As is everything when it comes to us. I hope to get mine better as well, but at this point I think i just need to eat better and make smarter choices... that and find more time.
Do you find that you spike within the first hour right after eating certain carbs? If I spike any higher than like 130-140 right after I eat I can feel it....lethargic and out of it. If I go 160-200 then I want to sleep! Like I mentioned it does usually come down at 2 hours, but I don't like to feel like that for even a little bit...
Couple options.
1. Eat more fat and protein before eating carbs 2. take insulin earlier 3. exercise right after eating
I spike above 260 after breakfast so I know how it feels. But it happens no matter what kind of carbs I have.
your is pretty good. I'd be extremely happy if my a1c was 7.2
Hmm, don't snack on carbs or eat carbs without having a liberal serving of protein and fat. That slows the aborption enough to let pre-bolusing take care of extreme post-meal spiking. Be prepared to correct, either with glucose or between meal insulin dose.
Test, a lot.
Track your BG profiles so you know when to expect carby spikes and subsequent crashes.
That, and work-out like a mofo. My carb intake drops considerably when I'm not on my regular work-out routine.
Wouldn't recommend it for the faint of heart. =P
Alright, all quite similar to what I've been doing minus the working out like a mofo part... I've got to get myself into a better workout routine. A routine at all, or actually dragging myself to the gym, would be a good start!
Do you snack 2 hours after you eat, I have learned to eat a little less carbs with my meals but snack to avoid those nasty lows
I eat about 150-160G of carbs/ day and have been in the fives since I got my pump. My most recent A1C was 5.6 which was a bit of a disappointent but it was a busy year so I am not beating myself up about it that much.
I snack because I like to snack but have cut back the carbs over the years. I'm not sure what I used to eat as I only learned about counting "officially" when I got my pump but I know it was quite a bit more. I'm interested in cutting back more but it's sort of a work in progress and I'm not totally focused on it.
I will try and eat my fat and protein first. I have already tried dosing early and I workout a lot already : ). Thanks! I am trying sprouted grain products to see if that helps…
Assuming you aren't one of those people who get one response 50% of the time and another response the other 50% ... This happens to me a lot and drives me crazy! I am sure it's due to site location or hormones or work versus non-work days (i.e., activity level), but I still haven't figured it out.
I for one find it impossible not to spike at one hour. I'm using Apidra which is supposedly the fastest-acting insulin and I also pre-bolus by 20-30 minutes when I can, and stick to below 30g per meal. I also very rarely eat pure carbs at a meal without including some fat or protein. Even with that I often start a meal in the 4-5 range (70-100 mg/dl) and if I test at one hour I'll be up to 10-11 (180-200), and by two hours back down to say 6-7 (110-140 mg/dl). If I try taking more insulin then I end up low at two hours, and if I pre-bolus by much more time then I end up going low just after I start eating. Haven't found a solution except that they need to invent a faster-acting insulin!
I feel for you there. I had a string of "bad" sites that didn't absorb the same and thought that I was loosing my mind because I wasn't able to use the numbers I was used to.
I've since figured out these troublesome spots and have learnt how to deal with them... or avoid them altogether!
Hi Megan, I'm having the same problem, doesn't really matter what I eat, I only eat 40 grams carbs per day right now anyway, but I do eat carbs (fruit, low carb bread, low carb yogurt, etc..)...but, like you, I always spike 1 hour after I eat..always...and always come back down within 2 hours and sometimes lower at 3 hours. My 2 hour targets are always below 140...more like 110 - 120, but I do spike within the one hour range. I've asked my endo about this and was told it's not unsafe (even non diabetics spike right after they eat). that's why I want to try Aprida because I've heard it works faster...but can also cause hypos quicker too. I work out, I always wait at least 15 minutes before I eat, after I bolus. My endo just said, "stop testing 1 hour after you eat, we don't count that number anyway". So..i don't know. That's why I truly don't understand how someone can eat and not see any movement at all with their BG's, even within that 1 hour range..???
I also feel it when I spike really high and then come back down, often times I'll just fall asleep, sometimes just sitting there, it's very weird.
yes, same with me....although now i'm not spiking so high, maybe 140 - 150 within the 1 hour then lower, of course, at two hours.
for me, what's working is still adjusting basal and getting my fasting levels down, so..it kind depends on what the numbers are before starting the meal...if you're spiking to say 180, but you start your meal at say 130, that's still only a 50 point spike..but if you start the meal at 80 or 90 and spike 40 - 50 points, then that one hour spike is the same 'spike' but the number just isn't really high. thus, i'm trying to get my fasting down and not spike more then 40 points at any time with my meals. easier said then done sometimes.
I'm pretty sure that spiking within the first two hours is normal, and that's why when you're testing they recommend doing so 2 hours after you eat. That's just a hunch though.
Hi Megan,
Last year I wanted to get my A1c down. I started making a real effort to bolus 15-30 minutes before eating (depending on the food). My A1.c did drop, and when I was logging my results, the spikes post-meal were way lower than before. Might be worth a try?
Thanks! I eat around 130 carbs, but I am willing to adjust if needed as long as I still have energy for my workouts ;)
What fruits are best for not spiking??
I have to tell you there is increasing evidence that low carb diets are not detrimental to exercising. Our member FHS has had an ongoing interest in this subject and recently discussed some results from Dr. Steven Phinney.
As to fruits, my suggestion is to choose fruits that are low in fructose. While Glycemic Index (GI) is useful, my experience is that what really causes a "spike" is not whether a fruit is low or high glycemic, rather it is the total carb content. So I think it is best to limit the total carb load at any one time to avoid a spike. Some fruits with low fructose levels are apricot, peaches and pineapples, strawberries, blackberries, lemons, limes, rhubarb, and avocado (ok, I had to throw in avocado).
In addition to bsc's suggestions, I find that if I have an apple for dessert it doesn't cause a spike. Part of the reason is that you are taking the insulin up to 30-40 minutes before you eat the fruit.
Maurie
Yeah, in addition to dropping BG levels overall, exercise really kicks up the insulin sensitivity, both immediately post-exercise and for a few days after. It's really more of a balance between exercise and carb total. So, if I get away from my routine for an extended period of time, I have to cut way back on the carb total. It could easily fall to under 100g a day.