• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Too many carbs in pizza to give insulin??

lizziewizzie

Well-Known Member
Messages
100
Location
West Midlands
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi,

I am newly diagnosed and new to carb counting so easily confused! I have just ordered a pizza to share with my other half, each slice is roughly 20g of carbs and I will have 6 slices, so that's 120g of carbs. I'll also be getting some cheesy fries which roughly seem to be 40g, so that totals 160g of carbs for my meal. I'm currently giving 1unit to 10g, so I'll need to give 16units... that seems like so much. I've never given more than 9. Is it okay to give 16units in one go and in one site?

Thanks in advance. xxx
 
Pizza is the hardest to sort out because of the affect of fat. When I ate 'normal' I'd split my dose. For example I'd have to give 32 units for that meal so I'd take half 30 minutes before then the rest about an hour after eating. I'd test like mad then and correct as needed.
Never cracked it. One of the reasons I went lchf as soon as I learned of it and got if the roller coaster. Good luck.

Test, test and test.
 
I wouldn't advise to eat so many carbs in one go, especially if you are new to diabetes and carb counting. Pizza is one of the most difficult foods to handle (due to high fat content). Can you half the portion? And dont give yourself whole dose straight away. Split it into 2 injection taken apart of at least 2h
 
If you want the pizza and fries , and that's your ratio , then you need x amount of insulin, that's what you need. Not an ideal meal in so many ways but, speaking for myself I do have the odd day off just as non diabetics following a healthy diet do. Not going to fib I have injected that amount in one place but there are things to bear in mind, sugar level wise. You may be okay injecting in one place or you may be low or high 2 hours after. high carb and fat meals can do funny things. You may be below 4 post 2 hours as the meal can have delayed digestion so on top of that meal you have to have a high sugar drink to correct hypo but, as the rest of the meal digests during 3-4 hours your levels go up. Your reading may be good 2 hours later not needing correction but again due to delayed digestion rocket afterwards. Or, because its a very high carb and fat meal, it throws your ratios out of whack so you are high after 2 hours , correct with more insulin and still go higher afterwards. But, maybe, your levels stay steady all evening. knowing how these foods react in your body is the key so correct dosage is given.
 
suggesting someone to eat less food is kinda bad imo, you should be entiltled to have a takeout once in a while that said, i'd just go with what you think is best for you and you can learn from mistakes
 
Type1Lad said:
suggesting someone to eat less food is kinda bad imo, you should be entiltled to have a takeout once in a while that said, i'd just go with what you think is best for you and you can learn from mistakes
Click to expand...
Kinda she was actually asking what other people would do.
We should all be entitled to eat what we want but entitled and able to safely can be two different things.
Advising to eat lower carb is not s bad idea because if you are new to this way of life she could take the right amount but because of fat content could hypo.
I reckon I'm entitled to be paid for not working but that's not going to happen either.
Best wishes
 
Ok, ****. So, I'm so fed up of diabetes already... I think I'll give it back now, please!

I gave 17 units (16 for food +1 correction) in one site (whats the max you should give in one site??). Then I felt full before finishing. I'm guessing I had 80g of pizza and maybe 15g of chips, so a max of 95, so I should have only given 10 for the food, not 16. My BM was 13mmol/l starting, so in theory it'll lower to 7mmol/l, which is normal anyway. I'm currently still aiming to stay around 10mmol/l. I think I should be okay. Of course my heart is racing now, I can't cope with the confusion and stress of having to totally control something in my body, with the risk of coma if I go to far one way
 
Lizzie wizzie - we all make mistakes. It's a case of live and learn.
When you find who to return the BETES to please let me know as well.,
I went lchf. Sounds like I'm banging on about it but the roller coaster sugars flattens out.
Just know your not by yourself here on this site.
 
Type1Lad said:
suggesting someone to eat less food is kinda bad imo, you should be entiltled to have a takeout once in a while that said, i'd just go with what you think is best for you and you can learn from mistakes
Click to expand...
Of course we are but when someone is new to insulin, it can be tricky. Whole dose in one go for a pizza is definitely not a good idea.
 
Don't worry too much. The more experience you get the easier it becomes. Just test now and top up with coke if needed
 
Oh god, I just don't get it. I need to do some serious research into working out splitting doses for what foods etc.



lchf..... low carb, high fat??

Lizzie x
 
That's the one. You bolus smaller amounts because you don't eat pasta bread and such. Smaller amounts of insulin to suit the lchf means that you make smaller, safer mistakes. I run in between 4 and 8 the majority of the time. Dr Richard Bernstein has a book out about diabetes. He s a good place to start. Also if your on Facebook TypeOneGrit is a good page to join.
 
There is also a lchf section in this forum. Mainly type 2s but as a type 1 I like the fact I'm off the roller coaster.
 

Both pizza and fries are high-fat foods that can delay the absorption of the carbs, so if you bolus (inject) all in one go you may find that you hypo within an hour or two of eating but find that your bg levels go extremely high many hours later.

Most people on MDI would use a split-dose, so you would take some insulin upfront and inject the rest later to cope with the delayed spike, it's a case of trial & error and mine (or anyone else's experience) may not reflect your own, so if your unsure about split-dosing and how to go about it then it's best to talk with your diabetes team.

The following from the author of Think Like a Pancreas explains why bolusing for high-fat meals can be difficult but can be overcome:

http://www.mendosa.com/The-Fat-of-the-Matter-How-Dietary-Fat-Effects-Blood-Glucose.htm
 
lizziewizzie said:
Hi,

I am newly diagnosed and new to carb counting so easily confused! I have just ordered a pizza to share with my other half, each slice is roughly 20g of carbs and I will have 6 slices, so that's 120g of carbs.
Click to expand...

Is this a jumbo pizza? Eat one today from a deliver services. It was about 100g carbs. As you share the pizza and Your six slices have 120g, the whole one would have 240g!?

lizziewizzie said:
need to give 16units... that seems like so much. I've never given more than 9. Is it okay to give 16units in one go and in one site?
Click to expand...

First of all, units are very individual. For many 16 are not much. But for you: as others said, pizza is tricky. Splitting to two times would be an idea. But do not (because of fear 16 would be to much for one site) splitting to two sites at the same time! This would make the insulin effect much faster! The opposite you want for pizza!
 
it all depends on how your body reacts - its early days - but i tried and tried, and more than 36 years later have never succeeded with carbs as high as that, still try sometimes, always fail, find higher carbs throw everything, even tho on the pump now. Not on low carbs but anything over total 120-140 i cant cope with.
 
Hello. Don't worry it might seem like a mountain right now but you'll get there

I generally low carb but I do stuff have the odd pizza take away as a treat. The key is, just be prepared to test more. I usually bolus approx half before I eat, and then one hour later, then one hour after that.

It's the fat in the food that slows digestion. U know how u can feel it sit in your stomach for a while after food?
 
 

I find a similar thing. Over a certain amount of carbs my body can't seem to deal with them and I end up having extra insulin and often correction doses too. I've never worked out precisely what this maximum carbs is, but I'd guess it's similar to yours. It also depends on the food type and how quickly I'm eating.

For a pizza like the OP mentions with approx 20g carbs per slice, I'd usually have, say, 3 slices and half the fries or 2 slices and all the fries. I then fill up on something like salad or veg or similar. I find that easier to deal with and don't go high.
 
I can understand not wanting to let this disease run your life, but that doesn't mean you can skip pilot school before learning to fly a plane.

You made a conscious decision to eat (what most consider to be) an excessive amount of food and then tried to guess how much insulin you needed to correct for it. That's probably not the smartest decision when you're first learning how to manage your carbs:insulin.

NOW, that doesn't mean you can never eat 6 slices of pizza or cheesy fries ever again. It just means MAYBE you should start with smaller portions until you get the hang of things.

I had around 500-600g of carbs on Christmas Eve so I'd be a hypocrite to say you can't enjoy yourself every once in a while. However, it took me several months to understand how to correct for that much food and I gave myself four shots during dinner alone (after each course).

No one is telling you that you can't do something. We just hope you'll be smart about it. We all know it's frustrating, but be patient and you'll eventually figure it out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…