I haven't been able to say no for months.Time to get a grip
well, if anyone who had a BIG unusual appetite ate anything and whatever they wanted, if they were a junk food junkie, etc...they too would balloon up, without injecting insulin.
just covering with insulin wouldn't make you balloon up. Remember, non-diabetics have insulin running through them too 24 hours a day...they too use and need insulin, although the delivery is different it's still insulin and typically, non diabetics have and use much more insulin then we do.
I eat whatever I want but if it is something high in carbs, I stick to mouse-like portions and most of the time it turns out OK. I gotta put things in perspective - I need to bolus for protein, and most mornings, I need a small bolus (2 units) just for oxygen. So it is not just about the carbs.
It's all about portion size isn't it? I would never say no to a good roll, warm and fresh out of the oven, but I would never eat the whole thing.
I am lucky to have a few designated 'carb assistants'. These are friends and family who let me pinch tasting portions of high carb food from their plates, and who help me finish off carby food.
yes, that's probably it...i get nervous too about taking a lot of bolus..i don't know why. I did 3 units the other day, more carbs and the most bolus I've ever done for a meal. actually, sometimes, the more carbs I eat with matched bolus i do better. i'm not sure I could eat 70 carbs (7 units of a bolus) at one time...maybe if i get my pump, I'll feel more comfortable doing so. i'd like to..i think that's why many low carb, it's not that insulin causes weight gain or they spike too high, maybe it's just because their I:CR's aren't correct and they just don't 'want' to take the additional bolus insulin...just a thought? but remember, our bodies naturally would be throwing out those amounts of insulin anyway, unfortunately we have to actually fill up the syringe and see it and then inject it, kinda messes with us (at least me) sometimes, ya know.
For me, it's not so much as a "lifestyle" or "diet" as a "tool" to use to get good rates. Once the rates are "dialed in", I find that wild excursions are more fun and less stressful. I still sort of stress but I'd rather watch the CGM go 115-117-120-121-121-120-115 than 150-160-177----eeek! I think I did about 4 or 5 bolusesduring the appetizer period, although not quite enough as I had a spike into the 140-50 range too.
i guess i don't understand how any type 1 diabetic cannot at least spike 'some' when first eating..how do you just stay flat like this...? even a non diabetic BG's will go up some when they eat. You don't even low carb...so, like at your one (1) hour mark after you've eaten, how does your blood sugar not really move...i don't understand this? I can pretty much always get a good number 2 hrs. ppl, but I always go up the first hour. maybe i need a faster (aprida?) insulin...which short acting do you pump with? my endo tells me this is completely normal...there has to be some increase in blood sugars. how can you always time your insulin and foods, especially carbs so that your blood sugars don't even increase at the first hour - meal mark?
thanks!
Well, I usually work to start around 80 for a big holiday meal, or really, most meals so the 120 is the spike?
What a guessing game! I have found that when I am eating heavier meals (around the holidays for example), I have to take shots of insulin every hour to keep it fairly steady. I do not have a pump, so this is the method I use. It is normal four our blood sugar to jump up after eating. When I check my blood sugar consistently after eating, I find that it can jump extremely high but go to a healthy range rather quickly. I am under the impression that high blood sugar is only dangerous if it is maintained at that number, but if it goes high and drops low within a couple hours, it's not the worse.
My research has shown me that there is a phenomenon of weight gain related to insulin therapy.
Yeah, Lord, it is so messy! I get frustrated trying to figure this one out. Which is why, I tend towards my predictable whole foods, low glycemic diet. I see my blood sugar go haywire when I eat french fries or rice, even though I took the perfect amount of insulin. I want to do a bit more tweaking to figure out if I can eat what I want and maintain my blood sugar.
Oh yes! I love my "carb assistants". Most people in my life recognize that I can't have a full portion, so they happily give me a bite of their ice cream or a nibble of their cookie, they get it!
It is definitely about portion. I can eat a square of dark chocolate and not have to take extra insulin (that's just me, of course, I realize we are all different) but if I eat 2 squares of milk chocolate, forget about it.
Yes, there is a part of me that has wanted to experiment with almond flour and low carb sweeteners. But, I am such a purist-I have found myself choosing to bake/cook certain recipes and simply watch my friends and family enjoy them.
I take shots every hour during appetizerpalooza too, like 20 to start with then when it starts to go up, maybe 15G of carb more. Mostly veggies and cheesy dips and "relatively" sane stuff but it still adds up. I often sort of crash out but we had these cake balls...heh heh heh...
Thanks AR, you explaind that a lot better than I did..and it makes sense to, cause I do the same...try to start each meal no HIGHER than 100. My endo wants me pre meals to be between 80-100. So yeah we DO spike, but the 120 is the spike. DUH!!! OK smack me up side the head now, lol. That was a brilliant blonde moment if I've ever had one.
Whats your carb to insulin ratio, acidrock?
Well, this is a REALLY bad time to ask me. Yesterday, I went out to eat with friends, and had a small serving of potatoes, and decided to order dessert, chocolate cake, NOT expecting a large, foot-high slice with ice cream to boot! So I ate about a third of it, and took a bolus to cover, and still peaked at 333. And then, foolish child, who was taught not to waste food, because children are starving in China (or wherever you want to mention), I took the remainder home and ate it for breakfast at ten this morning today, and peaked at 395, and in spite of eating nothing else all day long, and bolusing and bolusing and then bolusing some more, I have only just gotten below 300 now, at 5:30 PM. And I've been nauseated and dizzy all day long.
So if I were SMART, and would listen to my wise friends like Gerri, I would have said no, but I have a problem with food -- if it's offered to me, or in front of me I EAT it. I'm usually pretty good about keeping unhealthy foods out of the house, and don't eat large portions, but restaurants are like wicked witches -- they ensorcel me, and make me think I can eat like everyone else, when I really can't.
Since you are fairly newly diagnosed, it's probably not as hard as it's going to be, and the best I can say is do your best to develop good habits NOW, and don't have anything to do with witches, especially ones who have gingerbread houses!
"no" or maybe take a lot more insulin? Some of those dessertzillas are > 100G of carbs I think? When I worked in restaurants, a lot of those were sort of "unregulated", "throw on some more chocolate sauce" sort of things?
A LOT more insulin would probably have been the right answer if I was going to be so stupid as to eat the damn thing!! It WAS good, just obscenely huge. I took 10 units; should probably have taken 20. And for the amount I ate this morning, I should probably have taken 30 or more. It's just that I get scared by huge amounts of insulin, because my normal daily dosage is around 25u a day, and I haven't managed to make it a science the way you do. Have you ever thought of publishing a book about your experiments and techniques?
Frankie--
Your approach & priorities seem reasonable to me. I eat balanced, small healthy meals most days, with treats like 1-2 squares of dark chocolate or half a biscotti mixed in. There are certain foods that I simply avoid: white rice, potatoes, store-bought sweets, alcohol. Part of my "diet" is a daily dose of exercise.
But, like you, I also appreciate good-quality pastry, gelato, etc--and maybe 2-3 times per month I enjoy a small serving. I try to select healthier choices from the treats. I enjoy these exceptions & it seldom leads me to go overboard or to binge.
Finally, I think most diabetics are very unlike the participants on tudiabetes. Most are noncompliant in a variety of ways.
mmmm Natalie that cake sounds like a deliciously wicked carby delight, lol I would have had no self control either.