I’m a 45 year old woman… Just diagnosed in January. Misdiagnosed with Type 2… on wrong meds… 2 months later finally on insulin. Learning how to manage it. Have a lot of lows and highs still. I had to stop my 2 x per week workouts with my trainer and my Hot Yoga (4 x per week) because I lost so much weight. I was down to 117 on my 5 ft 9 frame. My normal weight is around 130…
So… I’ve gone to hot yoga only 2x since diagnosis… first time was too soon. Second time felt glorious, I didn’t push myself… and I’ve definitely noticed I’m no where near where I used to be. The next day, however, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck.
I’m concerned I won’t be able to get back to the level of fitness I was at before. Also, Hot Yoga is 90 minutes and then there’s the prep time and after time… It cuts into my day and my eating schedule and I’m just sort of intimidated that I’ll go too low in class.
Any feedback or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I miss my workouts and my yoga intensely. It’s what keeps me sane!!
Hi Katrina,
I am a personal trainer, and an athlete, so I have dealt with the same concerns. Try to eat some healthy proteins and complex carbs for the meal before class, and something light and easy to digest within half an hour of your class. Some intense yoga classes can burn up to 800 calories per hour, so you might want a slightly high pre workout glucose reading of around 180 or so. If you test before class, and you are on the high side, (above 200) don’t eat that pre workout snack, but don’t inject a fast acting insulin either. Let the workout bring it down. Sometimes intense exercise can raise blood sugar levels immediately afterwards, do not let that alarm you, it is due to glycogen stores in the muscles, it will balance out. Try to always have a snack ready for post workout just in case the levels do drop. But i would say the best advice is to know your pre workout level, and do not be af r aid to excuse yourself for a few min to have a snack if you feel a low c coming on.
Also, one more question… I am on a Lantus (long acting), one injection per day and then Humalog at meal times. Last night I was about 150 before dinner, and based on that number I injected 2 units of Humalog before I ate. (per docs orders … ). I ate a good meal, it had potatoes (small), meat and kale. Not a huge meal at all, but definitely had carbs. About an hour later my levels plummeted to 50. I felt it coming on very quickly… I was incredibly shaky and felt STARVING. I ate a ‘healthy’ snack that had 21 g of carbs (It’s called Organic Stinger Honey Waffles… great pe workout snack… energy etc). I’m thinking that would have been enough to bring my sugar up but I was so hungry I continued to eat. I had some crackers and then some trail mix. Not a lot, mind you…but probably a serving of each so we’re talking another 30 gs of carbs at least. My sugar then when up to over 300. Should I have just been patient with the one snack, even though I was so hungry and let it do it’s work? If I would have waited, do you think the extreme hunger would subside as well?
This is all new to me, and I’m learning. It’s not entirely uncommon to get T1 as an adult, but not as common as being diagnosed as a juvenile. Those lows scare the crap outta me.
I would say you have to decrease the Lantus by a couple units. That can sneak up on you. The 2 units of fast acting probably did not cause the extreme drop like that. The Lantus usually peaks between 8 and 12 hrs of intake, but it may vary from person to person. Did you work out hard that day? Exercise can effect your metabolism for up to 72 hrs afterwards. Otherwise it sounds like you did everything right. Maybe a few more carbs with dinner, or some fruit afterward might help. But there is not always an exact science for highly active people. They say you are supposed to test approximately 15 minutes after eating when your blood sugar drops, but it is hard sometimes. The appetite is really hard to curb, you body still feels like it is in emergency mode. Try to drink a lot of water, that helps speed up glucose absorption, and will fill you up a little. I feel your pain. I have been dealing with this since I was a young boy, and it still is extremely difficult. Hang in there. It will get easier. Btw, I love those honey stingers waffles too.
It is very hard not to overtreat lows–I think it’s safe to say all diabetics struggle with this. Yes, you are supposed to eat a snack and wait 15 minutes. If your BG still hasn’t come up, then you’re supposed to eat again and check in another 15 minutes. The “rule” is to eat 15g of carb and wait 15 minutes, then repeat if needed.
Yes, it’s extremely hard but as long as your first treatment was sufficient the symptoms will go away.
I personally think it is a matter of your lifestyle. The pump is simply a delivery system. You still have to manage everything pretty much the same. The new pumps have built in bgm’s (blood glucose monitor) with will detect highs and lows for you, but you still need to test with a finger prick for calibration. I am an athlete, and very active, so I haven’t switched to the pump yet. I am concerned with having something attached to me at all times. But, a lot of people don’t mind it. As far as the junk food is concerned, diabetic or not, you should limit the bad stuff. If you have good control of your glucose levels, you can adjust in accordance to activity and insulin injections to still enjoy some cookies and cakes. It will all start take sense after a while, the longer you deal with type 1, the more you will become aware of the do’s and don’ts.
What a great thread to stumble upon! I’m loving all of the questions being brought up and the answers being put forth are great advice!
I can’t believe you got diagnosed at 45, that’s crazy! Definitely a rare case to say the least. You’re not alone though and you seem to have an interest in it. It’s never easy at the beginning but it gets easy as you learn and experiment.
Treating lows can definitely be a challenge especially because of the hunger spike. It’s hard to resist wolfing down a meal size snack which ends up overcompensating for the low. The water trick mentioned above will definitely help. Check, correct, wait 10-15 minutes and check again. The hunger should go away fairly quickly during this waiting time. This is so normal to overcompensate you have no idea.
I’d definitely agree to check yourself in the middle of your class. 90 minutes is a long time for exercise and you shouldn’t go too long without knowing what you’re at. If you’re a little self-conscious about it (it happens don’t worry), just eat a snack and you should be okay. Eventually you’ll know your body well enough to not even have to check during the workout unless you feel dizzy or uncomfortable at some point (always check if you feel that way).
Thanks for your advice. Nice to know that there is a diabetic personal trainer on the site! I work out 4 times a week myself, and have played ball hockey, baseball and flag football. I’m going to get certified to be a personal trainer this summer and I’m really looking forward to that.
Just so you know, I’m on the pump and have been for almost 6 years now and it’s awesome! Don’t worry about having anything “in you/attached to you” all of the time. You barely know that it’s there, even when exercising. Do you compete at all in any weightlifting competitions? If you have any specific questions about the pump, feel free to ask me. I won’t persuade you in any way, I’ll just tell you from my experience (which is obviously extremely positive). My control is so much better and I find it’s just all around easier. This may not be the case for everyone. Like you said, it depends on your lifestyle.
Hi my name is emily I was diagnosed with diabetes 4 years ago and my dad just passed away on the 12 I have been sneaking food a lot and my blood suger gets super high i wanted some ideas on how to try stop sneaking food
I play collegiate soccer (90 minute) games and have been diagnosed since I was 16 years old. I also have learned (even with 2 hour practices) to keep my blood sugar around 140 before (slightly higher) and then SIP on a sugary drink along with water (about 2:1 ratio, with water being higher) after about the hour mark, when my blood sugar naturally seems to drop the most. This keeps it elevated enough so that I avoid lows, without keeping it too high that I have poor performance. Yes, gatorade or other drinks are simple sugars, but in small amounts they can be used to regulate. The low glycemic snack about 30 minutes prior to workout also reaches its maximum effect around 1.5-2 hours, again helping with the point of your workout that you most likely would go low. Let me know if this helps, or if you want to ask more questions!
Thanks all for the discussion. I was just diagnosed type 1 a month ago at age 42. I was training for a half marathon and the shortness of breath and exhaustion sent me to the doctor where I found out my glucose levels were through the roof.
On my way to control with insulin but am terrified of working out because my glucose levels go up 20-50 points during exercise. Praying that things get better with time. In the meanwhile I’m grateful for this site.
Katrinas, you state “I’m concerned I won’t be able to get back to the level of fitness I was at before. Also, Hot Yoga is 90 minutes and then there’s the prep time and after time… It cuts into my day and my eating schedule and I’m just sort of intimidated that I’ll go too low in class.” Don’t worry, you will be able to regain your previous fitness levels. Expect you will need to fine tune your Lantus (basal) and Humalog (bolus) injections over the next months: this is normal, do not let it bother you or make you feel as if you are failing. I was on Lantus/Humalog for over 20 years, now on pump/cgm–I agree with 2tonmule who says there is no magic way, so continue to learn all you can. Consider a log (recording carbs/exercise level/insulin & BG, etc.) if you are not already doing so. But as I began with, YOU WILL get back to your former self as you learn and adapt.
I’m concerned I won’t be able to get back to the level of fitness I had before, but diabetes has nothing to do with it.
People with type 1 diabetes have made it to the halls of fame in most professional sports. They have won many Olympic gold medals.
Diabetes does add some challenges to being active, but being diabetic and sedentary is much harder in the long run.
Gary Hall is the only T1 Olympic medalist I know of, and there is a T1 in the Cricket Hall of Fame, so I would be interested to know if there are more athletes with those distinctions. I don’t think T1 has to keep you from doing much of anything, but it does bring challenges that must be carefully managed for your safety and health.