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Having to work harder to achieve the same results

Andy-Sev

Andy-Sev

Well-Known Member
Messages
303
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Since I was diagnosed last September I have continued to lose weight in a steady manner through diet and exercise both of which helped with lowering my blood sugar. But since Christmas I am now finding that to achieve the same blood sugar levels I have to either exercise longer & more intensely or cut down on my carb amount in a meal. I should say when I say exercise I am refering to cardio exercise on a bike. So basically what I am saying is that I am having to work harder to get the same levels which I had in the three months after diagnosis despite losing more weight and keeping to the same regime. Has anyone else experienced the same thing?
 
Hi. Type 1 or 2? I'm thinking 2...depends exactly what your diet is and how rigidly you stick to it....is it low carb, very low carb, carbs after a certain time? I find that only with a very low carb diet (which my diabetes consultant has approved) can I maintain any kind of consistency. Also.. there is evidence that when you exercise (ie, before or after grub) is pretty crucial..and exercise on an empty stomach doesn't always do what you'd hope for. I had a bit of this a while back...and found that looking back at patterns in my notes on what I was eating, when and what readings were was the best way to really notice little changes I was making without noticing at the time. Tiny stuff make a big difference. If you're Type 2, supposedly it's a progressive condition prone to get worse over time, but of course, thee's so much evidence now that low carbing among other approaches combats this effectively. so, I'd say look for any changes in life in pattern recently...and keep heart..persist. Good luck.
 
Maybe the end or a (hopefully short) relapse of the honeymoon period? so you may need to adjust your ratios.
 
Thanks for the reply @pleinster, yep I'm Type 1 and my carb split is 50/30/50 which I know is higher than what people on LCHF do but my body was happy with it with readings ranging from 4.4 to 5.9 before Christmas which was the 3 months post diagnosis. Now I rarely see readings in the 4s and my spikes, especially after breakfast are much higher up in to the 9s. Typically two hours after breakfast I am spiking highest which is when I exercise and before I knew 45 minutes on the bike would bring my levels down by roughly 3 mmol/l but now I am lucky if the same exercise causes a 2 mmol/l drop.

Now of course my next step would be to reduce my carb in take at breakfast but I am wondering if others had gone through a similar thing and maybe in the case of Type 1/LADA is a sign of the honeymoon phase progressing.

@slip unfortunately shortly after diagnosis the twice daily mixed insulin I was put on was causing hypos and so the nurse took me off it.
 
I think this true of anyone, on any diet/exercise regime.

The lighter and slimmer you get, the less food you need to maintain the new, leaner bod. Also, the fitter you get, the harder it is to push the body into bg drops and benefits.

I really feel for you. It is like seeing the goal posts move away, as you walk towards them.
 
Slip's point is a very good one. Maybe it is time to adjust the diet a bit too. Good luck.
 
@Andy-Sev, your blood glucose numbers seem to indicate a reduction in your own insulin output, and as suggested, the honeymoon coming to an end.

While reducing the carb intake may reduce the effects you are seeing, it looks to me as though, if you maintain your current carb intake, you are going to need to take more insulin.

It's worth noting that the more carbs a person eats, the more insulin is produced, and it is the insulin production process which seems to cause the T-Cells to attack the beta cells, so reducing carb intake early in a diagnosis of T1 or T1.5 seems to prolong the honeymoon period.
 
@tim2000s thanks for your reply. I did wonder about the honeymoon coming to an end but as everything with diabetes seemed so varied I wasn't sure. I've now got an appointment to see my consultant later on this week so maybe I will get some answers.
 
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