Hi, I’m diagnosed 1.5 by my endo, diagnosed ~1 yr ago at age 40, normal weight, HbA1c 8.5% down to 5.4% in 6 mos with low-carb diet (well, attempt at low-carb diet - maybe 20-60 g carbs/day) and 7 or 8 U Lantus/day. I find I need the carbs because I go low with exercise. What do you think of this regimen?
My endo recently gave me Novolog to supplement the Lantus because I was sometimes spiking above 140 in the evenings. I wasn’t concerned about my spikes because I just get on the treadmill and within two miles I’m at 85 or below, no matter how high I was when I started. I’ve only used the Novolog about three times and both times I went really low afterward, even though I tried to eat 30 g carbs.
I don’t know hardly anyone with diabetes and so this has been a lonely journey. I’m hoping that some experienced folks can tell me what you think of my regimen. I am SO open to suggestions! I’m concerned that my basal insulin might be too high and that’s why I go hypo with exercise but I’m not sure how to switch from the Lantus only to Lantus plus Novolog. I do 5 U Lantus before bed and 3 U in the am.
My GAD65 antibodies were 14 and I’m normal weight so I seem to be a classic type 1.5 or else a honeymooning type1.
Welcome to Tudiabetes! it sounds as if you have a regimen that works well for you. An A1C of 5.4 is terrific. At what time after eating do you go above 140? If it is just a brief spike at an hour or less, and you get down to 85 with execise that sounds almost completely normal. I know what you mean about doing Novolog and going hypo. I am also early LADA but my antibodies were just at 5 so I am probably really at the beginning stages. I keep my Bg almost normal on a low carb diet- I do mostly raw and living foods (sprouted grains, beans/peas/lentils and leafy greens such as clover, alfalfa etc.) Over the holidays I didn’t have access to my usual foods so used Novolog and found I went low at 2-3 hours- about 65 or so. I much prefer to use diet and exercise and feel very happy that for now, I can manage it. The key is to keep your BG normal, which for me means that after an hour I like to be under 120 or so and after 2 hours under 100. I used to worry about being high at 30 minutes but have since realised that it doesn’t really matter and with a low carb diet I rarely go over 130 anyway. I am hoping that by keeping BG normal I can stay in the honeymoon phase forever. I was diagnosed last April, aged 53, A1C of 7.2 down to 5.6 with low carb and exercise. I don’t take any basal insulin yet. By the way, I consider 20-60g of carbs a day to be a very low carb diet. You mentioned going hypo after exercise but I would consider 85 to be totally normal. When I am on my usual regimen my fasting BG is in the high 70s and my average is around 88.
Hi Libby! Thanks for your reply. You say that you eat lentils, beans and sprouted grains. Do these not spike your blood sugar? It sounds like you have more insulin production than I do. Are you able to eat sprouted grain bread?
I eat sprouted grains and sprouted lentils and sprouted peas. I can’t eat beans, grains or lentils when they are cooked and even uncooked, raw oatmeal will give me a hig BG spike (about 160-180). But when you sprout foods, some of the carbohydrates are converted to protein and I can eat them with just a small increase in BG. For example, I had a bowl of sprouted grain this morning, with some sliced strawberries, nuts and yogurt and my Bg only went from 95 to 120 at one hour. I eat whole sprouted oats, barley, rye, buckwheat and millet. For lunch I eat raw sprouted peas and lentils on a salad of leafy sprouts and again, I only get a small increase in my BG. I can eat as much as a cup of sprouted peas and lentils as a snack, with no spike. I was very happy when I realised this since it seems a healthier low carb alternative. I was eating a lot of meat and cheese before I started sprouting. The great thing about the grains, peas and lentils is that you only have to soak them overnight and then drain them and leave them in a sieve for 24-36 hours, rising a couple of times a day. They make a tiny root, no leaves, and you get all the nutrients that were stored for the whole plant. They are really a kind of miracle food. I can’t eat sprouted grain bread however as the grains are made into a flour and then cooked and that seems to make them more like regular carbs.
