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Low carb before exercise?

Tweetypie

Well-Known Member
Messages
570
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Spiders, control freaks, untidiness, ignorance.
Good Morning,

I wonder if someone can help me on this please?

At the weekend, I Iike to go swimming before breakfast. The problem is, my blood sugar is already raised due to Dawn Phenomenon. I figure I should eat some slow release carbs before exercising, but obviously I prefer low carb to treat the DP.

What should I do, I'm very confused how to deal with each thing, the DP, what to eat to sustain me or prevent further rise?

Is it the type of exercise I am doing? Is aerobic or anaerobic best to keep blood sugar stable or lower it?

Many thanks in advance........
 
It's trial and error really as people react differently. As a rule, steady cardio lowers BG, high intensity raises it. I would test before and after exercise with and without snacks. The DP may allow you to avoid a snack completely depending on the workout but testing is the only way to see how things will affect you. Good luck. Mo
 
Thanks again Mo. What would you say are good examples of low intensity? Is steady swimming better than fast paced?
 
Yes, a steady paced swim for 40mins or more, long walk, slow jog etc. Looking at approx 65% of your max HR. That's only a guide. You'll find your own pace and with testing you'll soon learn how a particular exercise affects your BG levels. It's not an exact science and there will be the odd day when diabetes doesn't play ball but hopefully these will be rare and you'll learn to deal with these too. Here is a good website which has lots of info regarding diabetes and sport/exercise:
http://www.runsweet.com
 
Hi there,
Your individual fitness level will determine somewhat how your bloods behave when you exercise. Mo is absolutely correct that generally moderate exercise lowers BG, whereas higher intensity exercise raises BG. It's really linked to your heart rate. When your body is working hard, a cascade of events in your body trigger your liver to dump glucose into your bloodstream. Determining at what point this is likely to be is tricky - for some people who are unused to exercise, this could happen because they climb a set of stairs, for others they would have to be in a flat-out sprint before their liver gets triggered.

My advice? - do a safe 'trial' to see what happens;
Firstly ensure your BG is over 6.5mmol/l before you start (it shouldn't be a great deal higher than this ideally).
Don't take on board any carbs before you begin, and certainly don't have additional insulin circulating.
Do a moderate swim for no more than 20mins.
Get out and test your blood.

What you will be able to see from this is whether your 'moderate' swim is actually 'moderate' for your body - if your BG rises, then you know your liver is kicking in, and you are going to have to be wary of high BGs in future swim sessions.
If your BG is more or less stable or has dropped a small amount, then you know that your muscles are fuelling your exercise with their on-board energy stores. If you kept on going at this pace, you would need to begin to take on fuel in order to avoid going low.
Really there is no simple solution - just try it, and keep checking. Gradually you will become more familiar with how your body reacts and you will be able to change the intensity of your swim with more confidence.

Take a look at the type 1 case study on the Team blood glucose website in order to get a better idea of how to manage your bloods with exercise.
Happy swimming!
 
Thank you both. So sorry to ask more questions but, if I wish to try this in the morning, before breakfast, what should I be eating? This is especially troublesome for me as I suffer from slight dawn pheneomenon. Thank you for your patience, I know eventually I'll get the hang of it. I thought the whole change in diet was boggling but adding exercise into the mix seems even more confusing - aaagh!

Many thanks
 
Thank you, as you say, I will try going without a snack and see what happens in this scenario too
 
If you want a snack a handful of nuts is a good choice but there are many options. You may prefer something different, granola bar or piece of fruit or something. As long as you test and record the results, you'll soon find what works for you.


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