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I think I am doing it all wrong

NIC703

Active Member
Messages
32
Location
Norfolk
Dislikes
Being a diabetic
Good morning all,

I have been reading all your messages over the weeks and even posted some myself......

If I fancy a chocolate bar, I will have it and not worry about my BS, the same as with Cake, Chinese etc etc. I will tast my BS a few hours later - if I get thirsty or spend time more the toilet and then give myself a big insulin jab.

This is not the right way to do it is it, I notice that most of you do not have any chocolate, cakes etc etc, can someone help me please x
 
This is not the right way to do it is it, I notice that most of you do not have any chocolate, cakes etc etc, can someone help me please x
Not really!, you are going very high before you're doing anything about it. Much better to give the insulin at the time of eating,(see my last paragraph for where to find help on this)

Personally, I don't think any foods should be out of bounds (except perhaps candy floss!) but lots of cakes, choc etc aren't good for anyone whether they're diabetic or not.

Normally, I avoid eating between meals, it is more difficult to dose if the last insulin is still in the body. Most days, I either don't eat a dessert or I have fruit or berries with yoghurt. If it's a 'special' meal or a meal out though I might have a dessert like a piece of gateau or a tarte and I give myself the extra insulin needed. I do avoid chinese takeaways as I don't live in the UK and so don't have enough experience of any particular restaurant to get the insulin dosing correct.

For me though, insulin isn't the only thing that reduces my levels, I also include a fair amount of exercise and that can allow me occasionally to eat things I wouldn't normally eat between meals.
If I am going on a long walk, bike ride, or site seeing or anything that is going to lower my glucose levels significantly I might plan to have something half way. That way I can include a 'pit stop' with other people. When I'm in the UK, my OH and I walk to along the cliffs near where my parents live. It's a minimum of a 5 mile walk.. depends how far we go. On the route there is a cafe which serves home made cakes. We will stop there and I'll share a slice with my OH (they are big), sometimes I need to give a little extra insulin, often none at all, It depends on my level.... and as I'm on a pump I can give very tiny doses. In summer we sometimes go out for the afternoon on a bike with a planned stop for an ice cream sundae . It 's not every day, and certainly not every time I go for a walk or bike ride that I do this but exercise can provide bit of leeway
(most times I don't eat cakes or ice cream and correctly use glucose tablets to avoid hypos or small bits of peppermint aero not really recommended but it works for me.. but ssh the diabetes police are looking :lol:

I think though that it's very important to understand how your own body reacts to food/exercise/insulin. You can only find out this by a lot of testing.. You also need to learn how to carb count and make adjustments to your own insulin.. A good place to learn how to do this is this course by the hospital at Bournemouth. http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/
 
Hi Nic, you should really not allow your bs to go that high before you take insulin. When eating food with fast carbs you might want to take your novorapid 10-15 minutes before starting to eat in order to stay as stable as possible. Most of us can't resist all temptations all the time but if possible, try saving that piece of cake or whatever for an after-meal treat - it's much easier for your body to handle it if it gets some healthy stuff along with it :)
 
HI NIC703 and welcome,
I am a type1 since the age of 6 yrs old and am now 42. I have done all the things you are doing right now. PLease try your hardest to stop. I never listened until about 4 years ago, but complications set in already. I am registered partially sighted and awaiting an operation to have the vitreous jelly removed from the left eye due continually bleeding and it is stuck in the jelly. I also have Macular oedema in the left eye, No lining left on my kidneys and am now awaiting to see a cardiologist.
As we all know high bs cause problems and diabetes causes so many complications.
I am only going by my own experience, but i wish i could turn the clock back, but i thought i knew best.
Good luck
Tracey
 
Thank you, but it is so hard. I am desperate to lose weight before i go on holiday in 4 months but I cant seem to get my head around it all xx
 
NIC703 said:
This is not the right way to do it is it, I notice that most of you do not have any chocolate, cakes etc etc, can someone help me please x


No it isn't right and you need to control your bg to avoid future complications.

I can't remember what insulin regime you are on but if your on basal/bolus you could still have an occasional treat, if you fancy a chocolate then you'd be better having it after your main evening meal but would need to calculate it into your insulin/carb ratio.

Remember chocolate and cakes are highly calorific and won't help in your attempt to lose weight, in order to lose weight you have to reduce your calorie intake so that you are burning more calories than you are consuming.
 
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