Need advice for type 1 diabetics taking creatine.

[Graham_A_M]

Hey guys, I’m a type 1 diabetic (meaning 4 needles a day) and have been for 10 years now. I’d like to bump up my work-out schedule and really start bulking up, but for that I need to start taking creatine.
I was told that it needs to function in parallel to insulin, apparently it needs the insulin to open up the muscle cells to allow in the sugars in the body, but it also uses the opened cells as a gateway for the creatine to enter. Also, creatine needs to be taken in conjunction with sugar. (which is entirely fine)
The question is, what are the things to and not do when mixing in creatine with a diabetic.

I’m entirely a n00b at this, and have little idea what I’m doing. Any help/leads/tips would be much appreciated, thanks a lot in advance for the replies.

[Team_Mclaren]

call your doctor

[FreakinPrince]

Originally posted by Team_Mclaren
call your doctor

x1 miillion


we are not all doctors here...we rather have you see someone who speicalized in that field and give you a better answers....we don't want you to risk your life when it just simple to go to someone with better knowledge.

[rx7girlie]

you definitely must go see your doctor and possibly also access a Diabetic Clinical Educator that should be readily available, I'm sure being a 10 year diabetic you must be familiar with those contacts.

But just to reiterate the fact of going to a PROFESSIONAL (ie - not beyond), I quickly did a search:

"However, patients with a history of renal dysfunction or diabetes or those taking concomitant nephrotoxic agents should avoid creatine supplementation or be monitored closely if supplementation is necessary." (Review of Natural Products (2007))

[KRyn]

Don't bother taking creatine.. The key to "bulking up" is eating like a pig. I mean 5000+ calories a day.. I don't think that you will respond well to weight gainer and cheese burgers.. So you are pretty much stuck with a clean bulk. This is going to be expensive and time consuming.

Also are you taking your multi vitamin, fish oils, and drinking at least 3L of water a day?

[1-Bar]

Creatine is more of an energy replenishment source vs. bulking material. Usually taken after workout, it replenishes your energy store in time for the next resistance training bout

[liquidboi69]

Originally posted by 1-Bar
Creatine is more of an energy replenishment source vs. bulking material. Usually taken after workout, it replenishes your energy store in time for the next resistance training bout

Wtf.... i always thought creatine was used b4 workouts becuz it allows one to workout harder, aka more gains. Thats what i thought it generally did.....???

[325crave]

All creatine does is push water into your muscles to make them bigger... if after taking creatine for a while and stop working out your muscles will sag and look very nasty.. i know from experience

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by KRyn
Don't bother taking creatine.. The key to "bulking up" is eating like a pig. I mean 5000+ calories a day.. I don't think that you will respond well to weight gainer and cheese burgers.. So you are pretty much stuck with a clean bulk. This is going to be expensive and time consuming.

Also are you taking your multi vitamin, fish oils, and drinking at least 3L of water a day?

It's tough for someone with Type 1 to eat that much and control their glucose levels. I had to do an assignment where I pretended to be Type 1 for a week and carried around a blood glucumeter and a fake insulin needle. Following a normal diet, let alone a 5000 calory diet requires intense devotion. Most people aren't that religious with the glucose testing, so it's important to stick to a diabetic diet.

[1-Bar]

Originally posted by liquidboi69


Wtf.... i always thought creatine was used b4 workouts becuz it allows one to workout harder, aka more gains. Thats what i thought it generally did.....???

You can take it before, but you have to do it in advance 1/2 - 1 hour. IMO the gains for that workout aren't as good as one would think. I rather replenish the stores I know I have depleted after, then to provide excess that I don't know if it will be used or not. Excess creatine in the system is flushed out via piss.....

[Lex350]

Originally posted by GTS Jeff
It's tough for someone with Type 1 to eat that much and control their glucose levels. I had to do an assignment where I pretended to be Type 1 for a week and carried around a blood glucumeter and a fake insulin needle. Following a normal diet, let alone a 5000 calory diet requires intense devotion. Most people aren't that religious with the glucose testing, so it's important to stick to a diabetic diet.

It isn’t the calorie intake that he gas to worry about as much as his carb intake. Carbs are what get converted to glucose so you need to keep that in check. In turn if you balance youer protien with your carbs you can burn fat and create muscle.

To start his doctor should have told him to stay away from high glycemic carbs like most paste, bananas and such. Stick to the lower glycemic carbs. When over-loading on these carbs the pancreas learns to a slope of a gylcemic response. A high glycermic response spikes your system so the pancreas compensates or over reacts throwing your whole system out of whack.

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by rotten42



It isn’t the calorie intake that he gas to worry about as much as his carb intake. Carbs are what get converted to glucose so you need to keep that in check. In turn if you balance youer protien with your carbs you can burn fat and create muscle.

To start his doctor should have told him to stay away from high glycemic carbs like most paste, bananas and such. Stick to the lower glycemic carbs. When over-loading on these carbs the pancreas learns to a slope of a gylcemic response. A high glycermic response spikes your system so the pancreas compensates or over reacts throwing your whole system out of whack.

Are you serious? With IDDM, the pancreas won't compensate for shit and eating 5000+ calories on protein just isn't happening.

[Darkane]

Easiest way to bulk 10 pounds? Take 40G of BCAA's during every workout for a month or so and you should be there assuming nutrition is in place as well. But then don't stop keep taking them as they are just awesome.

EDIT: Here is a good article by Fellow Canuck Dr. John Berardi on BCAA's. Explains a bit on insulin vs BCAA consumption as well.

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1367018

[Graham_A_M]

Hey guys. I figured nobody on here would give me a solid answer, but I thought I'd give it a shot regardless.

Truth is, diabetics can have whatever food, whenever. I haven't seen a doctor in about 5 years, because he said there was nothing he could teach me, apparently at the time my diabeties control/knowledge was amoung the top 5 best in Calgary. How he came up with that statistic? I dont know.
Yet diabetics can have as many calories as they want, as well as eat whatever, even slurpees.

Yet you probably wont hear that from anybody else but me. Since most diabetics have such a miserable understanding of the balance of carbs (as well as how fast their absorbed) in relation to activity (what kind of activity), and insulin (as well as how fast the insulin is absorbed, different types of insulin have different absorbtion rates in the body).
Thats why you see so many diabetics saying "I can't eat that"
I say "why not" when a person KNOWS how to have certain foods, and what to do exactly, there is nothing a person can't have. I go to buffet's too, and eat about 4-5 platefulls of whatever food... and its fine... I'm just honestly shocked at how people view their condition, whereas people think their ticking time bombs and eating the "WRONG" food (whatever the heck that is) will set them off. Its entirely not the case.

But anyway. I'm stuck at 1 and a half plates on the flat bench, and I'm getting really annoyed, the rate I'm bulking up is just slower then a pregnant sloth. Its just feels back and forth, back and forth. Some times I can lift almost two plates, other times a plate and a 10 is enough.
Creatine DOES make the muscles retain more water, but different types of creatine offer different performance enhancements.
Specifically (my buddy was telling me this, I forget exactly what its called) but there is something called "LSI" (or something simular) that actually allows you to retain more strength so the rep number can increase more so then without it.

^ But I know so little about creatine, I was just hoping there were some workout guru's that could explain things further.
but ah well. Thanks a lot for the help guys, I'll call my family doctor and see his insight into this.

[Darkane]

Originally posted by Graham_A_M
Hey guys. I figured nobody on here would give me a solid answer, but I thought I'd give it a shot regardless.

Truth is, diabetics can have whatever food, whenever. I haven't seen a doctor in about 5 years, because he said there was nothing he could teach me, apparently at the time my diabeties control/knowledge was amoung the top 5 best in Calgary. How he came up with that statistic? I dont know.
Yet diabetics can have as many calories as they want, as well as eat whatever, even slurpees.

Yet you probably wont hear that from anybody else but me. Since most diabetics have such a miserable understanding of the balance of carbs (as well as how fast their absorbed) in relation to activity (what kind of activity), and insulin (as well as how fast the insulin is absorbed, different types of insulin have different absorbtion rates in the body).
Thats why you see so many diabetics saying "I can't eat that"
I say "why not" when a person KNOWS how to have certain foods, and what to do exactly, there is nothing a person can't have. I go to buffet's too, and eat about 4-5 platefulls of whatever food... and its fine... I'm just honestly shocked at how people view their condition, whereas people think their ticking time bombs and eating the "WRONG" food (whatever the heck that is) will set them off. Its entirely not the case.

But anyway. I'm stuck at 1 and a half plates on the flat bench, and I'm getting really annoyed, the rate I'm bulking up is just slower then a pregnant sloth. Its just feels back and forth, back and forth. Some times I can lift almost two plates, other times a plate and a 10 is enough.
Creatine DOES make the muscles retain more water, but different types of creatine offer different performance enhancements.
Specifically (my buddy was telling me this, I forget exactly what its called) but there is something called "LSI" (or something simular) that actually allows you to retain more strength so the rep number can increase more so then without it.

^ But I know so little about creatine, I was just hoping there were some workout guru's that could explain things further.
but ah well. Thanks a lot for the help guys, I'll call my family doctor and see his insight into this.

So you ignore my solid advice on BCAA's huh? pfft. Go talk to your doctor.

[Graham_A_M]

^shit, I forgot to click on your link. I'll do that right now.
Thanks eh?

[rx7girlie]

Originally posted by Graham_A_M
Thanks a lot for the help guys, I'll call my family doctor and see his insight into this.

Hey, when you do this, give us an update, I'm curious what the outcome will be. Good luck

[Graham_A_M]

Originally posted by rx7girlie


Hey, when you do this, give us an update, I'm curious what the outcome will be. Good luck

Basically: Creatine needs to be taken in conjunction with insulin, and as the manufacter's of the creatine recommend; being to take with food so it can be fully digested; I just pour the powder in to a glass, add some OJ or cranberry juice, mix it and go... I do that for both breakfast & dinner, as twice a day makes for decent results.
Obviously I'm then meeting both of the required criterias.

This stuff is amazing for both increasing the reps and bulking up.
I'm WAY bigger then I was before.

Thanks a lot for the link Darkane.

(I've been using the Prolab stuff)

[blueripper6]

Hey man..

I did creatine, I am also type 1 diabetic(that means 10 needles a day, or sometimes 3, or sometimes 7 or sometimes 5) How can u say 4 needles a day? If you have been diabetic so long, you must be on an MDI plan (multiple daily injection)

Creatine fucked with my diabetes hardcore, I had doses set very well for my workout routine and as soon as I started that shit, it all went to hell. Even for about a week after I stopped taking it, then it was back to what it was before. If it works for you then great. Insulin is already a fat retention molecular compound, thats why some beefcakes use it. Just eat a lot, I mean a solid meal every 4 hours and a snack 2 hours after, you are eating something every 2 hours. You start stackin the calories, stacking insulin and stacking plates on your bar...

btw, I doubt your doctor would no shit, my diabetic doctor is a fucking idiot LOL. Im sourcing a new one.. You should probably see a doctor though, get your feet and everything checked. How do you have a license if you dont see a doctor? Or did I just get the short end of the stick because I have to renew my license with medical every year

[dimsum125]

Talk to a Certified Exercise Physiologist (CSEP) or an Exercise Specialist (ACSM).