I have found that the lower my bmi the better my control is of my diabetes. I am looking to attain the lowest possible which includes lifting and eating right!!
Hey Trish, I hope you don't mind, but I think your statement is an absolutely perfect discussion forum posting and I will pry transfer this directly to a blog post because I think it has a lot of great topics in it.
You've hit on both long-term and short term goals, which is a PERFECT way to get started! You need to know where you're going before you can start the process of getting there. Too many people just aimlessly go to the gym without goals other than "lose weight" or "get skinny" and that is the main reason they fail. They want quick results from really non-specific measurements, like weight and BMI.
I'm going to list what I think are your goals and change them a tick to make them more specific, but not changing your outcomes.
Long-term - Lowering BMI
I think this a great way to start, but I think there is a better measure than BMI. I personally think that BMI is a terrible measurement of anything. I have pry less than 10% body fat but I have a BMI of 28, meaning that I am technically overweight. BMI only takes into account weight and height. It doesn't account for the amount of muscle you will gain when you start lifting and burning off the fat. Rather than lowering your BMI, I would change this long-term goal to lowering percentage body fat and increasing percent lean body mass as I think this is a much better measure of your goals since you can lose a bunch of fat, gain muscle, increase your insulin sensitivity (even in type 1) and decrease your A1C. A lot of gyms out in there in the nether have really nice scales which will give you your percentage body fat, lean body mass and water weight. It usually cost $5-10 per time to use them, but if you make it a point to measure once per month, it's not that big of a expense and it will give you a great way to measure how you are doing.
Short-term - Eating right and lifting weights
GREAT GOALS! I think these are two of the best goals you can have, add some cardio into this equation and you are set for success. Since you are a diabetic, you already understand the importance of eating correctly. This is one of the instances where being a T1DM patient is actually beneficial. You understand how to count carbs, you understand the importance of insulin sensitivity and you are motivated to keep yourself healthy. All of these things are very challenging things to teach a non-diabetic or a type-2 diabetic. Sorry for calling out the type 2's but in my experiences, in the gym, work and umpiring baseball, some T2 really don't get it and want the easy way out rather than working to manage their disease in the early stages while it is still possible.
The next step is deciding how to lift weights, free vs machine, sets vs circuit, high reps vs high weight, short rest vs recovery, multi-joint high intensity vs isolation, plyometric vs static, ect... It can be very challenging to pick a workout that fits you and your specific needs. I struggle with this ever 6-8 weeks when I need to change up my workout so that I don't plateau. Two of the best resources I have found are bodybuilding.com and Muscle and Fitness Magazine. I like bodybuilding.com for multiple reasons. They have a great forum and bodyspace is a great resource. I also almost exclusively order my supplements from them, see other discussion pages for supplement discussions. I like M&F because they have great articles about nutrition and workouts that can be very general and long term or body part specific (focus on improving my back or increase bench).
Finding a GOOD personal trainer is always a great option. Too many of them are just in it to make some money and have a one size fits all workout. They want you to come to them 3 times/week and pay each time while not really getting the most out of you. Some are great at this, other are just making a buck. Do your research, I've lifted along side both types. Sports specific ones are usually the most dedicated rather than the gym sponsored ones which tend to suck and make you try to buy the gyms waters, drinks and supplements. Rather than just giving you good nutrition advice and telling you to bring a bottle of water.
To be able to create a specific lifting regiment for anyone, you have to know certain things. Experience in the gym including current lifting and cardio training status, current or old injuries including arthritis, any medical conditions that could limit exertion (heart, lungs, asthma, blood pressure, neuropathy, brittle diabetes, hormone levels (testosterone, oestrogen, hypoglyaemic unawareness, ect.) and stuff like that. That's why it's really important to get a complete physical from a doctor along with blood work before starting anything new, just to make sure there isn't anything that could drop you in the middle of a workout.
I don't know much about your current activity in the gym so I can't be specific about what you should do. That being said I think with your pretty good A1C, pump therapy, goals of decreasing % body fat, increasing % lean body mass and better control of your blood sugar. I think that starting out with a circuit training workout, with moderate rest times 3 days per week and moderate cardio 2 days per week (fast walking or an elliptical machine) would be great. I am trying to find a good general circuit workout, but it might take me a bit. I have a lot that are designed to break plateaus or for cutting in bodybuilding, but not a lot for a good cardio kick.