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Energy "pick me ups"

GrantGam said:
Absolutely not. T2 dietary requirements are very much diffident to us T1's @SamJermy87.

Low carb diets are there for you if you wish however and some do offer some benefits, although you'll only know yourself if they suit you, your lifestyle and most importantly - your diabetes.
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Hi. I'm going to put another position on this one. T2s will often have no choice but to cut the carbs as much of the medication other than insulin may not control the BS adequately. T1s who will be on insulin can control BS quite well regardless of carb intake but what does insulin do? It enables the body to metabolise those carbs. What do the carbs do if you eat too many - the liver gets busy storing them as fat and you gain weight. So, even many T1s need to keep the carbs down as I do. Some are lucky and have a high natural metabolism so avoid weight gain.
 
Diakat said:
Type 1s can tolerate more carbs than type 2s because we can inject to cover them. I go for moderate carbs myself (but at 5ft3 am probably a lot smaller than you) so roughly 130g carbs a day) obviously some days will have way more - birthdays, night's out etc.
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Looking way smaller than 5ft3 in your photo. ;)
 
Daibell said:
Hi. I'm going to put another position on this one. T2s will often have no choice but to cut the carbs as much of the medication other than insulin may not control the BS adequately. T1s who will be on insulin can control BS quite well regardless of carb intake but what does insulin do? It enables the body to metabolise those carbs. What do the carbs do if you eat too many - the liver gets busy storing them as fat and you gain weight. So, even many T1s need to keep the carbs down as I do. Some are lucky and have a high natural metabolism so avoid weight gain.
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We're not talking about T2's, we never have been. Full stop.
Daibell said:
but what does insulin do? It enables the body to metabolise those carbs. What do the carbs do if you eat too many - the liver gets busy storing them as fat and you gain weight.
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And if your body didn't "metabolise" those carbs, you'd be dead:)

Don't blame carbs for getting //the diabetic in question// fat, overweight - or insulin resistant. Overeating also causes weight gain, regularly - you see it here - daily...

I ate 460g carbs yesterday; but I cycled 48 miles. I'm still meeting all my targets. Never once had weight gain though, maybe it was just me and all the exercise I did though.

T1 and T2 are very different @Daibell - you know that.
 
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GrantGam said:
We're not talking about T2's, we never have been. Full stop.

And if your body didn't "metabolise" those carbs, you'd be dead:)

Don't blame carbs for getting //the diabetic in question// fat, overweight - or insulin resistant. Overeating also causes weight gain, regularly - you see it here - daily...

I ate 460g carbs yesterday; but I cycled 48 miles. I'm still meeting all my targets. Never once had weight gain though, maybe it was just me and all the exercise I did though.

T1 and T2 are very different @Daibell - you know that.
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with T1 and T2 being SO different from one another I do wonder why they have the same name. I know "back in the day" it was considered the same condition, but now we know better. Isn;t it time we separated these conditions? I know it'd likely prevent the ignorance in the general public I have witnessed (and I myself was part of until getting diagnosed with T1 last year).
 
Also, the answers in question in regards to energy-boosting snacks. I am appreciating the feedback.

One thing to add, I know I can still snack and inject for it, but this doesn't give me the boost I tend to be looking for. Short term I think im going to turn to the diet fizzy drinks and see if this helps. Long term, I need to alter my diet to be more healthy so I get the natural 'highs' (and not the glucose kind :P ).
 
tiredoftrying2017 said:
Hi @SamJermy87,

Have you considered lower carb treats? I used to snack on "healthy" cereal bars, then I realised they make me spike but what seems to hold my levels and keep me feeling full are snacks like a Babybel, nutty Graze box, small amount of blueberries or raspberries or Greek yoghurt.

Thanks to the Forum I've also discovered Whey Hey protein ice cream. It's a small pot but only 8g of carbs compared to the usual 20g+ and hasn't caused spikes.

Obviously everyone is different so no promises my suggestions will work for you but might be worth a try :)
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I've been looking at snacks like crackling, nuts and small tubs of fruit (under the threshold of needing to inject) but none have given me the boost of pre-D sugar snacks. Maybe nothing ever will.

The Graze boxes look interesting, tried some a while back. May have to get back into them. Thanks!
 
Scott-C said:
Have you checked your bg when feeling tired? If they've crept up too high, then, by definition, there's insufficient insulin in you to allow glucose into cells to be burned as energy, hence, you'll feel sluggish. It's like a mini-version of how you probably felt pre-dx. A correction dose to tweak it back down would do for that. Or, if they've dipped too low, there's just not enough glucose to power you.

Or, you might just be working too hard! Watch some telly or book a holiday!
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100% agree. When I'm tired and hungry and check my levels they're creeping up. A small bolus and 20 min later all better. I often say ' I feel like I need insulin'. More often than not I need a tich. If I'm not creeping up some nuts or a bit of cheese does the trick
 
SamJermy87 said:
with T1 and T2 being SO different from one another I do wonder why they have the same name. I know "back in the day" it was considered the same condition, but now we know better. Isn;t it time we separated these conditions? I know it'd likely prevent the ignorance in the general public I have witnessed (and I myself was part of until getting diagnosed with T1 last year).
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There is a theory that diabetes is a spectrum which might explain why some t2s can reverse it and why some t1s have an easier time with control (maybe).
The reason they have the same name I think, is the end game we all end up with dead beta cells it just happens in different ways.
Despite differences we all face a battle and worries about blood sugars.
 
SamJermy87 said:
Is low-carb advised for all diabetics? Or is this a Type 2 over Type 1 thing? I eat about 3500-4000 calories a day and my evening meal is usually 200-300g of carbs. The concept of cutting out carbs feels like madness. A massively expensive crazy idea.
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Are you very active physically, because those 3500-4000 calories per day seem a very high calorific intake?
 
pavlosn said:
Are you very active physically, because those 3500-4000 calories per day seem a very high calorific intake?
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I'm not active at all. Office job. I have a high metabolism and always have. It's a very high intake I know and as I approach 30 this month I'm only just starting to get a slight rounder stomach area (dad bod).

I'm 6foot4
I'm 89kg
 
I know you are looking at food alternatives but I find that energy attracts energy for me especially when working at home. I'm much more productive if I take time to exercise or move when feeling sluggish.
 
My sister seems to be able to eat everything and anything yet she is very slim. When I eat carbs even a small amount I gain weight. When my mother took her to the doctor when she was a child, the doctor said that she was perfectly fit and healthy and that she belonged to the greyhound breed lol. (Meaning naturally slim) She loves her cakes and sweets, carbs etc. If she goes just two days without food she loses weight. She has medical once a year as she is with private healthcare and she is well. I tell her that I have her share, but am satisfied with that as I would not ever want her to be ill. Family always comes first.
 
SamJermy87 said:
I'm not active at all. Office job. I have a high metabolism and always have. It's a very high intake I know and as I approach 30 this month I'm only just starting to get a slight rounder stomach area (dad bod).

I'm 6foot4
I'm 89kg
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Nice to see another high calorie T1. Although I'm probably a lot more active than you, though I'm only 5'10" and 95kg. I ain't complaining about my waist line yet though :happy:

Do get the odd days I'll stuff in over 5000 calories at times.
 
with T1 and T2 being SO different from one another I do wonder why they have the same name.

Went to a visiting mobile clinic here in Burgundy for all diabetics, where they were doing free eye tests and giving away various goodies, so an event not to be missed! On entering I was asked whether a T1 or T2. Replying T1 the greeter called me 'un grand diabète'. For some silly reason that quite pleased me; I thought it sounded rather err... grand.

However, it's not a term usually used in France to distinguish between the two types. You're more likely to be called either insulin dependent or not.
 
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SamJermy87 said:
Hey all!

Me at pre-diabetes (Type 1), I had a sweet tooth. From early childhood through to 29 years old I ate and drank sugar like no other. Yet somehow I am still a decent average build (slight dad-bod on the tummy area now though) and generally always been quite healthy (excluding the autoimmune part of course).

Here in lies my current issue.

Back in my normal working pancreas days if I was tired, fatigued or just feeling a bit unmotivated to get stuff done I would down a fizzy drink or a big bag of sweets/chocolate. This would always perk me up. I did this *frequently*. I was never one for tea or coffee as I have never enjoyed the taste.

Now in my post-diagnosis state I find myself often feeling tired with no real way for that food/drink based "boost".

As a non-hot-drink drinker, what can people recommend to replace my life long quick fix to extra energy solution which was sugar?

I find myself sitting in the living room in the evening working late into the night on my laptop and struggling to concentrate whereas before I wouldn't be having this problem.
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I used to swear by a diet coke but have been going to weightwatchers. We all know we should have a minimum of 5 a day. I am now doing this. I am drinking little diet coke and as well as losing weight I feel much fitter healthier and happier. I am sleeping less and like others have said I find some fruit picks me up. A low bs is now treated with grapes or milk unless I am below 2 and I feel so much better. So not low carb but balanced healthy eating. If someone had told me 10 years ago I would not have done it. But give it 2 weeks.
 
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