How do you bring it down?

Type 2
#1

I have been doing such a good job over the last 2 months with low-carb, I virtually have eliminated starches (bread, rice & pasta). I haven’t ever been a big sweet eater so my numbers have been basically below 150 at 1-hour and 2-hour after meals. Well, we went out to dinner last night for celebrations and I had to have some Singapore noodles, a Thai dish from our favorite restaurant. Well, as you could guess, I was over 300 at 1-hour and 278 @ 2-hour. That was after a 30 min walk between the 2 tests. It was then 10:30 pm so I jumped on the treadmill for 30 min but only got it down to 215 before I went to bed. I know that if I had bolus I could have had it down in relatively no time - I am on Metformin only.

I was wondering what others do aside from running marathons at midnight to bring BG down when it is inconvenient . Should I bring this up with my medical team so that I can have some insulin handy for the odd occasions like this?

#2

Todd, you did everything right. Other than a brisk walk or jumping on the elliptical to get my heart rate up for 30 or more minutes, I don’t know what to do. Singapore noodles - yum! I love Vietnamese Pho and it doesn’t love me . . .

#3

Todd,

I’ve been in the same situation. Sometimes it takes 6 or 7 hours to come back down and then the morning fasting are always higher. They tell you if you are over 200 you shouldn’t exercise. A lot of times when I exercise it moves my numbers higher. This may sound wierd but sometimes if I’ve eaten something bad and my numbers go high I’ll eat something like plain greek yogurt or something else acidic. Some people swear by taking vinegar or eating pickles. I know what spikes me but when I’m on vacation I just learn to deal with the higher numbers because of the restaurants. Those of us not on insulin don’t have any other recourse. And of courde worrying raising bg, too.

#4

Dear Todd.

With metformin there is no way. You have to stick to the low carb diet at all times. Yes you can certainly take insulin on occaision to cover very high carb diets. Don’t make a daily habit of it because if you are insulin resistant weight gain is always a problem so go gently.

#5

I had a similar problem the other day. I had fried rice and pot stickers for lucnh because I was sick of eating salads. About an hour later I got really tired and sluggish so I checked my BS. It was 301! So I chugged a bottle of water and then went on a VERY brisk 10 minute walk in the building here at work. I was able to get it down to 183.

#6

I hadn’t heard of the 200+ and not exercising. I will have to look into that. I have heard of the acid treatment. Sometimes I drink a small glass of red wine before I go to bed and that seems to calm things down.

#7

Well done. So do you think it is worth the effort to satisfy your cravings once in a while?

#8

I knew there was a catch. I have worked very hard taking the 30 lbs off and do not want to put it back on. I will take that into consideration.

#9

Don’t beleive it’s the same for Type 2s, but it’s very common for intense exercise to send Type 1s high & then low later. It’s caused by stress hormones signaling the liver to dump glycogen. Moderate exercise helps lower BG, but a strenuous work-out can send BG high for a while for Type 1s.

Acidic foods won’t lower BG, nor will pickles or vinegar. Some studies showed that vinegar with a meal may help some with the carbs, but it does nothing after the fact. Given how we’re all different & react differently, you’ve got to question the results of any research like this:)

Alcohol is a different story because alcohol basically stops the liver from releasing glycogen & lowers BG.

#10

I think a person should satisfy their cravings. If you don’t it can overwhelm you and then you lose total control. Have your craving and then get right back on.

#11

Yes, and it is possible to learn to satisfy cravings without binging! Although I’m a type 1 who can use insulin to counter a carb overload, it’s still tricky to get the dose right and I want to avoid weight gain, too.

Do eat the foods you love, just try really hard to limit your portion sizes and enjoy each bite! I’ve vowed not to bother with so-so food. Insist on high quality. Set yourself up to eat a smart portion (order half plate, split the order, have the server remove the portion you don’t want, ask for a doggie bag, pour salt on the excess if you have to to keep yourself from eating it). Enjoy the things surrounding food–good friends, great conversation, music, the view–that aren’t necessarily the food.

And I’d like to congratulate you on all your diabetes-control efforts so far (we just don’t hear that often enough, living with diabetes)!

#12

Whatever it physically does and however it does it, a spoonful of vinegar before or with meals does help improve my blood sugar. You get used to the taste.

#13

One day I ate a little too much bread and i got to 200. I was not too happy about that so I picked up my son’s WII to try to forget about things and did a boxing match that went for about 30 minutes. I started to sweat a lot and after thirty minutes I started to feel a little weak. I managed to fight a few rounds then I decided to check blood sugar. It went down to 80. I found it a little funny since it was just a game but I got really into it. So WII is fun and quiet and sometimes beats walking on the treadmill or doing a few miles on the stationary bike.