Exercise and eating?

[Jelaca]

Hey all,

Only recently started going in the gym, and I always have trouble knowing what to eat before I go in?

Some days I'm 4 ish pre gym, so I eat a yorkie bar, but then i have to do extra work to burn it off which is frustrating!

If I don't eat anything (if im above 10) then I worry about doing too much exercise and don't really want to be thinking about that when I'm working out :/

What do you do/advise?

 

[mo1905]

I try to be 7 or above prior to a workout. I eat a cereal bar or something before. As for being over 10 and worrying, I thought exercise lowered BS so what are you worrying about ? I know it certainly lowers mine ! Some will lower their basal insulin as well depending when they workout. Lastly, it is so important to keep working out, especially for circulation.


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[Jelaca]

I try to be 7 or above prior to a workout. I eat a cereal bar or something before. As for being over 10 and worrying, I thought exercise lowered BS so what are you worrying about ? I know it certainly lowers mine ! Some will lower their basal insulin as well depending when they workout. Lastly, it is so important to keep working out, especially for circulation.


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When I said I was worrying when its over 10 i meant incase I dropped too low sorry, misunderstanding!

 

[mo1905]

I would not have thought you would drop a huge amount ! Unless you're doing a marathon lol ! Good luck and keep exercising ;-)


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[hanadr]

I go to an exercise group 3 x per week. 45 minutes water exercise followed by 45 minutes in the gym. I don't eat before I go and have hardly ever needed any more than a coffee afterwards. I might have a slice of cheese or cold meat after I get home. Lunch is my main meal and I try not to eat again that day
Class starts at 8 in the morning and my usual fasting bg is around 5 or just below.
Hana

 

[Andy12345]

Hi, I'm t2 and have been going to the gym for a month or so and my bg is always higher afterwards, no idea why.

 

[mo1905]

That's weird Andy. I think most people see their levels drop !

 

[Andy12345]

I think I am weird, my bg is higher before eating and lower after too.

 

[phoenix]

Hi, I'm t2 and have been going to the gym for a month or so and my bg is always higher afterwards, no idea why.

It may be because of the type of exercise you do and also how used you are to doing it.(if you aren't used to it you may be raising your pulse rate fairly high)

Stop start exercise, exercise with weights, anaerobic exercise ,( where you become breathless and pulse rate goes above about 85%*) and competitive exercise may lead to glucose rising. It's to do with hormones releasing the necessary glucose for fighting or running away!

Steady aerobic exercise is far more likely to reduce levels.
* http://www.runsweet.com/HeartRate.html

Only recently started going in the gym, and I always have trouble knowing what to eat before I go in?

Some days I'm 4 ish pre gym, so I eat a yorkie bar, but then i have to do extra work to burn it off which is frustrating!

If I don't eat anything (if im above 10) then I worry about doing too much exercise and don't really want to be thinking about that when I'm working out :/

The site above has lots of useful info about insulin and exercise. Personally I would eat about half a cereal bar at 4-5mmol/l. I don't find it particularly helpful though to raise my glucose before exercise. If I start in the 10s on higher I just find that my bg drops faster. Until I got a pump I could never avoid dropping like a stone in the first 20min to half an hour (particularly when jogging or walking up steep hills) I found the best way to cope was to drip feed dextrose tabs (about 1 every 25min whilst running). Even with a pump basal reduced to a trickle I still have to take some carbs on board every so often.

I would not have thought you would drop a huge amount ! Unless you're doing a marathon lol ! Good luck and keep exercising

when I last ran a marathon(very slowly) my pump was on 20% basal, I ate a cereal bar before the start and then had about another 80g carb on the course, another cereal bar in bits + dextrose and lucozade jelly beans; highest measured glucose was 7.8, lowest 5.

 

[Andy12345]

I couldn't be less used to it, I never even did p.e at school after 13 I have never done any sports or exercise whatsoever, I am doing lots of different exercises I have a personal trainer on Saturday mornings, today was my third time with her, she is trying to kill me, I was almost vomiting when I was done today, my heart rate is like 160s when I'm jogging (20 mins) and same on the bike and rowing machines so I'm sure that's why thanks

 

[sarahg0810]

I try to go to the gym five times a week and always for an hour or more. I alternate between the swimming pool and the cardio/weights room!! I've never been one for the gym, but I find I really enjoy it and I'm losing weight....at least all my friends and family say I am!! I find that the Fitness Pal app helps to balance it all out with my food intake!!


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[lani mitchell]

Exercise and eating do work together. When you exercise and eat appropriately, it is a best combination to achieve good health and wellness as well. Don't stressed yourself with the idea of eating while you are in a weight loss or exercise program.

 

[Stephanie Ingram]

Eating and exercise — don’t let poor meal and snack preparation ruins your work out goals. With so many sports drinks, bars, powders, and supplements to choose

 

[Culsie07]

In reply to Andy12345, I'm also a T2 and when I exercise (jogging) my BGs are usually about 3 to 5 points higher after my exercise. However, a few hours later, and for the rest of the evening my blood glucose level stays a few points lower.

It was explained to me once that as we exercise we use up the glucose stores within our muscles making them want more glucose to replace what's been used, and to do this they release a hormone (glucagon) to stimulate the liver to make more blood glucose - this part seems to work fine in us T2s. The higher blood glucose should then stimulate the pancreas to make more insulin.
However, T2s either don't produce enough insulin, or our muscle cells have a degree of insulin resistance, either way the increased levels of blood glucose are unable to pass through to the muscle cells, which if we're still exercising get even more depleted of glucose, and release more of the hormone to stimulate the production of even more blood glucose, etc etc

The harder we exercise the quicker we use up the glucose in our muscles increasing this effect, and vice versa. Part of the 'balancing act' is finding out what levels of exercise, and for how long, we can tolerate the particular exercise without sending our blood glucose through the roof.
This will be different from person to person as we all have different abilities to produce insulin, or have different levels of insulin resistance.
Our most famous olympian, Steve Redgrave, is also a T2 and to be able to exercise at the extremely high levels he was doing, he went onto an insulin regime under medical supervision.

 

[Andy12345]

that makes very much sense, i was 4.2 an hour before my exercise (20 minutes jog, 15 mins on bike, 1000m row, some trx work and some core), 20 minutes later. 7.2 no food so can only be the exercise, because im so new to it, its very hard i feel a bit dizzy and sick at times towards the end, but i am hoping as i get fitter it will become easier then i can settle into a routine, thanks
andy

 

[Stephanie Ingram]

You've possibly noticed that if you eat a large and big meal before you exercise, you may feel sluggish or have an upset stomach, cramping and diarrhea.

 

[Willowhisper9]

That's weird Andy. I think most people see their levels drop !

I always get very very hungry after workouts..and it sets me on a very bad eating path. Are you drinking exercise drinks while you work out? If not.. then you need to see your Dr. Some Diabetics respond the opposite to exercise. Metformin has been studied in relation to exercise and for some reason, exercise while on Metformin can make the blood sugars increase. Its complicated. Try reading up on latest research regarding Metformin and exercise. Research was done in Sweden I believe.

 

[Willowhisper9]

Hi, I'm t2 and have been going to the gym for a month or so and my bg is always higher afterwards, no idea why.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 131523.htm

Read this if you take Metformin

 

[captainfredhead]

I was having similar issues, I work with dogs and am out walking and training them a lot. So I need to keep sugars high enough to be safe, but low enough to be healthy. Then have the added issue of loosing weight. So I make sure I eat something very small and/or very healthy if my sugars are low. I tend to have a small childs sized apple for every hour of brisk walking and training of a difficult and strong dog (I know walking isn't always very high energy, but believe me, this kind is!). Or if my sugars are a little high when I start I will just have 1 oat cake, which is low carbs and slow release carbs too. A yorkie bar is huge and would have way too many carbs for my needs, I think I would have to walk all day!
Hope this helps

 

[wigglyamp]

I'm T2 and I aim for between 6 & 8 pre exercise. If I'm over 9 then I struggle with muscles that feel like lead!

I have done 3 half marathons since diagnosis so not too shabby!


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