if i were to try swimming with a BG in the 60s i would certainly sink. i need to be at least 150 as my start out point. obviously, i would prefer 120, but i havent gotten that far in my computations yet. also, i read that when you start off on the high side, you end up on the high side.(unless you make some kind of adjustment). so, it would be ideal if i started out at 120 and ended up around there as well. today i am going to try the same formula as last time, but this time at a different hour of the day. so, we shall see what happens. (1/2 english muffin and 1/2 of a BOOST shake) that gives me about 21 grms of carbs with some protein from the shake. i dont want to give myself just simple carbs because i think i will burn them too quickly and get stuck sinking low. i think that if i can mix the protein in, i will keep my BGs steady for a longer period of time. i could be wrong about this, but its just a guess and experiment. i wish someone else would join in on this forum with their experiences. it seems like its just the three of us and weâre driving blind. UGH.
I am sorry 
I know swimming is probably much tougher to manage than running, because you canât eat/drink as easily while exercising, and there isnât an easy way to carry the stuff with you.
For me, flat BG is the key. I can easily manage a less than ideal BG if it isnât rising or falling quickly. I also do better with less insulin on board. But we each need to find our formula.
Here are a few external resources:
The ExCarbs website is aimed at helping you exercise safely with the right amount of carbs:
ExCarbs
Glucose Advisors makes a phone app called Engine1 that lets you enter in the type/duration of exercise, what your BG is, and your last meal, and suggests a carb amount to eat before exercising:
Glucose Advisors
I donât use those myself, because I like to be lower than they suggest for me. But take a look. ExCarbs is free, and the Engine1 phone app gives you a free 1 week trial. Lemme know what you think.
hey guys, just got home from my swim; here are some new stats:
1 hard boiled egg for lunch w/out insulin (usually i have to give a bolus for proteins) followed by ten almonds and 2 Tbs of peanut butter. pre-workout BG was 156. i walk 15 minutes to the Y, then detach from my pump and swim for 1 hour. BG post swim was 88; got showered and dressed and put pump back on; walked home (another 15 minutes) and BG was 98. i am thinking that the combo of protein and fat keep BGs stable. i did all this between 4pm and 6pm. dont know if this formula will work as well at another time of day, but i hope that i am on to something. i really love to swim and would hate to have to give it up over stupid complications (frustrations) i dont want D to govern my life; i want to manage it. this is my big challenge.
Those numbers sound great! Nicely done! 
Make sure you write down what you do everyday, even if it doesnât work. Keep track not only of what insulin you took and what you ate, but how much insulin you had on-board, and which way your BG was going.
I am so old-school that I actually write my notesâŚwith pencil and paper! 
Somebody can maybe suggest a better tool to do that!
That is a fantastic, @Daisy_Mae! I think adding the protein was a good idea, giving you a bit of energy and glucose for your workout, and hopefully keep your muscles from being depleted. The nuts are an excellent choice, giving protein and fat. I think the cheese helped me, too. I was able to duplicate yesterdayâs results except I was about 25mg higher across the board. I hope you will be able to duplicate this tomorrow!
@Eric2 xDrip on Android supports logging treatments and notes. I try to enter my insulin and carbs and any notes each time. Data is also uploaded to my nightscout site so I can view it on the web and generate reports for historical data. I only just started using the treatment feature but it is really convenient being right on the phone and watch.
i am old school as well; and pretty neurotic. not only do i make notes, but i make notes about the notes with a high-lighter pen in yellow 
i literally write down EVERYTHING. and i also test quite frequently (i tend to over-do it rather often) my medicare covers 300 strips each month with no co-pay; i end up buying another 100 strips out-of-pocket. but it is worth it to me because i cannot tolerate the Dexcom (i tried it for a little over a year w/out success; i am too thin and i became obsessed with checking it every moment and panicking when i did not have a flat line.)
today, i will be swimming at a different hour than yesterday. i think i might try having a tiny bite of a snickers bar (and i mean tiny) without taking a bolus. i figure, sugar, fat and protein (the nuts) or, i could do 1/2 a BOOST chocolate protein shake ( 8 gms carbs ). not certain yet; i just figure it cannot hurt to experiement, so why not 
?
i will report the results. SO HAPPY to all of you for being so supportive and rooting me on and all of your trials and errors and suggestions. it means the world to me !!!
I have an iPhone. 
Glad you are getting some good results! I also use a bunch of test strips. I get 300/month with insurance and then I buy another 300 a month of cheap ones (the insurance covers the more expensive strips for me, which is nice). I always test several times before running, to see which way my BG is going, and how fast.
You will find that perfect number where you want to be before you start swimming!
thats great for you !!! youre lucky. i dont own a âsmartâ phone. i know that i am living in an historical apex, but i hate talking on the phone and i never text anyone. i am a âwrite-it-all-downâ kind 'a of gal.
but, thats for youre input.very appreciated.
Daisy Mae
When I mentioned the iPhone, I was referring to Tryingâs comment that âxDrip on Android supports logging treatments and notesâ. I canât use that, since I am using the iPhone rather than Android. 
But I still use paper notes for all my record keeping. Itâs easier for me to write down, but Iâm just not sure I have found the right app yet.[quote=âDaisy_Mae, post:30, topic:57554â]
i hate talking on the phone and i never text anyone.
[/quote]
Iâm with you there! It cracks me up to be at a restaurant and see people at dinner texting instead of talking and eating!
eddie, i dont even know what an Android is. how pathetic is that???
No, I donât think thatâs pathetic, I think thatâs awesome!
so hereâs the latest update:
2pm :1 slice Snickers bar w/ 2Tbs PB. walked 15 min to pool (local YMCA) BGs 140. swam from 3pm until 4pm; post swim BGs 50âŚtook 1 Glucose tab. walked home (15 min) retested and BG was 67. ate 2 Tbs PB. waiting to see what happens. and BTW, am NOT comfortable below a BG of 70.
my thoughts are these: yesterday i ate more protein and fat before my swim. i think that that sustained my BGs. today, the snickers bar was mostly quick sugars and was therefore easily burned off. i am no dietician, but i am guessing that the high fat and protein is the way to go for me. (and the snickers bar was at the suggestion of my D dietitian) i think i could do well with a can of tuna or 2 eggs with some PB for the fat.
any comments from the crowd? this is not easy. and i am certainly no rocket scientist.
Hi Daisy_Mae.
Hold tight! Bunch of numbers coming your way!
First, you mentioned that before the workout you were 140 today and 156 yesterday. Right after the workouts, you were 50 today and 88 yesterday.
Those numbers may sound far apart, but they are actually pretty close! You dropped 90 today (140-50=90) , and 68 yesterday (156-88=68). *Make sure I am looking at the right numbers!
So the difference was only 22 points between yesterdayâs drop and todayâs drop (difference between 90 and 68 is 22).
Hereâs where it gets a little tricky. The lower your BG gets, it accelerates the drop even more. So if you were to do the same thing as today, but start at 130, it would be amplified and you would end up MORE than 10 points lower than today. Lots of reasons for that involving how the human body uses fuel. I wonât get deep into that today!
The good news here is that you found an area that is between ideal and less than ideal. It sounds like 150 is pretty good and 140 is too low. Thatâs a very tight range. I think thatâs good. Next time, if you start at 140, take a little more food. If you are at 160 take a little less food.
And one other thing to keep in mind. I have to quote myself here:
So when you observe that you were 140 today, make note of which way it was going and how fast! Thatâs another big factor.
Keep taking notes and adjusting what you are doing! If nothing else, the next time you are at 140, you will know to take a bit more food than you did today!
eddie2, thanks for the feedback. yesterday got messier as the evening came on. i bolused for dinner (tuna salad with a roll) and just as dinner was over (20 or so minutes) i plummeted down to 30. i corrected immediately w/ some applejuice and brought myself back up to 80, but it was scarey and caught me off guard. next time i will try a can of tuna and some peanut butter w/out bolusing before my swim. i think the combo of the protein and the fat will sustain me at a reasonable BG level and not shoot me sky-high w/ a post exercise spike.
will keep you posted. thanks again.
Yikes! Hope you are ok.
nothing quite like apple cider to fix the lows 
tomorrow i am going to try 1can of tuna and 1/4 hass avocado (for the fat) w/out a bolus 1/2 hour before i walk to the pool to swim. iâll see how that works out.
will report back as soon as the results are in 
I agree with @Eric2, your results today are still pretty fantastic for your exercise routine. I know, I also donât like to go down to 50. For me, it is not that unusual to go that low running. So it sounds like you did not have an after workout spike at all! Is that correct? If so, then I think you have a strategy, with some timing. You could add some additional protein pre workout to keep your muscles energised. Iâm not sure about your evening low if it is related or not. It sounds like you ate very few carbs so that could be the reason and not necessarily your exercise. So many variables! Iâm so glad that you mostly had a very good exercise routine today. I missed my exercise due to horrendous weather today:(
with the exception of the later evening low, i had no spike whatsoever after the swim. maybe i just need a larger piece of the Snickers candy bar before i start my laps???
God, this is a challenge and a half; i am just trying to hang in there and not have a meltdown.