Diet and Insulin matching for TIDs

Good to hear!!

Food is so close to the heart of a family! My T1D was dx as a toddler. We put her in an insulin pump as fast as week could. She needed flexible “meal plans”- they tend to graze. Little ones learn to eat by socializing, eating together. Individualized meal plans can work in the very short term, but back fires! Children, once independent, sneak foods or refuse to bolus. The strict meal plans cause more rebellion, often triggers eating disorders. I am open to any technology and method that improves T1D lives, but context and support is everything! For children under 18, the best time is when they are ready. Before celebrating your own success, how did you get there? What does a daily menu look like, how did you substitute? How did you manage ketones, highs, lows? How did you manage family and social event? Exercise? You see, the best diet comes also with work, practice, trial and errors.

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My problem with using research papers as the end all to any discussion, is that you can find a research paper to support whatever you want. I’m sure I can find multiple studies supporting low carb and multiple studies saying to not do it.
My point here is we all need to be our own experiment and find what works for each of us.
Someone always has to take a change and try something different. So those who first put it together that carbs are the reason for higher blood sugars, they took a chance and tried something different. Or those who used type 2 medications to help with their type 1 treatment plan.
So by all means find those research papers, many love reading them! But I know for every paper that supports a stand there are others that don’t. And those who believe everything they read on the internet can end up in a bad place.

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I was 13 back in 1966 when diagnosed, no glucometers, no pens, no fancy insulin, no pumps, just glass syringes. reusable needles, regular and NPH insulin, urine testing and hypo awareness to help.
Diet was plain food, eggs, bacon some toast for the walk to school, cheese, vegetables, fish, steak etc. Carbs were for exercise.

First home use glucometer was in 1980.

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True, but I tend to follow those papers that stand up to scientific rigour, which most do not. High BSLs cause harm. No question. Fat do not when looked at properly, except trans-fats. Cholesterol in itself is not the problem. THe stresses cause of inflammation and excessive high BSLs are the problem. You have to wonder why post-prandial BSLs limits are set so high given this knowledge.

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Such a great post and yes I also believe that food should be something that is shared and can very special.
Over the years I have been in group settings dealing with the emotional side of diabetes. It is shocking how many times food issues can become a major disorder.
I was very fortunate that my Mom made my family favorites work with the exchange diet in the early years. I remember getting the exchange list and not seeing any of my favorites like lasagna or spaghetti. I was so afraid fun meal times were over. My Mom made it work and family meals stayed family meals and didn’t become a battle ground. (Although spinach was a hard sell to my brother and sister!) Overcoming an eating disorder is so very hard, when trying to find a good balance early on is easier to handle. And as the child grows and discovers what they like or personal choices, it is their decision.
And experimenting is key to diabetes. What works for me may not work for you and I say this a lot, what works for me today might not work tomorrow. Everyday is an experiment! And as long as we learn from each experience, we can get better in every aspect of our lives!

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I just don’t know the answer regarding best diets and carb limits. I have had type 1 diabetes since 2016 (age 60) related to receiving Opdivo, a monoclonal antibody for melanoma. This drug wiped out my thyroid and pancreas and gave me some other autoimmune disorders. I have an insulin pump. Since diagnosis I have eaten 40-50 carbs for breakfast, 30-50 for lunch, and 40-60 for supper. I rarely snack. I limit sugar. I drink water and coffee, no alcohol. I am 5’3” and weigh 116-118. Before diagnosis, I weighed 122. I just wonder if there are more factors we all deal with that make it easy or hard to maintain a healthy weight (genetics, other chronic diseases, foods that make up those carbs, how foods are prepared, activity level, stress, etc).

I’ve learned over the long years of living with diabetes and in the last eight years, that exercise does not lead to weight loss for me. It’s a healthy habit and has many other positive health attributes but I don’t see weight loss as a factor.

When I limited carbs starting in 2012, the weight came off (about 14% of my body weight) with very little exercise of will-power after the first two weeks of my new way of eating. I fully realize the individual variation in these factors but I’m aware that many people of both genders and across all ages have found success using carb-limits to lose weight.

Continuing to use this tactic has enabled me to keep this weight off for over seven years unlike the yo-yo experience of most who initially lose weight using other tactics.

For me, exercise is a healthy habit that makes me feel well but has not been a a significant factor in my weight loss.

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Wow! Your diabetes control is pretty impressive! Thank you for sharing!

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I have found exactly the same results. The other issue is when exercise is really taken seriously and repetitive, it actually contributes to weight gain in my case. Easy example - If my BG is 120 and I jog . 5 miles, it will drop to 100 on day 1. On day 2 it will drop to 100 again. On day 3 it will drop to 110 as my body is now used to a .5 mile jog so now need to jog .7 miles to drop to 100. In the meantime, the additional exercise makes me hungry and food intake increases causing weight increase.

Varied exercise is what makes me feel well, but Low Carb is what keeps my weight under control. So if I am at 120 today I walk .5 miles on flat terrain today to get back to 100, but tomorrow under same 120, I walk uphill and then vary again on day 3. Works for me like a charm.

Additionally outdoor exercise and insulin do not mix well. Just an additional variable to factor into BG control and easy to go Low due to change in exercise conditions such as effort, temperature/humidity changes, etc. Diet is a lot easier to control and and becomes a single variable to deal with.

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What an interesting discussion! It was beginning to read like a study comparing religions.

I’ve followed the exchange diet (too many carbs!), physician-supervised ultra low carb, Whole 30 (actually, Whole 27—wanted my Sweet-n-Low!) and currently follow a generous low-carb-ish regimen that works for me.

Over time, I also went from plain-vanilla “Type 2” to “Type 2/MODY 3”, courtesy of research at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh where my niece, diagnosed at age 7 as Type 1 wasn’t behaving like a Type 1, so all family members with a “label”were tested. For free!

Courtesy of health insurance, I’ve gone thru different types of insulins and statins, gone from oral meds to insulin, back to pills, to an insulin pump and CGM. Currently, everything is great—for me.

My genes are mine, and that influences a lot of my health issues. Strong history of heart issues in non-diabetic family members, and maternal and paternal genes for diabetes. As I have read often on these pages, “YDMV”—-your diabetes may vary! Amen!

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