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Can I eat sugar now? (silly question - but want confirmation) - Insulin

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Terry33

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Type of diabetes
Type 2
Can I eat sugar now? (silly question - but want confirmation)

I am to start Insulin now. Currently I am on 3 - drug therapy (metformin - glipizide - pioglitazine)

Can I start eating as much sugar as I want to and balance it with Insulin dose.

Is there a long term (or short term) problem with this?

Thank you. Your help is greatly appreciated.
 
The simple answer is you can but you shouldn't. If you are on insulin, you should be aware that managing blood glucose levels is much easier if you avoid refined carbohydrates. Unless you time your dosing precisely, eating refined carbs generally causes spikes in levels and these create oxidative stress on the cells, which have plenty of bad side effects, one of which is retinopathy..

Your target should be to keep your blood glucose oscillations as minimal as possible.
 
Terry33 said:
Can I eat sugar now? (silly question - but want confirmation)

I am to start Insulin now. Currently I am on 3 - drug therapy (metformin - glipizide - pioglitazine)

Can I start eating as much sugar as I want to and balance it with Insulin dose.

Is there a long term (or short term) problem with this?

Thank you. Your help is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
In theory you can, but you will soon discover that in practice you shouldn't. If you load your diet with carbs, your life will resemble rollercoaster, with lots of nasty highs and very unpleasant lows. Piece of cake as an occasional treat is alright, but unfortunately insulin doesn't work like a magic wand
 
I agree with all the answers above.
The hard line is...
Insulin dependency is no more a "magic bullet" to refined carbs, than a liver transplant is to resume prolonged alcohol abuse.. ;)
 
Terry33 said:
Can I eat sugar now? (silly question - but want confirmation)

I am to start Insulin now. Currently I am on 3 - drug therapy (metformin - glipizide - pioglitazine)

Can I start eating as much sugar as I want to and balance it with Insulin dose.

Is there a long term (or short term) problem with this?

Thank you. Your help is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Terry - My response will seem somewhat extreme, but it's meant as a thought starter.

Yes, in theory, provided you are started on an insulin regime allowing you to match insulin doses to the foods you eat (as opposed to a set amount morning and evening), but I'd say that's a bit foolhardy, almost like donning a flack jacket and walking into a war zone. In other words your treatment is designed to protect you, but it's still a risky business.

If you are T2, and carry a few pounds, you may be experiencing insulin resistance, meaning your body struggles to use insulin efficiently. As a side effect of this, those who are insulin resistant often have a tendency to gain weight. So taking increased doses of insulin, to cope with increased sugar consumption, could lead to increasing weight, which doesn't help with diabetes. So, it can be a bit of a vicious circle.

Unfortunately, every action has a reaction, and not all of those reactions are what we want.

Do you currently watch what you eat, or are you hoping your medication will support a fairly free and easy diet?
 
Apologies, @Terry33 . I think I was was influenced by reading your current drug regime.

Notwithstanding that, I still think the eating as much sugar as you want might not be too straightforward. It strikes me that leads to higher insulin doses. The bigger the dose, the bigger any mistake can be.

Sorry to be so gloom and doom.

Thanks for pointing that out @tim2000s .
 
Hi. As others have said, you don't really need any sugar in your diet and with insulin the body will turn it into fat if it doesn't have an immediate need for the energy from it; true for all carbs. I assume you will be stopping some of the meds when you go onto insulin e.g. Glipizide and glitazone? My DN forgot and I had to remind her to remove my meds except Metformin.
 
AndBreathe said:
Terry - My response will seem somewhat extreme, but it's meant as a thought starter.

Yes, in theory, provided you are started on an insulin regime allowing you to match insulin doses to the foods you eat (as opposed to a set amount morning and evening), but I'd say that's a bit foolhardy, almost like donning a flack jacket and walking into a war zone. In other words your treatment is designed to protect you, but it's still a risky business.

If you are T2, and carry a few pounds, you may be experiencing insulin resistance, meaning your body struggles to use insulin efficiently. As a side effect of this, those who are insulin resistant often have a tendency to gain weight. So taking increased doses of insulin, to cope with increased sugar consumption, could lead to increasing weight, which doesn't help with diabetes. So, it can be a bit of a vicious circle.

Unfortunately, every action has a reaction, and not all of those reactions are what we want.

Do you currently watch what you eat, or are you hoping your medication will support a fairly free and easy diet?
Click to expand...

Thank you for your answer. Currently I am eating without any regards. But now I am afraid (coz insulin starts) - so I will cut the carbs.
 
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