If you’re into health and fitness you will have heard of Intermittent fasting at some point.

Intermittent fasting is a dieting strategy used by athletes, celebrities, and high performance entrepreneurs to improve health, body composition and mental clarity.

Like any diet, intermittent fasting works as long as you can sustain it.

The concept behind intermittent fasting is simple.

It involves,

• Periodic bouts of fasting (i.e. going without food and calorie dense drinks)
• Which leads to reduced meal frequency and a smaller time frame to eat.
• This gives the dieter an opportunity to eat larger, more filling and satisfying meals in the specific limited time window.
• Since you can only eat so much at one meal, fewer calories are consumed.
• This helps prevent fat gain and speeds fat loss (provided your calories are set at the right point) – for how to set your calorie baseline read here for men and for women here.
• Eating windows can range from 4-12 hours – it all depends on which strategy suits you best (I cover all the different IF strategies inside the members’ site)
• The fasting periods increase counter regulatory hormones that liberate fuel for body stores for energy and also suppress appetite (win-win for fat loss)

…But, what about people with diabetes?

Q. Does it work for us?

Q. Is it dangerous?

Q. How do you manage insulin and blood glucose levels when you fast for hours?

I discuss all of these questions and more in a personal video blog I recorded in Barcelona City earlier this year.

Enjoy.

PS. For those of you who are control freaks about saturated fat and carbs in the diets of people with diabetes, please do your homework and consider my context is different to yours.

It’s 11:41 pm on Tuesday 4th July 2017.

I’m just finishing up some writing work and preparing for a podcast with Diabetics Doing Things tomorrow at 9 am. I can’t wait to get on and share my story with 1000s of others.

Anyway, about today.

I had an awesome post workout feed of crunchy fresh sourdough, grilled bacon, runny eggs, avocado and a slab of real butter spread over, (hungry yet?)

I eyeballed the nutrition of the meal to be in and around 680kcals.

67g Carbs

43g Protein

27g Fat

Having written my fair share of nutrition programs and weighed more food than I care to imagine, my figures are always pretty accurate.

Blood Glucose Pre-meal: 9.0 mm0l/L

Activity Status: 1 Hour Post strength training (looks like those stress hormones haven’t tapered off yet! as I was 6.0mmol/L at the start of training)

Insulin Dosing Strategy: 6 Units Novorapid after the first bite.

I dosed slightly less insulin in comparison to what I would normally need on a non-training day. Here’s why,

1. Post training stress hormones like Cortisol and Adrenaline inevitably wear off and the glucose disposal effects of strength training kick in- increasing the risk of hypoglycemia.
2. The fat content of the meal was relatively high, due to avocado, egg yolks and bacon. High levels of fat slow the release of carbohydrate and amino acids into the blood resulting in a slower increase in blood glucose compared to eating the bread (carbohydrate) alone. Always keep that in mind!

Blood Glucose 3 hours post meal: 6.5 mmol/L (NAILED IT)

Anyway enough talk about insulin and diabetes for the day…

Let’s talk about bread.

I love bread!

A no-nonsense, easy to prepare carb source that stacks well with pretty much any protein source.

Animal and human research does show wheat consumption has the potential to increase a condition called intestinal permeability (1). Don’t panic just yet.

For those of you who don’t know what Intestinal permeability is, here goes…

Intestinal permeability, commonly termed ‘leaky gut’, is a condition that occurs in the body when tight junctions in the bowel lining become irritated, inflamed and “leaky”.

This barrier plays a role in absorbing nutrients and preventing most food particles, bacterial toxins and germs (pathogens) passing from inside the bowel into the bloodstream and potentially causing widespread immune responses and inflammation throughout the body.

It has been proposed that leaky gut is a result of a range of factors including yeast or bacterial overgrowth in the bowel, poor diet (including bread) and overuse of drugs like antibiotics.

Increased intestinal permeability has been associated with autoimmune diseases, including our very own type 1 diabetes (2)

Don’t freak out if you eat bread.

Keep reading.

The current body of research on wheat (the cereal grain used to make bread, being the root cause of intestinal permeability) is non-conclusive.

‘Until now, human epidemiological and intervention studies investigating the health effects of whole grain intake were confounded by other dietary and lifestyle factors and, therefore, well-designed intervention studies investigating the effects of cereal grains and their individual components on intestinal permeability and inflammation are warranted.’

The area of gluten, bread and human health is a highly debated topic.

Respect there’s a big difference in how you’ll feel eating bread when you have a generally shitty lifestyle, diet, and are highly inactive, vs. eating bread as part of an energy controlled diet built for exercise performance supported by mindful living (sleep/stress management etc.)

There are so many other factors to consider for your ‘bloating’.

Take a reality check on stress, chronic anxiety, medications, illness, and too much alcohol before you start blaming bread.

If you think bread is a culprit – don’t do Google.

Get a clinical test and get to the bottom of it.

Like I say in my book, there is no such thing as a good or bad food.

You must consider the dose and frequency of any food you eat.

If you want to know more about Gluten and human health listen to this great podcast I recorded with Danny Lennon on the subject of Gluten: All You Need To Know In 30mins.

References

1. Karin de Punder at al. The Dietary Intake of Wheat and other Cereal Grains and Their Role in Inflammation. Nutrients. 2013 Mar; 5(3): 771–787.
2. Ultrastructural mucosal alterations and increased intestinal permeability in non-celiac, type I diabetic patients. Secondulfo M, Iafusco D, Carratù R, deMagistris L, Sapone A, Generoso M, Mezzogiomo A, Sasso FC, Cartenì M, De Rosa R, Prisco F, Esposito V Dig Liver Dis. 2004 Jan; 36(1):35-45.

It’s 10:31 pm on Sunday 2nd July 2017.

I’m sitting reflecting after a pretty productive day and planning my week ahead.

After spending several hours developing content for the Diabetic Muscle and Fitness membership site (which is due to launch in August 💪) on Saturday night, I was busting to get into the gym this morning and thrash legs.

I woke up a little high at 9.2 mmol/L (166mg/dl).

We all know what this feels like 😂🙈.

I hate waking up with high blood sugar.

It literally feels like a train has hit me.

There’s a high probability anytime I wake up high I’ll be grumpy AF and late (as I always hit snooze.)

Just recently, I’ve started programming my mind and body to JUMP OUT OF BED the minute I wake.

Why am I doing this?

Simple reason: to avoid sleeping in, procrastinating and get more shit done!

Sleep is important but there is a fine line between enough and time wasting.

Anyhow, If you’re high it’s imperative you bring yourself back to a rock solid blood glucose levels, before doing anything else.

My thoughts on correcting high blood glucose…

When correcting high blood glucose levels I like to keep things ultra simple.

Let me explain…

It’s important to isolate and remove any factors that may influence your blood glucose levels at the time you correct.

This includes eating (especially carbs and leucine rich protein sources), stimulants, stressful activities and exercise, especially weight training.

Accuracy is everything.

Blood glucose corrections get very confusing when multiple factors occur at once. And, this only leads one big problem…

Blood glucose levels that bounce around for the first half (or all) of the day is one sure way to zap your mood.

 I wish I could put a sign on my head saying DON’T TALK TO ME! when this happens.

Take note – Large fluctuations in blood glucose (i.e. high to low) isn’t cool and extremely unhealthy.

😅 Anyhow, I managed to correct myself pretty fast, get to the gym and knock out an awesome leg session.

Check out the footage of me training below (from my Instagram account)

Program Split went as follows.

A1. Butt walks, (try these pre squat/deadlift – thank me later)
B1. Heavy ass Leg press (worked up to 20+ reps of 400kg)
C1. Single leg high knee lunges (these challenge your core and gluteus big time)

A post shared by Diabetic Muscle & Fitness 📘📖 (@diabeticmusclefitness) on Jul 2, 2017 at 12:53pm PDT

Until the next time,

Phil ‘Correct it’ Graham

In this video, I share my personal story about being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a teenager.

I discuss my mindset, coping strategies and general lifestyle principles of living with the condition. I talk about the importance of gratitude and how type 1 diabetes was the driving force behind building a successful career in the fitness industry and writing the world’s best-selling book on diabetes and fitness – The Diabetic Muscle and Fitness Guide.

Without diabetes, I would never be doing what I do – educating and motivating 1000s of people living with diabetes all over the world to live healthier, stronger lives.

Comment below if you live with diabetes – I would love to hear from you!

Yours in Strength,

Phil Graham

 THE BOOK I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT…

If you want to learn more (much more) and master everything there is to know about strength training science, managing your diabetes and becoming your own personal strength coach and nutritionist, then you need to check out The Diabetic Muscle and Fitness Guide.

With over 400+ pages of evidence-based theory on how to build a stronger, better-looking body with diabetes, this is an absolute must for any dedicated gym goer living with diabetes.

Here goes,

All aboard!😜

‘Your past was perfect preparation for your gorgeous future. Honor it versus regret it.’ – Robin Sharma

A few Personal Highlights (3 main ones)

– Published my first book’ The Diabetic Muscle and Fitness Guide.’ Only 2 months since publication the book has reached and helped 1000s of diabetics all over the world.
– Delivered 47 Seminars over UK, Ireland and Europe educating and motivating 1000s of personal trainers, (excited to travel to Hong Kong and AUS next year)
– Had a full 7 page spread published in all the international versions of Muscle and Fitness magazine. And, had articles featured in 15 other major magazines across the globe.

5 Key Life Lessons/Mistakes/Thoughts

1. A stressed mind makes bad decisions and sees the world differently.
The best way to avoid stress is to eliminate it. Easier said than done in some cases, but, control what you can and surrender to the rest – it will have some valuable lesson to it.
Also, when stressed you often become hyper sensitive to additional stress and see things differently. Always bear that in mind the second or two before you decide to respond, or worse, react.
Here are a few personal tips for a clearer better thinking mind:
– Read more.
– Take quiet time to yourself everyday.
– If you know it’s bad for you, don’t expose yourself to it.
– Patience is an incredibly powerful trait.
– Impulse and instant gratification will destroy you over time.
– Get a mentor.
– Realise, some people or situations will never make sense. Surrender, and know what will be will be.

2. Be more present

Worrying about the future leads to anxiety. Worrying about the past leads to depression.
NOW is the most important time in your life. <= Read that again while smiling 😄
Also,
if you feel the need to spend most of your time browsing social media whilst being in the company of family and friends, you’re not present and don’t truly value or prioritise your real friendships.

3. The most important things in life have nothing to do with things.

Think about that

4. Instinct is more powerful than reason.

You’ll have goals and ambitions you wholeheartedly believe in but the world will tell you otherwise.
You’re crazy
Eccentric
Mad
Deluded
Will fail
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Only 1% of the population are crazy enough to have complete self-belief and go around, over, under, and through walls to achieve what they want – Everyone else listens to their voice of doubt.
Having met many incredibly successful people this year, all of them are weird, wacky, and extreme in their own unique way.
But one thing they share is that their “I CAN” is far louder than their “I CAN’T”!
What use is being average anyway?

5. Ownership

You are 100% responsible for how you look, feel and how much money you earn.
Your current state of affairs is evidence of what you prioritise.
Every thought, plan, word and action you’ve taken up until now is the reason for where you are in your life.
It’s easy to pass the blame and make excuses when things aren’t going your way.
No one else is in charge of your life and happiness, except you!
If you’re skint – work smarter and harder.
If you’re out of shape – find out what to do and be consistent.
If you don’t like your company – change it.
You catch my drift!

10 Completely Random Moments (for shits and giggles)

1. Tried my first Krispy Kreme – Average.
2. Pulled a shit wheelie while riding a mountain bike in St Tropez.
3. Got it served to me on a plate a few times. Humility is a great ingredient for immediate change in your behaviour.
4. Told a cheeky bin man I’d “Put him in the bin”!
5. Delivered a few smashing podcasts and certain people forgot to press record.
6. Laughed hard at a group joke in a fancy hotel in Barcelona, banged the table shouting ‘Yes, Yes, Yes’ – Asked to leave.
7. Injured myself out of the blue the other month doing dumbbell flys. Second training injury in my life. It can happen at any time.
8. Pulled off an American accent for most of my snapchats just to fry a few people’s heads. Sounds better than Lisburn anyway.
9. Pulled a PB deadlift of 320kg raw x4
10. Started book 2 on the business of personal training, title TBC.

That’s it for another year!

They say a photo speaks a thousand words.

So far 2016 has been crazy. I’ve met a lot of new people, learned a lot of new things, but not many experiences come close to this.

The little girl you see in the photo travelled with her mother to come and hear me speak at the SFN fitness exhibition in Scotland earlier this year.

She’d just been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes a few weeks previously and was going through a tough time with her health. Her mother was incredibly anxious about her daughter’s well-being and future. It turned out this kid was pretty gifted at gymnastics, training at a very high junior level with tonnes of potential.

Since being diagnosed her body and mind had taken a hit. She couldn’t perform, enjoy or hope like ever before, forcing her to feel down and question her identity.

Seeing such a young kid with limiting beliefs hit a nerve with me. In fact, I saw myself and what I went through.

There was no chance on earth I was letting her (or her mum) leave the building and live another day feeling hopeless and accepting things just ‘wouldn’t be the same again.’

F*&K THAT!

It was in my nature to help. I had to! No two ways about it! I shared every piece of motivation, experience and practical knowledge I had.

Here’s the kicker.

Before going back on stage, the little girl looked me bang in the eyes, smiled, gave me a fist pump and said with a tear in her eye ‘life is what you make of it.’

^ Mind blown! Penny dropped, and I said to myself, ‘That’s why I do what I do.’ smirked and went my way.

I’ll never forget it.

We live in an era where everyone wants to automate their business and make as little human contact as possible. Don’t think like that. If you want to make a BIG impact on this world, personal touch will always trump automation.

Bearing hope is one of the most powerful things you can do. The world would be a better place if people did it more often!

^ Bear it every day!