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exercise and hypo's with low carb

H

howie

Well-Known Member
when you guys exercise you must be using dextrose tabs etc. and the same for countering hypo's. do you count this as part of your daily carb intake? sometimes during tennis i'll go through almost a bottle of lucozade. i know i could reduce my insulin with my meal closest to the exercise but that means running high till i start.

howie
 
Hi howie,

When I ate the 'normal' low-fat, high-carb' diet I found that I had to drink near a whole bottle of lucozade to stop from going hypo during exercise. However, since I started low-carbing a year ago I find that I do not have to take any extra carbs if I exercise before a meal (a few hours after last taking insulin). In fact, if anything my blood sugars now rise slighly during exercise. I tend to start exercise with a bs of around 5-6 and finish with bs of 6-7. Because I do not eat much carb I do not take much insulin and therefore do not have extra insulin circulating around my body (making me go hypo).

Believe me - it took a while to get my head around this as for years I was too scared to begin any exercise without first pushing my sugars up with bottles of lucozade. But when you start to low-carb, test lots and you'll find a way.

By eating less carb (around 30-40g a day) I take much less insulin and don't have to 'chase' the insulin with lucozade anymore and as a result my bs are now a lot more stable before, during and after exercise.

Katie :)
 
Hi howie
I did an hour in the swimming pool. followed by an hour circuits in the gym( with a group and instructor) this morning.I was pretty desperate for my coffee afterwards, but took NO EXTRA food or glucose. My Bg was5.3 when I left home at 0745. I do this reularly and I hike over the hills of South Oxfordshire, with Glucotabs available, but I haven't used one for months. On reduced carbs, the body learns to get energy from Fats.
 
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