Diabetic Dude on the Zone

[Michael Terska]

Well, my dreams are coming true. I am a 26 yr old, diagnosed as a type I diabetic and was taking about 5 units of humalog each meal and 15 units of lantus in the evening... fast forward to now with my Zone based diet and CF and BJJ physical training and...KAZAAM! I'm now only taking 15 units of lantus in the evening, that's it!!! Not bad in my book. I may not be a typical diabetic but for the others out there work hard and keep the faith. Thanks to all on these boards who are fountains of knowledge and experience.

Mikey

[David Aguasca]

awesome going, michael. just 15 units of lantus? how does your BG react after meals?

i've been type I since january 2005. it's been a pretty wild ride...i only found CF june of last year, and paleo in the last 4 months. it's made a HUGE difference. i'm on the pump. when i started out, i was using 30-35 units of novolog a day: 12 for basal rate, and 18-23 for meals. now with paleo, i only use 9.6 basal units and between 7-10 units for meals.

not to mention, i've kept my A1c under 5.9 for the last two years...

[Michael Terska]

Dude that's awesome. My sugar stays well within range, I've only been as high as 156 once and that was kinda my dumb@$$ fault. I ate a huge apple, a box of rasins and two granola bars (don't ask they were just laying around) before BJJ, so other than that my sugar is great. I honestly just couldn't take any fast acting insulin after a week or two on the zone. I'd always crash bout' two hours or so later, not to mention if I was active at all. I ain't complaining though. One shot per day vs. 4, I'll stick to my guns.

[Jeff Mouland]

Guys,
Awesome work, My Girlfriend is Type 1 and I have been hoping to see some info on how healthy the Zone and CF are for Type 1 Diabeteics. Everythign seems geared towards Type 2. Any Tips?

[Michael Terska]

Everyone is different, and I'm no doctor but changing up to a diet like the zone or any of the Paleolithic types should be a step in the right direction for anyone. I'd tell your girl to give it a whirl, just be careful, changes in diets for diabetics is touchy and takes a bit more adjusting than it would to your average bear. Good luck to you both

[Peter Terry Haas]

Awesome work Michael.

I'm going to echo what Jeff said. My girlfriend is Type I diabetic and very stuck in her ways (jogging and low fat diet). If possible, could anybody else that is Type I talk about their experiences with Crossfit and the Zone diet? Thanks.

[David Aguasca]

one of the benefits of the zone/paleo diets is that they improve your insulin sensitivity.

diets that are super high in carbohydrate cause your body to go into insulin production overdrive every time you eat, because of the speed at which sugar is absorbed into your bloodstream..that's called your insulin response.

zone/paleo, having a lot of fiber and protein, and very little carb, slow the absorption down DRASTICALLY, not to mention the total quantity is much lower. this leads to a smaller insulin response...more insulin sensitivity, which is on the other end of the spectrum of type II diabetes (insulin resistance).

all that means for us type I's is that we need less insulin. this is without mentioning the countless other benefits of zone/paleo, including a cleaner GI tract, faster recovery, more resistance to illness...


mike, i've been getting low a little more often since i've changed my diet. i might need to experiment with my basal rate again...

[Michael Terska]

Seriously, this is like a dream... thanks guys/gals for your responses. Short of a full on cure this is the best I've seen for treatment. We should have doctors recomending caveman workouts and diets. Imagine picking up a huge tractor tire at the pharmacy..lol.

[Jeff Mouland]

Thanks for the response guys. My gal has eaten pretty clean the last few years so switching to this was more about changeing where her carbs were comming from and limiting slightly than a complete overhaul. I appreciate any Type 1's chiming in and discussing experiences and lessons learned.

[Bob Holman]

Originally Posted by Michael Terska

I've only been as high as 156 once and that was kinda my dumb@$$ fault. I ate a huge apple, a box of rasins and two granola bars (don't ask they were just laying around) before BJJ, so other than that my sugar is great.

Hi Michael,

Do you mind telling me how long ago you were diagnosed? I am a type I, ten years diagnosed, if I ate any of these things you mentioned without supplemental bolus insulin my BG readings would be well into the 200 - 300 range. If you are newly diagnosed then you may still be producing some insulin? BTW, I have been on the pump for 4 months, Lantus/Novo for about 5 years before that. I've seen Lantus have a strong effect, but that meal would have been close to 100 grams carb - nothing Lantus could have covered.

Just curious - thanks for your post. I love to read about people with type I facing there disease and kicking it into submission.



Bob