Exercise when sugar levels are high?

seascapes

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My doc told me to exercise to get my levels down when they go above 15.

I just joined a gym and when I went in today my reading was 22, after an hour's exercise it was 15. But the gym instructor was not happy and said he would find some facts. He phoned me later and said I shouldn't exercise when my levels are over 15 as it could lead to ketinosis.

I've googled ketinosis and it says if you are 14.9 or above ON WAKING, 'do not exercise'. I think my gym instructor has been looking on the internet and has overlooked the 'on waking ' part. I don't understand why it says 'do not exercise'. If exercising brings the levels down, why not do it?

Can anyone offer advice please?

(I am type 2, have been diagnosed diabetic for 12 years, I take all the usual tablets plus levermir and victosa. My waking levels are around 8 but during the day I can get to 22 and before bed its usually around 14.)
 

cugila

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It isn't on waking it is before exercise.........

If it is more than 13 mmol/l prior to exercise then test for ketones. If ketones positive, postpone exercise and consider extra quick-acting insulin.

Here is a link to post I made earlier today about exercise........

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=18805#p171027

What we are actually talking about is called DKA, Diabetic Ketoacidosis. Here is a link which explains it more fully:

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/fac ... idosis.htm

Because exercise can help diabetes, some people think it will help the symptoms of acidosis, DKA.
In fact, exercise only makes things worse. Diabetic acidosis is caused by a low insulin level and must be treated with insulin. So, it's no wonder your Gym instructor was concerned........

Welcome to the Forum BTW....... :)

Just a question for you....what sort of diet are you on with levels so high ?
 

seascapes

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Many thanks for that. I will have a look at your link in a minute. I don't have anything to test my ketones with so will have to go to a chemist tomorrow. Sorry I didn't already see your post re exercise but I'm new here and its a huge place so I haven't found my way around properly yet!

Your question about my diet. I'm vegetarian (no fish either) and have low-fat low-sugar everything. Nuts/eggs and half fat cheese are main protein. One coffee a day with skimmed powdered milk. No alcohol ever. Wholemeal bread. Lots of fruit and veg. Baked potatoes with baked beans (low fat low sugar). Home made broccoli and cheese soup so I can control what goes in - no sugar or salt in this. Home made carrot and coriander soup. Lots of onions with everything (grilled or microwaved with one-cal spray.)

I just don't understand why my consultant said to take more exercise when my levels were too high! And he knew I was talking about 17 or over! He's a very well thought of and popular consultant - people will travel miles out of their way to see him rather than their 'assigned to local area' consultant!
 

seascapes

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PS Your link to the Diabetic Ketoacidosis thing is identical to the first link re sports and gym activity, so you must have made a mistake in the copying? I am desperate to know more about Diabetic Ketoacidosis! Could you post it again please?
 

cugila

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Hi again.

It is a mystery to me why your Consultant told you it was fine to exercise when high. In the link that I gave you there is a section in another link where the advice about exercise says exactly what I have told you ??? I'm not an Endo but I do know what happens........ :?

Anyway, thanks for your diet menu. I have to say that there are some very high carb foods in there and as carbs cause your BG levels to elevate that could be the source of your problem if there is no other medical reason.

I am not a vegetarian but we have some advice we usually hand out to newbies which covers the issue of carbs and glucose levels. Basically Carbs = Glucose = Insulin = Fat. Break the chain by reducing the carbs and all the other things will also reduce, lower Bg levels, lower Insulin requirement and possible weight loss if required.

I was Diabetic for 12 years before I found out about the carbs and my so called 'healthy' diet which actually wasn't for me ! 2 years later I am now a well controlled Diabetic, no complications, Bg levels all well within targets, fit, healthy and full of energy. Just by following the advice my pal Sue and I give to others here. :D

I am just about to change the link.....Ooops ! :oops: All done now if you go back to the post.
 

seascapes

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I am really grateful for all your advice. But now I'm worried. This Diabetic Ketoacidosis isn't fun! I really want to keep going to the gym but they have now told me not to come in if my sugar levels are above 9. So I need to get them down. I had thought carbs were the best foods because they give 'slow release' and are supposed to help the levels stay balanced. Now I don't know what to eat instead! As you realised it was carbs causing your high sugar, how did you change your diet? Can you point me in the right direction to advice that must already be on this forum please?

I don't know what you mean when you said you were 'not an Endo'?
 

cugila

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I am a Diabetic of 14 yrs. An Endo is short for an Endocrinologist, a person who is highly trained and specialises in the Human Metabolism. Diabetes being just one of their areas of expertise. Sorry for the abbreviation, I must put it in full in future......

The only thing that I can point you too really is the advice that Sue and I hand out. It is for newly diagnosed, so please don't be offended.......

There may be things in the advice which you know and also things which you might not. Look on it as a refresher course........

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, Diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy Carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of Insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause Insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting Carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total Carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a Diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the Nurse/Doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own Diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try !!

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l........(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals....... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Ken / Sue.
 

seascapes

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Many thanks for that - I will read and absorb. I am not offended at all - maybe I've had it for so long - about th e same as you - that I've stopped really thinking about it - I just thought carbs were good and my diet was fine. When my levels were not ideal at the last consultant appt, I even asked him if I could see a dietician to see if I could improve my diet, and he said there was no point as I was already eating all the right things.

It looks like 'if you want anything done properly you have to do it yourself!' So I will try and sort things out for myself, but this forum has already been a big help and I will try and read some from it every day. I have just ordered a carb counting book recommended on here, from Amazon, so that's a start!

Thank you again. I don't know why I didn;t ever find this Forum before!
 

hanadr

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DKA certainly isn't to be taken lightly, However, High blood glucose doesn't always lead to it.
Unfortunately though
if you exercise vigorously on high blood glucose, it very often goes up instead of coming down.
Your numbers look rather high to me anyway.I'd suggest bringing them down a bit. you could try adjusting your eating. perhaps controlling the carbs a bit. Your medication also seems a bit heavy.
BGs of 14 and 22 are too high for your health. It would be much better if you could get into single figures for most of the day.
Hana
 

cugila

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seascapes said:
Many thanks for that - I will read and absorb. I am not offended at all - maybe I've had it for so long - about th e same as you - that I've stopped really thinking about it - I just thought carbs were good and my diet was fine. When my levels were not ideal at the last consultant appt, I even asked him if I could see a dietician to see if I could improve my diet, and he said there was no point as I was already eating all the right things.

It looks like 'if you want anything done properly you have to do it yourself!' So I will try and sort things out for myself, but this forum has already been a big help and I will try and read some from it every day. I have just ordered a carb counting book recommended on here, from Amazon, so that's a start!

Thank you again. I don't know why I didn;t ever find this Forum before!


Thats good....glad to be of some help. You ask the questions....we just try and give you honest answers. We don't always agree with what some of the medical profession say. Sometimes we do.
Hopefully we can help you get 'back on track'........ :)
 

Eiche

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@seascape... I hadpretty much the same readings at times as you do and found advice that was goiven to me by my doctor and diatitian about food and exercise as confusing as you. I also thought that I am meant to eat carbs like wholemeal bread, rice, pasta and so on and was also told to exercise when I have a glucose spike. Then I came to this forum and read a lot of posts and advice from the "REAL EXPERTS", diabetics like myself and learned A LOT! You were right to come here and seek answers. have a good read through out the boards, you'll be surprised how much better you will get :)

By the way cugila, I am happy to say that after all your advice, I have drastically reduced all carbs in my diet and I am now going to bed most nights on a 9.5 mmol/L, still a little high, I know but I'm on the way :D YAY YOU GUYS!!!
 

ClaireG 06

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As someone who has recently had DKA can i please ask you to take the advice not to exercise when your levels are high. I was told whilst in hospital, not to exercise if my levels were above 13. DKA is the most frightning thing i've experienced (didn't help i had pneumonia as well!), and i would hate for anyone else to have to go through what i did.
My levels are still not great but are coming down a little by eating a lot less carbs. I see the Dr again tomorrow and am waiting to see a consultant as i may well have to go onto insulin.
 

seascapes

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Thank you for all the replies and interest. Now I'm taking on board that I shouldn't be exercising with high glucose levels, can anyone tell me if I would have done my body and lasting harm by exercising for the last 3 weeks, 3 days a week, on levels above 14? And would a gentle walk on a beach with high glucose do any harm?

I'm now looking at how to cut out carbs from my diet - wholemeal bread is the main culprit, and bananas!
 

cugila

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maxwellwaltzer said:
I wish somebody would post a list of good things to eat and not just a list of foods that we need to cut out :mrgreen:


I wish it was as simple as that ..........only YOU will know by testing the foods YOU can eat. The advice given is basic and is a starting point for newly diagnosed to work from. Things that we know have a detrimental effect on most Diabetic's.

Everybody is different and everybody will have different likes and dislikes. My food likes if I posted them would not suit everybody.....same as I don't particularly like some of the menus and recipes posted on here.

You have to work it out for yourself. Try a food YOU like and test......there is no one way for a Diabetic, neither is there a list of recommended foods here. :|

That's why it's easier to tell you what to avoid........
 
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I still cant manage to cut out bread but im eating granary which is better than the good old white stuff i suppose, The hardest thing is filling yourself up, Im constantly hungry :?

I just brought 4 cans of reduced salt and sugar baked beans but i got to find something to have with them,And im trying to be careful as im on steroids also :?
 

angieG

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Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I've just had some baked beans with a mushroom and low fat cheese omelette if that's any help!!
 

cugila

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Maxwell.
As you are on steroids they in themselves will play havoc with Bg levels.......you really need to reduce the carbohydrates in your diet.......they will just make things worse. :(

Baked Beans are carb laden too.......check out the TOTAL carb count of any foods, that is what is important. The sugars on a label are 'added' sugars.......
 

cugila

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Porridge .....Special K.......NO ! Check the carbs out........

There are loads of things you can eat, have a look in the Food Forum's for ideas. My breakfast consists of Bacon, Egg, Mushrooms....filling and satisfying. Hardly any effect on Bg levels at all.

Keep looking around this site......