Hi ShelleyDubs,Hello, I am T2 for 18 months now and always managed with LCHF to stay in 4-7 range. No meds. I went cycling for an hour today and have had readings of 8+ fasting. Is this something that happens? Really struggling to get this spike down. Thank you.
Hello Shelley, I too am struggling with my bg rising after exercise. It seems so unfair! I never exercise fasted, but my bg seems to rise whenever I get physically tired. It happens after running, resistance training and even just walking wearily up from town with a rucsac full of heavy shopping. I am intending soon to affix a Libre sensor to give me a continuous readout of my bg for 2 weeks, in the hopes of seeing exactly when the rises occur. Again as for you, once my bg has gone up, it takes ages to go down again. My suspicion is that I just don't produce enough insulin to cope.Hello, I am T2 for 18 months now and always managed with LCHF to stay in 4-7 range. No meds. I went cycling for an hour today and have had readings of 8+ fasting. Is this something that happens? Really struggling to get this spike down. Thank you.
Hello Shelley, I too am struggling with my bg rising after exercise. It seems so unfair! I never exercise fasted, but my bg seems to rise whenever I get physically tired. It happens after running, resistance training and even just walking wearily up from town with a rucsac full of heavy shopping. I am intending soon to affix a Libre sensor to give me a continuous readout of my bg for 2 weeks, in the hopes of seeing exactly when the rises occur. Again as for you, once my bg has gone up, it takes ages to go down again. My suspicion is that I just don't produce enough insulin to cope.
You could try avoiding fasting and see if that helps. I find I have to eat something on rising as otherwise my bg (whether lowish or highish) will often go on rising until I do. Maybe exercising fasting gives your liver the idea that you need some glucose in your blood stream.
Hi ShelleyDubs,
Don't panic. There are many reasons why your fasting BG reading may be higher. These include:
Exercise - your liver decide to help you out by giving you a dump of glucose - just like you get with the 'Dawn Phenomenon'.
Infection/illness
Stress
Lack of sleep
A bad test strip
Hello, I am T2 for 18 months now and always managed with LCHF to stay in 4-7 range. No meds. I went cycling for an hour today and have had readings of 8+ fasting. Is this something that happens? Really struggling to get this spike down. Thank you.
If you exercise while fasted or after an over night fast, then there is no food there to provide the energy when it is suddenly required, so your liver will release glucose to keep your system running as it should. A lot of people find that their level rises as soon as their feet hit the floor first thing in the morning, so exercising on top of that can make the spike even great. Personally, I don't exercise on an empty stomach.
If you exercise while fasted or after an over night fast, then there is no food there to provide the energy when it is suddenly required, so your liver will release glucose to keep your system running as it should. A lot of people find that their level rises as soon as their feet hit the floor first thing in the morning, so exercising on top of that can make the spike even great. Personally, I don't exercise on an empty stomach.
For me the type of exercise matters in terms of spiking and as I’ve got fitter the spikes have reduced. Weights always push levels up. Less so at the end of the day than the start, but up they go. Similarly playing walking football (more energetic than it sounds) or football involving some running, or doing a long, very fast paced walk, will push levels up. However, there is always a corresponding reduction in BG levels a couple of hours later and over time, my overall BG levels go down a notch as exercise increases and becomes part of my daily routine.
Swimming, Pilates and moderate to slow paced walking all reliably bring BG down.
I regularly exercise fasted - have completed several long, moderately paced walks (ranging from 15 to 30 miles) fasted without BG rises. Weights when fasting do cause a rise, but not excessively over what might be caused by dawn phenomenon anyway.
And for me the positive health benefits - mental and physical - of exercising far outweigh any temporary BG rises.
You might like to read this article from "Diabetes Strong". It includes intermittent fasting. It is mainly aimed at T1s, but the theory is relevant to T2s. https://diabetesstrong.com/diabetes-stress/#When_you_eat_a_strict_low-carb_dietI really need to learn more about intermittent fasting though, as I thought it was a case of low food intake = low levels. Obviously not.
I read this and dismissed it as there is no way I am taking a cold shower or swimming in a cold pool. (I put a lot of effort into trying to keep my hands and feet warm, as I have impaired circulation.) However, after reading your post I went out for a run, raising my HR more than usual, then stupidly sat in front of the computer for ages without putting on any warm clothes. I finally roused myself, thoroughly chilled, then tested my bg prior to eating. I was braced for a reading in the low 6s, as my bg tends to go up after exercise AND always goes up from the late afternoon on whatever I do. I was amazed to see 4.8, a number I only see about once in 2 months. Was it the chilling, or was it coincidence? Anyway, thanks for the tip!one way to bring down a high spike after exercise is a cold shower ( I swim in a cold pool) that seems to work for me quite reliably.
I read this and dismissed it as there is no way I am taking a cold shower or swimming in a cold pool. (I put a lot of effort into trying to keep my hands and feet warm, as I have impaired circulation.) However, after reading your post I went out for a run, raising my HR more than usual, then stupidly sat in front of the computer for ages without putting on any warm clothes. I finally roused myself, thoroughly chilled, then tested my bg prior to eating. I was braced for a reading in the low 6s, as my bg tends to go up after exercise AND always goes up from the late afternoon on whatever I do. I was amazed to see 4.8, a number I only see about once in 2 months. Was it the chilling, or was it coincidence? Anyway, thanks for the tip!
I remember my DN talking to me about this. Obviously every individual needs to find their own threshold but she said the following;
1. If you are exercising for up to 40 minutes at a medium pace - your levels will probably not rise much.
2. If you exercise at a fast pace for less than that time, your levels will rise more.
3. If you exercise at a medium pace for over 40 mins, then expect the rise.
Simply put, keep it under 40 minutes at a steady pace and you might find you're ok! I don't know if it works like that for 'normal' people or for all types of diabetes but I experimented myself and she was spot on.
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