No quick wins I am afraid…
Let me preface this by stating that there are no quick wins unfortunately. You may see various items on social media promising results but I am afraid hard work is still required.
Intermittent Fasting (IF)
Before I get into the food aspect of what to actually eat I want to highlight the important aspect of Intermittent Fasting (IF) in order to actually help treat your Diabetes Type 2. IF can have a positive impact on Insulin Resistance, for more information please look at my blog post below.
Food Products
My biggest weakness to date has been a combination of my sweet tooth as well as portion size control and a love of carbs. I would make a bowl of pasta and beef mince that would in reality probably feed two people comfortably and wolf this down.
The good news I think is that I have managed to find some good substitutes for pasta and rice as well my beloved mashed and/or roast potato.
If like me you after the diagnosis you were thinking you are going to face a life time of forcing down salad despite detesting it fear not. Now there is nothing wrong with liking a good salad and vegetables, I do keep trying new things but alas unless they’re in a soup its just not for me.
Cost
Now there is a downside, unfortunately getting keto products is not the cheapest option out there. I am still on the journey myself and finding new options some cheaper and others more expensive. I have the products I have tried listed out below, links to products are included along with my review and the cost of purchase.
Whilst I do use keto Products its worth noting I don’t consider myself to follow a strictly keto Diet, I may have done so in the beginning to shift as much weight as I could initially. At the beginning I would be having typically under 30g of carb a day if I could manage it, now I aim for between 50g and 75g. Whilst there are no enforced guidelines under 100g is considered low carb whereas keto is usually under 50g and possibly even 20g.
I will list out the various products I use on a continuous basis. I am on the look out for new options and regularly attend keto Festivals when I can to get new ideas. If you are aware of any great substitutes please don’t hestitate to get in touch.
Gym
Below is an example workout that I typically follow when at the gym. As stated before I am neither a nutritionist nor a gym personal trainer this is just what works for me.
As Gimli stated within LOTR, I was built for short sprints not long distance. Amazing if you are able to get on the treadmills and run a cheeky marathon here and there, alas that is not me.
Cardio
I start with some cardio by striking the heavy bag to warm up. In my youth I trained in Ju Jitsu and then did Krav Maga for 6 years. Alas due to my snow boarding accident no more fighting for me as on blood thinners, thats another story.
I used to detest rowing, mainly due to the fact I was so fat I couldn’t actually row properly. My forearms would ache and as my belly would get in the way my legs would bow sideways out meaning I could not perform the movement effectively.
Now I finish my cardio with a rowing session, I flit between doing a slower 20 minute rowing session trying to get to over 2km vs as fast as I can to 1km currently 3 minutes 45 at the time of writing with the damper setting at 12/13 (Nuffield Health uses SkillRow machines). I know for you purists this is too high but I am going for more of a strength workout here to activate muscles not cardio and rowing technique.
Weights
Weights wise I focus on compound exercises to work as many muscle groups at once. Not afraid to admit it may be an ego thing but I like to lift heavy low rep, nowhere near in the leagues of strongmen but 200kg reverse row for 3 rep max is my current limit.
I typically do 5 sets of 5 across various exercises, I will attempt to add videos of these during a gym workout hopefully without looking like a crazy person.
I may start with combination of alternate overhead presses and standing rows with 50kg on the bar, doing 5 of each movement before resting.
Due to shoulder injuries from Ju Jitsu, a favourite of mine with the dumbbells is to alternate between lifting a heavy and lighter one in each arm whilst doing side crunches. Side Crunching 32kg and holding up 24kg in an overhead press movement.
I work my way up on the sitting reverse row from 120kg up to 200kg adding plates after 2 reps of 5.
Working on my chest I start lower at 80kg working my way up to 120kg. Typically I like to use the machines so that I can lift heavier. I may then use dumbbells with a lighter weight to activate the stabiliser muscles.
Weight Loss Progress
Below you can see I was much bigger, I like to work out my shoulders due to issues from Ju Jitsu with them. I do need to focus from next month on the stomach and tone up a bit. I do prefer to focus on compound exercises to build strength rather than isolate muscle groups.
More exercise and progress updates can be seen in my blog posts here. I thought losing weight an impossible task, if I can do it I have faith you can.
