Controlling Type II Diabetic Blood Sugar
Replies
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Hi caroldavison332
I've been a type 1 diabetic for 22 years, while our conditions are different, many of the control aspects are the same. Try not to get overloaded with information, you'll learn what you need to do as time goes on. There is no need to go too in depth at the beginning, as you see your doctors/specialists, they'll explain what you need to know. That will give you a good information platform to build on if you wish to learn more about it.
Keep in mind that everyone's body needs sugar, it's unavoidable, at the core, it's our fuel.
You have a few goals regarding your condition. Weight loss, I know that seems like stating the obvious but it's more about how effective your medication will be. Insulin resistance is a pain but the more weight you can shed the more you can turn that around. (the less cells your body needs to fuel, the more manageable it will be until your body can handle it on its own)
Take care when exercising though, you DO NOT want to be exercising when your blood sugars are high. It's not good for you, cells do not function quite as they should when they glucose level is too high. If you have a high blood sugar level, let it settle down a bit first before heavily exercising. When your sugars drop into a more acceptable range you'll find you have more energy and exercise will come easier, when your sugars are high, you may feel a bit lethargic, have a gritty/burning sensation in your muscles, you may also feel a little sick. Sorry it's quite difficult to describe some of the sensations but you'll soon get used to the symptoms of a high blood glucose level, especially if you are looking for them.
When it comes to your diet, you can't completely avoid sugars, nor should you. Our cells are fuelled by glucose but glucose in its raw form is what we try to avoid. Carbohydrates are totally fine, they are broken down into glucose. It's expected that roughly 45% of our sugars should come from carbs. Its what kind of carbs that really make the difference. We are working to keep a glucose concentration level as low as possible so the goal is to allow sugar into our system as slowly as possible so your blood stream does not become overloaded too quickly. The resistance to insulin means it will take more time for the glucose to be absorbed so the more slowly the glucose is deposited into the bloodstream, the more stable and less concentrated it is. What you want to stick to whenever possible is slow digesting carbs. It take's more time for these to be digested into glucose. Simply the longer it takes your body to break down a carbohydrate into glucose, the better it is for you. A handy thing about this for diabetics is it gives a slow, steady energy supply as it digests. So if you have oats for breakfast, as it is slowly digesting and releasing its glucose into your bloodstream, your medication and your own insulin will instruct your body's cells to absorb it (at a rate it can handle). This will keep your blood glucose levels stable until your next meal. If on the other hand you have fruit for breakfast, containing a lot of fructose, which is much easier for your body to break down, it will enter the blood stream far quicker causing your glucose levels to rocket up.
Look out for the different sugars in food, like lactose in milk and fructose in fruit. There are a good few different sugar molecules and our body can process most of them.
Ketoacidosis has been mentioned but you should't have to worry about this. It is normally caused by a lack of insulin in the system. However when the body cannot absorb glucose into it's cells to use it will eventually start breaking down fat (then muscle tissue) to get to the glucose in the structures. This doesn't sound too bad considering weight loss is a goal. Unfortunately when this happens toxic chemicals called ketones are left in the system as a by-product of the process. Your doctor would've asked for a urine specimen when you were diagnosed, this is to check for ketones amongst other things.
Overall, take your time, stick to slow digesting carbs as much whenever you can, steer clear of anything that is sweet (can't make it easy for your body to get to the sugars) and keep up the exercise and if you are concerned about anything, talk to your doctor.
I'm sorry to hear about your situation, I hope you get everything under control soon
Carol said: Right now I am just avoiding the added sugars I know that everything breaks down to some kind of sugar. I average as 46 carbs a meal.
I understand that I shouldn't eat fruit on an empty stomach in the morning, right? And should eat it with protein, right?
You said: "Look out for the different sugars in food, like lactose in milk and fructose in fruit. There are a good few different sugar molecules and our body can process most of them."
Why should I look out for these sugars?0 -
By that I meant that eating less carbs (ie. eating one slice of bread compared to eating two slices of bread) or eating no carbs (ie. no bread) will cause less of a blood glucose rise than two slices of bread would.
Carbohydrate rich foods (baked goods like bread, muffins tortilla), noodles, rice, corn, potatoes and added sugars will cause your blood glucose to rise more than other foods. These are the foods that will make you blood glucose harder to control. They will cause a spike in your blood glucose that will last a couple of hours - not good for a diabetic.
Meat, high fat dairy like cream or cheese, nuts, coconut, and fats will not cause a blood sugar spike (unless you eat a LOTof meat). Veggies will cause a small rise in your blood glucose, higher if you eat a lot of veggies. Fruit often has a lot of sugar, except berries, so eating fruit will also raise your blood glucose.
Carol replied: I"m eating one slice of rye w only 12 carbs. I avoid all of those other white foods you mentioned for now.
I'm eating mostly veggies, some cheese and some meat. I feel good and lost 3.5 pounds through healthy dieting and hiit and calistenics. I look like i lost 10 pounds. I feel better than I have in months.0 -
caroldavison332 wrote: »
Carol said: Right now I am just avoiding the added sugars I know that everything breaks down to some kind of sugar. I average as 46 carbs a meal.
That's excellentcaroldavison332 wrote: »
I understand that I shouldn't eat fruit on an empty stomach in the morning, right? And should eat it with protein, right?
The idea of not eating fruit on an empty stomach or eating with something else, it can be fat, fibre or protein is a good idea. The reasoning behind it the non (or low carbohydrate) food can delay gastric emptying, delaying how long it takes for the food to be transferred to the small intestine where the nutrients are absorbed.caroldavison332 wrote: »You said: "Look out for the different sugars in food, like lactose in milk and fructose in fruit. There are a good few different sugar molecules and our body can process most of them."
Why should I look out for these sugars?
Really just so you get used to thinking about sugar content and how quickly they will get into your system. It will take some trial and error as some sugars will get into the system quickly, others take a bit more time. In the grand scheme of things though, carbs take a lot longer to get into the system than sugars in their more raw form.
The sugars in tropical fruits like pineapple and mango get into the system quickly but melon, apples, berries and pears release their sugar more slowly. I mentioned lactose because that's one that gets into my system very quickly so all dairy products make my sugars rise.
It's really not something that happens very very quickly. Use of the term 'spike' tends to make people think the levels will skyrocket. It's easy to exaggerate how fast it happens in your mind though. Having a full sugar coke will cause a 'spike', eating some carbs will cause a 'rise'. It's worth testing because everyone's rate of absorption is a bit different. When you do your blood glucose test in the morning, have a look at the result, then at your lunchtime blood check, have a look at how much your sugar count has risen, you'll see how much your breakfast affected your blood sugar levels.caroldavison332 wrote: »Carbohydrate rich foods (baked goods like bread, muffins tortilla), noodles, rice, corn, potatoes and added sugars will cause your blood glucose to rise more than other foods. These are the foods that will make you blood glucose harder to control. They will cause a spike in your blood glucose that will last a couple of hours - not good for a diabetic.
Meat, high fat dairy like cream or cheese, nuts, coconut, and fats will not cause a blood sugar spike (unless you eat a LOTof meat). Veggies will cause a small rise in your blood glucose, higher if you eat a lot of veggies. Fruit often has a lot of sugar, except berries, so eating fruit will also raise your blood glucose.
I would disagree with that regarding carbs, that's is the opposite from what I was taught. The idea is not to avoid the carbs, we need them for our energy supply. We need to keep them balanced with other nutrition. Also dairy does contain lactose which enters the system quite quickly.
Quote from diabetes.org.uk ....
Why does your body need carbohydrates?
Carbohydrate is our body’s preferred source of energy in the diet. All carbohydrates are broken down into glucose which is essential fuel for the body, especially the brain. The body aims to maintain a constant glucose level in the bloodstream at all times. The body keeps a store of glucose as glycogen in the liver for times when we are fasting or need extra glucose
If carbohydrate intake is severely restricted and glucose stores are exhausted, the fat stores start to be broken down and used as energy. During this process toxins called ketones are produced and excreted in the urine, this is known as ketosis.
End quote.
Have a look at
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/About_us/What-we-say/Food-nutrition-lifestyle/Consumption-of-carbohydrate-in-people-with-diabetes/caroldavison332 wrote: »Carol replied: I"m eating one slice of rye w only 12 carbs. I avoid all of those other white foods you mentioned for now.
I'm eating mostly veggies, some cheese and some meat. I feel good and lost 3.5 pounds through healthy dieting and hiit and calistenics. I look like i lost 10 pounds. I feel better than I have in months.
Personally I really wouldn't avoid all of those foods. Veggies, some cheese and some meat sounds good. 0 -
Hi caroldavison332
Take care when exercising though, you DO NOT want to be exercising when your blood sugars are high. It's not good for you, cells do not function quite as they should when they glucose level is too high. If you have a high blood sugar level, let it settle down a bit first before heavily exercising. When your sugars drop into a more acceptable range you'll find you have more energy and exercise will come easier, when your sugars are high, you may feel a bit lethargic, have a gritty/burning sensation in your muscles, you may also feel a little sick. Sorry it's quite difficult to describe some of the sensations but you'll soon get used to the symptoms of a high blood glucose level, especially if you are looking for them.
I disagree. As long as there are no ketones associated with the high BG (high being anything over 250mg/dL), a diabetic can exercise -it's one of the easiest ways for me to bring down my blood sugar or to get more "bang for my unit" of correction bolus (another type 1). Exercising with ketones caused by a lack or absence of insulin (not by low-carbing) will only cause more ketones to develop. Remember that "insulin is the key that unlocks glucose into the cell". No insulin, no way for glucose to enter the cell. The cells then need to up ketosis to give the body energy for exercise, which puts diabetics at a higher risk of ketoacidosis.
To the OP, I really recommend getting a BG meter and a ton of test strips (Walmart's ReliOn brand is less than 18 cents per strip, and they're pretty accurate). They're going to be your new best friends while you determine how many carbs you can eat per meal. Before you eat your meal, test your BG and note how many grams of carbs you are consuming. Test again at the 1-2 hour mark in order to see how much your BG spikes during that meal. Typically, most diabetics shoot for a post-meal BG of 140-180mg/dL (the AACE recommends a maximum of 140, while the ADA recommends a maximum of 180). If your BG is consistently going higher than your target while carbohydrate amount stays the same, then lower the amount of carbs in that meal by 5-10g and see how much your BG spikes then. On the other hand, if your BG is staying relatively stable, up your carbs by 5-10g just to see how many carbs you could consume during that meal without experiencing huge BG swings. Personally, I've noticed that I can't eat that many carbs in the morning (I experience Dawn Phenomenon and am more insulin resistant in the morning because of that surge in hormones), while I can eat a lot more during the afternoon and evening.0 -
I disagree. As long as there are no ketones associated with the high BG (high being anything over 250mg/dL), a diabetic can exercise -it's one of the easiest ways for me to bring down my blood sugar or to get more "bang for my unit" of correction bolus (another type 1). Exercising with ketones caused by a lack or absence of insulin (not by low-carbing) will only cause more ketones to develop. Remember that "insulin is the key that unlocks glucose into the cell". No insulin, no way for glucose to enter the cell. The cells then need to up ketosis to give the body energy for exercise, which puts diabetics at a higher risk of ketoacidosis.
That's interesting. I burn out rapidly. Thanks for that info
Definitely, loads of test strips. The more data you can collect, the more you can refine the process.To the OP, I really recommend getting a BG meter and a ton of test strips (Walmart's ReliOn brand is less than 18 cents per strip, and they're pretty accurate). They're going to be your new best friends while you determine how many carbs you can eat per meal. Before you eat your meal, test your BG and note how many grams of carbs you are consuming. Test again at the 1-2 hour mark in order to see how much your BG spikes during that meal. Typically, most diabetics shoot for a post-meal BG of 140-180mg/dL (the AACE recommends a maximum of 140, while the ADA recommends a maximum of 180). If your BG is consistently going higher than your target while carbohydrate amount stays the same, then lower the amount of carbs in that meal by 5-10g and see how much your BG spikes then. On the other hand, if your BG is staying relatively stable, up your carbs by 5-10g just to see how many carbs you could consume during that meal without experiencing huge BG swings. Personally, I've noticed that I can't eat that many carbs in the morning (I experience Dawn Phenomenon and am more insulin resistant in the morning because of that surge in hormones), while I can eat a lot more during the afternoon and evening.0 -
I've never been diabetic but I came really close to being officially diagnosed. Only a couple of points away. I'll share my experience.
There are guidelines and there are personal experiences. The latter is what matters the most so testing things for yourself is the best thing you can do. In my case oatmeal did not produce a high spike but milk did, skimmed and full fat to the same degree. Based on carb count milk should have had a milder effect, but this wasn't the case. I have no explanation for that.
I tried a very low carb diet and it actually made my blood sugar very unstable. Apparently for some people this is not the best route despite other people having success with it. I was thankful, because I was very miserable on that diet. Through trial and error my golden range was 100-140 carbs a day which gave me the best fasting blood sugar at the time. I also have no explanation for that.
My advice is: glucose meter is your friend. It's a steep learning curve at first as you learn how your body reacts to different things, but then it becomes easier. Follow the guidelines as much as you can, but if your experience contradicts one or more of the guidelines always listen to your own experience.
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caroldavison332 wrote: »By that I meant that eating less carbs (ie. eating one slice of bread compared to eating two slices of bread) or eating no carbs (ie. no bread) will cause less of a blood glucose rise than two slices of bread would.
Carbohydrate rich foods (baked goods like bread, muffins tortilla), noodles, rice, corn, potatoes and added sugars will cause your blood glucose to rise more than other foods. These are the foods that will make you blood glucose harder to control. They will cause a spike in your blood glucose that will last a couple of hours - not good for a diabetic.
Meat, high fat dairy like cream or cheese, nuts, coconut, and fats will not cause a blood sugar spike (unless you eat a LOTof meat). Veggies will cause a small rise in your blood glucose, higher if you eat a lot of veggies. Fruit often has a lot of sugar, except berries, so eating fruit will also raise your blood glucose.
Carol replied: I"m eating one slice of rye w only 12 carbs. I avoid all of those other white foods you mentioned for now.
I'm eating mostly veggies, some cheese and some meat. I feel good and lost 3.5 pounds through healthy dieting and hiit and calistenics. I look like i lost 10 pounds. I feel better than I have in months.
I'm glad you are feeling better already! According to the info I have read, if you start feeling better when reducing carbs then that's a good sign you are on the right path. Eating low carb does not help everybody, as amusedmonkey said. We're all different and different solutions work for everybody.caroldavison332 wrote: »
Carol said: Right now I am just avoiding the added sugars I know that everything breaks down to some kind of sugar. I average as 46 carbs a meal.
That's excellentcaroldavison332 wrote: »
I understand that I shouldn't eat fruit on an empty stomach in the morning, right? And should eat it with protein, right?
The idea of not eating fruit on an empty stomach or eating with something else, it can be fat, fibre or protein is a good idea. The reasoning behind it the non (or low carbohydrate) food can delay gastric emptying, delaying how long it takes for the food to be transferred to the small intestine where the nutrients are absorbed.caroldavison332 wrote: »You said: "Look out for the different sugars in food, like lactose in milk and fructose in fruit. There are a good few different sugar molecules and our body can process most of them."
Why should I look out for these sugars?
Really just so you get used to thinking about sugar content and how quickly they will get into your system. It will take some trial and error as some sugars will get into the system quickly, others take a bit more time. In the grand scheme of things though, carbs take a lot longer to get into the system than sugars in their more raw form.
The sugars in tropical fruits like pineapple and mango get into the system quickly but melon, apples, berries and pears release their sugar more slowly. I mentioned lactose because that's one that gets into my system very quickly so all dairy products make my sugars rise.
It's really not something that happens very very quickly. Use of the term 'spike' tends to make people think the levels will skyrocket. It's easy to exaggerate how fast it happens in your mind though. Having a full sugar coke will cause a 'spike', eating some carbs will cause a 'rise'. It's worth testing because everyone's rate of absorption is a bit different. When you do your blood glucose test in the morning, have a look at the result, then at your lunchtime blood check, have a look at how much your sugar count has risen, you'll see how much your breakfast affected your blood sugar levels.caroldavison332 wrote: »Carbohydrate rich foods (baked goods like bread, muffins tortilla), noodles, rice, corn, potatoes and added sugars will cause your blood glucose to rise more than other foods. These are the foods that will make you blood glucose harder to control. They will cause a spike in your blood glucose that will last a couple of hours - not good for a diabetic.
Meat, high fat dairy like cream or cheese, nuts, coconut, and fats will not cause a blood sugar spike (unless you eat a LOTof meat). Veggies will cause a small rise in your blood glucose, higher if you eat a lot of veggies. Fruit often has a lot of sugar, except berries, so eating fruit will also raise your blood glucose.
I would disagree with that regarding carbs, that's is the opposite from what I was taught. The idea is not to avoid the carbs, we need them for our energy supply. We need to keep them balanced with other nutrition. Also dairy does contain lactose which enters the system quite quickly.
Quote from diabetes.org.uk ....
Why does your body need carbohydrates?
Carbohydrate is our body’s preferred source of energy in the diet. All carbohydrates are broken down into glucose which is essential fuel for the body, especially the brain. The body aims to maintain a constant glucose level in the bloodstream at all times. The body keeps a store of glucose as glycogen in the liver for times when we are fasting or need extra glucose
If carbohydrate intake is severely restricted and glucose stores are exhausted, the fat stores start to be broken down and used as energy. During this process toxins called ketones are produced and excreted in the urine, this is known as ketosis.
End quote.
Have a look at
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/About_us/What-we-say/Food-nutrition-lifestyle/Consumption-of-carbohydrate-in-people-with-diabetes/caroldavison332 wrote: »Carol replied: I"m eating one slice of rye w only 12 carbs. I avoid all of those other white foods you mentioned for now.
I'm eating mostly veggies, some cheese and some meat. I feel good and lost 3.5 pounds through healthy dieting and hiit and calistenics. I look like i lost 10 pounds. I feel better than I have in months.
Personally I really wouldn't avoid all of those foods. Veggies, some cheese and some meat sounds good.
The body doesn't really need us to eat carbohydrates because it can run well on fats, and make the glucose needed for our brain (and other glucose using systems) from dietary protein through glucogenesis. If one does limit carbs a great deal, they will be in nutritional ketosis and use fat for fuel. I have been in ketosis for about 6 weeks from eating under 50g or carbs per day. Low carb is considered to be 100 to 150g of carbohydrates per day, and that level may or may not put you into ketosis based on your size and activity level.
Eating a very low carb diet helped me normalize my blood sugars (prediabetic).
Nutritional ketosis is quite safe for most people, but I can see where a type 1 diabetic would be very wary of ketones knowing about the dangers of ketoacidosis. Ketoacidosis has ketones at hugely elevated levels compared to nutritional ketosis. At such a low level, ketones are not considered to be toxic but rather the waste product of burning fat (dietary or body fat) for fuel. Ketoacidosis (toxic levels of ketones) is not something a person without T1D has to worry about (unless they have advanced, severe T2D and they are dependent on insulin injections). Ketones are just another waste product that we would eliminate in urine.
Ketosis isn't for everyone though. Some people just don't like eating low carb.
I agree with you that dairy can be high in sugar (lactose). Because of that I stick to (hard) cheese and some heavy (35%) whipping cream. Both are fairly low in sugars.
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I agree that a glucose meter is invaluable. I would get one as soon as you are able. 0
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Someone pointed this study out to me today. I thought I'd pass it on to you. http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(14)00332-3/fulltext First line of treatment for diabetes is recommended to be a low carb diet. 0
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That's a great article. Thanks.nvsmomketo wrote: »Someone pointed this study out to me today. I thought I'd pass it on to you. http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(14)00332-3/fulltext First line of treatment for diabetes is recommended to be a low carb diet.
Here is the link:
http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(14)00332-3/fulltext0 -
Oops. Thank you. 0
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Hi caroldavison332
Take care when exercising though, you DO NOT want to be exercising when your blood sugars are high. It's not good for you, cells do not function quite as they should when they glucose level is too high. If you have a high blood sugar level, let it settle down a bit first before heavily exercising. When your sugars drop into a more acceptable range you'll find you have more energy and exercise will come easier, when your sugars are high, you may feel a bit lethargic, have a gritty/burning sensation in your muscles, you may also feel a little sick. Sorry it's quite difficult to describe some of the sensations but you'll soon get used to the symptoms of a high blood glucose level, especially if you are looking for them.
I disagree. As long as there are no ketones associated with the high BG (high being anything over 250mg/dL), a diabetic can exercise -it's one of the easiest ways for me to bring down my blood sugar or to get more "bang for my unit" of correction bolus (another type 1). Exercising with ketones caused by a lack or absence of insulin (not by low-carbing) will only cause more ketones to develop. Remember that "insulin is the key that unlocks glucose into the cell". No insulin, no way for glucose to enter the cell. The cells then need to up ketosis to give the body energy for exercise, which puts diabetics at a higher risk of ketoacidosis.
Yes, at low and moderate intensity. There have been studies that show cardiovascular exercise at greater than 80% of max HR could cause increases in BG.0 -
nvsmomketo wrote: »Someone pointed this study out to me today. I thought I'd pass it on to you. http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(14)00332-3/fulltext First line of treatment for diabetes is recommended to be a low carb diet.
Good (not great) article. Diabetics should watch carbohydrates, there is no doubt that Low(er) carbohydrate diets usually produce good glucose control.
Points 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 are good and point 8 is a mixed bag
Point 2 is non relevant. It's just correlation. If the caloric increase was 100% fat you would still have higher incidences of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
point 4 is not great. The studies mentioned are cherry pickled to be short term and some statements appeared self-serving. "Almost all participants in the low-carbohydrate arm were successful at a loss of 2 kg as an arbitrary cutoff mark" well, duh... Lower glycogen retention? And cherry picking a study that low fat weight loss intervention does not have lasting results? ANY weight loss intervention has low maintenance rates.
Point 5 is misleading. This is a case where personal experience outweighs rigid numbers. Any diet intervention should be personalized to a person's ability to maintain it - regardless of its type. Although in the case of diabetes care should be taken not to overeat carbohydrates, the amount of carbohydrates should solely depend on individual adherence and reaction. This statistic is not useful if you happen to be one of the people who showed problematic adherence.
Takeaway: Lowering carbohydrates is highly recommended for people with diabetes, but personal experience, adherence and glucose reaction takes prevalence. Any study has patients who did not react well to a certain intervention or another when the group as an average did. If you happen to be one of these minorities the numbers are useless to you. In my case, while I did reduce my total carbohydrates, further reduction produced sporadic results and very poor adherence.
Having lost a lot of weight I am no longer borderline diabetic and maintain a normal fasting blood sugar (75-80 mg/dL in average - previously 115-118 mg/dL) despite consuming moderate carbohydrates (140-180g), while other people I know failed to lower their blood sugar as dramatically as I did with weight loss alone. See, it's a very individual thing. If you have had diabetes for less than 2 years, there is a chance (no guarantees) that you may go into remission and no longer need to be medicated if you lose a significant amount of weight - regardless of the method you use.
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midwesterner85 wrote: »Hi caroldavison332
Take care when exercising though, you DO NOT want to be exercising when your blood sugars are high. It's not good for you, cells do not function quite as they should when they glucose level is too high. If you have a high blood sugar level, let it settle down a bit first before heavily exercising. When your sugars drop into a more acceptable range you'll find you have more energy and exercise will come easier, when your sugars are high, you may feel a bit lethargic, have a gritty/burning sensation in your muscles, you may also feel a little sick. Sorry it's quite difficult to describe some of the sensations but you'll soon get used to the symptoms of a high blood glucose level, especially if you are looking for them.
I disagree. As long as there are no ketones associated with the high BG (high being anything over 250mg/dL), a diabetic can exercise -it's one of the easiest ways for me to bring down my blood sugar or to get more "bang for my unit" of correction bolus (another type 1). Exercising with ketones caused by a lack or absence of insulin (not by low-carbing) will only cause more ketones to develop. Remember that "insulin is the key that unlocks glucose into the cell". No insulin, no way for glucose to enter the cell. The cells then need to up ketosis to give the body energy for exercise, which puts diabetics at a higher risk of ketoacidosis.
Yes, at low and moderate intensity. There have been studies that show cardiovascular exercise at greater than 80% of max HR could cause increases in BG.
This was my personal experience as well. Exercising at 80% or higher usually produced a spike that lingered for about 3-4 hours then a drop, but a lower fasting glucose next day. In general it's not recommended to do strenuous exercise if blood sugar is above 250. I also found my glucose performed better when I had a small carby snack before exercise vs fasted. Apparently my liver likes to manufacture too much glucose when not enough is available through food.0 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »Hi caroldavison332
Take care when exercising though, you DO NOT want to be exercising when your blood sugars are high. It's not good for you, cells do not function quite as they should when they glucose level is too high. If you have a high blood sugar level, let it settle down a bit first before heavily exercising. When your sugars drop into a more acceptable range you'll find you have more energy and exercise will come easier, when your sugars are high, you may feel a bit lethargic, have a gritty/burning sensation in your muscles, you may also feel a little sick. Sorry it's quite difficult to describe some of the sensations but you'll soon get used to the symptoms of a high blood glucose level, especially if you are looking for them.
I disagree. As long as there are no ketones associated with the high BG (high being anything over 250mg/dL), a diabetic can exercise -it's one of the easiest ways for me to bring down my blood sugar or to get more "bang for my unit" of correction bolus (another type 1). Exercising with ketones caused by a lack or absence of insulin (not by low-carbing) will only cause more ketones to develop. Remember that "insulin is the key that unlocks glucose into the cell". No insulin, no way for glucose to enter the cell. The cells then need to up ketosis to give the body energy for exercise, which puts diabetics at a higher risk of ketoacidosis.
Yes, at low and moderate intensity. There have been studies that show cardiovascular exercise at greater than 80% of max HR could cause increases in BG.
This was my personal experience as well. Exercising at 80% or higher usually produced a spike that lingered for about 3-4 hours then a drop, but a lower fasting glucose next day. In general it's not recommended to do strenuous exercise if blood sugar is above 250. I also found my glucose performed better when I had a small carby snack before exercise vs fasted. Apparently my liver likes to manufacture too much glucose when not enough is available through food.
This is outside of what a typical type 2 would experience, but type 1's do not have beta cells... an effect of not having beta cells (aside from being unable to produce insulin) is that pancreatic alpha cells have less "information" to decide how much glucagon to produce (alpha cells take cues from beta cells). As such, our alpha cells are constantly making glucagon and our livers are spitting out sugar all the time. This is why we need to take basal insulin even when we don't do anything that would raise our BG. Generally, our muscles will soak up glucose from blood when exercising in order to replace glycogen. This is why our BG is prone to decrease during exercise. Insulin is needed to complete this process, though it is quite efficient when muscles are calling for more glycogen. If we don't have any insulin (or extremely small amounts) in our body (which could happen to type 1's who haven't taken insulin recently, but not usually with type 2's), then we produce ketones to break down stored energy (fat) for energy. Ketones are toxic in large quantities, so it is important to not exercise if you are type 1 and have not taken sufficient insulin.
As far as blood sugars rising during intense exercise, it is caused by additional glycogen production. In simple terms, your alpha cells receive information from muscles that they are rapidly soaking up glucose from blood and puts in an order for more glucose. Alpha cells fill that order by dispensing glucagon, which directs your liver to release glucose. Type 2's may then recognize that BG is rising and release insulin to cover it, which would also signal alpha cells to stop and let beta cells clean up the extra glucose and deliver it to the muscles where it is requested. Type 1's don't have beta cells, so that doesn't happen for us.
I hope that is written in a way that makes sense... it can become somewhat complicated because various (mostly endocrine) functions are involved and trigger each other.0 -
nvsmomketo wrote: »Someone pointed this study out to me today. I thought I'd pass it on to you. http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(14)00332-3/fulltext First line of treatment for diabetes is recommended to be a low carb diet.
Carol replied: link not found. ;(0 -
That's a great article. Thanks.nvsmomketo wrote: »Someone pointed this study out to me today. I thought I'd pass it on to you. http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(14)00332-3/fulltext First line of treatment for diabetes is recommended to be a low carb diet.
Here is the link:
http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(14)00332-3/fulltext
Carol replied: another link not found.
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amusedmonkey wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »Hi caroldavison332
Take care when exercising though, you DO NOT want to be exercising when your blood sugars are high. It's not good for you, cells do not function quite as they should when they glucose level is too high. If you have a high blood sugar level, let it settle down a bit first before heavily exercising. When your sugars drop into a more acceptable range you'll find you have more energy and exercise will come easier, when your sugars are high, you may feel a bit lethargic, have a gritty/burning sensation in your muscles, you may also feel a little sick. Sorry it's quite difficult to describe some of the sensations but you'll soon get used to the symptoms of a high blood glucose level, especially if you are looking for them.
I disagree. As long as there are no ketones associated with the high BG (high being anything over 250mg/dL), a diabetic can exercise -it's one of the easiest ways for me to bring down my blood sugar or to get more "bang for my unit" of correction bolus (another type 1). Exercising with ketones caused by a lack or absence of insulin (not by low-carbing) will only cause more ketones to develop. Remember that "insulin is the key that unlocks glucose into the cell". No insulin, no way for glucose to enter the cell. The cells then need to up ketosis to give the body energy for exercise, which puts diabetics at a higher risk of ketoacidosis.
Yes, at low and moderate intensity. There have been studies that show cardiovascular exercise at greater than 80% of max HR could cause increases in BG.
This was my personal experience as well. Exercising at 80% or higher usually produced a spike that lingered for about 3-4 hours then a drop, but a lower fasting glucose next day. In general it's not recommended to do strenuous exercise if blood sugar is above 250. I also found my glucose performed better when I had a small carby snack before exercise vs fasted. Apparently my liver likes to manufacture too much glucose when not enough is available through food.
Carol replied: that's one of the things my friend w the insulim pump warned me about.
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caroldavison332 wrote: »nvsmomketo wrote: »Someone pointed this study out to me today. I thought I'd pass it on to you. http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(14)00332-3/fulltext First line of treatment for diabetes is recommended to be a low carb diet.
Carol replied: link not found. ;(
Sorry about that. Perhaps try this link (it is the first article on diabetes management): http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/issue/S0899-9007(14)X0002-X
I haven't looked at what exercise immediately does to my blood glucose. Interesting. I'll have to check that out. I know my fasting blood glucose is usually lower the next day. For instance, yesterday I went for a fairly long and fast walk, and also did many hours of heavy gardening (landscaping with large rocks and moving dirt) and my FBG was below a 70 (3.8) this morning. I was trying to figure out why it was low until I saw your posts
I felt fine though. Well, except I miss the days when my muscles got sore from strenuous work rather than my joints. 
I like this blood glucose chart. http://www.type2diabetesguide.com/conversion-chart-for-blood-sugar-levels.shtml It is easy to read once you get a blood glucose meter. I found the meter to be intimidating the first few times I used it, but then it became very easy very quickly. 0 -
Thanks. I had a urinary tract infection and told the Dr. I was at 166. She was pleased and said keep doing what you are doing until you see the diabetic educator on Friday.0
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Ouch - no fun. I hope you feel better soon. Congrats on your loss. 0
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caroldavison332 wrote: »
That's a great article. Thanks.nvsmomketo wrote: »Someone pointed this study out to me today. I thought I'd pass it on to you. http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(14)00332-3/fulltext First line of treatment for diabetes is recommended to be a low carb diet.
Here is the link:
http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(14)00332-3/fulltext
Carol replied: another link not found.
just clicked on it and it worked. LINK0 -
My doctor and the diabetic educator were very impressed that I reduced my blood sugar from 455 to 165 in 2.5 weeks through diet, exercise and medication. (And yes I have a long way to go still.) They said to keep it under 45 carbs at each meal, but that I could pretty much chug chocolate syrup as long as I met my numbers consistently. So I don't have to dump oatmeal or oranges. I may dump bread though. I can eat meet off of a salad. Thanks for all the help folks.0
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Congrats!0
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Congrats on the hard work! I'm also Type II and when reading this thread, saw some alarming advice.
You don't need to "give up" anything. Those days of diabetic advice are long gone. Moderation is your friend. Pairing foods in good ways is your friend. Oatmeal and oranges can still be acceptable foods for you as well. Every diabetic is SO different. We all react differently to different meals and foods, so you have to experiment. The important this is EAT TO YOUR METER. And really, we all aim for different 2-hour goals. I know that many doctors are ok with those two-hour numbers being 140 or even 160, but I'm only ok with being under 120. So I eat to my meter.
Best wishes, and feel free to friend me if you like hanging out with other diabetics 0 -
happy to friend gaelicstorm 26. Or at least I will try to do so. If you don't get a request, please friend me. The educator said to keep my carbs at 45 a meal, which means somehting had to go. The least desireable was the rye bread I ate my burgers off of. NOW they taste better because the cheese, mayo and burger go right on my taste buds instead of being block by the bun. Win-win. Lost 7 pounds in three weeks.0
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