My first few years of diagnosis, I had no idea what in the world I was doing. There was a lot of guessing. It didn't help that I didn't test as nearly as I should have as well. The main reason I struggled was due to my lack of acceptance of my situation. I manually took shots and my meter took 60 seconds to give me blood sugar number. Diet wise it was whatever the ADA suggested. I was very active with surfing, high school basketball and football.
In my 20s, control became much better than my teens. I was still manually delivering insulin and my meters took about 5 seconds. Diet was more of a focus because I wanted to be as lean as possible. This was not always the best. I would under eat because it was much easier to control my blood sugars with less food. When I met my wife in my mid 20s, she helped me in a huge way to tighten things up. I started an insulin pump when I was 25. This is one of the best decisions I made with my diabetes. My numbers drastically improved. Working out wise, I ran a lot, biked and lifted weights.
When I hit 30, things drastically changed with my approach. I tried to do the Low Carb High Fat Paleo approach along with CrossFit. After a few months of CrossFit, I switched to a pure strength training program with some basic conditioning. This treated me much better. The missing piece was a major lack of carbohydrates. My bloodwork was terrible. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and put on meds. My muscles were eating themselves and I felt awful. I ended up with 3 liver biopsies and 1 muscle biopsy. This was solved by a neurologist suggesting that I have some glucose pre and post workout. Looking back, it seems funny how easy it was fixed.
Around 32, I had decided it was time to give powerlifting a try. My diabetes was under great control. I ate around 50 to 120 grams of carbs a day. My strength was stalling a lot after I made some good early progress. I was making progress, but not the kind I should have. I knew I shouldn't have been limiting my carbs like I was. The problem for me was that most articles and resources for diabetics and diet do not take into account performance. For me, performance is vital. Health is important, but how I perform holds more importance.
From the ages of 33-35 I bounced between powerlifting and strongman training and competitions. I did fairly well in both sports at the local level. I was still eating LCHF with carbs on training days. This got me no where. I also started to struggle with my insulin sensitivity. I was at the point where I was just going to start exercising again and just focus on wellness with health being my goal.
In the spring of 2015, I decided to seek some assistance with my nutrition for health and possibly an advantage when competing. My control of my disease was good, but I wanted things to be even tighter. The main thing I was concerned about was my thyroid as well. The feeling of being exhausted for no reason had ran it's course. I needed help. The guy I am getting help from has helped me out with a great plan.
I am currently eating almost 300 grams of carbs a day. I take in almost the same amount of insulin as when I was LCHF. Some groups would think that this is crazy for a diabetic. Not only am I feeling better and have better control, but my lifts have sky rocked the last 6 months. I am training with a group now that gets after it and that makes a huge difference. I am pushed and inspired to continually improve.
At 36 years old, I am the strongest I have ever been and have the best control of my disease I have ever had. To quote the band Accept:
Balls to the wall, man
Balls to the wall,You'll get your balls to the wall, man
Go hard! Conquer! Break Diabetes!
