Cycling and Type 1 Diabetes management

[ElyDave]

My point is simply that, from a pure type 1 diabetes point of view, a high fat diet also tends to contain a certain amount of protein.

So when I have 2 bacon rashers and 3 eggs for breakfast, I know that my individual requirement is to have 4u of Novorapid to cover the protein (for me this is an extended bolus of 2u + 2u) for that high fat meal.

If I have 40g of porridge, I need 4u to cover it.

So, ultimately, whatever dietary choice is preferred, the diabetes is still managed through insulin and exercise.

Unless I'm having a cup of coffee with butter and coconut oil, or with cream. Calories from fats only, no bolus.

 

[ElyDave]

Hi, finally found some cyclists!!! I try to cycle a lot but only tend to do about 20 miles at a time. I'm entering a charity event from Oxford to london 52 miles later this year and am excited but also nervous. Being on MDI at the moment (pump soon though) I found it difficult to decide how much insulin to take off and when to check as constantly stopping to check becomes tiresome. Any advice for when I'm out on the road? I so tend to go out in the early morning so what should I eat beforehand? I didn't take any insulin and just had a banana last time and my levels were around 15 for the whole ride...

Pretty much the same as Jim for what I carry, but I've started using dried bananas as they're more compact.

When I was on MDI, I would reduce my bolus to a minimum if I was exercising within about an hour or so afterwards, as little as 0.5 U.

Basal was an AM/PM split at that time, and for an extended ride of say 2:30 or more I'd drop the basal to about 1/3 of normal. For shorter rides I'd just take extra carbs as needed and adjust bolus downwards.

That was my adjustment, what you need to do is experiment and find what works for you. Also don't forget to test regularly during exercise, for me about every 45 mins while out on the road, or at the halfway point on a shorter ride

 

[zicksi101]

Unless I'm having a cup of coffee with butter and coconut oil, or with cream. Calories from fats only, no bolus.

Makes sense to me Dave.

I will say I am a fan of the low carb, high calorie, low insulin approach. I use gluconeogenesis every night to my advantage to cancel out the dawn phenomenon. Just aware that gradual changes are sometimes best with type 1.

Drastic changes to diet can lead to changed basal rates. My feeling is that it's best to do low carb only once the book has been consumed and how to do it properly is well understood.

 

[DiabeticJim]

Is it ok to sustain such a high fat diet? Sounds like a heart attack is just round the corner if you keep that up for too long

 

[ElyDave]

nutritional ketosis, no evidence whatsoever that high fact diets contribute to either obesity or heart disease.

That's just what the low fat/high sugar food industry would like to peddle.

I'll let you know in 20 years or so, hopefully

 

[zicksi101]

Put it this way. Conventional advice says the high fat diet is not healthy, and then comes up with no actual evidence to support the claim.

Controlling the diabetes is healthy, and is known to reduce the risk of heart problems.

I'll take my chances on the high fat diet.

Now I don't agree with everything that the guy says, but take a moment to consider what this high fat diet advocate has actually done: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_K._Bernstein

 

[Amrit1712]

Hi @Amrit1712

Unfortunately, I cant help you re insulin doses on MDI - I'm on a pump - it gives great flexibility when it comes to exercise as mentioned in the previous posts.

This is what I carry when I ride:

In a VERY small saddle bag:

• 2x CO2 canisters and adapter
  
• Repair patches
• Tyre levers
• Spare inner tube
• Multi-tool
• Latex gloves (very useful for staying clean when doing any repairs)

In my jersey pockets:

• Jelly babies - I pop a few of these when things get tough
  
• Banana or two and/or cereal or breakfast bars - no overpriced energy bars or gels for me
  
• Freestyle Libre CGM monitor - I cant recommend this device highly enough!
  
• Diabetes ID card (with emergency contacts and advice on treating hypos)
• Credit/debit card
• Cash
• Mobile Phone

And my Animas pump - but I've ridden without it several times without issues.
Dont forget, plenty of water too.

Quick update - Taking my pre-breakfast bolus 15-30 mins before eating and dropping the carbs down (just a little) seems to be helping with the extreme post breakfast BG spikes I was getting. Still yet to experiment with this and a ride though.

Hi, thanks a lot! That's helped a lot. Now I know what I should take and shouldn't so once I get my cycling jersey I'll be all set. I currently wear sports gear with a small rucksack. I think I'll add a few glucose tablets to the list and I should be fine.

 

[Wurst]

I'm a avid cyclist , cycling to work every day (~ 30 km's per day) and weekends go for a long cycle or two in the warmer months (~ 70- 90 km's). I find if I cycle in the morning i.e. when the body is more insulin resistance I am hypo free and only have to watch out for hypo's later in the day, which are easily corrected.

I only carry glucose tabs for both activities and have not used any yet (in 3 years). I have hypo'd a couple of times cycling home from work when I've encountered some serious competition and end up racing but as I was close to home I sorted them out on arrival.

This week I've been cycling in minus 10 temperatures and tend to cycle in all weather conditions, head-wind being my least favorite.

I dropped low carb around 1 year ago and noticed a decrease in performance particularly average running speed . I've put this down to weight gain and am actively reducing it.

Cycling really helps me with diabetes management (look at my HB1AC results) and couldn't do without it.