I eat about 50 + grams of carbs a day.
bfast: oatmeal, eggs, sausage
lunch: a chicken salad or turkey sandwich on wheat
snack: Kashi bar (15 grams)
supper: meat, 2 green, leafy veggies
Should I and/or could I go lower?
Is it possible to just pump the basal and essentially never bolus?
If you don’t bolus, does your food raise your blood sugar?
If you don’t bolus, and you go high, you will end up taking more units to lower and correct than you would have just bolusing for your meal.
If you eat high fiber foods, you can reduce the number of carbs you bolus for by half the dietary fiber. That might have sounded confusing, so here is an example:
Total carbs at lunch:30g
Total grams dietary fiber: 10g
In this case, you could bolus for 25 grams instead of 30.
By definition, basal is the insulin you need to keep your BG stable without any food, or activity. Bolus is for when you eat food that is not covering a low, or food that is covering exercise.
For people who keep very regular schedules of sleep and activity, every day, I think they often have basal rates that might be considered low if they sat around all day. So for example, if you do a similar exercise every day from 1-2pm, and don't eat food or reduce basal to match it, then your basal rate is probably set lower than what it would be if you did not exercise.
If you normally bolus 1 unit for 15 carbs, and tend to be active after you eat, you may find that same 15 carbs requires more bolus when you don't exercise.
It varies by person, but activity can 'supercharge' the effect of the insulin, whether it was dosed as basal or bolus. (Or some refer to this as increasing insulin sensitivity.)
Also, even if you eat low carb, you still need insulin for protein and fats, but again, that may be unknowingly covered by your basal.
So whether it is part of your basal or bolus, the correct total amount you need, is what gives you good blood sugar results. Everyone is different, and finds what works best for them.
Are you testing your BG before and after meals to see the effect of your bolus ?
Is your A1C in your goal range ? Are you experiencing too many highs or lows ?
My endo says we must get at least 125G carb to maintain metabolic wellness.
Good carbs are full of vitamins and minerals the body needs. Too much PRO is caused for many degenerative diseases. Suggest connecting with a CDE/nutritionist.
Good luck.