have an itch to compete in strength sports. I am leaning more towards strongman than anything else. I wouldn't mind a little CrossFit comp if it is heavier and shorter.

Competing is double edged sword sometimes. I miss it and am not aiming towards any goal. It's been refreshing not thinking about competing in anything the last two months. The time spent with my family has been wonderful. 

This Friday I will be doing blood work for a doctor's appointment in a few weeks. I believe I am on track for an A1C in the 6s. The war on carbs will help me see better control. 

Gadgets

Type 1 diabetes can be quite the roller coaster at times. A ton of things can mess with control. That's what we deal with and that is part of the disease. 

A few things can make control a lot easier. The two devices that I have are wonderful. I use an insulin pump from Medtronic and a continuos glucose monitor by Dexcom. Continually knowing how much active insulin I have by checking my pump is great. The CGM allows me to feel confident with where my numbers are. I am able to catch lows or highs before they occur. 

During exercise, I am able to just check my CGM to see how I am doing. Before I had my CGM, it was very rare that I would stop to prick my finger and do a blood test. I keep my pump on the entire time while working out unless I am doing some slow steady state exercise like running(this doesn't happen very often).

I wish I didn't resist these devices for so long. I have used a pump for about ten years and a CGM for about six months. The biggest problem with these devices are the out of pocket expenses. This needs to change. 

In my opinion, if more type 1s could have more affordable devises or even any access to them, control and overall health would improve. If you would like to get behind an organization, I would recommend the JDRF. Their goal is to turn type 1 into type none. The JDRF does great things! 

Oregon Feats of Strength Recap

The event was well organized and ran by Dean Munsey and his helpers. This competition had some strong men and women. I finished towards the bottom of my weight class. A huge thanks goes out to everyone that helped make the event great. Thank you!

My main focus leading up to the comp the days before hand and the morning of was to maintain solid control of my blood sugar levels. Once the competition started I knew that I would go a bit high for a while. 

The first event was a yoke walk/sled drag medly. The yoke was 630 pounds and the sled was 470 pounds. The heaviest I have ever done on the yoke was 565. I was about five feet short when the time expired. My blood sugars raised to the mid 200s after this event. 

The second event was a log clean and press for reps with 225 pounds. I zeroed this event. I cleaned the log okay, but couldn't lock it out overhead. My blood sugar kept rising. The highest it went to was 292. I bolused and gave a bit of extra insulin. 

The third event was a farmers walk with 260 pounds per hand with 8 tire flips weighing 650 pounds. We had a minute to get this done. I thought I moved fairly well with the farmers, but struggled a bit with the tire. I flipped the tire three times. The two competitors that were battling for first finished this event around 30 seconds. That was great to watch. Blood sugars were 133 afterwards. 

Husafell carry for distance was next. The husafell weighed 320 pounds. I made it about maybe 140-150 feet. I was pleased with this. I had only done this with items weighing less than 200 pounds. Blood sugars were 142 afterwards. 

Stone over the bar with a 292 pound stone for max reps in 60 seconds was the last event. I finished with two reps. It was great to watch how easy some of the other competitors made this look. Blood sugars were 149 afterwards. 

Overall, it was a great experience. Some people asked about my pump, so I had a chance to explain type 1 diabetes a bit and my goal of bringing awareness. My friend Sean competed as a lightweight novice and did a great job. He is game for anything. Everyone that made this event possible did a great job. 

Competition

There are many reasons why I enjoy competing in athletics. Some are selfish reasons and others are for a reason greater than me. 

My goal is for some newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic to maybe stumble upon my blog and see that type 1s can do whatever they set their mind too. According to the JDRF, there are as many as 3 million type 1 diabetics in the United States. I took this quote from JDRF.org:

“Unlike other kids, I have to check my blood sugar 8 to 10 times a day; everything I eat is measured and every carbohydrate counted. My kit goes with me everywhere I go … Too much exercise or not eating all my food can be dangerous. I think I’m too young to have to worry about all this stuff.”

— Jonathan Platt, 8, California

The feeling of being diagnosed can be very scary and helpless feeling.

I struggle day to day with my disease. It seems the more I learn about it, the more difficult it seems. Things were easier when I knew less. 

Competing and training in strongman has helped me many ways that I am thankful for. I monitor my food and blood sugars much better because if I don't, my performance goes down. Athletics is my time to feel "normal". 

I have a competition tomorrow and my biggest worry is how my blood sugars will react. 

The people that have helped me prepare and very thankful for are:

My wife-no matter what she is behind me.

My family-forever support. 

Sean(Why everyone needs a Sean), will be doing the comp with me. 

Type 1 Athletes Facebook page-everyone sharing their accomplishments has been very motivating.

Kalle Beck-he has been in charge of my programming since March. 

Startingstrongman.com, Starting Strongman Facebook group-answered a ton of my questions about training. 

Tomorrow will be a success. 

BREAK DIABETES!

Encapsulation/JDRF

The thought of having beta-cells encapsulated and inserted into my body is mind blowing. The JDRF is attempting to get this project started this year. Every time I read about the possibility of being free of doing blood tests, keeping track of food and the overall stress that T1Ds brings to myself along with my family, I break down into tears. 

I need to figure out how one gets selected for these trials. I would sign up in a second. If this could work, my life along with some many others would be so different. It would be a new life.

It would probably be a weird adjustment at first, but I am sure I could get used to it. I have tried to let T1Ds not hold me down, but it has. Being free of devices aka my man purse, free of carrying food everywhere, and free of stressing over blood sugars. This would be priceless. 

This needs to happen. The JDRF needs our support. Please remember T1Ds is an autoimmune disease not due to choices. I didn't eat too many cookies. 

http://jdrf.org/get-involved/ways-to-donate/

Let's BREAK DIABETES!

Vacation

For me going on vacation and handling type 1 diabetes is difficult. My schedule is way off and exercise doesn't really happen. I would like for it to be different. This vacation my family and I have been on has been pretty packed with activities.

 

It is great to spend the time with my wife and kids. They are a blast. The silly thing is that I worry about my blood sugars the whole time. My diet is not what it normally is at home and this throws my control a major curve ball. At home, I am pretty boring with what I eat. I try to keep it pretty much the same everyday with each meal the same except dinner. This way I know if I ate something and it affected my blood sugar and insulin use a certain way, I can make the appropriate adjustments for the future. 

In the grand scheme of things, I could prepare better and have meals and activities scheduled to the second. I don't think that would be fair to my family and the vacation that is supposed to be about the family turns into a diabetes focus. It affects my family as it is. Balance is key. It seems the more aware I am and learn more things about my disease the worse it affects me and others around me. 

Next week, I will get back to a more normal routine with diet and training. I have a strongman completion called Oregon Feats of Strength Contest. I am looking forward to this. I will be trying to use this competition to help raise funds again for the JDRF. 

Why Everyone Needs a "Sean"

My friend Sean is what every type 1 diabetic needs around. With my different ups and downs health wise, he is always there no matter what. If I enter some competition, he will either enter it as well or go to cheer me on.

Sean has educated himself on diabetes and has helped to spread the word of what type 1 really is. He has pushed me to share my experiences. 

Besides my family, Sean has been a huge support for me. 

Update and Adjustments

One of the biggest struggles as an active type 1 diabetic has to be how to correctly fuel yourself. There are so many options out there. Too many to choose from really! This has been my hardest dilemma lately.

Control wise, doing hardly any activity and eating a ketogenic diet works extremely well. The problem for me is that I don't have enough energy to do a whole lot. My attitude stinks and I turn into to a grumpy old man. I knew I needed to change things, so I counted calories for a day. The scary thing is when I counted calories while being low carb, I was around 1,500 calories a day. I couldn't believe it. I needed to make a change. 

The current change I have made was one that I used during my last year of college football. I ate the same amount of macronutrients(carbs, protein, and fat) at each meal around the same time daily. My control wasn't perfect back then, but I felt great and could perform well on the field. Currently, my numbers have been pretty good and controlled.

I am training for strongman and I need energy. The last week has been great. I count my carbs and calories. I am satisfied. My energy and mood are better. I have about 8 weeks until the Oregon Feats of Strength Strongman Competition. I am excited and nervous. Having food taken care of makes it a whole bunch easier. 

I have a training log that can be found at  http://startingstrongman.com. The website is run by Kalle Beck who is trying to promote the sport of strongman. The site is filled with useful info for beginners and more experienced athletes. You can find Starting Strongman on Facebook and YouTube as well. I can't tell you how much I have learned about training. 

Parenting and Type 1

I have a 4 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. They mean everything to me. At times, my disease can be a burden to my kids and wife. Luckily, my wife is very supportive and is behind me no matter what.

My kids think nothing of me pricking my finger or changing an infusion set for my pump. It's funny because at times they fight over who can help me. My daughter even asked the other day if I was low and needed some food. 

One of my biggest fears as a parent is that my kids will end up with type 1 as well. I wouldn't know how to handle that. Looking back to when I was diagnosed, I am so thankful for how strong my parents were. 

Type 1 is a team effort. It just doesn't affect the type 1 diabetic. This disease affects everyone. We need to stand strong and fight for a cure. Too many kids and families are being torn down and beaten up by type 1. We must BREAK DIABETES! Perception is not reality. 

CGM

I can't believe I have waited so long to be on a continuous glucose monitor. The cost and fear is what made me hesitant. In the big picture, I am investing in my health which you can't put a price tag on.

I started with my Dexcom G4 on Tuesday. Putting it on was a breeze. It took maybe a minute to get it in. I used to have another continuous glucose monitor that was awful and not so accurate. I would have to lay down for 10 minutes with my old one. I only used the old one for maybe a month because of the pain and the hassle. 

I would recommend the Dexcom G4 to others without a doubt. I wish I could have had devices when I was a kid. Things would have been so much easier. Pumps were first starting to come out when I was in high school and they weren't proven. 

I am curious...

Why not use a pump or CGM?

Cost?

Education?

Going Pumpless/Dino Strength Camp

I had no choice yesterday to go without my insulin pump. The buttons just stopped working. I am not sure what the deal is. This weekend I was signed up for "The Dinosaur Strength Camp"  run by Scott Paltos(pumpcrossfit.com) held a gym in my town. With all the luck I had last weekend with my infusion set not working, this was not a huge suprise. 

The first thing I did was call Medtronic to get some support. They asked me a few questions and sent me a new pump that got to my house this morning. The call maybe lasted a total of 5 minutes at the most. I was nervous like I had mistreated the pump or they weren't going to help me. 

I quickly drove the ten minute trip home to get my Humalog(short acting) and took a shot of Levemir(long lasting). I was nervous. I haven't done everything manually in about 9 years. The pump has spoiled me quite a bit. It truly makes everything easy. 

I was pleasantly surprised that everything went well. My highest blood sugar was 189 since my pump stopped working. I did check more than I normally do (which is a ton!).

On to the camp...my numbers were great the entire time. We did some lifting working on technique and some strongman conditioning to finish up the camp. The content that was covered is everything I believe in for performance. You lift heavy and move quickly. It's that easy. There wasn't any sugar coating during the camp. Scott said what he said and didn't pull any punches. He coaches people for performance. 

Our bodies are built for performance. If I don't do anything and don't fuel it properly, it's not going to do what it's capable of doing. We must move.

I have always found the best results from lifting and moving quickly. I don't need to bolus as much and the body feels great during. The feeling of having strength is a wonderful feeling to me. 

Being without my pump and the camp were two successes. I was neverous about both. I learned quite a bit with both situations. 

NorCal Strongman Championships

This past weekend was my fundraising event that I named "Deadlifts for Diabetes" run through the JDRF. I used the NorCal Strongman Championships to pull my deadlift. I ended up receiving a bit over $1,200 in donations. I am pleased with the amount raised, but I think I can do more in the future. I am very thankful for those that donated. I can't express how much I appreciate your generosity. 

The competition was 4 events. The events were a max axle clean and press, farmers walk/zercher carry medley, max 18" deadlift and a 60 second stone series. Some of these movements I haven't had much practice in. I figured why not just go for it.

Here are my results thanks to Kalle Beck for the programming and coaching! He has been giving me feedback and cues the last few weeks leading up to the comp. 

www.startingstrongman.com

Axle clean and press- 273#

Farmers 225#/zercher carry 375#- 24 seconds

18" deadlift- 675#

Stone series 220-350#- 4 for 5

Overall, I am very pleased with how I did. I took 2nd place out of 12 others in my weight class. Everyone was very nice and helpful. I would like to especially thank my family and friends that made the trip to watch me. This was more than just sport for me, this was a start of my fundraising and involvement for type 1 diabetes awareness.

The morning of the competition was very difficult on the diabetes front. My infusion set was not delivering insulin. Two hours before the comp I went up to 480. It was the first time that I thought that I was going to have to go to the hospital. Luckily, everything went to normal before the competition began. I probably tested my blood sugar 30 times. I changed infusion sets, used a syringe and tried to stay hydrated. I actually flushed out 8 pounds if fluid in the morning. It was safe to say that I felt horrible. Once I was steadied, my levels were between 136-225 with a few peaks close to 300. I knew I had to fight through the day no matter what. The last thing I wanted was for my disease to stop me from participating in my own event to raise funds. 

As I was deadlifting, I thought of how this type 1 thing can't hold me back. My goal was to prove that being type 1 shouldn't hold people back from accomplishments. If anything this disease makes me more focused, responsible and aware.  

My biggest worry on Saturday was that diabetes was going to literally kill me. Through the support of my friends and family WE BROKE DIABETES! 

Fundraising and Competition

I have created an event through the JDRF called Deadlifts for Diabetes. I am competing in the Northern California Strongman Champioships. One of the events is a dead lift. For me, whenever I deadlift my blood sugars are great for hours.

So far, I have raised a bit over $1,000 thanks to some very generous people. I couldn't be more appreciative and thankful. My goal is $3,000. I am hoping there is an extra push before the competition on Saturday the 26th. 

I am really looking forward to competing in my first strongman competition. It's safe to say that I am a bit nervous as well. The big question for me, is how will my blood sugars go the day of. The five events will all be short in duration with a high level of intensity. 

The two powerlifting meets I have done my experiences were very different. The first meet, I was nervous and my numbers were high the whole day with a major low a few hours after the competition. The second meet, I was not as nervous and my numbers were great all day. 

With this last week before the competition, the diet and blood sugar control are very important. This is not a time to be slacking with record keeping or food intake. I have been transitioning into a low carb diet the last few weeks and my highest blood sugar has been 134 the last few days.The tighter control means the better I feel. 

Since strongman is new water for me, we will see how things turn out. I am looking forward to a day of competition and getting out of my comfort zone. Most importantly, I am raising money the JDRF.

 http://team.jdrf.org

Type in Jeffrey Huet to find my event and donate.

Deadlifts for Diabetes

After 23 years of being a type 1 diabetic, I have decided it is time for me to become more involved. I have been talking for years about it. It's time I put my ideas into action.

I have created an event through the JDRF. I will be participating in the Northern California Strongman Champonships on April 26th at Boss Barbell in Mountain View California. The competition will have an axle clean and press for max weight, farmers walk/zercher carry medley, 18" deadlift for max weight, truck pull and a stone series.

I chose "Deadlifts for Diabetes" because whenever I deadlift I don't require much insulin for the rest of the evening and it's as close to diabetes free I can feel. My goal is to raise as much money for the JDRF as possible. 

The JDRF is the largest nongovernmental funder of T1D research and the only global organization with a strategic plan to fight T1D.

You can make a difference by visiting these sites:

http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR/TeamJDRF/Chapter-OregonampSouthwestWashington4532?px=9046737&pg=personal&fr_id=3528

www.facebook.com/breakingdiabetes 

We must BREAK DIABETES!

Facebook and Possible Events?

I started a Facebook page called Breaking Diabetes. My goal is to change the perception of what diabetics are and how we did not have a choice in the matter of becoming diabetic.

Sports were my way as a kid to feel like I was just like anyone else. I was proud of myself because I did pretty well on the fields or courts. I always wondered how different I would have done if I didn't have T1Ds. 

As an adult, I have gravitated towards strength sports like powerlifting and strongman. I do fool around with CrossFit every once in awhile and find the group atmosphere very enjoyable. I have always enjoyed strength training whether it has been for competition or overall health. 

My wife and I have been brainstorming some ways to raise money for the JDRF. We are thinking of some type of online competition. She is very supportive of me in all that I do. She understands how important it is that I spend time in my garage training and caring for my disease. My ultimate goal would be to create an annual event that can continue to grow year in and year out. We must BREAK DIABETES!

What's the Best Route?

When I was first diagnosed more than 23 years ago certain aspects of diabetes were easy. As a family, we did what the doctor told us to do. Everything seemed to be based off of what the American Diabetes Association recommended. Today, that is not the case.

The last few years I have tried to educate myself as much as possible with reading different material from a range of sources. The one thing I have learned is that so many studies and recommendations contradict each other. 

Every diabetic is different. We participate in different activities and have different dietary choices. 

For me, I have the most success with staying under about 60 grams of carbohydrates a day. My control is tighter and I feel pretty well. When I do this, my blood sugars vary from the mid 70s to about the 130s. 

What's the most confusing and frustrating part is that I have doctors that agree and disagree how I have decided to eat. In the last 7 years, I have been through a total of 5 different doctors. Some of them moved out of my town while others weren't open to hear how I felt about caring for my disease. I would like to find a doctor that is a type 1 diabetic that is fit. I find it very difficult to listen from someone on how to manage health if it seems as though they are not very healthy themselves. Sorry for being honest. They need to have walked in my shoes.

As a patient, I want to be trusted and listened to by my doctors. I don't want to be told that I can eat whatever I want because it can be covered with my pump. My goal is health and longevity with this disease. 

For those of you that are type 1, don't let this disease beat you down! We need to bring attention to it. The general public needs to be educated about what we deal with on a daily basis! Break Diabetes!

All Day Seminar

I spent the day at an Olympic Weightlifting seminar hosted at the CrossFit gym(www.crossfitgp.com) I coach at. The seminar was with Diane Fu. If you are interested in Olympic Weightlifting, I couldn't recommend a better person to take a seminar from. She was very thoughtful and approachable. Overall, it was a great day and I learned a whole bunch that will improve my coaching and my own ability. 

Going into an all day event like this as a T1D can be a bit nerve racking. For me, I feel like I have to test all day long and be paranoid about highs and lows. I knew I would spend most of the day being active.

I used a temporary basal rate most of the morning and a normal rate for the afternoon. The reason I did this is due to the fact that the snatch was worked on in the morning portion and I would be just working form with light weights. This movement is my biggest weakness. I lack the mobility and technique. The afternoon was bit of a different story because the clean and jerk I can go a little heavy in. 

During the clean and jerk portion, I wanted to find a new personal record. This required a lot of effort and I tried to get psyched up a bit. My blood sugars bumped up to 247. I bolused with a normal dose and the evening went fine despite pigging out on a cheeseburger and fries for dinner. I wanted the calories.

Normally, after a day like this I would be high all evening and then crash sometime. This would get me a ticket to ride the diabetes roller coaster until the next day. I am glad that I was not issued a ticket!

www.crossfitgp.com

www.fubarbell.com 

Workout and Potato Starch

I worked out at CrossFit GP today. It was a lot of fun to work out with others. I coach a few classes a week there. I would like to be able to attend more classes, but my schedule doesn't work the best at times. I am going to try to make it into classes more often. Everyone is very supportive. Blood sugars were great. I haven't used much insulin at all today. 

I am starting to consume potato starch mixed with water. There has been a number people with diabetes see great results with their control and exercise while consuming potato starch. We will see how it goes. 

Deadlifts

Today I deadlifted and the blood sugars were great afterwards. Pre lifting, I was at 204. I required hardly any insulin at all to cover my dinner and at 8:00pm my level was at 89.