Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bradford on March 30, 2011 at 6:45am

Are you still on shots right now? If that's the case, I'm not sure in the short term how to handle the lows outside of keeping glucose on hand. You might try treating the initial lows with juice (or some other quick-acting glucose) and then following it immediately w/ some sort of protein/carb mix (peanut butter and crackers, for example...and also maybe drink it w/ a little milk?). The protein (pb) and complex carbs (w/ the milk) should help give your body something to sustain you a little longer after the workout so that you're not roller coastering between 70 and low (whatever that may be for you) so much.

I'm not familiar w/ the insanity workout but it sounds like it definitely jumped started your metabolism for a while there! I'd say keep trying it and maybe incorporate in the gatorade too like you mentioned (during the workout perhaps?) to help fight lows afterwards. Good luck and enjoy the insanity ;-)

Permalink Reply by Maggie Mountsier on March 30, 2011 at 7:00am

I am on an OmniPod pump, and even though I turned my basal off before, during, and for a bit after the workout, I still went low and continued to stay there! The protein/carb snack afterwards sounds like a good idea. I'm going to try it again with some Gatorade before I start it and a better snack afterwards. Thanks for your suggestions!

Permalink Reply by Bradford on March 30, 2011 at 7:12am

Couldn't recall if you had switched over to the pod yet or not.
Remember that when making basal changes, the insulin going into your body won't be utilized for 60 to 90 minutes. So if you want to work out at 6 pm, you should make your basal change at 4:30 or 5 pm (maybe a 50% reduction, for example). It sounds like it's an intense exercise routine for sure, so if I were participating in something like this I would set the duration of my basal change for the same amount of time of the activity. So, if I were going to work out for 1 hour w/ this routine, and I wanted to start at 6 pm, I'd make a 50% basal reduction at about 4:30 and set it for 1 hour. It would go back to "normal" basal at 5:30, but your body wouldn't see that insulin increase physiologically until about 6:30 or 7 pm. You might also try setting a smaller temp basal for a little while after the workout (especially if your body isn't used to this type of intensity yet). So maybe set it for a 15% reduction for 2 or 3 hours at the conclusion of your activity. Of course you'd want to check often in the beginning (to see what way you may be trending, and how quickly you're getting there), and you may still want to incorporate in the protein/complex carb post-excercise snack to help combat a low.
Hope that helps some!

Permalink Reply by Maggie Mountsier on March 30, 2011 at 7:34am

I had no idea that that's how I should do a temp basal reduction! This will help me with all activity (I take spinning classes too), not just Insanity! Thank you SO much!

Permalink Reply by Bradford on March 30, 2011 at 7:37am

Glad to help! I'd try to take some notes at first here about what your number is before exercise, what time you did basal reductions, what those reductions were, how long they were, the type of activity you did, etc. All of these may help you see a pattern (for example that a 50% reduction still wasn't enough, and you're still going low during the exercise, so you need to up it to 75 or 80% reduction, etc).
Good luck and enjoy!

Permalink Reply by Sindhilicious on March 30, 2011 at 10:10am

What does the Insanity work out involve?

Permalink Reply by KatiebirdMN on March 30, 2011 at 1:04pm

Insane amounts of cardio, using your own body. Jumping, pushups, moving really quickly, etc. I'm actually trying it tonight! My coworker is lending me the first couple DVDs so I can try before I buy.

Permalink Reply by EricG6410 on March 31, 2011 at 1:42pm

Its a high intensity general physical preparedness program (GPP). Its along the same lines as p90x or crossfit. Pretty much it is a varied routine of bodyweight movements done at high intensity. For someone who has never really exercised at even a moderate intensity level (steady state cardio is not intense) it can really be a shock to your system. One point I would like to pass along is do not starve yourself, these workouts are intense and you dont want to be wasting away any lean body mass/muscle. So make sure you pay attention to what the weight that you are losing consists of - losing bodyfat over muscle. So the key to ideal body composition is your diet - making sure your body is "fueled" properly by eating good proteins, plenty of healthy fats, veggies, and some fruits. You would be amazed how cutting out starchy, sugary, refined carbs can do to your physique.