A motivational story about exercise, diabetes and change!

JohanR87

Hello all,

Here a little inspirational story about exercise and the effects of exercise.

Since september 2012 i gained a few pounds. Nothing major: from 76 kg (167 pounds) to 83 kg (183 pounds) as a 25 year old with a lenght of 178 cm (5 feet 10), but i always did want to drop back to my original weight.

Although i did want to drop a few, i didn't have the motivation yet until a late day in March this year. Going to a hospital for my half a year diabetes 1 check-up and seeing a person with diabetes 2, using up a whole bench while eating a snickers and with massive overweight already gave me such a scare that i thought: that won't be me!

Now: for the people that don't know what diabetes is a quick lesson. As you eat you consume many things like for instance carbs. Diabetics can handle everything except for carbs and everything that falls under that category. After consumed, carbs are transported towards your bloodcells by something called insulin which your body produces. Type 1 diabetes patients have a auto-immune failure. In short: our bodies thought that our own insulin was in fact a virus and destroyed the islands in our body where insulin is produced. Consequence: we need to inject our own insulin.

On a regular day i have to inject 2 types of insulin. Novarapid, which i have to inject before every meal i eat and Lantus, which is a basis to keep my bloodsugars average througout the day itself.

Now to finally get to the point: Exercise makes you, diabetes or not, more vulnerable to insuline. In short: exercise and your insuline relative to the amount of carbs has more effect. This i knew, but after about 1,5 month of p90x my need of insuline Lantus went down from 27 units to 15 units. The need for Novarapid has decreased about 5 units for each meal. A huge decrease! If every diabetic could even get close to that amount, wonder what that will do to the health insurance policies costs around the globe!

So for all people who have diabetes: pick up weights! Go for a run! Get knowledge on how to get in better shape! Be active for at least 3 times a week for 1 hour. That in combination with this site will do miracles for your body!
To anyone who doesn't have diabetes: my lantus need dropping still proofs that your body shapes itself after the way you live. Get up and shape it in the way you want it to be!

Kind regards,

DAM5412

Thank you for this. Both of my parents are diabetics, as are many of my family members. While I, like most women, joined MFP due to vanity, the more time I spend here, the more I learn to value my HEALTH. I worry so much about becoming diabetic and I am going to do as much as possible to avoid it for as long as possible.

I really appreciate the way you've explained your meds and how your body is not using insulin the way it should. I am going to learn more, but I will always keep your post in mind.

BarbaraCarr1981

Thank you for the post. Type 1 diabetic for 21 years. Trying to lose the weight from my first child I had 16 months ago. Im floating around 155lbs. I weighed 139lbs the day I went in to confirm the pregnancy. I started lifting heavy consistantly (3 times week) in April 2013. Before that I was all over the place - lifting heavy here and there, doing some cardio whenever, lots of cheat meals. So April 2013 came and I decided to put my foot down and really focus on healthy eating, heavy lifting 3 times a week and cardio 2-3 times a week. I see a little difference so far but not much and I WONT step on a scale because it ruins my motivation - makes me feel fat everytime. Same with mirrors, I try to stay away from them even. I know I know, sad case I am..... lol. I also have had hypothyroid for 21 years - just take a little blue pill for that though.