Hi all, I am prediabetic and decided to get myself some libre sensors to see what's what. I meet the thin/fit profile, so 177cm/66kg, 46 years old. I have been hovering between the pre-and-not area 39-44 a1c for about 5 years. I usually do a lot of exercise (cycling ~10,000km per year) although the past 6 months have been much lower due to knackering my wrist last summer.
Anyhow, I quite often get spikes over 12 when exercising. I don't know if that has been the case all the time I have been 'pre', or just a recent development. This morning example, attached, 1 hour of medium to hard effort, no food beforehand (and ~200ml of 5% yoghurt when I got back, so nothing carby). Is this 'expected'? If so is it 'bad', or is it somehow OK because it's exercise? I rarely see over 10 from actual food.
I've been trying hard to do low carb the past couple of weeks, but over xmas I was in Mallorca and really shoving any old food down me while doing a lot of cycling (75-100km per day) and I never saw such big spikes then, presumably because my body was continually in deficit. does that mean I need to ride for 3 hours per day to stay healthy? I don't think my wife will like that, even if I would!
Problem with a CGM is that a bunch of stuff happens and it's difficult to interpret. It has been very useful for some things but I feel I'm not able to fully understand and it's seemingly random at times!
That graph is very similar to mine when I cycle in the mornings.
Possibly worth looking up Dawn Phenomenon.
When I am keeping to my eating plan I am in ketosis.
That means that my body has switched to using ketones for energy.
I cycle moderately (average 10 mph, short hills) after my morning bullet resistant coffee. That is coffee, butter, double cream.
I usually start around 10 am (in a group) and sometimes trigger the high glucose alarm on my Libre 2.
No symptoms, just the machine nagging.
My BG peaks around noon then drops rapidly back.
If you are truly keto adapted then you do not need carbohydrates.
Plenty of athletes exercise fasted and allegedly if you are in ketosis you are a little slower but never hit the wall.
From previous discussions major problems are usually when you are not in full time ketosis but try to switch in and out.
Our bodies are designed to run on ketones when carbohydrates are not available.
That is what fat stores are for.
In ketosis your body still manufactures glucose by gluco-neo-genesis and keeps your liver topped up so you are still likely to see a liver dump in the morning.