Having To Overeat Minutes Before Exercise?

[bluepotter81]

Hi

I’m type 1 diabetic and use the animas pump (I previously used needles for years).

Despite being diabetic for over 18 years and despite running many marathons and completing triathlons (inc. an Ironman), I still don’t know how to resolve the problem of eating for exercise.

Basically, I inhale a large bowl of cereal minutes before I start and just wait till I run or cycle it off. I have to do this because if I wait too long, my bloods go high and, added to this, I’m highly sensitive to insulin so I cannot just ‘drop my usual dose by half and eat an extra banana’.

When I work away this also means I have to inhale biscuits and other junk before going for a run.

Has anyone else experienced this and found other ways of managing this?

Thanks,
Richard

 

[Deleted Account]

Pre-pump, I used to be like you if I exercised.
However, I have found my pump has given me the freedom to exercise without carb-cramming by temporarily reducing my basal.
I use NovoRapid which is not as fast acting as the name suggests. I need to reduce my basal about an hour before I head to the gym, bike run or increase it before I head to the climbing wall.

One of my pre-pump techniques to maintain my BG was to put very dilute squash drink in my water bottle.
The advantage of squash over pre-mixed drinks was that I am able to dilute it to the level I need (and it's a lot cheaper).

 

[bluepotter81]

Pre-pump, I used to be like you if I exercised.
However, I have found my pump has given me the freedom to exercise without carb-cramming by temporarily reducing my basal.
I use NovoRapid which is not as fast acting as the name suggests. I need to reduce my basal about an hour before I head to the gym, bike run or increase it before I head to the climbing wall.

One of my pre-pump techniques to maintain my BG was to put very dilute squash drink in my water bottle.
The advantage of squash over pre-mixed drinks was that I am able to dilute it to the level I need (and it's a lot cheaper).

Thanks, so do you still then take a bolus before or do you avoid that altogether?

 

[Juicyj]

I run in the morning, so will wait until afterwards before I eat, I prefer not to have any insulin on board for exercise and instead I reduce my basal 30 minutes on the pump before I exercise and for the duration of the exercise to 30%, I also aim to have my BG levels above 7 mmol/l too before I start out. I prefer to correct a high afterwards rather than run the risk of a hypo during exercise.

 

[Deleted Account]

Thanks, so do you still then take a bolus before or do you avoid that altogether?

Typically, I exercise with little bolus on board - by reducing my basal, I do not need to eat prior to exercise.