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Mastagon
15-02-2012, 01:57 PM
Hey Praetorian,

Had a question for you about diabetes. I've been lifting for 7-8 years now, and about 6 or so ago, I decided to start taking it seriously. I don't think I knew much about or cared much about healthy eating during the first few years of this, so my approach to lifting weights was reckless, and my approach to eating was the same. I ate just about anything I could, and made sure I ate the most I could every day. I never counted calories, just made sure I ate about every 2-3 hours. No vegetables, no fruit. Lots of junk, burgers, etc. It's only now in looking back, that I see how destructive both in quality and quantity the amount of food I was eating was.
So, about 2 years ago, I started feeling strange if I went too long between meals, and sometimes, depending on what I'd eat, lethargic and tired. I did eventually head to the hospital for a few tests, but there was little they could tell me. They did a blood-glucose test, and urine tests, and all of it came back fine. This didn't put me at ease, as I still felt there was something wrong, but I left it at that. I was sure it was carb related, so I spent the following two years being conscious of the carbs that I'd eat, and left it at that.

Of course, it has me worried. It has more or less continued, to varying degrees since then. Recently, though, I was forced to take time off from the gym for a few months due to a back injury, and now that I'm back in the gym semi-regularly, I find this is worse. My hunger is sometimes excessive, I feel tired or disoriented, depending on when I eat. I find that these feelings are subdued or non-existent for the days following a gym sessions, but they grow worse as the days go by, if I don't get to the gym again. I understand that physical exercise/muscle repair increase the caloric demands of my body, so it's my thought that going to the gym is helping to balance out what might be insulin resistance brought about through my eating habits. I've been to the hospital in the past week after a particularly bad day where I was feeling extremely tired and hungry and not well, and still the blood and urine tests come back fine. (though they tell me the sorts of tests they were able to do are not absolutely conclusive.) This is confusing and I would really appreciate your thoughts on this.

Praetorian
16-02-2012, 10:42 AM
Can you post what your diet looks like now as well as any supps you are taking or aas/gh etc. There could be a variety of reasons from food intolerances or allergies, mineral deficiencies ie magnesium/calcium/zinc etc
P

Mastagon
17-02-2012, 03:29 PM
Carb sources: oatmeal/whole wheat flat breads/whole wheat pasta/rice noodles/potatoes/
fat: butter/almonds/peanuts/animal fats/high fat yogurt/peanut butter
protein: steak/ground beef/burgers/chicken/whey isolate/pork chop/ham
veg: brocolo/baby spinach/iceberg lettuce/peas/beans
fruits: grapes/blueberries/strawberries/apples

I try to keep it at 40g carbs/30-45g protein/25g fat or so, per meal, about every three hours.
I train 3-4 times a week right now, don't have a physically active job.
No aas, GH. Taking vit C and st. john's wort for stress. No Multi vit.
There's also chicken fingers, sausage, the odd box of kraft dinner.

And I'm ashamed to say, a bunch of junk as well. Cookies and stuff like that.
I've never had cravings like this. It sometimes feels like I can't think clearly
unless I eat a lot of carbs. Needless to say, it's got me worried.

cog
17-02-2012, 10:06 PM
You're trying hard to be a diabetic.Let's see what Prae has to say about these cookies lol.

Mastagon
17-02-2012, 10:49 PM
Honestly, the food cravings aren't psychological. It's tough to explain if you've never felt something like it befor. I'll eat a normal meal, like steak and oatmeal, that sort of thing, and the hunger I'll feel after that, well, it's frightening. Hence the trip to the hospital. Maybe it's as simple as I'm eating too much right now for how many calories I need, but whatever it is, it's not as simple as "stop eating cookies." I wish it was.

Praetorian
18-02-2012, 12:39 PM
There are many variables but a few stand out...food intolerance mainly gluten, high GI carbs from the cookies, junk, kraft dinner, grapes etc It does appear you may be prediabetic ie insulin resistant which most likely can be rectified through diet changes.

A few things to address:
1. insulin sensitivity
2. food intolerances
3. adrenal stress
4. mineral deficiencies

To do this you will need to drop carbs to trace only...over time this will allow your cells to re-sensitize to insulin and it will remove the blood glucose fluctuation from the high GI and junk carbs sources. Increase fibre intake and add minerals to deal with any deficiencies. Remove allergenic foods to deal with any food intolerances and run a glutamine load for the digestive system. high vitamin c and B complex to assist with adrenal stress and a probiotic for improved digestion.

Diet: 50g pro + 30G fat + trace to low carbs (carbs from fibrous veggies with whole food meals) 6 meals-eat every 3 hours, NO starchy carbs or junk!! Shake scan be used for 3 meals...add fibre to each shake

Supplements: Vitamin C to bowel tolerance, B complex twice daily, glutamine as below, ZMA daily, probiotic 30min before breakfast (Metagenics is good look for 15Billion cells per cap), fish oil 2 tsp twice daily

Resistance training: 4-5 days weekly

Cardio: interval only 30sec run/jog followed by 2 min walk on tread mill...three times week for 20min

Glutamine Load:Take 80 grams of glutamine a day for 5 days, yes 80 grams, best is to do 8 x 10 grams. I find taking 10 grams every two hours diluted in a cup of water works very well. Timing with meals does not matter...glutamine is the primary building block on the intestinal lining. Many people suffer unknowingly from leaky gut syndrome. The glutamine overload phase seals the lining, which diminishes food intolerances and inflammation.

As the diet continues a variety of non allergenic carb sources will be added back to see how your body adjusts but you need to go through the intial phase and deal with the issues for 72 hours prior to ketosis. The carb sources only from trace or veggies will allow your body to resensitize to insulin but it will take some time. Once you add other carbs back in you can use R-ALA to assist as a GDA.

Water intake should be high along with moderate sodium(sea salt added to meals) 4-6 litres water daily.

P

TT Eric
18-02-2012, 02:26 PM
Extremely good advice, if OP do that, his health condition will improve incredibly! Props again Prae!

Eric

Mastagon
18-02-2012, 07:48 PM
I agree with Eric. Thank you for the advice. I was thinking I'd get attacked for the junk, so I appreciate you
being just straight to the point with it. Just to be clear, by "remove allergenic foods," you mean drop to trace carbs.
As of reading this, carbs beyond trace amounts will be out. I will introduce the other elements as I can and will let
you know how this works.

Again, Thanks

-Mast

Praetorian
18-02-2012, 11:34 PM
Oatmeal, pasta, yogurt, flatbreads are all allergenic foods. To start with have fibrous veggies only for carbs and have them in only three meals. Eliminate all starches, dairy, fruits etc. It will take 3 full days on this diet before you enter ketosis....once in ketosis you should feel better as your brain will be using ketones for a fuel source. run this for two weeks and we will take it from there.
P

Thorgrim
19-02-2012, 12:55 PM
I think Prae's advice is pretty much spot on.

fmrdh
10-04-2012, 02:51 PM
Any updates on your condition? This sounds to me like a case of "leaky gut syndrome" or "candida" or both.