Alissa's Fitness Blog

Alissa's Diabetes and Fitness Blog

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Discussion of Diet and Fitness as a tool to manage Diabetes

2 Straight Days of High Blood Sugars - How do you handle it?

As a figure competitor in training season I'm often asked questions such as what is my hemoglobin A1C or what are my blood sugars on a regular basis or how well regulated am I. The answer to that question is just the same as you or I or anyone else. What I enjoy about blogging is being able to share my experiences from an athlete’s point of view.

 

My diet changes weekly. Some weeks are higher in carbs than others. This week I'm on a low carb depleted diet as preparation getting closer to my show in April. What I have found is that every time my carb counting changes, my basal rate changes. I went from 11 units of lantus 2 weeks ago and experienced two days of low blood sugars so I went down to 9 units of lantus. That seemed to have worked well for me once I found the right amounts. This week I continued on Monday with 9 units of Lantus and I've experienced unexplained high blood sugar.

 

It's very frustrating, upsetting thinking what did I do wrong, and it affects my mood and sleep. What I have realized and learned as part of being an independent diabetic who knows how to properly increase or decrease my insulin, is that my blood sugar changes as I eat less carbs and do more cardio.

 

How do I treat myself independently? A must is wait two days to develop a pattern. Write EVERYTHING down form your carbs that you ate per meal to insulin to carb ratios, to insulin administered and the time of both that meal or blood sugar testing and activity level. After 2 days, you will have a clearer picture of what needs to be changed. Here is my blood sugar logs for the last two days.

 

What changes I have discovered is I need stronger lantus in the morning, so I've decided to increase my basal insulin from 9 units to 10 units. I gradually increase it. If I'm still high the next day, I will increase it to 11 units. One thing to emphasize is never make too many changes at once. If my blood sugars are still high in two days, I know my insulin to carb ratios needs to be changed. This is where I need my doctor’s assistance. I call in with my blood sugars and provide them with my weekly diet. Once I see a consistency, they help me in making changes.

 

I would love to hear your experiences with maintaining blood sugar and hemoglobin A1C with a nutrition plan and exercise – please scroll down and make a comment.

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