Hey everybody,
So i’ve been trying to lose some weight by reducing my carb intake and by jogging. My deliema is whenever i go jogging my bloodsugars drop, thus i HAVE to eat. It’s counter productive. I’m on the Omnipod and i’ve tried reducing my basal rate to -40% an hour before running, but I still crash during my jogging session. It’s pretty frustrating.
What do you do before running? Is it possible to go on a jog without eating any carbs before or after?
I usually drop my basal bout 10 mins before I run, and then keep it reduced for about twice the length of my run so if i’m just running for 30 mins I do an hour. If I’m running an hour I usually just do about an hour and a half, but it depends on how things have looked through the day. I’ll still usually grab a bite to eat afterwords again depending on how things look.
I have this problem too. For me the best solution is to eat a light meal (small amount of pasta usually) and NOT do a bolus on my pump, and then do exercise 30-45 minutes later. Sometimes I still have to turn the basal down, and lows are still a problem, but it helps.
Don’t think of it as counter productive. It’s still good for you, even if you eat carbs. Try reducing your basal, and eating a 20 gram snack before a run of 30 to 60 minutes. Watch closely to make sure you don’t go high afterwards - if you eat carbs. If you go for more than 60 minutes, bring a snack with you, but you should be able to go for 90 minutes without significant carbs.
Don’t turn your pump down too low - you still need the insulin. And you’ll need more carbs the more you run.
Check out the book “The Diabetic Athlete” for more info. Try the website for Diabetes Exercise and Sports Association.
Keep running! Let us know how it goes!
The author of “The Diabetic Athlete” has posted on this forum before and has a very informative website (http://www.shericolberg.com/). The DESA website is minimally informative for non-members. Some basic recommendations for jogging (endurance exercise) as a type 1 are to exercise with adequate insulin on board, start your exercise with an adequate and rising blood sugar and to fuel your workout appropriately (you may need to sustain your blood sugar). You should not have much trouble overcomming the issues you describe.
hmm all i know is i have some pretty good sugars when i exercise, but i do have to make sure i snack or eat afterwards. Just think of the carbs as fuel(healthy food) for what your doing, not overeating.
I love to run and now that i’m pumping, i’ve noticed that I’m going low afterwards too. I have different basal rates throughout the day and I know that for me if my rate from 2:30 to 5:30 is 2.25 that if I want to run, I have to do it later in the day- usually from 8-9:30 and during that time, I reduce my basal by 75 to 80%. If I’ve been having a bad BS day- going too low, then I will suspend my pump completely for the hour and a half that I run. I usually do anywhere from 4 to 10 miles so that also plays into how much i will reduce by. As far as doing it to lose weight, you need to determine what is your target heartrate and stay in that area. For me, my heartrate is and always has been higher- averages 90, if I’m in the target range of 140-150 then that’s when I can run and lose weight. I always run with glucose tabs and check halfway through my run and if I’m heading down, i of course stop. If I’m training for a run, then I tend to either consume a protein shake about an hour before I run just to help avoid hypos. if I’m not training or needing to lose a few pounds for some reason or another, then I usually will just have a few skittles or something of that nature before just to be safe. Hope this helps.
Elizabeth
Hi Paul ,
I am a bit of a half marathoner ( as in walking and fundraising for Team Diabetes Canada…this means training 
) …when I do more than 10 k I put my basal on 45 percent : 1 hour prior …on the actual day I set my basal 45 percent 1/1/2 hours prior .I eat Glucerna bar cut in 8 every 30 min. I always have Dex4 glucose pills on hand …and I don’t think they are counterproductive …I forgot to look on your profile , what type your are 
while typing this …type one , as you posted this in the one forum ?..apologies !!
Maybe you need to set your basal lower …keep on trying …this is the story of living with diabetes ( 27 years for me !) and everyone is different . When I complete my challenge , I stop the temp basal and give a bolus of about .2 u and this has stopped me from going up and up . Wish you well in youre running endeavors . others have given you good suggestions.too …Sheri Colberg, the Author has type 1 diabetes( re - bsc’s comment ) , I believe.
thank you all for your advice!!!
If your schedule allows it, you could always go jogging when your bs reading reads 180… Maybe if you eat and then wait 1 hour and test and if your high-ish, like no where close to being low or normal you could go run…
I have the same issue when running. I haven’t quite mastered the basal reduction yet either. Right now I reduce the basal by 50% for about 1 hour before and for about 1 hour after. I still experience lows even with the reduced basal. I’m not trying to loose weight, so eating isn’t a problem; but every time I go for a run, I do find myself worrying about going low the entire time.
You still need carbs to maintain sugar and energy levels when running. Even when I reduce my basal I always carry carbs with me and I try to start on the high side, around 180 or so. You can carry carbs in the form of glucose tabs, running gels, energy bars or a sports drink. The Spibelt (spibelt.com) is a great way to carry stuff.
As Dave says, if you bolus before running, cut your bolus down by a unit or by half. YMMV. I allow about 30 minutes between a bolus and a run.
Always bring your meter. I test after 30 minutes, but you may want to choose a different point depending on your experience. If your BG is lower than when you started take some carbs. Don’t worry about how much to take, just take some. If your BG is lower than when you started it will keep going down so you need to act fast. Even if the reading is in a ‘normal’ range - take carbs because it’s not going to magically stop there. It’s the downward trend that we need to pay attention to.
If you test again during your run, take more carbs if your BG is still going down. Consider taking more if it is level, depending on how much longer you’ll be running. Lay off if you’re going up - in this case that could be a good thing.
Test every hour or so afterwards and adjust accordingly.
In a short while you’ll see where the trends are and what needs to be done in particular situations. Just keep in mind that in the case of athletics and endurance sports, carbs are your friend, not your enemy.
This is what works for me. Find your own methods, but always keep your meter with you when running.
If you forget your meter, run back home and get it. (I keep a spare in my gym bag.)
Terry
I knew I was forgetting to mention something. When I go for a run, I pretty much always go after lunch or after dinner. So what I do is increase my IOC ratio for the meal by 2 units. For instance, my lunch IOC is 1:12, so I’ll bump it up to 1:14. My sugar might be a little on the high side before the run, but I know it’s going to come down with the activity.
I just recently got a spy-belt so I think I’m going to start wearing that for running. This way I can bring my glucose tables and glucometer with me. Thank for the tips Terry!