I've been getting a little more aggressive with my walks lately. I have found that maintaining my weight is about as difficult as loosing it. So I have stepped up the walking.
So here's what's happening. As I am finishing my walks I start to go low. I usually wait till I'm home to test and treat. I am prepared in case I go real low so I feel safe to wait. Yesterday I was in the low fifties. I was distracted by a phone call and didn't treat my low right away. I was surprised that after a short time my bs started to rebound after 2 hours it was back into the seventies. Today I waited intentionally and the results were the same. Why does this happen?
Because you are kicking ■■■! I was in the same boat a few years ago, felt like I needed to lose weight and get in shape. I started walking, partially to get more fit for martial arts classes, and have kept at it and at it and at it and it keeps going.
When I started saying "I need to do something, I'll walk around the neighborhood...", it was sort of weird but I just had to say "I'm going to do it and do it". I was inspired by a lady in our old neighborhood who'd do "laps" with her husband and walker. Rain/snow/ sleet, she was out there. I didn't ever walk up and say "way to go" but she was out there and, when I'd think, "nah, I'll just blow it off..." I'd remember her and head on out for a lap myself.
BG wise, I get a buzz when I'm running, a lot of times, I sort of "push it" to get home (or, maybe, I want to say "I'm DONE!"?) and my BG will drift up but the corrections are way over what they need to be and then I'll crash out. I've sort of got "habits" to work around that, a small bolus, take shower and eat something after more significant runs or do about 8-12G carbs/ 3 miles (185 lbs or so?) if I'm going farther. I "cheat" in that I have a CGM so, if I see it crashing out, I'll have something to eat. I bring stuff along but don't overdo it. I also figure some of the carbs are for "fuel" rather than BG. They usually have Gatorade at races, even 5K (although a lot of times, I can blow off carbs for a 5K, if I'm in the right spot beforehand...), so having a snack "en route" doesn't make you less sporty, it may make you more sporty? Keep it up!
You may need to eat a small amount of glucose during your activity. If you continue to go low every time you walk you will lose your Hypo-sensitivity and this will add more risk for anyone that's using insulin...JMHO
[Today I waited intentionally and the results were the same. Why does this happen?]
When your BG is low your body will warn you but if you do not eat some carbs then your body will find some
other way to correct the problem (Glycogen), and if you do this repeatedly it will stop giving the warning signs.
The same thing happens for me when I walk, even if I bottom out at a point that's not below 70 and with no food or IOB. The key for me has been to try to figure out how much I drop to look for a pattern and then to balance a starting blood sugar or glucose consumption during that will bring me to a point that's not low. My bg drop and subsequent rise is usually 30ish points.
After I walk and watch the rise after, I wait until it stabilizes and then eat and correct if I need to. I never walk with active IOB if I can help it. Of course, all this is easier with a cgm.
Thanks everyone. I think maybe a small snack mid walk might be the answer. I did step up my walking. I was walking about 3 mile a day and had reached my goal and had tried to sorta back off a little and maintain but I started to regain a little weight. So I stepped it back up to get rid of to extra 5 pounds I had gained. Thats when I started having lows. Thanks Ya'll for your help.
It may also be useful to do the snack before the walk, depending on how long the walk is and what the snack is. If the walk takes an hour (easy math, LOL...), and the snack is a "food" snack, 30 minutes after 1/2 way, the snack may not even be hitting your BG yet? If you go faster, then I'd say more confidently but I know everyone goes at different speeds and the timing is important to figuring out where to put the snack.
