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Cant find a cereal that doesn't shoot my blood sugar right up!

Ley666

Ley666

Active Member
Does anyone else have this problem? I need something quick to eat in the morning, I need carbs in the morning as I'm a nurse and mornings are the the most physical time for me. My blood will be sitting at 7mmol, I'll have 30g of bran flakes, 2 units of novo rapid and it still shoots up to the 20s, I cant take any more insulin as I say its physically demanding job and I hypo if I have any more. It does come back down but dont want this huge spike as it makes me tired.
 
Have you tried pre-bolusing, I have to for breakfast, especially for cereal (used to be 20-30 mins when using pens, now on the pump its only 10 mins)
 
Ley666 said:
Does anyone else have this problem? I need something quick to eat in the morning, I need carbs in the morning as I'm a nurse and mornings are the the most physical time for me. My blood will be sitting at 7mmol, I'll have 30g of bran flakes, 2 units of novo rapid and it still shoots up to the 20s, I cant take any more insulin as I say its physically demanding job and I hypo if I have any more. It does come back down but dont want this huge spike as it makes me tired.
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For me the least worst is porridge. Slower burning carbs too so you should feel fuller for longer.

Some people refer to Novorapid as Novosluggish. It's not that great at stopping spikes but as @Rokaab has suggested, experiment with taking your dose earlier, or possibly increasing it (under guidance from your diabetes nurse / doctor).
 
Ley666 said:
Does anyone else have this problem? I need something quick to eat in the morning, I need carbs in the morning as I'm a nurse and mornings are the the most physical time for me. My blood will be sitting at 7mmol, I'll have 30g of bran flakes, 2 units of novo rapid and it still shoots up to the 20s, I cant take any more insulin as I say its physically demanding job and I hypo if I have any more. It does come back down but dont want this huge spike as it makes me tired.
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Hi there, I too work shifts in the emergency services and I sympathise!!! I actually decided not to have a higher carb breakfast on working days (morning shift) because that way I know I won't need to have ANY insulin or maybe 1 unit depending upon what is eaten. If I have cereal (rarely) I have to take more insulin to combat it and I too, worry that that will lead to hypos at work (which it has done in the past). I rarely have breakfast anyway but if I think I'm going to have a busy work morning (unpredictable), I will just eat a snack every two hours that is low carb but enough to keep me going. Maybe a piece of cheese, or a few slices of ham, or a couple of boiled eggs (dependent on kitchen access obviously). I wonder whether this might work for you, I know there are many ways to approach breakfast and shifts but for me, this means I do not have to worry (too much) about hypo's knowing I have none or very little novarapid on board. I do keep an eye on my levels to make sure they are not going high as well. x
 
Ley666 said:
Does anyone else have this problem? I need something quick to eat in the morning, I need carbs in the morning as I'm a nurse and mornings are the the most physical time for me. My blood will be sitting at 7mmol, I'll have 30g of bran flakes, 2 units of novo rapid and it still shoots up to the 20s, I cant take any more insulin as I say its physically demanding job and I hypo if I have any more. It does come back down but dont want this huge spike as it makes me tired.
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Hi,

How long after the breakfast do you spike to these figures? I found milk (if you use it in your cereal?) had a sorta "pizza effect" on me.

I don't find Novorapid as ineffective that others have reported. (Even as correction.)
To be fair, I can't just wake & eat. Normaly I do "brunch" morning break or a little later lunch?
I empathise it's not how you structure your working day.
 
My circumstances are very different to yours, but I have Paleo cereal at various times of the day. It is pretty low carb, approx 5g for a 40g serving. Lots of dried berries, nuts, seeds. Very nice but expensive unfortunately. £4 a carton which is 9 servings IIRC.

HTH
 
Ley666 said:
Does anyone else have this problem? I need something quick to eat in the morning, I need carbs in the morning as I'm a nurse and mornings are the the most physical time for me. My blood will be sitting at 7mmol, I'll have 30g of bran flakes, 2 units of novo rapid and it still shoots up to the 20s, I cant take any more insulin as I say its physically demanding job and I hypo if I have any more. It does come back down but dont want this huge spike as it makes me tired.
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Yes I experience this during the morning no matter what I eat. I tend to be more insulin resistant in the morning so you’re probably the same as are many people.

To combat this I’d pre-bolus and eat as low carbs as I can .

I don’t know what your travel arrangements are but I’ve found that cycling to work helps me avoid spikes
 
Ley666 said:
Does anyone else have this problem? I need something quick to eat in the morning, I need carbs in the morning as I'm a nurse and mornings are the the most physical time for me. My blood will be sitting at 7mmol, I'll have 30g of bran flakes, 2 units of novo rapid and it still shoots up to the 20s, I cant take any more insulin as I say its physically demanding job and I hypo if I have any more. It does come back down but dont want this huge spike as it makes me tired.
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Hi, I used to have 1 Weetabix with semi skimmed milk for breakfast, that was ok with catbs and my BS, but I now normally have a yogurt.
Spikes are awful :(
 
Do you have any fat for breakfast? Cereal which is all carb will give you a carb hit. Better to rely on some fat and protein to give a smoother ride. Fruit will also be better than cereal?
 
Ley666 said:
Does anyone else have this problem? I need something quick to eat in the morning, I need carbs in the morning as I'm a nurse and mornings are the the most physical time for me. My blood will be sitting at 7mmol, I'll have 30g of bran flakes, 2 units of novo rapid and it still shoots up to the 20s, I cant take any more insulin as I say its physically demanding job and I hypo if I have any more. It does come back down but dont want this huge spike as it makes me tired.
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I am a personal trainer and exercise a lot but do not always have carbs and if a I do its a 30g limit just for this very reason!
I know cereals are really convenient but can you find some lower carb options or skip breakfast?
A few years ago I'd also have been convinced that I needed them and tried to shoot down anyone who tried to convince me otherwise. I think the carb myth is there because of years of breakfast cereal ads but unless you are a pro athlete about to do a sprint event there's really no need for them in order to perform an active job role.
Sometimes I have 1 slice of toast. Other days its coconut tinned milk with some coconut flour and egg porridge (as easy to make as normal porridge). More time (pre lockdown) then I'd enjoy eggs, bacon and mushrooms.
Sometimes (early shift) I eat a spoonful of nut butter and have a fair bit of coffee then really enjoy lunch!
 
I'm not on insulin so I can't eat cereal at all, but this works for me as a filling and quick breakfast:

-3 scrambled eggs + cottage cheese.
-frozen peas and corn with some optional carrot or lentils that I pre-cooked the day before. OR, half a grapefruit.

The medium-high carbs from the beans and vegetables keep me going for hours.

Also, what about oatmeal? I heard about mixing oatmeal with flax seed to make it a bit more low carb. This is too sugary for me to be able to handle, but if I had insulin I'd probably give it a try.
 
I have 3 hours of physical work at 7am and bolus at 6.15 for eating 1/2 oatibix & bran flakes 15 min later. I am a bit spiky by 7 but it drops quickly once I start work. I do use full fat milk which might help

Then rises stupidly once I finish work - but that's a different problem!
 
Ley666 said:
Does anyone else have this problem? I need something quick to eat in the morning, I need carbs in the morning as I'm a nurse and mornings are the the most physical time for me. My blood will be sitting at 7mmol, I'll have 30g of bran flakes, 2 units of novo rapid and it still shoots up to the 20s, I cant take any more insulin as I say its physically demanding job and I hypo if I have any more. It does come back down but dont want this huge spike as it makes me tired.
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I’m T2 diet controlled so don’t know about dosing etc but have you tried Greek yoghurt and berries or a paleo cereal - they’re quick to prepare and I find they don’t affect my BS too much.
 
barrym said:
My circumstances are very different to yours, but I have Paleo cereal at various times of the day. It is pretty low carb, approx 5g for a 40g serving. Lots of dried berries, nuts, seeds. Very nice but expensive unfortunately. £4 a carton which is 9 servings IIRC.

HTH
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What kind do you buy? and where from?
 
Eating anything warm will make you feel fuller. Eating proteins will have less of an effect on your blood sugar. But you also have to know/understand that dawn phenomenon means that anything you eat in the AM will cause your blood sugar to be quite volatile.

I gave up eating breakfast. It wasn’t easy in the beginning but that’s where I’m at now. If my blood sugar needs something in the morning, I eat 1/2 as much in the morning and that’s enough to fix it.
 
I am also an ex cereal eater. Now have raspberries and full fat Greek yoghurt. With appropriate insulin. 10 carbs worth In total. On the days I have not eaten anything at all then I still get a rise that will need insulin. The small amount of food just helps to control it better.
 
I’ve had times when any breakfast will lead to a rise, and it’s been hard to calculate a shifting dawn phenomenon. These days though, a slice of rye pumpernickel or a blueberry muffin will keep me steady. They’re both easy, no cooking, which is important if you don’t want to rise earlier than you have to. A bit of peanut butter, or marmite and peanut butter (yes, some of you will be saying yuk) on the rye helps to make it more substantial. The protein boost of a boiled egg may help you get through the morning too, one that’s already hard boiled, mixed with whatever you fancy such as firm plain yoghurt, Mayo, tomato . . . on the bread.
If I don’t eat at all, and this is a personal observation, my liver dumps some glucose anyway for the energy needed: nasty rise.
And, of course, a pre bolus.
How long have you been on novo @Ley666? I noticed things got easier when I changed from novo to Fiasp.
We’re all different, so you may need to experiment and see what works best for you.
 
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