Type 1 Diabetes No Match for Primal Lifestyle!
It’s Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Friday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!
My name is Shawn and I am 28 years old. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about a year ago. I haven’t seen many stories or articles related to diabetes on the MDA website so I thought I would share how going Primal has helped me take back control over my health and wellbeing.
First of all, I have actually been very healthy most of my life (or so I thought). In college I lifted weights, ran, and did pushups and sit-ups in my dorm room on a regular basis. I despised salad and fresh veggies, and loaded up on Hamburger Helper, cereal, and PB&J because it was convenient and I “worked it all off” during my workouts. I am 6’ tall and my weight maxed out at about 205 lbs (92 kgs) during my last year of college (2007)…perfectly healthy I thought.
Fast forward several years (during which I managed to drop about 10 lbs thanks to army basic training) to September of 2011. I started losing weight…lots of weight…about 25 lbs in 3 weeks to be exact, I drank water by the gallons, and I could no longer exercise without getting severe cramping in my legs. Something was obviously wrong, so I made an appointment with my doctor who I hadn’t seen in about 10 years. I had a fasting blood sugar level of 350 (normal is 70-99 mg/dL). The last several months of 2011 were very challenging. There was no explanation why I got this disease (no family history) and trying to come to terms with the fact that I would have to deal with this every day for the rest of my life was a bit overwhelming. I started working with diabetes educators and nutritionists at the local hospital and was told that I should take in about 320 CARBS/DAY(!!) based on my activity level. And they call themselves nutritionists?? Even my endocrinologist said I could eat whatever I wanted because the disease “sucks enough the way it is” and I just needed to shoot up with enough insulin to cover the food I was eating. At this point I still did not know any better so I bought into their conventional wisdom.
Needless to say, my blood sugar control was not good. I would go up to 250 right after meals, but since I dropped down to normal again after a few hours my doctor was fine with it. Being all too aware of the side effects of uncontrolled blood sugar, I decided to educate myself and become my own “nutritionist/doctor.”
Around January of this year a friend exposed me to the paleo diet. I checked it out and was intrigued. I started doing extensive reading and research (during which I came across this website) and decided to give it a try. I slowly started purging out the sugars/carbs/processed foods that were poisoning my body (especially cereal which was a staple of my diet at the time), and whaddya know…my blood sugars and overall health improved drastically, and my insulin requirements dropped like a rock!!!
Fast forward another 8 months to today and life has never been better! Through my faith, support of my wonderful wife and family, and a little help from the Primal Blueprint, I have been able to cope with my diabetes to the point that it is a mere afterthought in my everyday life. My diet includes massive amounts of meat/eggs/veggies/salad/nuts to fuel my active lifestyle, ~120 carbs worth/day with virtually no SAD food (if I do slip up, my blood sugar pays the price!). I do still indulge in some diabetic friendly, Primally questionable foods (quite a bit of cheese, a few peanuts, and the occasional artificially sweetened drink). I guess there is always room for improvement? I still work out quite often, but in Primal fashion: biking in to work as often as possible (~16 miles, 50 minutes each way), sprint sessions when I can’t get on the bike, and circuit-type training with pushups/pullups/core exercises/any other bodyweight exercise I can think up 4-5 days/week . The results: My weight has stabilized at 187 lbs (slightly less than pre-diabetes weight) while also managing to drop a couple pants sizes. I have tons of energy, especially compared to some of my type 2 diabetic relatives who always feel run-down due to their poor diets. (I’m trying to convert them, but no luck as of yet). And of course, combined with the omnipod insulin pump that I am now on (which I would strongly recommend to all insulin-dependent diabetics) I find it quite easy to tightly control my blood sugars (i.e. less than 100 AT ALL TIMES with very few hypoglycemic episodes, i.e. low blood sugar). And possibly the best part, my family/friends/coworkers are noticing these changes and starting to question their own diets and lifestyle habits…it’s like a contagious disease (the good kind)!
A few stats for the diabetics out there (or non-diabetics) who may be interested:
- A1C – September 2011=13.0 (newly diagnosed), January 2012=5.7 (pre-Primal), May 2012=5.4 (partially Primal), November 2012=?? (should be under 5).
- Average total insulin use per day (bolus+basal)=13-14 units (doctor thinks I’m still in the honeymoon phase after 1 year. Possibly, but I think it’s more a result of my diet and fitness level.)
- Cholesterol levels at diagnosis: HDL=35, LDL=90, Tri=sky high because of high BS. Next test in November, the real indicator of the effectiveness of my new lifestyle!
I look forward to a long and healthy life (in spite of the diabetes) as my Primal lifestyle continues to evolve, and hopefully I can get more people on board! Thanks for reading and I hope this can provide some motivation for the diabetics out there who may need a little extra motivation once in a while!
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
I can’t stop crying. My little boy was diagnosed with diabetes yesterday and was rushed straight to hospital. He was put on an insulin pump this morning. He is only the 46th child in Australia to have a pump. I read this blog all the time, never knowing how vital this info would be to me now. All the nutrition info I have been given by the hospital says to base his diet on carbs! I’m not going to question them but will be putting our whole family on a strict paleo diet when he gets out of hospital. Why am I being given this “advice” by the hospital. I have a health science qualification myself so I think I have the intelligence to figure out that a diabetic should not be on a carb fest!
Lisa, I feel for you. My daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 at age 7 and I remember the cold horror of those early days and the grief. I also have two brothers with Type 1. Our endocrinologist always told us that she could eat whatever she wanted (carbs) as long as she took the required insulin to offset it, but she has always struggled with high blood sugar levels and high A1C, which apparently was exacerbated by the hormonal swings of puberty. She has a very high insulin-to-carb ratio and still rarely has gotten her blood sugars below 180 on a regular basis — until recently when she tried the 17 day diet. As I understand it, it has a bit in common with the Paleo diet. Her insulin requirements dropped drastically and her blood sugars as well, into the 120 range, which was unheard of for her, unless she was having a low blood sugar episode. She is in college and is finding it difficult to maintain the diet with dorm food being what it is, but is still trying to reduce her carb ingestion. So I would say hang in there, do what you feel is right for your child. I regret the years we spent taking the doctor’s word for it and chasing high blood sugars with ever higher doses of insulin (eating dairy products for her also would cause a massive spike — up to 500 once, even though we had “covered” it with insulin). I know from experience that coping will get easier in time, but it’s easier to cope when you feel you have some measure of control over the blood sugar. Good luck.
He is very lucky to have gone right to a pump. Its not lucky at all that he has t1 diabetes (as my brother and I do). But ever since I moved to a pump after 10 years on MDI, my control has improved 10 fold. All the best. xo
PS dont listen at all to what they say about the carbs etc.
Speaking from a type one, there is no way that I had better control eating a high carb diet.
Your story really gives me hope. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes just 6 months ago. I will be 60 years old in Jan 2013. First put on the “traditional diet” for my “condition” Told it can’t be cured by my Doctor, just managed. I could not understand a diet that was based on carbohydrate from mostly bread and cereal when they are converted to glucose so quickly in the body. I am reading all I can and have swopped cereal and bread for vegies and fruit with more complex carbs instead. I still am with same doctor who is Chinese and supportive of my change in lifestyle but I feel not entirely convinced about my. Hopefully I can change his mind about “curing” this awful disease. Regards Maggie – P.S. Love your family photo. I am sure they will give you the inner strength needed to beat this disease!
Helpful info. Lucky me I discovered your site by chance, and I’m stunned why this coincidence did not took place earlier! I bookmarked it.
My (now ex) partner has diabetes. After years of me trying to convince him that a reduction in carbs would do him the world of good, he finally tried it and was amazed at the immediate result on his blood sugar levels and health in general however every now and then his diabetes ‘played up’ and he would find himself in hospital for a couple of days.
I will never forget how the nurses would push food on him, telling him “you need to eat this cereal/sandwich/other carb laden food so we can give you this (predetermined dose of) insulin. He would refuse, and rightly so. One the one hand they were telling him to control his blood sugar and weight (he had at this point lost 30kg’s) and then they were pushing him to eat more so they could give him more insulin. Crazy.
Amazing story! Mt 3yr old was dignosed last year and i am always overjoyed to see inspiring role models like you to motivate him on his journey w/ this disease. Thanks
Shawn, wonderful story and motivation to a fellow diabetic.
I wanted to see how you keep your numbers in check while working out? Like what your target number is pre-workout, etc.
Keep up the good work!!!
Thanks for your story. I was looking for something like this for a friend whose son is Type 1. I think she’s going to be happy to read your story!
Tons of great info here, but I’m a little concerned about a couple things:
1. Comments here sometime reflect lack of understanding that Type 1 is an entirely different disease from 2. Type 1 can be immediately life-threatening in addition to its long-term consequences, so they can’t be approached in the same way.
2. Children diagnosed with Type 1 have different nutritional needs from adults. This doesn’t mean you can’t use info from primal — but you can’t feed a two year old like you would a thirty year old. I’m concerned that moms and dads of kids with a Type 1 diagnosis might jump to change diet drastically without doing enough research. It’s fine not to accept conventional wisdom, we don’t in our household, but you really, really need to be careful about how you are unconventional when you have a kid with a new diagnosis.
BTW, my kid has had diabetes for five years, diagnosed at 1 1/2 years old, and when she was first diagnosed a dietician told use to feed her 140 carbs a day! Unbelievable! We were advised by another nurse to feed her sugar free jello when she was high, and a third professional (dietician) that we had to stop breastfeeding her immediately. It was the beginning of our education on how “dieticians” and nutritionists and doctors and RNs can be a little mixed up when it comes to nutrition. . . .
Just wondering what some example “paleo” meals are? I’ve just passed my 1 year anniversary of becoming a Late Onset Diabetic, and I’ve gained way more weight than I want, not to mention my sugars have went up alot since I was diagnosed with an A1C of 14. Any help or examples would be very much appreciated!
Late Onset Type 1 Diabetic, I need to add…..
When I was 25 I was 300lbs. My brother was diagnosed with diabetes. Not knowing the difference, I thought it was because he drank and ate lots of crap.
When I turned 28, I had dropped to 205lbs and was exercising every day or every other day. Running 8 miles every other and strength trained the off days
Just before I turned 30, I pulled my Achilles and it wasn’t healing after almost a year, and I was exhausted after “attempting to run a mile”.
Fast forward to April, 2 months after my 30th and I was down to 190 lbs, nighly leg cramps, HORRIBLE heartburn and puking in the middle of the night.
2 days later I was in the ER with a BS of 550 and A1C of 14%.
All that to reiterate the message above this and where I am, have been.
I have just started my journey, but I am hoping that the changes I anticipate going through will inspire my type 1 daughter who is a competitive athlete to follow me in my footsteps.
She is a very fit, carb addict, who actually follows a more intense version of the PF workout, including weights and sprints, and I can only imagine what a gorgeous figure she’d have, if she could get rid of that fat layer that she always carries, and of course, how much better her A1c’s would be.
I will send her to your story if the day ever comes that I can make the horse that I led, drink the water.
My son was diagnosed T1 about a year ago at age 20 with BS at 600 and A1c of 12. We had no family history of this, he was very fit and ate well- never even drank pop growing up- He follows a primal/paleo plan now,and requires very little insulin. But,please keep in mind that each person’s chemistry is different, he tolerates some food fine where others may not…so start with a plan, but individualize it.
My concern is- why does it seem like so many people are being diagnosed? How come we can’t figure out what triggers it…I have 4 children, but only 1 has been diagnosed. They grew up in the exact same environment,they are all very close in age…so did only one child carry the gene that can be triggered by the environment, or do the others have it, but for some reason it stays dormant in them? I’m sorry for the medical mumbo jumbo…it just seems like we should know more about this condition after all this time…. However, when you have the medical community pushing carbs and insulin maybe not
I am a Type 1 Diabetic for past 6-yrs. Suffer from high sugar levels.
Landed on Mark’s site and discovered the info on going ‘primal’; something I have read on before but never got into it.
I am keen to give it a shot as simply low-carb diet shall lead to lesser insulin to take, which can’t be bad.
However I am wondering how will I maintain weight; rather gain as I have always been on the skinny side. More than that I wonder how the red meat and yolk et al shall affect me, something I have been avoiding as I am now borderline cholesterol.
As for Shaun, well, dude is a rockstar
If your Hba1c improves from better blood sugars that should improve your cholestrol etc. I am also t1 diabetic and I did gain weight going primal/paleo… but it’s mainly because my blood sugars improved ALOT and I feel 100% better than I used to. I think a lower(not saying I advocate really low) carb, natural diet is THE ONLY way all diabetics should eat…. actually probably eveyone
Dietary cholesterol has little effect on cholesterol levels. Our bodies make much more than we eat, make more if we eat less, and less if we eat more. Most of the cholesterol in your stomach comes from you, not your food, pretty much regardless of what you eat.
Wow! Im impressed. I am type 1 diabetic and am on the medtronic insulin pump. My co-worker told me about paleo/ primal and sent me your story. Im gamed. I will research how to do primal and start asap. Thank you! U and my co-worker may have saved my life!!!
Hey, Shawn, great story that makes sense. I couldn’t resist blogging about it http://goo.gl/gOfwh and I hope you approve of what I had to say (with appropriate links to your article). Very much appreciated. Keep up the great work. kevin aka FitOldDog
Man you truly are an inspiration. I’m 21 years old and been type 1 since I was 16, over the last 2 years or so I’ve desperately tried new diets to shed this body fat that has accumulated around my stomach, behind and pecs! No luck even though I do 2 cardio sessions and 3 weights sessions a week. Its very frustrating as I can see behind this fat that theres good definition!
I was also briefly on the omnipod after attending a summer camp in boston for type 1 diabetics and, although I loved the pod, I could not get funded by the NHS (my control was too good!) so had to stop. Reading this I will certainly start this primal/paleo diet after a meeting with my diabetic nurse. Harry