Coach, Thanks for the note. Since I know that this response will be sent to Facebook, I will start by stating that I am not a doctor and I do not play one on TV. I did, however, stay at a Holiday Inn Select about two weeks ago. One of the basics that I have been taught for training is that managing nutrition for a good BG level is different than managing nutrition for training/competing. You, as a normal person, would also “bonk” and have a normal BG level if you did not fuel properly for training. There really isn’t anything wrong with the range of 80 - 119 for training as a BG level and the direction and speed of BG change can play a big role as well. I am guessing that your athlete is wiping out his glycogen stores in his liver with the anaerobic training of a wrestling practice. It does not take long to wipe out that energy source without additional calorie intake. If the glycogen in the liver is wiped out, then you bonk or hit the wall. It will take up to about 3 days to fully recharge the liver again. I have some specialized stuff, but I would recommend that the athlete take in at least 200 calories (mostly carbs) per hour of practice. That could be as simple as drinking some Gatorade or eating some Sports Beans every 10 minutes or so to make at least 200 calories/hour. If his sugars go up too high then he should take insulin. A normal person would release insulin and he needs to take his insulin, if needed, to keep his fuel levels up by eating carbs. He will go into practice with basically 3 quick sources of energy. These are the sugars stored in the muscles, the glycogen in the liver and the sugar in the blood. I would also suggest that he eats a good meal with a good amount of carbs two hours before practice and take the appropriate insulin to level out by the time that practice starts. After practice, he should drink an 8 oz glass of chocolate milk to keep his body fueled and avoid it cannibalizing muscle tissue. I would be more than happy to talk with you or him directly. My cell is 303 596-4318 or my email is thefishin6@aol.com. The goal is to keep the liver full and save it for a high intensity match when the fight/flight energy is really needed. Another trick if going low is to suck on glucose tablets as they can be absorbed in the mouth through the cheeks and bypass the slowness of digestion.

BTW, I know a lot of athletes with diabetes and if anyone wants to chime in please do. A lot of this information I learned within the past 2 weeks and I am just beginning to implement myself.

One more thing, dehydration can cause BG to go up since there is less fluid with the same amount of blood sugar and over hydration can cause BG to go down because of more fluid with the same amount of blood sugar.

Thanks and good luck

Brian Phelps