As I’ve mentioned elsewhere I’m a Type 1.5 who just began basal/bolus 3 weeks ago. I’m also a vegetarian and a bit of a foodie, so I’m working hard to find recipes I enjoy. I think I will settle to “lowish” carb, maybe just under 100. I am pretty insulin sensitive so my I:C ratios are about 1:10, 1:15 and 1:19. Occasionally I have a recipe that I realize is quite low in carbs, meaning I would only need 1 unit. Originally my endo gave me a set dose of “2-3 units Apidra per meal” but is quite pleased that I am doing ratios and carb counting. (Most of her patients don’t).
My question is, for those of you Type 1’s who eat low carb and are insulin sensitive is there such a thing as taking too little insulin? I know that whether we are still producing a bit ourselves or none, there is a minimum we need, right? Sorry if this seems like a dumb question
I am Type 1 + take insulin injections - I was given a sliding scale- where a dose of insulin is what is to be taken for a corresponding range of pre meal blood sugars.
So if a meal i was having is a bit smaller/ lower in carbs than usual i decrease the amount of insulin from what was suggested on the sliding scale.
If the meal i was having is a bit larger/ higher in carbs than usual then I increase the amount of insulin for injection than that which was suggested on the sliding scale.
It is difficult however to get the formula right - ie matching the insulin to the meal + keeping the blood sugars within the ideal range !
Regarding your question above, I find that too little insulin given pre meal will result in post meal hypers + too much insulin given pre meal will result in post meal hypos.
Its a tricky balancing act !
My ration is 1:10. Even if I am only eating 10g I will still take the one unit. If I am having fewer than 5g of carb for meal ( very difficulty to do with getting very hungry ) I will skip the insulin. If you go very low carb as a vegetarian you will find it very challenging to make up the calorie difference with just beans and tofu (vegetables have carbs).
I am on a 1:10 ratio and yes , I will take one unit even if it is hard to find something with so few carbs but sometimes it happens. With carb counting there are soooo many factors to consider. What is you BG reading before you eat…how much fiber does the food contain etc. (You can usually subtract fiber if there are more than 5 grams) There are many books and resources for carb counting and it takes a lot of work , but in the long run I prefer it over the sliding scale because it allows you to be more flexable with your carbs; You cover the carbs you plan to eat with insulin instead of covering your insulin with an amount of carbs you really might not want…(hope that makes sense)
Thanks, all. I think I figured out that the question doesn’t make sense because my basal covers my ongoing needs and my bolus only has to cover the carbs I eat. Yes, the carb counting method makes sense to me. My endo started me out on a set dose but I quickly realized how inexact that was.
I don’t eat “very” low carb, Khurt, because as a vegetarian that just doesn’t work, but I am working on modifying the recipes I like and coming up with a variety of things to eat. I’m not big on tofu unless it’s cooked in a really interesting way!
No such thing as “too little” - there are BD syringes that have half-unit markings (and the relion brand does too - but something tells me you’re not anywhere near a walmart) and it’s really easy to draw up just a half a unit, or a unit… or unit and a half, etc. You can even guess at 1/4 units with those, but I wouldn’t trust it to be entirely accurate if you did
As far as insulin goes, you need what you need… as long as you’re #'s are doing good, and you aren’t starving, don’t worry that you aren’t taking “enough”
When I honeymooning, I took as little as 1 unit to cover low carb meals.
Something else to bear in mind is that protein does convert to glucose. While we’re told to count carbs (& think I’d lose it if I had to count anything else) around 57% of protein does convert to glucose, though at a much slower rate. When I increased protein to gain weight, I had to up my insulin. So, a low carb/high protein meals still needs adequate insulin to cover the protein part.
Thanks, Gerri. It’s funny because as a vegetarian when I look for good meals, I find things are either way too many carbs or none at all, and that’s what made me wonder. Yeah, I wouldn’t want to have to count anything else. And my eyes are getting a bit too old to read those teeny print labels easily!
