Hi! I’ve had T1 for about a year, and when I was on needle therapy at first, I was very strict about meal plans and times. Now that I have a pump, I find that I can pretty much eat whenever I want. It’s easier to go out to eat etc. My average blood sugar is about 163, due to my occasional highs, many postprandial.
Do other pump users have strict meal plans to control their blood glucose more tightly or is it more to do with the type of carb eaten and overall “carbiness” (the scientific term lol) of the food.
Yes and no…the thing about changing to a pump is that there is newfound freedom. Because you can set your basal rates to accurately cover at various times of day, there is no need to eat at particular times. And because you can program your insulin-to-carb ratios for various time periods, there is no need to eat the same things all the time. This can lead to an attitude of “I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want!” Fun yes, and I’ve been there. But I soon realized I was putting on some weight because I could grab a little snack here and there and bolus to cover it, and my BG’s became more erratic because I was eating a greater variety of foods.
So while it’s nice to be able to have some flexibility in what/when we eat, the reality is that it’s still best to be fairly consistent in your eating patterns, and carb counting becomes very important because that will determine how well you can keep your BG in range. Don’t go too high on carbs too often, keep that for treats. If you eat a higher fat meal, start experimenting with the dual wave feature if you haven’t already. You will just find your BG much easier to manage with lower-carb eating, and your weight will stabilize too. Pumper for 13 years!
What @angivan wrote sums up what I have also discovered. The “freedom” to vary the times of meals was really important for me while I was working. Accurate carb counting is essential, especially the hidden carbs and fats in many restaurant meals. I also suggest that your basal rates are properly calculated; it is ideal if you can go an entire day, or a significant period of time, without eating or needing a bolus for adjustment. This is where the “patterns” feature of your pump comes into play for varied activity levels.
That all makes sense. I have a very active job and do need to snack occasionally to keep normal. I should try out a temp basal at work to see if that will help.
I have indeed gained weight, so lower carb eating will have the dual benefit of stabilizing my bg and my weight.