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Carb Free & High Blood Sugar

F

Fyfer

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hi.

I have been a Type 1 Diabetic for 36 years.

I do not eat processed food and always try to eat healthily.

Long story short, I have become a bit fed up with having to take 5 injections a day (Levemir: morning & night, Novo-Rapid: breakfast, lunch & dinner)

I decided a couple of weeks ago to try a Carb free approach to eating, thereby hopefully negating the need to take any Quick Acting Insulin.

I realise that a splash of milk in my omelette, some raw veg (carrots, mange tout), almonds, cheese, etc all have a very slight carb content especially in the small amounts/portions that I have been eating but my Blood Sugar hits about 12-13 from mid-morning to midday and only gets higher as the day goes on.

I have upped my morning dose of Levemir from 16 to 20 in an effort to sort this rise in Blood Sugar level but it has not worked.

I eat self-prepared salads for my lunch, (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, cold meat, cheese, olives). So no unknown sugars lurking in the background, to the best of my knowledge.

I have a carb free meal in the evening and only take my evening Levemir dose, no Novo-Rapid. Morning Blood Sugar levels have been in the region of 6.3 – 8.5 so that part of my day appears to be working fine.

My question is why is my Blood Sugar level spiking so much during the day and what can I do to bring my Blood Sugar level back down to a more ideal level?

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read this and reply.
 
Fyfer said:
and what can I do to bring my Blood Sugar level back down to a more ideal level?
Click to expand...

That's an easy one to answer, just bolus for your meals.

Most type 1's have to bolus for low-carb/very low-carb meals, I too would be in double figures without some bolus for a omelette etc.
 
Ah ha!
So a Low Carb eating plan does nothing for the amount of injections I have to do per day then?
That's a bit of a bummer!!
Well at least I know now.
I suppose there is still the fact that I am benefitting in some way from not consuming carbs.
Thanks Noblehead
 
I reckon it'll be trial an error on the amount of insulin to take.
My usual exchange is 1 unit / 7g Carb
Start low then work up if needed...?
 
I need to bolus for half my protein and even lettuce. Your body still trickles glucose throughout the day which is one reason we will keep rising through the day without insulin if not countered with insulin. Basal insulin is slow acting so doesn't work on food as well as bolus.

None of us want to stick ourselves as I'm sure you know. It does get tiring.
I have to bolus for bf , then an hour later and two hours later to stop th emorning rise. Then of course lunch and dinner and lantus so 6 times minimum.

Eating very low carb allows me to take very small doses. It used to be half -1 unit 3 times a day and then the wind blew and it's most often one unit but occasionally 1.5. If I don't eat bf the rise is faster and higher and I require more insulin than when I eat. Oh darn, I have to eat. Haha. I also need a high fat, almost no carb or protein bf. Half an avocado and a thin slice of turkey is the best bf I have found.

Also in the absence of carbs protein via gluconeogenesis proceeds rapidly and turns to glucose so blousing for protein is important

Sorry, I think you're going to have to bolus.
 
Yeah, it looks that way.
Basically assumed No Carbs No Need for Insulin. (kinda makes sense...o_O)
This is a Great tool for getting answers and Assisting others.
Thanks very much
 
Fyfer said:
So a Low Carb eating plan does nothing for the amount of injections I have to do per day then?
Click to expand...

Sadly not in most cases,some type 1's who are in their Honeymoon Period for example might get away without bolusing for low-carb meals but old boys like us it's a different case, as an example if I eat a cheese omelette for breakfast I need to bolus 4 units, this is only 1 unit less for my usual breakfast of porridge (oats, milk, seeds, blueberries & natural yogurt) which is 5 units.

Fyfer said:
I suppose there is still the fact that I am benefitting in some way from not consuming carbs.
Click to expand...

Yes eating healthy is important, I eat carbs in moderation and like to think that I eat very healthy, if you google the Mediterranean Diet you will see that a healthy diet need not exclude carbs.
 
I used to have to bolus for 28g carbs from my salads!! I know in the old days they would say no need... ha!!!
Wrong...
My salads were only tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, avocado, peppers, lettuce, spinach, walnuts and an egg.... no coleslaw, no potato salad etc. Lashings of oil, mustard and vinegar...
i think I had more, but cant remember now.. but it was always between 19-28g of carbs. I used to weigh my lettuce!!!

For me there is absolutely no way to ever go injection free at meals. Worse still I have to wake to give 2 injections from 4am onward (without food) just to get out of bed due to dawn and symogyi effect on my body!!

Frustrating but has to be done...
 
I used to eat Mange tout as a snack but they make my sugars fly! I'd be better off having chocolate! I only use them in cooking now. Sugar snap peas are ok for me though.
 
Is it OK to have a weighted snack without taking bolus to know exactly how far does x grams of carbs raise your blood glucose?
Thanks in advance
 
Hassan7 said:
Is it OK to have a weighted snack without taking bolus to know exactly how far does x grams of carbs raise your blood glucose?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

I don't see why not as an experiment, you can always take a correction dose later.
 
Why not consider trying one of the older insulins? Since you've been type 1 for 36 years (3 more than me) you probably remember the days of mixing insulin in one syringe - long and short - and dependent on what you were eating only taking 1 or 2 injections over 24 hours. If you look at the charts you'll see that a lot of these insulins have much longer profiles than the newer ones which means they're active for longer. I still use these although I have switched to a pump now so just use the short acting porcine.

You have to manage your meals carefully i.e. eating at specific times to cater to the peaks but it is doable and on low carb very manageable. I found after about 20 years I had to split my evening dose into a short acting before supper and a long acting before bed to head off hypos at bed time but 3 jabs a day is definitely better than 5.
 
tigger said:
Why not consider trying one of the older insulins? Since you've been type 1 for 36 years (3 more than me) you probably remember the days of mixing insulin in one syringe - long and short - and dependent on what you were eating only taking 1 or 2 injections over 24 hours. If you look at the charts you'll see that a lot of these insulins have much longer profiles than the newer ones which means they're active for longer. I still use these although I have switched to a pump now so just use the short acting porcine.

You have to manage your meals carefully i.e. eating at specific times to cater to the peaks but it is doable and on low carb very manageable. I found after about 20 years I had to split my evening dose into a short acting before supper and a long acting before bed to head off hypos at bed time but 3 jabs a day is definitely better than 5.
Click to expand...
I've had T1DM for about 32 years and like you used to mix ultralente and regular (later Humulin) in the AM. But they don't make ultralente at least not in the US. It actually worked pretty well. To the OP: yes you will have to bolus with many no carb meals. They have calories, which can be converted to sugar. What's key is the "glycemic index" of foods, including carbs. It's easy to Google up too. For instance I have a cheese omlet with salsa every morning for breakfast. I take 4U of Novolog and that works every time.
 
@TheBigNewt most on this site are in the UK. We have access to bovine and porcine insulins here with similar profile. @Fyfer i've done low carb on the 3 injections a day i describe with good hba1cs. It can be done. Higher carb was harder to do this way.
 
Hassan7 said:
Is it OK to have a weighted snack without taking bolus to know exactly how far does x grams of carbs raise your blood glucose?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

No reason why not... to be honest, its a good way as well to check that your correction ratio is correct too.... for example.. on a day when I could get a higher level I would do a correction and check hourly for five hours... and check that my correction insulin got me back in my target range at the end of 5 hours, I wouldnt correct or eat again at all in those 5 hours...

Tresiba insulin now sees me brilliantly through the night till 4am really quite level but then I need to do DP and symogyi bolus injections... but treaiba has stopped all early morning (2-3am) hypo's. i can now sleep till 4am...
 
Whilst I admire your attempts to reduce you injections by having no carbs, I think it is important to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Carbs even is small amounts are important part of your bodies needs. Obviously if you are only taking small amounts of carbs this may help in other ways eg weight loss and feeling better generally
 
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