As a type two diabetic it would be appreciated if anyone has experience of a regime that will result in a balanced level during a game. On medical advice I try to have porridge and honey before starting, with a mouthful or two of a sugar drink at the ninth. From my meter I seem to use up about 3.1 units during a game i.e start reading 9.2, finish reading 6.2. Sometimes the game goes haywire at the 8th, ninth or tenth and I know that I have got it wrong. Any help or advice would be appreciated. I weigh about 96kg aged 74.
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Golf
- Thread starter peter7
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Hello Peter. 
Sounds to me that you have been fed the old line about eating ‘plenty of starchy carbohydrate’! :roll: Your heading would probably be more accurate if it was "CARBS!" :evil:
I wonder what your numbers are normally and do you self test :?:
You don’t say what your height is but would you consider that your weight at 96kg is too much :?:
Starting at 9.2!! :shock: It sounds to me that you are allowing your BG levels to run too high by eating an unsafe amount of carbs for a diabetic diet. When you get half way round the course your numbers are starting to drop to normal/safe levels where they should be so then you start to feel wobbly as in a false hypo. You are then topping up the levels to where you normally run them.
Porridge and honey would send my BG levels soaring before I started but the walk involved in golf would probably help to sort out the situation, however a sugar drink would certainly shoot the BG levels up again! :shock:
Running BG levels high will result in complications! I think that perhaps your non-golf handicap is the carbs!
Sounds to me that you have been fed the old line about eating ‘plenty of starchy carbohydrate’! :roll: Your heading would probably be more accurate if it was "CARBS!" :evil:
I wonder what your numbers are normally and do you self test :?:
You don’t say what your height is but would you consider that your weight at 96kg is too much :?:
Starting at 9.2!! :shock: It sounds to me that you are allowing your BG levels to run too high by eating an unsafe amount of carbs for a diabetic diet. When you get half way round the course your numbers are starting to drop to normal/safe levels where they should be so then you start to feel wobbly as in a false hypo. You are then topping up the levels to where you normally run them.
Porridge and honey would send my BG levels soaring before I started but the walk involved in golf would probably help to sort out the situation, however a sugar drink would certainly shoot the BG levels up again! :shock:
Running BG levels high will result in complications! I think that perhaps your non-golf handicap is the carbs!
Thank you, my concern is that I obviously have got it wrong. My figures were running at 5.6 average and everything seems under control and there seemed little problem Hbs were about 5.7 for about three years and 6.2 last one which sounded a warning, and now the figures are shooting up to 10s after a meal and running around 7-9's . My diabetes team is very good and my GP has suggested that a possible increase of medicatiion is called for. My nurse was horrified at the sugar drink but it worked for me, and was literally 2 mouthfulls. At the moment I am monitoring the levels three times a day so that I have a range of data to discuss with my diabetes team and the general philosopy seems to be that if it works for you O.K. but I suspect it is not O.K. and my responsibility. Height 6 ft. and self testing.
Your comments make a great deal of sense and as you suggest it is probable that I am mistaking carbs issues and attempting to cure a non existent problem and making it worse, when the real issue is running levels too high, and a drop giving the impression that it is too low, when perhaps this is the level I should strive for.
Your comments make a great deal of sense and as you suggest it is probable that I am mistaking carbs issues and attempting to cure a non existent problem and making it worse, when the real issue is running levels too high, and a drop giving the impression that it is too low, when perhaps this is the level I should strive for.
hanadr
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peter7
I do an hour or 2 exercise each morning and walk my dogs[in a hilly area] about 3 miles every evening. I've NEVER needed to increase my carbs for this. I eat VERY low carb. about 30 per day is my maximum.
The only medication I use is 2 x 500mg Metformin1 morning and 1 evening, so I'm free of medication mitigated problems. My BG is around 5 - 5.6 nearly all of the time.
One of my fairly regular walks is across Goring and Streatley golf course. Which is near vertical :lol:
Hana
I do an hour or 2 exercise each morning and walk my dogs[in a hilly area] about 3 miles every evening. I've NEVER needed to increase my carbs for this. I eat VERY low carb. about 30 per day is my maximum.
The only medication I use is 2 x 500mg Metformin1 morning and 1 evening, so I'm free of medication mitigated problems. My BG is around 5 - 5.6 nearly all of the time.
One of my fairly regular walks is across Goring and Streatley golf course. Which is near vertical :lol:
Hana
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Hello again Peter.
I suppose nothing stays the same for ever and as we age we sometimes need more help. Also you may previously have got away with eating a bit more in the carbs line than you can now handle.
You may well be better going right back to basics and follow the "Advice to New T2s" that Sue and Ken post from time to time. This would mean you testing before and 2 hours after meals to see what your food is doing to your BG levels and keeping a food diary so that when you note the results against the food eaten you can see the culprit at a glance. You may find it relatively easy to cut down on the carbs a bit which could possibly sort out your problem.
Perhaps at 6’ you might be better carrying a little less weight than 96 kg but if you cut down on your carbs it may well just fall off anyway! 8)
It is always worth trying to control with diet if you can but, at the end of the day, if you need the meds then you need them. :roll:
Keep in touch and let us know how you get on.
I suppose nothing stays the same for ever and as we age we sometimes need more help.
Also you may previously have got away with eating a bit more in the carbs line than you can now handle.You may well be better going right back to basics and follow the "Advice to New T2s" that Sue and Ken post from time to time. This would mean you testing before and 2 hours after meals to see what your food is doing to your BG levels and keeping a food diary so that when you note the results against the food eaten you can see the culprit at a glance. You may find it relatively easy to cut down on the carbs a bit which could possibly sort out your problem.
Perhaps at 6’ you might be better carrying a little less weight than 96 kg but if you cut down on your carbs it may well just fall off anyway! 8)
It is always worth trying to control with diet if you can but, at the end of the day, if you need the meds then you need them. :roll:
Keep in touch and let us know how you get on.
phoenix
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I'm not type 2, but I do a fair amount of exercise and at one time used to play very bad golf.
I think that the other replies aren't taking into account the energy expended in a average game of golf. As long as you are walking pulling a trolley (and not in a buggy) you could be using 1200-1400 calories for a round, more if you are carrying your bag as often the case in winter and actually I suspect many UK courses are more strenuous than this (calorie info is from US sources)
So a round of golf needs a fair amount of fuel.
You need a breakfast that doesn't cause a high spike (9 is a bit high but not in the stratospere!) but does give you enough energy to sustain you.
It may be a good idea to tweak your breakfast, porridge and honey is relatively low GI but it does depend on the portion size ,type of porridge and amount of honey.
Heres a few suggestions for tweaking: Use jumbo oats, perhaps cut the amount of oats by 10g, add some flaked almonds or chopped walnuts, instead of honey use a low gi fruit like a tablespoon of berries ( I put frozen berries on top and just 20 sec more in the microwave) or half an apple.
Otherwise you could use half the portion size of the porridge but have a slice of ham or an egg.. or either of these with one slice of grainy bread.
If you look on the internet you will find lots of suggestions for lower gi breakfasts. As with anything you do need to test how these foods work for you.
Eventually you may might need a 'top up'. Sugary water will give you a quick boost causing your levels to rise quickly and probably fall back to where they were before. It woud be better to start refueling before your glucose levels get too low and it might work out better if you do it gradually, eating a little every now and then after the first hour , hour and a half or so (depending on when you ate breakfast and how stenuous the first few holes are)
Again look for something lower gi... fruit, pieces of apple, orange, cherries; a few chopped dried apricots with seeds and nuts. A cereal bar or oatcake, just breaking off a bit every now and then (be really careful reading labels as cereal bars vary and some are very high sugar /carb). Again google for low gi snacks.
As ever whatever you do you need to test... my small and your small may be different and our bodies responce to foods also differs.
I think that the other replies aren't taking into account the energy expended in a average game of golf. As long as you are walking pulling a trolley (and not in a buggy) you could be using 1200-1400 calories for a round, more if you are carrying your bag as often the case in winter and actually I suspect many UK courses are more strenuous than this (calorie info is from US sources)
So a round of golf needs a fair amount of fuel.
You need a breakfast that doesn't cause a high spike (9 is a bit high but not in the stratospere!) but does give you enough energy to sustain you.
It may be a good idea to tweak your breakfast, porridge and honey is relatively low GI but it does depend on the portion size ,type of porridge and amount of honey.
Heres a few suggestions for tweaking: Use jumbo oats, perhaps cut the amount of oats by 10g, add some flaked almonds or chopped walnuts, instead of honey use a low gi fruit like a tablespoon of berries ( I put frozen berries on top and just 20 sec more in the microwave) or half an apple.
Otherwise you could use half the portion size of the porridge but have a slice of ham or an egg.. or either of these with one slice of grainy bread.
If you look on the internet you will find lots of suggestions for lower gi breakfasts. As with anything you do need to test how these foods work for you.
Eventually you may might need a 'top up'. Sugary water will give you a quick boost causing your levels to rise quickly and probably fall back to where they were before. It woud be better to start refueling before your glucose levels get too low and it might work out better if you do it gradually, eating a little every now and then after the first hour , hour and a half or so (depending on when you ate breakfast and how stenuous the first few holes are)
Again look for something lower gi... fruit, pieces of apple, orange, cherries; a few chopped dried apricots with seeds and nuts. A cereal bar or oatcake, just breaking off a bit every now and then (be really careful reading labels as cereal bars vary and some are very high sugar /carb). Again google for low gi snacks.
As ever whatever you do you need to test... my small and your small may be different and our bodies responce to foods also differs.
Thank you all "serious food for thought". As stated or implied the motivation is to enjoy a game of golf, walking with a trolley and to avoid the highs and lows. Today I had a porridge and honey breakfast with orange juice and unsweetened tea. I abstained from food and drink during the round, the early morning test was 7.7 before breakfast and the reading at the conclusion was 6.2. The general principles and suggestions have been very helpful, and I appreciate your support.
I have spoken to my diabetics team and will be reviewing the position with them plus the usual hospital blood tests in the next two weeks. Hb, cholesterol etc
I have spoken to my diabetics team and will be reviewing the position with them plus the usual hospital blood tests in the next two weeks. Hb, cholesterol etc
