Yes, I run most days, and most days I have issues getting my BGs under control as a result:( I can go low while running, spike after the run, then several hours later go low. I run with the same intensity and around the same distance each day, but my BGs are variable. Some days work just great. Thanks for the hint about the basal adjustment! I wish I didn’t have to fine tune everyday, but it seems I can’t take my eye off the ball!
Thanks for the advice about corrections, too. I found I did not need to make an adjustment as my BGs started moving in the right direction (down) after my post. I will take your advice, and try to restrict myself from being overly aggressive towards corrections!
I ended up stopping my fast last night in time for a much reduced dinner consisting of primarily vegetables and tofu. I did not have enough energy on yesterday’s run and put it down to the fasting. Yesterday I did not spike too high after the run. I went from 57 to 94 or around there in about half an hour after the run. SO pretty good for me. I rode it out and it slowly came back down to about 75 by dinner.
Overall, the fasting really helped me understand my body and particularly my basal profiles better. The first day of fasting I kept my basal the same and I stayed in-range most of the day. I did not run that day. Half way through the second day, I decreased by basal by half. I’m not sure if this was needed due to the run or fasting. Third day, I continued with the 1/2 rate of my normal basal. Again I’m not sure if this was necessary due to my run. Hwr, I normally do not need to reduce my basal on a run day.
Today, I had a slight reduction in my breakfast food (1 cup of yogurt+berries+fruit), and I spiked up 65 mg/dl from it. I am still on the 1/2 basal reduction though. Also, I changed my morning “dawn phenom” basal, too, down by half.
So, I’m not sure yet if my normal basal was just off. I’ll know probably in the next few days.
Hello everyone. I’m new to this forum. I joined this forum on purpose, not because of me, but because of my mother. She is 56 years, diagnosed type 2 diabetic. She has been on medications for more than 9 months I think but we cant seem to control the blood glucose. Its pretty high. Part of it may be the care quality of the physicians in the place where i live, it is poor. She is already taking metformin and glibenklamid to lower the blood glucose and series of other medications for blood pressure control and lots of stuff. I wanted to take her to a more advanced specialist, endocrinologist. But I run unto this subject, intermittent fasting. So I wondered, why not try this before this other doctor put her on the state of the art, bleeding edge, zero day, sky high expensive medications.
So my main question is, where should we start with this intermittent fasting? What diet plan should we start with, when to fast, when to eat, what to eat, what not to eat, how to monitor the blood glucose level…? Eventually, I will have to consult her physician to readjust her medications during those fasting periods but I will have trouble convincing him to allow us to try this method, but what can we do when the medications therapy is not working like it should? It is so hard to ask a doctor to think about about a solution besides drugs and a scalpel. Thanks in advance.
Does your mother have and use a blood glucose meter? I believe this is an essential tool for anyone with diabetes. It helps to inform your mother about how her eating affects her blood glucose levels.
Keeping a food log along with blood sugar readings will not only educate your mother but can help a doctor to make treatment decisions. Checking glucose at meal-time and two hours later is a good routine to start with. Also checking first thing in the morning is a good idea.
Diabetes is a disease of carbohydrate intolerance. We have a saying in our community that “your diabetes may vary.” My tolerance for carbohydrates and the glucose levels it drives will be different than your mother’s. Checking with a meter will help your mother learn how carbs elevate her blood glucose.
If a certain meal consistently movers her blood glucose to unacceptable post-meal levels, then she may experiment with lowering the carb content of her meals. Some people refer to this technique as “eating to your meter.” Eating to you meter is a proven successful technique for returning post-meal blood glucose to more normal levels.
Adding regular fasting to your mother’s routine is best analyzed with good fingerstick meter numbers. I find that fasting helps me a lot. I eat a late breakfast and early dinner each day. That often leaves me with 16 hours between meals if I don’t snack. This regimen works well for me. Your mother will need to test this herself using her meter and a logbook. The collected data point (fingerstick numbers) will guide her decision-making.
I’ve rambled on. Tell your mother that diabetes is a disease that yields to curiosity, knowledge and persistence. Good luck. Your mother is lucky to have you help with her health!
I am 74 yrs old and was diagnosed with Type 2 15 years ago. After nearly
being killed by my local general practitioner I went to a new doctor (2
hours away) who is really top of his game. I take Metformin, blood pressure
tablets and a diuretic but have long since dropped the statins and our
equivalent of the glibenklamid. Because Type 2s already have too much
insulin their blood you don’t want to stimulate more insulin production by
adding carbohydrate or stimulating the pancreas in any way so I have
dropped as much carbohydrate as possible. For 15 years I haven’t eaten any
fruit, rice, potatoes, pasta, flour or thickeners of any sort and only the
very lowest carbohydrate vegetables like cabbage, spinach, mushrooms,
brinjals, gem squash and baby marrows. Recently I have dropped almost all
vegetables and only have about a tablespoon a day. I still eat meat but
have replaced most of the meat and vegetables with saturated fat. I also
eat a lot of eggs and cheese. I have never been healthier and have not had
a single cold or flu for 5 years, my blood pressure has dropped (tablets
halved) and I am full of energy. I also eat just one meal a day on most
days, usually at night as I found that if I skip supper I don’t sleep. I
still work a full 8 hour day and walk about 6 Km a day.
Don’t know that any of this will be of any help to you as we are all
different and it is not easy to drop carbs to start with. Hang in there and
good luck with your mother.
Thank you for your detailed explanation. She still does not have a blood glucose meter. I was looking for one today. I think I will find one in the next couple of days. I wanted to create a very detailed log by checking every hour (except during sleeping of course) for a few days but probably that is too much. I will definitely take notes of all you have mentioned. I will see if I can post some info about her progress.
Thank you for your answer, of course it is very helpful. I thought that she should have a low carbohydrate diet. Now I have to test what food does not give her a high glucose spike so when we find out what is safer for her to consume then she can try a fasting plan.
P.S. And yes, she also loves cheese very very much.
Just trying and testing is the way to go. All the very best. Only to happy
to help in any way I can. I live in a little town in South Africa and have
largely had to find my own way apart from twice yearly visits to the
specialist.
Just a very brief historic reminder…
Before insulin was discovered, the only way to keep diabetics alive for a limited period of time was to restrict food to the starvation level. Food restriction still works, so intermittent fasting works as does restriction of carbohydrates.
Here is the story of Elizabeth Hughes, the first person ever to receive insulin for her diabetes:
