Counter-productive carb eating before exercise

[Ilana]

I have to eat carbs right before I exercise otherwise I have a hypo, but this is annoying because then I feel like I'm only burning off the calories of what I have just eaten, which is counter-productive. If I inject a couple less units for my previous meals, then my sugars do go high as planned, but then I feel too unwell to exercise. The guidelines say to allow your sugar to go up to 7-12mmols but even 12mmols is sometimes inadequate. Has anyone got any advice please?

 

[phoenix]

Have you tried reducing your insulin before exercise or not exercising within 3 hours of an injection?
I've found that it doesn't matter how high I am before exercise, if there is insulin onboard then my levels will drop rapidly.

 

[copepod]

Same reply as I gave to the last threasd you started on this topic:
It depends on how energetic is your swimming. See Runsweet for details - http://www.runsweet.com/StartingSports.html and all the links from that page. Make sure you understand the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise.

If you follow the links on that page, you'll get the principles, then be able to decide your strategy. Good luck.

 

[noblehead]

Agree with @pheonix, try and leave a few hours after your last bolus dose before exercising, this should reduce the amount of carbs you'll need to exercise, but the link that @copepod has provided is a great resource for those who are type 1 and enjoy sport.

 

[Type1Bri]

Have you tried using glucose drinks throughout your workout. Just a tiny sip every 10 minutes should keep you out of hypo and not too much calorie value. Combine that with reduced bolus preceeding the exercise and you should be all good☺

 

[Ilana]

Same reply as I gave to the last threasd you started on this topic:
It depends on how energetic is your swimming. See Runsweet for details - http://www.runsweet.com/StartingSports.html and all the links from that page. Make sure you understand the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise.

If you follow the links on that page, you'll get the principles, then be able to decide your strategy. Good luck.

Yeah I didn't think my first post had gone through, sorry for the repeat. I found the bit on the link about aerobic and anaerobic exercise particularly useful

 

[silverbirch]

Same reply as I gave to the last threasd you started on this topic:
It depends on how energetic is your swimming. See Runsweet for details - http://www.runsweet.com/StartingSports.html and all the links from that page. Make sure you understand the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise.

If you follow the links on that page, you'll get the principles, then be able to decide your strategy. Good luck.

Thanks for the link, copepod. I was looking for info on exercise.

 

[copepod]

Hope that both Ilana and silverbirch find Runsweet useful - it's a great resource, because it explains the principles of exercise, type 1 diabetes, insulin and blood glucose levels, plus has case studies for many sports.

 

[RuthW]

I have to eat carbs right before I exercise otherwise I have a hypo, but this is annoying because then I feel like I'm only burning off the calories of what I have just eaten, which is counter-productive. If I inject a couple less units for my previous meals, then my sugars do go high as planned, but then I feel too unwell to exercise. The guidelines say to allow your sugar to go up to 7-12mmols but even 12mmols is sometimes inadequate. Has anyone got any advice please?

It isn't actually counterproductive unless you really overdo it. it is not ideal for short-term weight loss, but if you exercise you will build muscle and that muscle will keep burning fat even when you are sitting still. So long term it works. However, it is more morale-boosting to lose weight/fat quicker. I bought a book called "The Diabetic Athlete" recently, which is very helpful (and includes lesser forms of exercise like how to reduce your insulin while you go shopping and do housework, so you don't need to be world class to benefit from it - lucky for me).