tommyguy

got a free analysis done at the gym by a personal trainer.

height: 6.0'
weight: 193lbs
body fat percentage: 19%
body mass index: 26.2
basal metabolic rate: 2602

I've been working out since October 2004. back then I was 6.0' 245lbs, and had developed diabetes. Since then I've gone to the gym 3 times a week. 2wice a week lifting for 1-2 hours, and once a week pure cardio for an hour. I have basically hit a road block. How do I go down to 186lbs? I don't want to loose any muscle, I just want to drop that body fat percentage more. any suggestions? I can only add maybe one more pure cardio day, because I work so much during the weekday, and weekend. help

ric

Some random suggestions from another diabetic -

are you working with a pragmatic and skilled nutritionist? Are you controlling your diabetes via diet, drugs or injections..... it makes a difference in terms of your workout.

Is your workout regimen varied and are you stuck because your regimen is now repetitive? Your body likes change, and will get in a rut after four-eight weeks of the same regimen.

I invested in a professional trainer, at some cost, who works with folks with an array of conditions. I workout carefully, have never sustained a low blood sugar while working out, and have worked successfully to build muscle mass; at 160 lbs and 6'-1.5", body fat is not my personal issue - my diabetes is Type I, so diet is simply management, not control - I use insulin. He varies my routine, which is a mix of strength and cardio, and works to package a routine that I can take on the road when I travel. Over two years, I've built significant muscle mass, increased my endurance, and achieved a more comfortable body to live in.....

PerfectlyImperfect

How does your current nutrition look? And you say you are lifting...but what are you doing?

tommyguy

thanks for your reply. I am controlling my diabetes through a drug, and I am not using a nutritionist. Instead, I've just lowered my carb intake, and taken multivitamins, as well as GNC's triflex(glucosamine, condroictin, msm).



In the begining I tried to vary my workout but its slowly become repetitive. I lift on mondays and fridays, after work. Usually between 1 to 2 hours, and i do cardio for 1 to 2 hours on wednesday(800 calories on the eliptical machine).


I take in suger before the workout to prevent hypoglycemia. I don't use a personal trainer, because the ones at my local gym are too pricey, and have no experience with diabetes, or any other special needs. How do you look at 6' 165? how strong are you? how much can you bench, and what is your routine like? I want to be muscular and weigh less.

tommyguy

My current nutrition is low in carbs/sugar, but high in protein. for lifting I'm sort of pyramiding.

bench press:
135lbs 8 reps
165lbs 5 reps
195lbs 2 reps

the rest is all hammer strenght equipment
lateral pulldowns
180lbs 12 reps
250lbs 12 reps
270lbs 8 reps

bicep curls
45lbs 12 reps
70lbs 12 reps
90lbs 8reps

calfs:
90lbs 12 reps
140lbs 12 reps
160lbs 12 reps

leg press:
180lbs 12reps
270lbs 12 reps
410lbs 12 reps

couple other machines, and things that I do, but they all follow that formula.

ric

My routine varies on a six to eight week schedule. My goals, at 57, are perhaps less compelling than yours, at 26. I have four sets of exercises, and do three rounds in each set. Each set has three to five elements. Done quickly, there is a mix of balance training, strenght, and endurance. At the moment, my warmup involves some walking exercises that increase balance and flexibility in my legs and thighs - walking while touching my heel of alternating feet from behind, then alternating toes from up front..... that warms me up. THe first set has some lateral pulldowns on fixed equipment, currently set at 110, leg curls, and a bench press with a light weight while sitting on a pilates ball, ending with arm curls while alternating from one leg to the other. THe second set has me chest pressing 20 lb weights, resistance rowing, chest pulldown and some basic non-weight based legwork. It closes with a "matrix", working with two 12-lb dumbbells doing holdouts, curls, diagonal lifts and vertical lifts. My closeout workout is with resistance chords, doing a series of pull-down, rows and pull exercises, again, doing three sets. This was originally a routine that my trainer set up for some athletes he was side-training who were part of the Phillies a few years back. While some of the work seems dumb, even simple, when done quickly (not racing) with just a 30 second break between the basic groups of four sets, it does run me out.

At 160 with my height, I have great muscle definition but relatively modest muscle bulk. My trainer has noted that this is simply a reflection of my body type, and more aggressive workouts, which we are headed to, will simply lead to more definition, not necessarily much more bulk... My body fat is virtually nonexistant, at this point.

Everyone's diabetes is different, but I might suggest that you micromanage your blood sugar readings for a couple of workouts to learn exactly how your body responds during an exercise routine....... you may be overcompensating with sugar intake at the beginning of your workout, in a legitimate effort to avoid a hypoglycemic moment... but sugar synthesizes quickly, and you may be actually dumping your body into a momentary spike up, followed by an energy "trough" as soon as five to fifteen minutes later, depending upon your body chemestry. That trough of energy may be hitting mid-way through your exercise routine, which may be part of why you aren't getting the results you want. And, rather than sugar, I might suggest a more elusive form of sugar, perhaps a simple carbohydrate, that takes a bit more time to synthesize and will kick in more continuously through your workout. You may find that a snack of - say - cheese crackers - twenty minutes before your workout will be more beneficial and less dramatic than something with pure sugar. I monitored my blood sugars ruthlessly at first, at the request of my trainer, and we discovered that my levels stayed quite consistent; I don't do anything at all. However, my issue is hydration, and I make sure I consume water through my routine, whether I am at my trainer's or working out at the gym.

In thinking about the exercise regimen I set up for myself before working out with a trainer, my routines were pretty basic, did not deal with any elements of developing dynamic balance, and became both boring and stressful very quickly, as I tended to try to advance my weights very quickly, given my personality. My progress with a trainer has introduced me to the value, for me, of basic exercises conmingled with weightlifting, both free and fixed. He has also introduced me to the concept that if I push too quickly, I self-injure, which I used to do all the time when I was running my own show..... THere are a lot of books out there on constructing one's own routine, but in thinking back to the ones I read, there was a lack of emphasis on creating variety, both within the program, and in changing the program completely about four to six times a year...... and there is also an emphasis on the use of pure weightlifting equipment as the only way to tone; my trainer fully believes in the value of resistance chords, Pilates ball work, etc, as a way to focus on balance and collateral muscle development.

Hope this helps.

Gpump

If you developed diabetes from obesity, then I'm surprised that you're still diabetic after dropping 50 plus pounds. Type II diabetes is due to insulin resistance and if you're BMI is now 26 (lower than mine - fucker) then you ought to be ok by now. I just can't see a young person (who hasn't been diabetic for what, more than 3 years?) having diabetes that doesn't respond to weight loss. Just remember - calories in has to be less than calories out. I think about 70% of your calories burned are from basal metabolic rate and only about 15% is influenced by exercise. Get with a nutritionist and get on a regimented program.
Fricking BMI of 26 and still trying to lose another 7 pounds... Would you like to kick my dog while we're at it?
Congrats on the fairly drastic lifestyle change - not many people can do that and stick to it.

tommyguy

thanks for the surpport. Both my parents are type 2, so I guess I couldn't dodge the bullet. it was just a matter of time. I guess I thought it was due mainly to my weight despite the strong family history. Both parents came down with it at the same time 3 years ago. I followed shortly after. Weird huh?

tommyguy

wow! you must look like brad pit in fight club!

thanks again, for the advise. I started juicing because when I would try and workout, I would almost colapse after two sets. my sugar would take a dive. I didn't test to confirm this though. I started juicing right before the workout, with a combination of gatoraid, and oj(small shots), and this got me through a 1-2 hour workout without the dip. after the workout, I would take readings and they were actually quite low.

I'm going to now jazz up my routine. I might take up yoga, or join the cycling club. I will definitely focus more on free weights, and leave the machines alone for a while, giving both my strength training and cardio routines a much needed boost.

ric

Thanks - But I confess NO one will ever take me for Pitt.....

You may well find yoga to be very good. As an alternative, if there is a good instructuor, you might try Tai Chi, which is an ancient Chinese movement series that grew out of the martial arts. It is more physical in some ways than yoga, but has much of the same meditative elements to it, and it will, if practiced right, give you a cardio workout quite cleanly.

As for monitoring your glucose levels - I found the only way to learn how to "read" my energy correlation with my blood sugar levels was to test obsessively for several workouts - after that, I had an understanding of how quickly exercise impacts my system, how long it last, etc. You only need to do it once or twice to develop an understanding of your ebb and flow.

Again, everyone's metabolism is different, but Gaitoraide and OJ have very easily accessed sugars; if I took a slug of OJ with Gaitoraide, my energy would spike in 20 minutes, then trough with a low blood sugar.... but if it works for you, then it works. But - to confirm that, I'd really run your glucose monitor into the ground to see where you're at.

And, in reference to Type II, I would look carefully at Gpump's comments; Type II can be mitigated and even dispensed with via careful dietary management. You may have gotten a handle on this early in your life, which is a good thing - permanent lifestyle changes are difficult to create, and if you do it young, and early, you stay ahead of the curveball of so many of the devastating side effects of unmanaged diabetes (Type I or II)

ric

In taking a quick look at what you are doing, it is no wonder that your body is bored. You need to mix it up, add some stuff, do some balance work - try new stuff...... By now, your body has that routine grooved, and it is no longer getting benefit. Yoga, something - take up a sport - bicycling, running, rowing, whatever works...... something to give you interest while you exercise and build your body.

Newplay1

I think I hit a block also, I was around 180lbs 5'10 after walk/run/light lunchs and gym 4x a week I was able to drop down to 155lbs last April'05. Now I'm 170lbs and feel little sluggish and am going nowhere.