Hey everyone, my name is Matt Vande Vegte. I am a type 1 diabetic, certified personal trainer, nutritionist, and the owner of FTFWarrior, an online diabetic health coaching company. This month I want to talk to you about how NOT to have fitness fallout this holiday season. Or, at the very least, I’ll help you stay on track with whatever fitness goals you currently have with these 7 easy to follow, simple tips on how to stay fit during the holidays.

Matthew Vande VegteDecember 26, 2018Comment

[Being Unstoppable with Type 1 Diabetes]

Type 1 diabetes can seem to strip you of a lot, you feel restricted at times and incapable at others, but this disease gives you a superpower that makes you unstoppable; you learn how to listen to your body. One might really enjoy the isolation of the gym and not the intensity of kickboxing, but what works for you can only be found through listening to your body’s response to the workouts. By listening to what my body wanted, I found that I am capable to do anything.

Ciara CrayDecember 4, 2018stories, interviews, T1D Comment

[Surviving Night Shift as an ICU Nurse with Type 1 Diabetes]

Nurses joke around about how working the night shift shortens your life spans and causes health problems - funny to say “night shift is killing me!” until you realize it is slowly sucking the life from you...not so funny anymore is it?

Now think about having diabetes - a disease with many varying factors - and I’m combining the two??

Karlyn Vande VegteNovember 27, 2018stories, interviews, T1D Comment

[Dangers of Sedentary Behaviors]- 5 min read

Do you sit for hours upon hours a day? If you answered yes, you are not alone. In fact, you are part of a majority. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2018), only about 21% of adults in the US are meeting physical activity guidelines. Now, I knew that having sedentary behavior was not good for you but, it turns out, it is more dangerous than I thought.

[3 Days with 500 Likeminded Diabetics: ONE TCOYD]

Welcome to TCOYD (Taking Control Of Your Diabetes), the land of the broken pancreas with enough sugar stuffed in fanny packs to go around. For many, this was the first time that they have felt “normal” as a diabetic.

Matthew Vande VegteAugust 27, 2018stories, T1D, motivationalComment

[Battling an Unexplained Hyperglycemia (300+)]

As I sat down to write this blog, my Dexcom G6 read 308 with an arrow up. Yup, I’m in trouble. Let’s explore where (and how) I messed up THIS BAD.

Matthew Vande VegteAugust 22, 2018stories, T1D, motivationalComment

[Risk Factors for Heart Disease, Part 2]

If you have not read Part 1 yet, make sure you do that before continuing on with the rest of this educational journey as I will through the other 7 risk factors involved in keeping your heart and body as healthy as can be. Let’s jump right in.

David ZettsMay 24, 2018Comment

[Risk Factors for Heart Disease, Part 1]

Let’s be real folks, cardiovascular disease (also known as heart disease, coronary artery disease or CAD) is the number one killer of human beings in the entire world. What's even more troubling though, heart attacks due to CAD are becoming more and more prevalent each year and there's no evidence to show that it is slowing down anytime soon.

David ZettsMay 8, 2018

[Refusing to Die] -- 6 Minute Read

To all my Diabetics out there, I know that I don’t need to tell you that Diabetes can cause complications. These complications include health complications, relational complications, and life complications. What I probably also don’t need to tell you is that diabetes can take more than a leg or an arm, it can take your life. The fact that you and I are here today is likely due to the fact that you stood up to diabetes and refused to die. I know this sounds a bit bleak, but the honest truth is, diabetes can really mess you up.

Matthew Vande VegteApril 26, 2018stories, T1D, motivationalComment

[Is Going Vegan Diabetic Friendly?] -- 7 Minute Read

Have you ever changed something so big that it forced you to reconsider how you go about your daily life? Up until this point, diabetes and marriage were the two biggest changes in my life (marriage being a great change of course). However, going vegan, and then super strict vegan (extremely low fat, whole food, plant based ONLY) is up there with the biggest life changes I’ve experienced. Let me elaborate.

Matthew Vande VegteApril 19, 2018 Comments

[New Year’s Resolution - Secret to Success!] -- 4 Minute Read

Like everyone else, I’m sure that you decided to make a few New Year’s Resolutions. You may have been joking, or it may have been your attempt at starting something BIG to change your life. But why do so many resolutions fail? And why do we continue to fall into the same patterns year after year?

Matthew Vande VegteFebruary 2, 2018 Comment

[How to Stay Healthy This Thanksgiving]-- 4 min read

The holidays are filled with mixed emotions. For many it is a happy time to spend with family and friends but for some it can be an awkward even emotional time. As a diabetic, it can be tough. THERE ARE SO MANY CARBS that need to be accounted for that it can sometimes be overwhelming. So, today, I decided to share with you the some of the methods I use to not only enjoy the holidays but stay healthy as well.

Matthew Vande VegteNovember 21, 2017Comment

[THE PROBLEM WITH WILL POWER] -- 5 min read

As a type 1 diabetic myself, I know the struggle of will power too well. Before I was diagnosed with diabetes, my diet consisted of what most teenage boys eat: pizza, ice cream, soda, hot dogs, top ramen, etc. I ate like crap, but I didn’t see any consequences, so I didn’t think twice. That all changed when I got diabetes. EVERY food choice I made affected me one way or another. Eating foods like pizza and ice cream aren’t great for blood glucose levels. Thus, the struggle between my cravings and my will power to resist began. Spoiler alert: will power failed me.

[It's Diabetes Awareness Month] -- 5 min read

It’s that time of the year again, no I’m not talking about the weird time between Halloween and Thanksgiving (but almost everyone is thinking about Christmas lol.) IT’S DIABETES AWARENESS MONTH. It’s not necessarily the “most wonderful time of the year,” but it is really cool that diabetes has an awareness month.I recently watched a video from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases about “National Diabetes Awareness Month” and the key point of the video was “you are the center of your diabetes care team.” Let’s take a minute to fully digest what that means.

[INTRO TO FOR DIABETICS ONLY]-- 4 min read

Welcome to our “From the Fight” Blog. This week, we are kicking off a new series [For Diabetics Only]. In this series, we will be talking about helpful knowledge for diabetics. Today's focus is all about the diagnosis.

For Diabetics Only, warrior storiesMatthew Vande VegteOctober 31, 2017for diabetics only, diabetes, diagnosesComment

From The Fight