Cycling UK Forum

I was diagnosed as Type 2 Diabetic in June 2009, 2 months before my 50th. I never had the classic symptoms of diabetes (micturating, thirst etc) I had a trapped nerve in my shoulder and the Dr did a blood test. I didn't know it then, but neuropathy (nerve damage) is a side-effect of diabetes. My blood sugar level was 9.7 at the initial diagnoses. I was, at the time a cyclist, but an occasional one. The first thing I did was to go on the Diabetes UK website and get some ideas for recipes. I also visited my GP clinic Dietician and she was very helpful. I started to look at food in a new way. I cut out all the cakes, chocolate and sweets. I was a terrible chocoholic and would do 3 bars a day. I thought I would miss it, but I haven't. The only thing I miss is the odd biscuit. Like a previous poster, I started to read labels on food. I like the 'traffic-light' system and never eat anything above 10% sugar, but obviously the lower the better.

Anyway, I got on my bike a bit more regularly and started to go out about 3 times a week at least. I average about 25 miles a time but on the odd occasion I will do a 50 or so.

Within 3 months, I had lost a stone and a half (I was overweight like most middle aged blokes, but I wasn't really 'fat'!) and my HBA1C went down to 6.8. All my other vital functions are excellent. Good BP, low cholesterol etc and the Doctor was really pleased.

I have continued in this vain for 2 years now and I'm still medication free. Its all about taking control of the illness and not let it get to you. I still have a pint and the odd 'treat', but I've never felt better.

As a reward to myself , I've just bought a new road bike to go with my Dawes tourer. I wouldn't say cycling saved my life, but it has certainly helped me manage my diabetes. And reading the other posters, there evidence to suggest that my experience is not unique.

My cycling buddy has diabetes and must keep track of his bloods. We have and do have many runs including shorter audax runs without too much difficulty. He easily out climbs me! I do know what to do if certain circumstances occur and this, I think, is something that should be shared with your cycling group.

Type 2, about 5 years ago. Was on metformin, statins and bp stuff.

This year I have not drunk alcohol, and have cut out crap food.

Have lost 5st so far, through a combination of diet and cycling.

No longer on any drugs, type 2 is now diet controlled.

Only problem I had was on my longest ride to date of 62 miles, but I think that was lack of intake apart from electrolyted water, a coffee and banana's?

Other short rides of 30 ish miles are fine.

Hopefully back on bike in New Year as had arm op 2 weeks ago.

Poshgill wrote:...The first thing I did was to go on the Diabetes UK website and get some ideas for recipes. I also visited my GP clinic Dietician and she was very helpful....

A very helpful site, The food is very tasty.
Link: http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-dia ... d_recipes/
Thanks for the post.
Ben

Type 2 runs in the family. I suggested a blood test to the doc in 1990 after the appearance of a rather indelicate symptom that very few docs had even heard of, and we discovered that my levels were over the rainbow. I had trouble accepting it at first, food & drink being one of my favourite hobbies. It took me until 1994 to get on a bike and a year after that to get my appetites in check: pretty abyssmal, but I live in a country of beer, wine and good food and switching to an ascetic lifestyle did not appeal one little bit. Did my first 100k in 1997, first 200k Audax in 2003, PBP/UAF in 2006, PBP randonneur in 2007.

3 x metformin 500 mg/day but not when riding any significant distance: it's daft to inhibit carb uptake from gut when your muscles need it. When I'm cycling I eat anything I fancy: if I'm burning 500 kcal/hour it's not going to make a lot of difference.

HbA1c in 1990 was 11.73; last test it was 6.3. Weight in 1990 was 92 kilos, now it's 70. Cholesterol was astronomical, now it's excellent (can't remember figures).

Needed a stent in 2008, but no coronary damage due to my regular stress test detecting stenosis before it became critical. At 64 I can still ride comfortably with heart rate between 150 & 160. Cardiologist reckoned that if I didn't cycle I'd have been on the table ten years earlier.

On the negative side I haven't drunk anything alcoholic for over 15 years, and now even when it's used in cooking it causes an instant hangover. Oh jolly.

Since the posts all seem to be from type 2's, thought I would contribute as a type 1, with 47 years of experience, having been diagnosed at the age of 5.

Following a heart attack, I joined the gym on advice of the doc. I went regularly for a couple of years, but began to find it a bit repetitive. Around the same time (2006), I had to stop driving for a spell as my blood tests were regularly on the low side and I was beginning to lose my hypo warning signs, so for safety's sake, I voluntarily stopped driving for 6 months until they were regularised. Thankfully, I was able to recover my awareness of a hypo coming on.

Problem was that both the train station and gym were 1 - 2 miles away, so rather than walking, I dug out an old Universal mountain bike lying at the back of the garage and started cycling to both. Although it was in the middle of winter, I found that I really looked forward to getting on the bike to get back home after work / the gym.

In the spring, I handed back the company car, cancelled my gym membership, and bought a half decent bike. I was still quids in, and enjoyed my exercise much more. Since then, I've managed to acquire 5 bikes, all with a personality of their own, and average c.4,000 miles annually. I completed my first 100 miler this year.

If I know I'm going out on a decent length cycle run, I reduce my insulin as well as taking additional carbs - usually fruit. I always have some jelly babies in case, and if I'm out on a 30 mile+ run, I check my bloods every couple of hours. Generally, I manage to keep them between 4.0 and 8.0 during an outing, although they do tend to continue to fall for a few hours afterwards if I've been on a long outing.

I've always had a reasonably healthy diet, weigh c.70kg, but I think I'm probably fitter now than any time since my early 20's - just wish I had rediscovered cycling years before I did!

That's the funny thing about diabetes - we stick to such a healthy diet and exercise regime that we're often fitter after getting it than we were for years before.

I get hypos so rarely that when one sneaked up on me on Saturday I started worrying about my heart first: then I stopped for a cup of hot chocolate and a bun and went like a bat out of Halifax afterwards. Serve me right for looking at the weather, chickening out and taking the metformin, then saying ah to hell with it, going anyway and then not feeding properly en route. No fool like an old fool.

A lot of these stories ring true for me. I am type 2 - diagnosed when I was in my early 50s - but anything sugary has had a hell of an effect on me since I was about 12. For the first few years it was murder, then I got back into cycling and discovered that my blood sugar and general well being was vastly improved by it. Now I do take Byetta but my HBA1C comes in at 5. Rock steady. I think finding the combination that works (in my case 50 k couple of times a week plus daily running about on the bike) and the right drug was really lucky as GPs are pushed towards the cheapest (generic metformin) solutions. So if you're struggling I really advise nagging until you get it right. Now I'm at a point where missing a couple of weeks riding (chest infection then I fell down stairs!) makes me fret like hell. And of course, cycling diabetics don't have to deny themselves much. But if you're sitting still it's back to calorie counting. Anyway my hip knee bum and elbow bruises are mending so it's back on the bike for me tomorrow. Hooray.

By the way getting enough carbs down when you're riding as a diabetic can be tricky. I have had a couple of horrible lows and ended up once sitting on a bench for half an hour unable to move. Pretty frightening. Nowadays I carry dried fruit and flapjacks with me on the bike and one plain water bidon and one sweetened. But I don't need them much and to be honest rarely consume them. I prefer a ham sandwich or similar. And I never ever drink alcohol - I don't just mean out riding. I mean never. It masks your blood sugars and makes it difficult to know exactly what's going on.

My father developed Type 2 later in life. He used to refuse to take his insulin. He was also supposed to have Althiemers but I am not so sure. I suspect he was the way he was because of his refusal to medicate properly for his diabetes. He died on the 12th day of Christmas, 12 days after my mother died. I reckon he had had enough

nez dans le guidon wrote:By the way getting enough carbs down when you're riding as a diabetic can be tricky. I have had a couple of horrible lows and ended up once sitting on a bench for half an hour unable to move. Pretty frightening. Nowadays I carry dried fruit and flapjacks with me on the bike and one plain water bidon and one sweetened. But I don't need them much and to be honest rarely consume them. I prefer a ham sandwich or similar. And I never ever drink alcohol - I don't just mean out riding. I mean never. It masks your blood sugars and makes it difficult to know exactly what's going on.

Crikey, I could be looking in a mirror. I carry marzipan bars and gingerbread, though: they do it in handy little packets here. And bananas. Otherwise, it's front bidon plain water and back one a mix of Punch Power and Isostar - seems to work pretty well and tastes good. My main training circuit takes in two excellent coffee-&-bun shops. I also carry mini-salami to get rid of the sugary taste - not quite what the dietician ordered, but see next paragraph. Oh, and crystallized ginger for a fast boost.

Worst hypo I've had was after I started following a dietician's advice a couple of months after my stent implant. Legs like lead and my nez very nearly in contact with the guidon through lack of the oomph to sit up - I thought I was having a heart attack until I got a marzipan bar down me. White coats - pah! Even if they are very personable lassies called Estelle.

Well, me and my big mouth!

After 6 weeks of non-cycling activity, I've been given some Metformin tablets but taking these doesn't really seem to help much!

Steve Kish wrote:Well, me and my big mouth!

After 6 weeks of non-cycling activity, I've been given some Metformin tablets but taking these doesn't really seem to help much!

Relax Steve,
It takes a few weeks for Metformin too "Kick-in", then you will begin to feel the benefits!
I have put on mustle mass and improved my stamia with it!
Ben

Diabetes was mentioned in a recent CTC magazine question. This site was recomended:

www.runsweet.com.

Apologies if this has already been mentioned here - some quite long posts on this page.

Hope the info helps somebody

Back in November after 2 1/2 months with no real excercise, I got a Fatwa from the quack. My glucose had increased to 8.9 and there was a lot of teeth sucking and threats of the needle. The problem was caused by 3 weeks in Florida in temperatures of 93 and 90% humidity which ruled out proper exercise and then coming back to spend 4 weeks of acute sciatica which disabled me so badly I couldn't even dress myself. I put on a lot of weight too.I related all this to the quack but he didn't seem to listen.

So, I set about losing the weight in a very determined way and managed to loose 10lbs, which is quite an acheivement considering Christmas. I also got back on the bikes and eventually managed some 50 milers on road and a whole series of 25 miles off road in the mud.

When I asked the quack about getting a glucose meter there was sucking of teeth, shaking of head and he said all I would get would be sore fingers. Don't get one he said. So, I ignored him and bought one. It has been really great. I do a fasting blood reading every Monday morning, then weigh myself and then take blood pressure. I put all this into a little spreadsheet. I have had the personal satisfaction of watching the weight go down, the blood pressure go down and the blood glucose go down. It's down to 5.0 now, the blood pressure is 125/75 with a resting pulse of 55. The weight has fallen away with the help of an Android App on the phone based on Weight Watchers program (we have all the books from when my wife went 10 years ago)

I have to get a fasting blood test at the surgery on Friday, and I will be very interested in the quacks reaction. The point of this story is that having some scales, a blood pressure machine and a blood glucose meter puts YOU in control, its motivational, you get to be in charge of your health. I would urge anyone with type 2 diabetes to equip themselves with these three monitoring devices and to use them. I cynicaly suspect that our surgery isn't keen on glucose meters because they fear having to prescribe the strips!

By the way, a good read is a book called 'escape the diet trap'. The book recommends what is basically an Atkins diet slightly modified to be prehistoric ie eat only meats nuts and berries. It reckons carbohydrates should be severely restricted and this helps insulin resistance. When I tried Atkins I found that I quickly ended up with bonk on any decent ride. So, on days when I am riding I have some carbs and on days when I am not I really try to restrict them. I am of the opinion that this strategy has helped lower my blood glucose readings.
The experiment continues.....
Al

Just carry enough food: cycling seems to multiply the effect of insulin much more than walking. Take less insulin when eating. Of course pump users can cancel the drip feed of insulin for a bit; insulin pen users would need a time machine