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!