Three course meal!

[HoneyBea]

Hi all,
This weekend I am going away for a spa weekend which includes a 3 course meal in the evening.

I was diagnosed Type 1 two weeks ago and have been injecting insulin 3 x NovoRapid before meals and 1 x Levemir before bed. I inject my NovoRapid before each meal and have been very careful about what I have been eating which has given me good blood sugar results, so much so the diabetic nurse and Consulrant do not need to see me until 6 months time.

I haven't eaten a 3 course meal whilst being on insulin so I was wondering if I need to inject more or just increase my dosage? what does everyone else do?

thanks
B

 

[delmcp]

@HoneyBea Do you count the carbs in a meal you eat and work out the amount of insulin you require to inject?

 

[Juicyj]

Hi @HoneyBea - firstly are you carb counting and adjusting your insulin doses as per your food intake ?

Eating a 3 course meal is fairly straight forward as long as you have been given the basic information on carb counting, if you are on set doses as per your nurse's instructions then it may be a little bit more tricky but can still be done

 

[azure]

@HoneyBea If you can find out in advance what the meal will be that can help you get an idea of carbs, but if not, don't worry.

I bolus for each course (unless there are no carbs in it). I usually bolus in advance but when I eat out, I wait till the food is in front of me - to avoid going low and so I can assess the carbs.

So 3 courses may be 3 injections. That way you avoid hypos and can fine-tune your dosage.

Then test regularly and frequently to make sure all's ok with your carb-counting and doses.

Edited to,add - if you're on fixed doses, it will be different. In that case, I'd take extra carb snacks eg digestive biscuits, so I could top up the carbs if needed.

 

[HoneyBea]

I have just recently started carb counting and adjusting my doses to suit. now and again I find it a bit tricky but I think I'll get used to it. I find it easier to Carb count if I am making the food myself, I can measure the right quantities. eating out is making me a bit nervous as I won't be so sure of the carb content. Thanks for the advice

 

[HoneyBea]

The advice I have been given is 1 shot of insulin for every 10g of carbs. is this the standard rule?

 

[azure]

I have just recently started carb counting and adjusting my doses to suit. now and again I find it a bit tricky but I think I'll get used to it. I find it easier to Carb count if I am making the food myself, I can measure the right quantities. eating out is making me a bit nervous as I won't be so sure of the carb content. Thanks for the advice

If you can find out the menu in advance, that will help as if, for example, you know you'll be having rice, you can eyeball rice next time you cook it to see what, say 30g carbs of rice looks like on the plate. Then at the meal, you can look and estimate the carbs. It's better to err on the side of caution and underestimate as you don't want a hypo to ruin your meal.

If you have a giant serving of something carby eg pasta, which often comes in giant bowls with minimal sauce, then you may prefer to divide off a more reasonably sized portion and just inject for that, leaving the rest.

 

[mist]

Can I come? I'll be on my best behaviour!

 

[azure]

The advice I have been given is 1 shot of insulin for every 10g of carbs. is this the standard rule?

It's a common starting place (and easy Maths!)

As time goes by and you learn more and come out of your honeymoon, you may find that your ratios need adjusting. I have a different ratio for each meal. But if 1:10g is working for you, then stick with it

 

[HoneyBea]

@mist Of course, the more the merrier!! lol!!

Thanks, @azure, at the moment I am using the 1:10g rule but I've just been eating quite low carb meals rather than upping my dose to consume more carbs. I fear this will be a real test for me!! I will try and work out as much as I can before I go.. or take a small weighing scales and weigh it all on the table!! Haha!! Oh the joys!!

 

[azure]

@mist Of course, the more the merrier!! lol!!

Thanks, @azure, at the moment I am using the 1:10g rule but I've just been eating quite low carb meals rather than upping my dose to consume more carbs. I fear this will be a real test for me!! I will try and work out as much as I can before I go.. or take a small weighing scales and weigh it all on the table!! Haha!! Oh the joys!!

You could eat normal moderate carb meals prior to your meal out so you're confident about adjusting your insulin Most Type 1s here eat moderate amounts of carbs. I can understand your nervousness about adjusting your insulin, but careful practice makes perfect (well, as close to perfect as Type 1 can be!)

I can't remember if mentioned Think Like A Pancreas to you before, but it's a great book. Your aim really is to be your own pancreas and adjust your insulin to cover things like meals, illness, stress, exercise, etc etc. Slow, careful steps and lots of testing are the keys.

Enjoy your meal

Edited to,add that remember your original meal doses may well have been set low to,avoid hypos soon after diagnosis. It doesn't mean you're overdoing it if you up them appropriately.

 

[noblehead]

I haven't eaten a 3 course meal whilst being on insulin so I was wondering if I need to inject more or just increase my dosage? what does everyone else do?

As already mentioned, it would help if you could get hold of the nutritional info for the menu and pick your dishes beforehand so you can inject accordingly, but if in doubt about the carb content just underestimate, better to go a little high and correct your bg later on than go hypo during your meal and it spoiling your evening. Enjoy.

 

[mist]

Just don't fill up on bread first!

 

[Juicyj]

I'd recommend getting carbs and cals downloaded on your phone - it's a useful app to have as it shows you pictures of food and the carb content, so it's easier to work out how much insulin you need

 

[mist]

I'd recommend getting carbs and cals downloaded on your phone - it's a useful app to have as it shows you pictures of food and the carb content, so it's easier to work out how much insulin you need

That's a juicy piece of advice..

 

[rockape37]

The advice I have been given is 1 shot of insulin for every 10g of carbs. is this the standard rule?

Everyone is different so the answer is no, we all have different insulin to carb ratios.

Enjoy your meal.

Regards

Martin

 

[Kristin251]

I eat very low carb as well but I do need to bolus for protein. If it were me I would probably bolus for each course depending on what it was and I would try to stick as close to my normal meals. I would go for the protein and veggies and perhaps a bite or two of the other foods just to try it.
For me it would be far too stressful to eat completely different than my normal diet that I wouldn't be able to enjoy the food because I'd be freaking out about what my bs is doing.
But as azure said you could test run with carbs and see how close you get. I don't enjoy eating out much. It scares me lol and I rarely get it right when I eat carbs. My stomach doesn't like them either so no brainer for me. I do love my protein veggies and fat so I'd have no problem pushing the rest aside or just sampling them.
I would however error on the side of caution and test frequently if you're not familiar with how your insulin works with different foods. Have emergency food and have insulin with you of course

 

[redtree92]

I have just recently started carb counting and adjusting my doses to suit. now and again I find it a bit tricky but I think I'll get used to it. I find it easier to Carb count if I am making the food myself, I can measure the right quantities. eating out is making me a bit nervous as I won't be so sure of the carb content. Thanks for the advice

have a lovely time !! let your hair down, I'm sure you deserve it.

I would just keep an eye on level , and if its the first time you have eaten that much food while on injections, be prepared to need a correction dose after, hehe but I'm sure it will be totally worth it!

xxx

 

[HoneyBea]

Thanks @redtree92! I'm sure it'll be totally worth it!! I've been super strict as I only had the diagnosis 2 weeks ago so it'll be nice to let my hair down! xx

 

[Chas C]

When eating out its hard to be perfect and probably best not to try or worry about it, you could take a guess and have a jab in advance of your first course (for the first one), or leave it till the meal arrives and then do a carb count and take a jab for it (taking away any advance insulin you might have given), then do this again for the second course and then once more for the third course.

This way you do not over or under dose the insulin and you can adjust for each course based upon what is delivered to your table.

Basically - you can give insulin for the meal carbs (as above) or you can do it for what you'd like to eat then only eat the carbs you dosed for (second is a lot harder as you need to stop eating carbs once you reach the level or take more insulin).

Have a great time and enjoy yourself