Eating out

[kellie lees]

Newly diagnosed. We eat healthily most of the time and exercise but we do eat out a lot? My husbands newly type 1. I just wondered how you find eating out? So long as you monitor the insulin to food you can eat pretty much anywhere yes?

 

[bigboi]

Newly diagnosed. We eat healthily most of the time and exercise but we do eat out a lot? My husbands newly type 1. I just wondered how you find eating out? So long as you monitor the insulin to food you can eat pretty much anywhere yes?

Absolutely.. I do this too and have never had a problem, u shouldnt let it stop u from things like this

 

[mist]

I eat out all the time..

 

[DaftThoughts]

Newly diagnosed. We eat healthily most of the time and exercise but we do eat out a lot? My husbands newly type 1. I just wondered how you find eating out? So long as you monitor the insulin to food you can eat pretty much anywhere yes?

Yes and no. This is a very individual thing, some T1s struggle to control their values doing this, but others don't. You usually also have to guestimate the carbs in takeout meals and when going to restaurants, and take proteins and fats into consideration. This can make it more difficult to nail the right insulin to carbs ratio, although once you have it, it should be easy to work with.

Best way to go is to give it a try, see what happens! Test frequently (before the meal, then 1, 2, 3 and 4 hours after the meal etc.) That way you can correct if you took too little insulin, or have an extra snack if it runs too low.

Keep in mind that greasy food doesn't usually spike until 3-5 hours after eating. I split my bolus when my food is greasy in 1/3 and 2/3 doses. (So if a meal requires 9 units, I take 3 before the meal, and then 6 more about 2.5 hours after I finished eating.) This also differs per person, so just experiment and see what's going on. Then take appropriate action from there on out.

 

[kellie lees]

Yes we found with fish and chips - my husband took his insulin after the meal rather than before - this seemed to keep the levels at a good level. We don't eat badly but it's just knowing that we can still eat out and enjoy life really it's tricky

 

[bobneil]

What I've done so far with restaurants, because my family does enjoy at least 1 night out a week, is I try to search up [restaurant name] nutritional info on my phone while I'm waiting for my drink. If the restaurant has a website, they often have a pdf full of the meals they offer along with all the useful numbers.

I did eat at a smaller place and had to guess the carbs based on what I saw though, and because I haven't been diabetic for very long, it's not accurate.

Last night was tough. I went to a diner and their nutritional info said that if I wanted to eat an individual pizza, I'd need to take up to 50 units of insulin to cover the carbs in it - I am not usually taking more than 40U fast acting a day, so I skipped that option. I could have always ordered it and just had half, but still, more trouble than it's worth. I ended up having bacon/eggs/toast for far less hassle.