Exercise After Eating

This comes from a question on another forum where we have one of those exercise fanatics who actually does seem able to control on a high carb diet and masses of exercise (there are a few who are genuine but they are generally outnumbered by those folks for whom carb control is #1 factor)

Now I find that if I wait until my BG has peaked, which is generally about an hour after eating, then go for a walk, everything evens out nicely.

If I walk immediately after the meal I can produce some spectacular drops. Now this can be a good way of burning off excess carbs when I've eaten out but can be less good when done after a minimal-spike meal when it can lead to hypo or near-hypo numbers (I am usually functional down to around 3.5) and can drive the system unstable for a while as the BG jumps up and down between hypo and liver dump and back.

My first thought was that it's a function of the funky GLUT-4 receptors: in the presence of the high postmeal levels of insulin (well as high as I can manage) they stash the glucose faster than it goes into the blood.

My second thought was that maybe the exercise sends the blood into the limbs and muscles and leaves the food in the gut untended and therefore not actually being converted to glucose at the usual rate.

Anyone got any other ideas or research to back them up?

Katharine said:

It sounds like you are needing extra glucose to cover the exercise once you have injected but that the stomach isn't pushing it along fast enough.

This could happen if:
Your meal is mainly meat/low starch veg/fat
You have a degree of gastroparesis.

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I'm not an insulin user, I had the typical reactive hypoglycemia curve, lack of Phase 1, too much Phase 2 too late. With carb control balanced against exercise I can usually work everything out nicely.

Gastroparesis is plausible, I do have some autonomic neuropathy symptoms but it's usually further down the gut where it seems to periodically stop passing stuff along. Alternative explanation is adhesions from cholecystectomy, alternative alternative explanation is a side effect of acid reflux.

Best answer for now I think is to wait until I have peaked then exercise.

Which reminds me, BRB

fergus said:

Hi Trinkwasser,

I think your first thought is nearest the mark.

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Hehe, so the votes are pretty much even right now.

I think probably it's a bit of both. Plus the influence of gremlins.

Lessee now, 5.2 so dinner has been digested. I'm going for the short walk as I've been up and down town and all around earlier in the day, plus it's raining, see what it is when I get back, probably not much different (and if it is I know where I can steal some Doritos <evil grin>)

OK I'm back at 4.5 so no Doritos for me. This is how I like my numbers to be.

Katharine said:

Don't start on Doritos!

If I have a very hot chilli one I can't leave them alone.

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Portion control!

For some reason I always preferred savoury nibbles, it hasn't been too hard to switch to nuts and nut butters as I ate them anyway, just now on oatcakes rather than Healthy Wholegrain bread. I have some stuff here called Dukkah which is an incredibly hot spicy powder based on sesame seeds and chopped nuts which satisfies the hot craving in a low carb sort of way, only trouble is it really needs following with a square of 85% chocolate for the full effect.

sleepylu said:

Early days for me ....... just on metformin now for a fortnight in order to help stop my feeling woozy / faint / light headed.
I have been keeping a mental note of when i don't feel too woozy & have noticed that i feel more "normal" during & after exercise.

Not a very practical solution & don't know why it works but just an observation!

x

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It works by activating GLUT 4 receptors which transfer glucose into the muscles. Short term it relocates the transporters to the cell surfaces, long term it generates more of them. That helps dispose of the glucose even when you're not actually using the muscles.

Don't overdo it, always carry some fast carbs as a hypostop until you're used to your response.