Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Type1Gal on January 15, 2012 at 8:13pm

yes, same with me....although now i'm not spiking so high, maybe 140 - 150 within the 1 hour then lower, of course, at two hours.

for me, what's working is still adjusting basal and getting my fasting levels down, so..it kind depends on what the numbers are before starting the meal...if you're spiking to say 180, but you start your meal at say 130, that's still only a 50 point spike..but if you start the meal at 80 or 90 and spike 40 - 50 points, then that one hour spike is the same 'spike' but the number just isn't really high. thus, i'm trying to get my fasting down and not spike more then 40 points at any time with my meals. easier said then done sometimes.

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Permalink Reply by Richmatik on January 15, 2012 at 9:10pm

I'm pretty sure that spiking within the first two hours is normal, and that's why when you're testing they recommend doing so 2 hours after you eat. That's just a hunch though.

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Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on January 15, 2012 at 6:44pm

I eat about 150-160G of carbs/ day and have been in the fives since I got my pump. My most recent A1C was 5.6 which was a bit of a disappointent but it was a busy year so I am not beating myself up about it that much.

I snack because I like to snack but have cut back the carbs over the years. I'm not sure what I used to eat as I only learned about counting "officially" when I got my pump but I know it was quite a bit more. I'm interested in cutting back more but it's sort of a work in progress and I'm not totally focused on it.

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Permalink Reply by Nadine on January 15, 2012 at 10:10pm

Hi Megan,
Last year I wanted to get my A1c down.  I started making a real effort to bolus 15-30 minutes before eating (depending on the food).  My A1.c did drop, and when I was logging my results, the spikes post-meal were way lower than before.  Might be worth a try?

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Permalink Reply by Super_sally on January 15, 2012 at 11:39pm

Theoretically I try to stick with about 60 - 80 g/day. Not quite Bernstein, but pretty close.

My problem is if I eat lots of carbs it's easy to go high, and then low if one's adjustment is not meticulous / lucky about the adjustment. I ate differently this morning (home-made gluten free crumpets for my daughter which I unfortunately also generously sampled) - at 2 hours I was 178 even after 3 times my normal breakfast bolus. Adjusted again and 3 hours later was 52! After candy and lunch finally back to a comfortable enough 98 (I like to stay between 70 and 100 as far as possible). The food was delicious, but not worth the swinging around like that. And I've found such swings are totally avoidable (with relatively little bolus insulin) if I just eat low carb.

I try to avoid breads, rice, pasta, white potato, and sweet fruits.... However, I don't usually consciously count carbs... I just know that for what food I need how much bolus to cover it....

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Permalink Reply by smileandnod on January 16, 2012 at 9:16am

This has been my experience also if I eat lots of carbs - the high low rollercoaster. I also stick to around 60-70 g/day and eliminate most of the swinging that way.

I also avoid breads, rice, pasta, white potato and most fruits (although I do well with small apples). As much as I love carbs (born and raised in the South so enough said), the swinging and the fight to get back in range just totally aren't worth it to me.

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Permalink Reply by MeganB on January 16, 2012 at 6:16am

Thanks! I eat around 130 carbs, but I am willing to adjust if needed as long as I still have energy for my workouts ;)

What fruits are best for not spiking??

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Permalink Reply by Brian (bsc) on January 16, 2012 at 8:05am

I have to tell you there is increasing evidence that low carb diets are not detrimental to exercising. Our member FHS has had an ongoing interest in this subject and recently discussed some results from Dr. Steven Phinney.

As to fruits, my suggestion is to choose fruits that are low in fructose. While Glycemic Index (GI) is useful, my experience is that what really causes a "spike" is not whether a fruit is low or high glycemic, rather it is the total carb content. So I think it is best to limit the total carb load at any one time to avoid a spike. Some fruits with low fructose levels are apricot, peaches and pineapples, strawberries, blackberries, lemons, limes, rhubarb, and avocado (ok, I had to throw in avocado).

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Permalink Reply by still_young_at_heart on January 16, 2012 at 8:27am

In addition to bsc's suggestions, I find that if I have an apple for dessert it doesn't cause a spike. Part of the reason is that you are taking the insulin up to 30-40 minutes before you eat the fruit.

Maurie

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Permalink Reply by smileandnod on January 16, 2012 at 9:19am

My experience with small apples has been the same. I buy the small apples that generally come in the bags at the grocery instead of the bigger ones on display. It's just enough to satisfy yet not enough to cause me a problem.

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Permalink Reply by kestrel on January 24, 2012 at 11:36am

Yeah, I find apples spike me less than any other fruit, even if I bolus right beforehand.

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Permalink Reply by Type1Gal on January 16, 2012 at 2:09pm

this is only my experience but i truly believe it's not the carbs (or amounts of carbs) but how we match our insulin with the food(s), use the correct ratios, timing, delivery (pump vs. MDI's), etc...I can eat just a low carb 4 gram yogurt and spike. I've been messing around with my basal and the same breakfast that's been spiking me for the last few weeks, this moring did not as I've increased my basal, was 92 2 hours ppls. For lunch today I bolused 3.75 units (the MOST fast acting insulin I have EVER used and the most CARBS I have ever eaten in one meal), it was a Jimmy Dean D-Light canadian bacon, egg, cheese, english muffin sandwich, 30 carbs + 5 grams steamed broccoli, 230 calories (kinda good too, just sayin) and 1 hr was 129, 2 hrs ppl 100. Again, this is more carbs then I've ever eaten at once and my numbers were fine..an english muffin too. For those who say they CAN'T eat carbs...I believe it's that you just haven't been able to match the carbs with the insulin. Easier said then done..but still.

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