I am new on the pump and it felt so wierd eating ice cream and cake. I bolused before both and my sugar was only 125. It felt so weird. Do people on the pump pretty much eat whatever they want whenever they want because they are on the pump. Or is that a bad habit to get into?
Bolus and binge is a bad way to do this. I’m new to the pump also. The pump is not a “get out jail free” card. It does make those special occassions a lot easier to handle. You can still have a major carb load with a ton of fat and protien and could make your BG rise hours later. I’ve heard that people will sometimes put on weight when they start the pump. I’m doing my best to keep an eye on that. I just managed to lose 30 pounds, I’d like to stay that way. 
Believe it or not - ice cream has little effect on my BG if I bolus for it becasue of the cream/fat - the digestion is slowed, and I don’t see spikes at all after ice cream. Cake - haven’t really tried cake since the pump (2 months ago). While the pump does offer greater flexibility with foods, it is definitely not a get out of jail free card. Everything has to be done in moderation.
It all comes down to self control. I admit to enjoying an occasional coke or candy bar. As long as you count the carbs and dont go banannas, then you should be fine.
I’d say it’s a bad habit to overeat, period.
I grew up in the day when diabetics were told not to eat sugary or starchy foods, but with the creation of new faster-acting insulins and the pump those days are gone. So like you I still feel like I am doing something wrong if I eat some ice cream. Or any junk food. If you are going to eat and cover it with a bolus at least at something healthy, right?
The danger from eating a ton of carbs and taking a massive bolus is that if I miscalculate my bolus by even a small percentage my blood-glucose level can spike or drop very high or low. The more food and insulin I combine, the higher the stakes and there is little room for error. But if I eat 30g of carbs and underbolus by .4 units, I can correct it quickly without trouble.
Excellent point there as well Greg!
I allow myself to eat pretty much whatever I want, in moderation. I will have a small DQ cone, not a large, one small peice of cake, not two. I try to stay around 60g of carbs or less for lunch & dinner, 30-45 for breakfast, and 15-30 for snacks. But, I am also not trying to lose weight, I actually have the opposite problem, I often need to gain a few pounds. By allowing myself to eat most things in moderation, I don’t feel like I am missing out. I can go over to a friends for dinner and not worry about “can I eat what they are serving”. I don’t drink regular soda–ever–diet only, that’s my one major sticking point with diet. Being on the pump for me means that I can be more accurate with my insulin to carb intake, not that I can eat anything or as much of something as I want.
The fact is, I have to live like this for the next 50+ years (hopefully) so I don’t want to be so strict that I can’t actually maintain the diet, but I do not binge eat.
I would say this is a bad habit to get into. The key to healthy diabetes is a healthy diet and excercise plan. Ice cream and cake are, by definition, no no’s for diabetics. Yes technically a diabetic can have sweets but its really not good.
I have always been a heavy set guy, and I noticed with the pump I have a lot more finite control with regards to eating what I call “No no” foods. I have been pumping for a while, and I have not gained a ton of weight with eating an occasional bowl of ice cream or so forth. Thats why I say, its all about moderation. I also (as mentioned before) grew up when sugar was a cursed word, and only reserved for a few select moments in life. I actually looked forward to getting low so I could taste a candy bar when I was a kid back in the early 1980’s. My how far we have come in 2 short decades, right?
Bad habit, can be. But there is nothing wrongwithing treating yourself once and a which, it’s all about portion control I guess. Shouldn’t deprive yourself, just think eat smart. I like York peppermint patties, I’ll pop one of the minis after a meal jut to get the sweetness satisfied. I refuse to view all foods as evil, just some foods I just need less of. Also find new favorite meals instead, I love pb and j sandwich. I have it on wheat with sugar free jello. It will be cold day in double hockey sticks before sweets are taken from me, diabetic are not. Just remember to set smart.
Good point
I think to eat more or less is not the problem. But to eat without a fixed structure of your day is a great problem. We need to reapply something we have learned in the past. This way we can learn how to handle a pizza and other challenging food. But if we end up eating at any time we like we will have no chance to reapply our knowledge effectively. Some rules of good control can be bend but they can not be broken and structure is one of them. For example: the pump will not change that digestion happens slowly. So good-bye to the idea of eating a pizza for dinner. It will not work because you need additional insulin in the aftermath. This also means that you would have to go to bed with active insulin on board. To do this is dancing with disaster. You will very likely end up high in the morning or with a low at night. I truely doubt that the feeling of having a pizza whenever you want was worth it. The pump is just a tool and the rules are the same for all of us. Do not strive for the “normal life” you once had - it is over. You are in the honeymoon phase right now (you are diagnosed this year). This means your beta cells are recovering because the external insulin takes much burden of them. This production capability for insulin will fade out over the next 1 or 2 years depending on the intensity of the immune reaction. After this phase you have only the pump to cover your needs. Then the real extend of efford that is necessary to keep good control will be visible. It will not be as smooth as your current phase that is for sure. So better try to keep the awareness for the mechanics of D.
I heard someone say once that she was getting the pump and could eat whatever she wanted !!
That is definitely NO, NOT TRUE. I would NEVER eat whatever I wanted. Diabetics always have to count carbs, always, no matter what therapy they are using. The pump does not give you free range to eat whatever you want. If you eat a lot of carbs on a daily basis and use a lot of insulin you WILL gain weight. I have been around the block a few times and lasted 56 years with D - all WITHOUT eating ice cream and cake.
Sheila
Darn And I have to eat pizza tonite, might have to use some tag action
Pizza is OK as long as you don’t have it every night !!!
Sheila
Bad habits die hard. I started that way and put on some weight. You can’t just eat what you want. You need to keep the same routine you had before you went on the pump. Watch carbs but make sure you count calories. That was what I wasn’t doing until the doctor told me I was feeding the pump.
Ended up eating fish! We are putting our foremen grill to work!
Having gone from 3 fingersticks a day up to 10 opened my eyes a lot!! Now that Im on CGMS, Im sure I will be able to see all of the short and long term effects of that food on my BG…It will be interesting to say the least. My CDE said I had the right ideas in place for good control, but the post meal spikes are whats killing my A1C’s. Once we deal with that, I should be on a very good control path. Its very interesting to be able to see the numbers at work, and how that lasagna and garlic bread is breaking down over time (for example). It will be an interesting next few weeks for sure. I need to go on a diet lol!!!