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Surely this can't be right????

Robynberrill

Robynberrill

Active Member
Messages
40
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Someone my friend knows was telling him about her type 1 diabetes and she said she's learnt to carb count and she's been told she can eat and drink anything she wants as long as she takes the right amount of insulin. So she will just drink full fat fizzy pop like Pepsi and Coca Cola 24/7. Surely that's harmful and she's been told wrong info?
 
Hi, I have read some posts from members who have said exactly the same thing. But I don't and never have done, my BS would be so bad, with huge highs and then plummeting lows , so not really a good combination.
I try to keep to a good well balanced diet, I don't eat Macdonalds or gorge on sweet things either and might have an ice cold diet Pepsi, when out and about on a very hot day. The food we eat can have a huge impact on diabetes control and later on, it may well come back to bite the friend big time :( also, it can affect cholesterol levels and other parts of the body too.
 
She can eat anything she wants as long as she carb counts and does the right insulin to match. That's correct. However, she should try to follow a healthy diet, full sugar Coke isn't good for anyone, but if it's what she chooses and she does the insulin, it's fine.
 
Robynberrill said:
Someone my friend knows was telling him about her type 1 diabetes and she said she's learnt to carb count and she's been told she can eat and drink anything she wants as long as she takes the right amount of insulin. So she will just drink full fat fizzy pop like Pepsi and Coca Cola 24/7. Surely that's harmful and she's been told wrong info?
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I'm not a T1, so only commenting from what I feel to be a common sense viewpoint.

I'm sure what she says is factually correct, but it would seem to me to be a very hard way to grasp and maintain control, not to mention if she is consuming large quantities of empty calories, such a full sugar Coke, she could be susceptible to weight gain.

My take on dealing with my own brand of diabetes has been to try to treat my body kindly. I modify my diet to create softer peaks, meaning my body needs to work less hard to bring my sugars back down. It has worked for me so far.

I completely appreciate that for a T1, not producing insulin yourself, this isn't weholly applicable, but the essence applies. Intake fewer carbs (including full sugar fizzies) means the numbers don't go so high, meaning less insulin to inject. The less insulin needing to be injected, translates, to me at least, into the less chance there is of miscounting the required dosages.

That's my take. Clearly in a hypo situation, requirements seem to differ quite a bit.

If I were you? I wouldn't be following this person's example.

Good luck with it all.
 
I'm a type 1. I can eat whatever I want to and bolus for it I am very good with numbers. BUT eating whatever I wanted and bolusing for it was always hit and miss. I was on a roller coaster for years eating what I wanted. Sometimes I got it right. But my days tended to be stressful constantly watching for the highs, rage bolusing and then dropping like a stone.
I realised after research on Dr Google that lchf was much easier. MUCH easier!
But it's different for everyone. I prefer peace of mind to a piece of bread/pudding/sweet/pasta etc.
If I make a mistake, it's a small mistake easily fixable either high or low. I love that.
You never know, your friend may have cracked the bolus matching the sugar spike. That's amazing if she has I'm dead jealous.
Personally as a type 1 I'll continue lchf - it's easier.
 
Robynberrill said:
Someone my friend knows was telling him about her type 1 diabetes and she said she's learnt to carb count and she's been told she can eat and drink anything she wants as long as she takes the right amount of insulin. So she will just drink full fat fizzy pop like Pepsi and Coca Cola 24/7. Surely that's harmful and she's been told wrong info?
Click to expand...
Hi Robyn, this is often the result of people taking the DAFNE course (Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating). It is true that you need to match insulin to carb intake, however, some types of carbs don't really work very well with this model, as they result in huge spikes in blood glucose levels and as a result do damage. This is likely to be what your friend's friend will be experiencing, which is really a bit of a roller coaster ride.

At it's very basic level, yes you can eat what you want, but full sugar coke and soft drinks aren't any good for anyone, let alone T1 diabetics trying to inject insulin to match. The reality is that you should try and stick to a more healthy diet and not eat large amounts of really sugary things. There's nothing wrong with the occasional treat, but as with anyone, diabetic or not, eating healthily is the best bet.
 
The basic premise is right - adjust your insulin to match your intake - but with such high sugar content I would think she's getting really high spikes as the sugar will absorb so much quicker than the insulin takes effect. She may find that a test a few hours later shows a decent result but it would be interesting to see her results on a CGM!!
 
I agree with the above. I use the fast acting insulin Humalog that the manufacturers claim starts working in 15 minutes. That is not true; it takes in my experience 45 minutes to get going.

If you drink Coca Cola the sugar will hit your bloodstream whilst the drink is in your mouth; i.e. instantly.

Lots of variables will also kick in. It will always be a struggle and you will pretty much always get it wrong (because it's impossible not because you are being careless), the easiest thing to do is to drop the carbohydrates.
 
Robynberrill said:
So she will just drink full fat fizzy pop like Pepsi and Coca Cola 24/7. Surely that's harmful and she's been told wrong info?
Click to expand...

Yes it is harmful and wrong info. Coca Cola & Pepsi contain a ridiculous amount of sugar, the only time a type 1 should drink this is when they are having a hypo.
 
Robynberrill said:
Someone my friend knows was telling him about her type 1 diabetes and she said she's learnt to carb count and she's been told she can eat and drink anything she wants as long as she takes the right amount of insulin. So she will just drink full fat fizzy pop like Pepsi and Coca Cola 24/7. Surely that's harmful and she's been told wrong info?
Click to expand...
Either the friend has got the wrong end of the stick or the person with type 1 has. Yes we can eat within reason (moderation) what we want but it has always been written in stone that you do not drink full fat coke etc., except for treating a hypo. Some people though when doing carb counting courses can and do interpret them to suit themselves, so a pinch of salt is often needed when hearing things 2nd hand ;)
 
My four penneth on this is.

As good as modern insulin therapy is... It don't match the digestive profile of junk food. & that's not taking into consideration injection sites, climate, planet alighnement & wifi signal strength.. (Lol you know what I mean.)
I'm old school. But prefer to "low ride".. Keep the carb profile low & smooth, thus the dosage..
Easier to treat a hypo mistake should it happen.
No sweaty jelly baby popper am I with massive peaks & troughs. Nice easy treatment with the minimum of fuss.! ;)
 
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Robynberrill said:
Someone my friend knows was telling him about her type 1 diabetes and she said she's learnt to carb count and she's been told she can eat and drink anything she wants as long as she takes the right amount of insulin. So she will just drink full fat fizzy pop like Pepsi and Coca Cola 24/7. Surely that's harmful and she's been told wrong info?
Click to expand...
I was told pretty much the same thing, obviously I was advised to try and stay clear of full fat Coke etc but apart from that I'm being shown how to carb count and to adjust my insulin to suit my needs as I'm a big eater
 
Hi. No you can't eat anything you like unless you want to risk weight gain and/or large blood sugar swings. It's still important to be sensible with carbs and I try to keep below 200 gm/day and much less when I can. Also the smaller the number of shots the lower the risk of injection area irritation.
 
As an example, this peak was three pieces of toblerone with insulin 30 mins early. Even carb counted, the insulin can't keep up.

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Dillinger said:
the easiest thing to do is to drop the carbohydrates.
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I attend a diabetes support group and was told by one of the T1s "it's better for us. We just eat what we like and inject". I'm type 2. But that doesn't seem sensible. I read Bernstein's advice on reducing carbs and it makes perfect sense to me. You reduce the need for medication AND the risks of getting it wrong.
 
Type 2, so just speculating.

I wonder if people who find they can do all this sugar and carb eating and 'just inject to cover it' are still new and still in the honeymoon phase, when their own insulin can fill in the gaps and compensate.

If that is the case, it may be a while before this way of working ceases, and they are forced to adopt more careful techniques.

We often get newly diagnosed T1s posting saying 'what is the fuss about? I eat, I inject, my numbers are ACE'. And then the veterans appear and say 'That is wonderful. We are pleased for you. Wait til your honeymoon wears out, and your lifestyle or body won't support that level of exercise... at that point, things may well change.'
 
Not going against this but I can eat what I like and cover for it I don't always go crazy but I can eat sweets, have an orange juice and not go High! It can be done!
 
ohitsnicola said:
Not going against this but I can eat what I like and cover for it I don't always go crazy but I can eat sweets, have an orange juice and not go High! It can be done!
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Well, yes, but your Hba1C is 68, so you are going high somewhere?
 
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