My Doc says 3 hours is right. Not sure why.
For me, it really depends on the meal and the circumstances. If it was a big meal with a lot of carbs (and, therefore, I took a fairly large dose of insulin), I’d have to wait three hours - or more - to avoid going low during the exercise. That, of course, depends on how high my BG was – if my BG was very high in spite of my insulin dose, I might try exercising a lot sooner to bring it down quicker (and improve insulin response). For a smaller meal, or a fairly low-carb meal, I have no problem exercising even immediately after eating - and do so, regularly.
I think it varies by indidual, medication and the type of exercise. As compared with Thas I am not on any medication. Typically 1hr after a meal I am not more the 120. At three hours at 90-to 100. A bit low to start vigorous exercise.
I suggest just buying more strips and test. In order to run a 10k I first had tostop every mile to check my BG level. And realized I had to consume some carbs along the way. Actually following Dr. Bersteins advice.
So you need to find your own comfort level As I remember we were not suppose to start vigorous exercise with BG over 140 or under 100.
Although I tolerate lower BG levels better now.
I think it will vary from person to person. I’m a T1D, eat a carb-limited diet, take insulin via an insulin pump and usually walk for exercise. To cut off the post-meal spike, I will try to walk when my bolus insulin is at its peak. So, if I pre-bolus by 30 minutes, that means I’ll be walking 60-90 minutes after my insulin dose and about 30-60 minutes after the meal.
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exercise is whenever i can fit it in. usually though i wool exercise before rather than immediately after eating
Whenever I feel like it after eating.
If you take insulin, exercise may totally mess with you. Exercise makes you more insulin sensitive so you may become very vulnerable to lows if you just bolused and ate. Exercise also slows your digestion as your body shifts energy from digestion to the exercise, this can also cause things to get messed up. For those on insulin exercise right after bolusing and eating can be a bit tricky.
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So after 3 hours you have stopped digesting and if you aren’t to low it is the right time to workout?
I guess another way to think of it is to workout before you eat.
It can be, but I do it 3x a week.
Up at 6:45, breakfast around 7:30-ish. In the pool by about 8:45-9am for a 1 hour water aerobics class.
It’s basically meant learning to be consistent. I’ve got 2 go-to breakfasts that I eat, and I’ve learned to let my BG go a little higher than I normally would so that I’m at about 160-ish as I’m getting in the water since it’s going to be coming down fast. I definitely have to take much less insulin on workout mornings than other meals.
Three hours after a meal seems rather excessive. Sure, you don’t want to exercise if your BGs are too high (over 250-300 or so is associated with definite risks). And with certain medications that force the pancreas to push out more insulin, you have the potential for going low also, same as injected insulin.
Really it’s just a matter of trial and error, with good BG checking to see when is best for you.
As soon as I can. Not on meds or insulin yet. But I am also one of those whose number rises a bit after exercise, so I need time to cool down and have a cup of green tea (iced) before I can eat again…
For 16 years I had a routine that kept my type 2 diabetes under control - i.e. less than 6.0 on my hba1c tests, For one thing I only ate low GI carbs - like squash, beans, barley and rye bread. Second, after each of three major meals during the day, I hit the road for a 40 minute walk immediately after eating.
It worked for me and would work for anyone else willing and able to follow such a regime…
I think we are all different. Whether or not diet and exercise is sufficient to manage your diabetes will vary. It wasn’t nearly enough for me, but diet and exercise are still central to helping me maintain manage my blood sugars.
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I had a friend in Virginia, a type 1 diabetic, who had a habit of bicycling between 30 and 50 miles a day. The only side effect he reported was that he was able to cut his insulin doses in half. He did however say that to begin with calculating the balance between food, insulin and exercise was a bit tricky but by following a routine with the same mealplan, cycling and timing of exercise every day it became much easier to manage. And by the way,this fellow was in his mid seventies when I met him and he had been living with type 1 for over 40 years.
As a type 2 not injecting insulin I’ve always exercised immediately after eating. that way I can kick start my metabolism and get a head start on those rising GIs. The only times I’ve had problems with potential lows from exercising right after eating was if I had a bottle of wine with my dinner. Wine tends to lower blood sugars, albeit temporarily.
I did say a bottle - never had a problem after a single glass of wine…
I’m Type 1 and on an insulin pump. If I’m within my target range what I normally do is subtract 15 carbs from my meal bolus and as soon as I finish eating I will go for a 30 minute walk.
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If I use insulin in virtually any amount, I have to wait at least 3 hours, but I typically try to wait 4 to make absolutely certain there’s no active insulin. Otherwise, I go super low within minutes of starting exercise. If I want to work out sooner after eating, I usually check my BG multiple times the hour leading up to exercise to get a sense of what my blood sugar is doing. If it’s high and stays high, I go ahead and exercise to bring it down. If it’s mostly normal and stable, I might wait an extra 30 minutes and eat a snack. If it’s going down, I wait to see if I go low before doing anything.
I find that it’s a moving target. Lately, my BG often goes up after any exercise, so I have to bolus right after I stop! I usually try to have only no-carb meals before exercise or eat after I’m done to avoid extra insulin on board to drive me low.
But I am certain that just when I get it down, it’ll change.
As a type 2 on metformin, I will walk 15 to 20 min after eating a high carb meal which is 50ish grams. I work out in the morning before eating because I usually wake up with my numbers around 100-125 mg/dL. If I am under 100 mg/dL then I will eat oatmeal or have fruit (a luxury for me) and work out about 15 min after. In the evenings I will walk right after eating but if my numbers are climbing say 130 mg/dL, 160 mg/dl, and upwards, I will jump on the Precor for 20 minutes which usually drops my number around 25 mg/dL or run. Test test test. That’s my motto!!
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Why not start exercise under 100? That’s a bit confusing to me, especially since I mostly live under 100mg/dL. I’d have to go high initially just to start exercising ;/
That member has been suspended so you won’t be getting a reply from him. I’m thinking his rule about not starting exercise under 100 is due to caution about exercise causing a hypo. You know your body best.
That’s my goal, too, but is not always possible.