Type 2 and exercise...

[SiNettie]

So I have taken up a lot of exercise..... kayaking which also includes keeping fit, power walking, running, gym... As well as being on my allotment so involve digging.

I'm classed as type 2. I take metformin and insulin.. Since being on these I have felt great... I'm 47 been diagnosed for 5 years... Since my 20 s they thought I might be diabetic but they never did lucazade test... If they had done I suspect I would of been then too.. I have other auto immune issues so it's more that than the diet I think... My diet has always been ok... Not a great cake biscuit or pastry person or bread for that matter... Which was lucky as these now have gastric affect on me...

So my query is about the energy levels after doing sport... I get low sugars quite quickly at times 4-5, and a day after exercise can drop too... I wondered if any one else gets this? Also get energy drops whilst doing as if body has to kick in. Someone queried if I was type 1 as I behaved more like a type 1 than 2.... I don't know any type 1 to ask...

The other thing is to maintain the endurance levels need glycogen stores, so carb and fats intake suggested 55 carbs 25 fats protein 20%, so storing up night before... However bloods are high in morning... So any advice here...

I can't eat Wheat, Spelt I get away occasionally with a specific gluten free bread and occasionally rye. I can eat Porridge. So high carbs like pasta are difficult.

Read article about eating a fructose at same time as a sugar.. So tried porridge with honey, and banana and chia seeds... That improved the drained low bloods at kayaking time on Saturday...

Another person said as type 2 should Not be getting low sugars... ? Any advice here?

 

[AndBreathe]

So I have taken up a lot of exercise..... kayaking which also includes keeping fit, power walking, running, gym... As well as being on my allotment so involve digging.

I'm classed as type 2. I take metformin and insulin.. Since being on these I have felt great... I'm 47 been diagnosed for 5 years... Since my 20 s they thought I might be diabetic but they never did lucazade test... If they had done I suspect I would of been then too.. I have other auto immune issues so it's more that than the diet I think... My diet has always been ok... Not a great cake biscuit or pastry person or bread for that matter... Which was lucky as these now have gastric affect on me...

So my query is about the energy levels after doing sport... I get low sugars quite quickly at times 4-5, and a day after exercise can drop too... I wondered if any one else gets this? Also get energy drops whilst doing as if body has to kick in. Someone queried if I was type 1 as I behaved more like a type 1 than 2.... I don't know any type 1 to ask...

The other thing is to maintain the endurance levels need glycogen stores, so carb and fats intake suggested 55 carbs 25 fats protein 20%, so storing up night before... However bloods are high in morning... So any advice here...

I can't eat Wheat, Spelt I get away occasionally with a specific gluten free bread and occasionally rye. I can eat Porridge. So high carbs like pasta are difficult.

Read article about eating a fructose at same time as a sugar.. So tried porridge with honey, and banana and chia seeds... That improved the drained low bloods at kayaking time on Saturday...

Another person said as type 2 should Not be getting low sugars... ? Any advice here?

Are you saying your 4.5 is a low sugar level? If not, what are you calling low sugars for you, and how do you feel at that number, whether it be 4.5 or another number?

I'm just trying to clarify exactly what you're saying initially.

 

[TorqPenderloin]

As you mentioned, you're doing endurance-type exercise which is great for a number of reasons. However, it seems you're making the mistake of thinking you need carbohydrates to fuel this exercise which isn't necessarily true. Carbohydrates are a form of energy that can be converted into useable energy (glucose) very quickly. That makes it a great source of energy for high intensity exercise. Glycogen acts the same way as our bodies store it in our livers and skeletal muscle. The first problem is: our bodies can only store a limited amount of glycogen (roughly 500 calories worth in our livers and about 1500 in our muscle). The second problem is: glycogen stored in skeletal muscle cannot transfer throughout the body meaning that your arm muscles can't "borrow" glycogen from your leg muscles.

The glycogen stored in our livers can be transferred throughout our body, but that creates the third problem: sometimes our livers release glycogen in ways we don't want it to. That's why some people have high blood sugar levels in the morning or spike after exercise.

Fat on the other hand is a slower burning energy source. It's not the best for high intensity exercise, but it's excellent for endurance exercise. Why? Because we have an abundance of it.

At 12%, I have a fairly low body fat percentage, but weighing 210 pounds that means I have more than 25lbs of fat throughout my body. Considering that a pound of fat contains about 3500 calories (1 gram of fat= 9 kcals, ~454 grams in one pound, human body fat is about 87% lipid) that means I have more than 88,000 stored calories in my body!

At a type 1 I find that my blood sugar consistently runs about 1-1.5mmol/l lower on a low-carb diet rather than a high-carb diet. I also find that my high protein intake makes me much less susceptible to hypoglycemia. That's not true for everyone and it's not exactly known why this works for people like me, but there's evidence to suggest our bodies use glucose created through gluconeogenesis (from protein or even fat) differently than glucose sources from carbs.

Long story short, that's some information to get you started that may help you address some of your experiences.

A few final thoughts to address your questions and comments:
*Type 2 is not an autoimmune disease; Type 1 is
*4-5mmol/l is not hypoglycemia in the clinical sense. Many would consider anything below ~3.8 to be a clinical hypo.
*I find that my sugar levels drop even a day after exercise (although I exercise nearly every day) if I have rapidly depleted my glycogen stores
*I find that carbohydrates not necessary in my diet and have no issues running for 1+ hours or lifting very heavy (500+ lbs) weights.
*We are naturally more sensitive to insulin during and after exercise which is another reason why you may be having issues.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

Another person said as type 2 should Not be getting low sugars... ? Any advice here?

I presume the other person didn't know you were on insulin.