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Advice for testing

Alan22

Alan22

Well-Known Member
Messages
56
Location
Staffordshire
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
rude people
Hi, I am Type 2 and will soon start testing my own BS levels. I have gone back to the gym after a bit of a lay off due to pulmonary embolisms in the lungs. Do I need to test before and/or after being at the gym. My current program is for cardio which I do 3 times a week.

Also should I eat a piece of fruit before or after a work out. Or have a meal within an hour of finishing at the gym.

Any info would be appreciated.

Ps my medication is 2000mg metformin (2 in the morning and the evening) Candesartan - 32mg in the evening and 7-8mg of warfarin at tea time
 
Hi, I am type 1 and when I go to the gym, i started off (the first two weeks) checking my blood sugar before and after 2 hours from hitting the gym, eventually, I knew what to expect and reduced insulin. So I would imagine if you notice a pattern of how much your blood sugar reduced, you can eat a preworkout snack according, 10-20 carbs seem to do just fine
 
I would do a bit of testing to start with, to see what the effects of gymming are on your blood glucose. You should be able to extrapolate whether you need to eat extra carbs from this. I'm T1 so things are a bit different, but trial and error are definitely the key with this sort of thing! Good luck - I hope you enjoy it!
 
Alan22 said:
Hi, I am Type 2 and will soon start testing my own BS levels. I have gone back to the gym after a bit of a lay off due to pulmonary embolisms in the lungs. Do I need to test before and/or after being at the gym. My current program is for cardio which I do 3 times a week.

Also should I eat a piece of fruit before or after a work out. Or have a meal within an hour of finishing at the gym.

Any info would be appreciated.

Ps my medication is 2000mg metformin (2 in the morning and the evening) Candesartan - 32mg in the evening and 7-8mg of warfarin at tea time
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Hey there!
Great you're getting back into the gym - take it easy to start with though after your health scare.
For cardio work it is likely that you will actually get a rise in blood glucose levels (at least initially). This is because with cardio work your heart rate can become elevated quite significantly and as a consequence your liver will be called on to release glucose into your blood stream. It's worth testing BGs before, during and after your workout to monitor this, as you may find that you don't actually need anything to eat before hand.
Your metformin will help curb any significant BG rise though.
I don't know if you are aiming to lose weight at the moment (if you are taking drugs for hypertension, perhaps this is the case?) If you are, then it is worth considering eating a low or even zero carb meal after your workout. This will make your workout really count (if weight loss is a desirable factor) as the energy you burn during your workout will have to be replaced by on-board fat stores, rather than being replaced straight away with carbs from fruit etc.
Make sure your healthcare professionals have briefed you on staying safe with whatever exercise you do - they will be the ones to advise you on how much you can do safely and what the potential implications are of your other prescriptions.
Wishing you well. Bx
 
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