Can I eat what I want if I take enough insulin

[Looly]

Hi there

I am new to this so would appreciate any help I can get. In theory, can I eat whatever I want if I use enough insulin?

 

[Lamont D]

I'm not on insulin but I don't believe so!
I've tagged @daisy1 to give you the newcomers welcome information.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[AndBreathe]

Hi there

I am new to this so would appreciate any help I can get. In theory, can I eat whatever I want if I use enough insulin?

Your post is in the T2 forum. Are you Type 2, and do you currently take insulin?

When were you diagnosed?

 

[Looly]

Thank you both for your replies. I will give some details of my case...

Well, this is my third pregnancy with diabetes, second with insulin. I'm very slim, have no family history of diabetes but have suffered with severe PCOS in my history so they reckon this could be a contributing factor as to why I have developed GD. The thing is, I have had normal sized babies (all under 8lbs) and this baby is pretty average sized looking too. I am almost 7 months pregnant. In my last pregnancy I was on insulin for 4 months and this one it will be a little over that. The GD disappeared after both pregnancies but I am well aware that this is not always the case and I could find myself with permanent D2 after this pregnancy.
I must admit that when I've wanted a cake I just injected more insulin in this pregnancy and the last. So I guess I'm just wondering if this is ok and if not, why is it not ok? Not in the GD sense but with diabetes in general

 

[catherinecherub]

I am moving you post to the pregnancy section @Looly where it may get the answers you need.

 

[Looly]

The pregnancy forums are generally not helpful as they are made up with members who are trying to come to terms with diabetes for the first time. I would very much like the advice of people who are used to dealing with diabetes as a longterm lifestyle

 

[azure]

The pregnancy forums are generally not helpful as they are made up with members who are trying to come to terms with diabetes for the first time. I would very much like the advice of people who are used to dealing with diabetes as a longterm lifestyle

Most people in the Pregnancy section he have had diabetes for some time, both type 1 and Type 2.

You have Gestational Diabetes? There is a GD section on the forum.

In general, you need to eat a nourishing diet for you and baby. If you're on insulin, you have more flexibility about what you eat, yes. Have you been able to speak to a dietitian during your pregnancy?

 

[azure]

Thank you both for your replies. I will give some details of my case...

Well, this is my third pregnancy with diabetes, second with insulin. I'm very slim, have no family history of diabetes but have suffered with severe PCOS in my history so they reckon this could be a contributing factor as to why I have developed GD. The thing is, I have had normal sized babies (all under 8lbs) and this baby is pretty average sized looking too. I am almost 7 months pregnant. In my last pregnancy I was on insulin for 4 months and this one it will be a little over that. The GD disappeared after both pregnancies but I am well aware that this is not always the case and I could find myself with permanent D2 after this pregnancy.
I must admit that when I've wanted a cake I just injected more insulin in this pregnancy and the last. So I guess I'm just wondering if this is ok and if not, why is it not ok? Not in the GD sense but with diabetes in general

In theory, you can eat cake if the insulin is enough to control your blood sugar. I ate cake and desserts sometimes during my pregnancy - I have Type 1.

As you're no doubt aware, it's very important to keep your blood sugar within strict limits during pregnancy to reduce any risks to the baby. As I've never had GD I'm not sure if cake would 'spike' your blood sugar or not.

 

[Looly]

Thank you all for your input. I'll try the pregnancy forum if you feel it will be helpful.

I have spoken to a dietician. In general I find it somewhat useful but very generic and proscriptive. The dietician was more helpful when I was controlling the diabetes in my first pregnancy with diet. However I feel like I have more space with insulin but no one is willing to discuss that with you in pregnancy because they are afraid, for obvious reasons. As I've stated previously, this is my third pregnancy, second with insulin. As a rule I have followed some guidelines set by the clinic and dietician but I tend to take a personal role in the management of my own and my baby's welfare. So far I have had no issues. My babies were perfect and nothing more than average birth weights with no other health issues and normal labours. My diet, it is exceptionally healthy and always has been. I am slim and healthy and generally only eat fresh produce. It is rare for any processed food to be in the house and I'm very educated when it comes to diet and health. But I do have a sweet tooth! I would just like some info from people who have used insulin for a long time.


At present I take insulin 4 times daily (fast acting novarapid before breakfast, lunch and dinner and slow acting insulitard before bed. My sugars can spike at night and in the morning due to the hormones). The problem for me is that even with tiny snacks that dont require insulin in between these meals it is just never enough food for me while I'm pregnant. I'm hungry regularly so I tend to have more than 3 meals a day. What I've been doing is taking insulin additionally to what I've been prescribed if I have other meals. I had no problem with it on my last pregnancy.

When not pregnant, with type 1 or 2 diabetes outside of pregnancy, do other diabetics do this? Is it a normal thing to do? I know insulin does not effect the baby as it does not cross the placenta. What does cross the placenta is the undigested sugars, so to speak, and so not using the extra insulin, in my mind and after lots of research, will cause harm as the baby has to digest it for me and can end up with problematic blood sugars and large birth weight.

 

[azure]

I've used insulin for more than 20 years. I currently have a pump but previously used a regime similar to yours. Yes, I have extra insulin for snacks, and yes I had snacks when pregnant. I had a mid morning and a mid afternoon snack. I avoided late night snacks as having another lot of insulin then can mess up blood sugars overnight and they're more difficult to monitor. If I was going to eat something like cake, I'd try to have it at a time when my blood sugar was easier to control and possibly when I was going to be active afterwards. My main difficulty with cake is calculating the carbs when you buy some when you're out. I avoid really sweet cakes eg ones smothered in icing or else just have a tiny piece.

I also have desserts - things like cheesecake, apple crumble, ice cream, etc. I don't have huge portions and I count the carbs carefully. I always test my blood sugar lots and I don't have desserts every day.

The most important thing for me, a Type 1, when I was pregnant was to keep my blood sugars as good as possible, and to eat healthily with some treats. Somewhere on thi section of the forum I put a typical days eating, but I cant remember which thread it was in.

If I was hungry, I ate a reasonable snack - not too many carbs (easier to get insulin dose right that way) and maybe with some protein as well. I ate things like digestives and cheese, fruit, flapjacks, crumpets, etc.

Again, I stress I'm Type 1 so you may react differently. I'm just explaining what I did I continue to have snacks now I'm breastfeeding, and actually have bigger ones as I need more calories.

Insulin always needs to be used cautiously. I would be very wary about having large doses because of the risk of miscalculation and hypos. Im sure you know this anyway, but take care if experimenting with different foods, etc.

Hope that helps

 

[sleepyheadzzz]

I've used insulin for more than 20 years. I currently have a pump but previously used a regime similar to yours. Yes, I have extra insulin for snacks, and yes I had snacks when pregnant. I had a mid morning and a mid afternoon snack. I avoided late night snacks as having another lot of insulin then can mess up blood sugars overnight and they're more difficult to monitor. If I was going to eat something like cake, I'd try to have it at a time when my blood sugar was easier to control and possibly when I was going to be active afterwards. My main difficulty with cake is calculating the carbs when you buy some when you're out. I avoid really sweet cakes eg ones smothered in icing or else just have a tiny piece.

I also have desserts - things like cheesecake, apple crumble, ice cream, etc. I don't have huge portions and I count the carbs carefully. I always test my blood sugar lots and I don't have desserts every day.

The most important thing for me, a Type 1, when I was pregnant was to keep my blood sugars as good as possible, and to eat healthily with some treats. Somewhere on thi section of the forum I put a typical days eating, but I cant remember which thread it was in.

If I was hungry, I ate a reasonable snack - not too many carbs (easier to get insulin dose right that way) and maybe with some protein as well. I ate things like digestives and cheese, fruit, flapjacks, crumpets, etc.

Again, I stress I'm Type 1 so you may react differently. I'm just explaining what I did I continue to have snacks now I'm breastfeeding, and actually have bigger ones as I need more calories.

Insulin always needs to be used cautiously. I would be very wary about having large doses because of the risk of miscalculation and hypos. Im sure you know this anyway, but take care if experimenting with different foods, etc.

Hope that helps

I can only really echo what azure says. I've been diabetic for 19 years and I also pump, but pre-pumping I still counted carbs and did insulin for the extra food - so if I had a day where my eating was unusual and I had lots of small snacks that might mean doing 6-8 needles total.

My main goal while pregnant is to stay in the sugar targets. Right now my appetite has increased so I'm having more snacks and doing insulin to cover them.

Looly, it sounds like you're on target and what you're doing is working so I would just keep your specialists in-the-know and bring up any complications you run in to. I agree with azure that I'm not super familiar with GD issues but my guess is the goal is the same, to have as stable bloodsugars as possible.

 

[courtenayjane]

I have recently completed the DAFNE course - Dose Adjustment for Normalised Eating. The name says it all really, the idea is that you can eat what you want (within reason) and adjust your insulin to match.

I have had T1 for 18 years and over time you work out what works for you. Certain foods impact sugars differently but once you know what you are doing, you can certainly eat desserts or chocolate or biscuits. The trick is to keep your sugars in target. I found it too hard to manage if I had too many sweet things, but that is not to say that you can't. The biggest thing that I learnt on the DAFNE course was that lots of people ate a lot of foods that I previously thought I 'wasn't allowed'!

I am now pregnant and am still able to eat the odd dessert or cake and keep my sugars in control. I just make sure that my insulin balances what I am going to eat. The trick is not having seconds!!

 

[Looly]

Thank you al so, so much. This has helped me more than you can imagine. I'm doing pretty well with the sugars. I've experimented a little and I feel confident enough with what I am doing but yes, I really need to discuss with my clinical team what I am doing. I have to keep a very tight reign on things since as the pregnancy progresses so does the insulin requirement. Its all hormonal and unavoidable but I feel a bit more confident now.
Thank you all again!

 

[tigger]

The other thing to consider (don't know how much it affects gd but does type 1) is insulin resistance which increases over the course of the pg so you may need to increase the amount you're taking later on. It's easier to monitor with lower carb food that will have less of an impact if you get it wrong. Also you may find you have a time of day when you're very insulin sensitive and thay would be the best time of day to go for something like that. I do sympathise with the feeling starving. I havehad type 1 for 32 years and this is my 3rd pg. If my blood sugar is above 5.5 i won't eat until it is which means i've had days of malfunctioning pump canulas and other things when all i could do was drink water and wait. It's a complete pain but you have to do what you feel comfortable with.

 

[Looly]

That sounds awful and very stressful. Sorry youve had to go through that. Pregnancy is difficult enough without anything extra piled on top!
My clinical team are pretty much increasing my insulin doses weekly at the moment, with the growing placenta. I'm now on insulitard throughout the day and not just at night. I dont actually mind it really for now, but I sincerely hope it disappears after this pregnancy again, like my other pregnancies. But I'm given to understand that there is a higher risk of me remaining D2 with each subsequent pregnancy. Maybe I've misunderstood. I admire all of you diabetics who deal with this daily for years. It is not an easy lifestyle to live, constantly thinking about every **** thing that passes your lips and all of the poking and prodding and pricking. Christ, it must cause depression for so many. Again thank you all for your invaluable help!