# Under-eating for the level of exercise a.k.a overdoing it - a T2 newbie error?



## Jerry (Aug 27, 2021)

Hi all,

I made a massive mistake last weekend walking in Savernake Forest - I ate to my normal low excercise calorie level, but burned nearly 3 times that walking for hours non-stop in the rain (still enjoyed it). As a result I have had very low energy levels for a few days, and, frankly, felt like, erm, 'unwell'!

Foolishly, I didn't get the testing kit out and test my blood sugar. I'm on metformin 2 x 500mg twice a day (which in itself shouldn't cause hypo's) so only normally do blood sugar tests once a week for my own reference.

Apart from the (now very) obvious lesson that I should eat enough to fuel my activity and keep my blood suger levels within the right range, I would be very interested to hear of other people's experiences/views.

Many thanks in advance


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## Drummer (Aug 27, 2021)

Metformin reduced the ability of the liver to release glucose - I had to give up on the tablets as they made me so ill, but I am glad that I did as I can push myself to do more. It seems that you were lucky not to run out of steam during your hike.


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## East Riding Adventurer (Jan 29, 2022)

Very interesting post. I have just been prescribed metformin (yesterday) I am an outdoor activity instructor so often do long days out on walks or canoe trips etc. The last walk I did I completely ran out of energy and was in pain by the end. Interesting to read the side effects of metformin and things I will need to watch for in the future.


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## Jerry (Jan 29, 2022)

6 months on from my post, and I have learned to eat to my activity level, and to make sure that I am eating a balanced diet with enough slow release carbs , and it appears to be working! I haven't run out of steam, have reduced my weight by 18%, brought my hba1c down to 33mol/mmol, and, with the agreement of my gp, cut my metformin dose to 1 ×500mg once a day.

Still walking and hiking as much as I can.


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## Chris Hobson (Jan 29, 2022)

When I was first diagnosed I was thought to be type one and was put on insulin. I used to get the occasional mild hypo and always carried glucose tablets which worked very quickly. After coming off the insulin I used linagliptin and only ever had one hypo. I had done the Dales Duathlon in the morning, had had a very light midday meal and was mowing the lawn. Test showed my BG level was below 3, I downed some glucose tabs and quickly recovered. Now, during the summer, I sometimes cycle twelve miles to the gym, swim a couple of k and then cycle home. I have a couple of cereal bars before starting the ride home.


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## andyp64 (Feb 26, 2022)

I'm finding the "running out of steam" issue a problem myself.  What would anyone suggest to eat for the aforementioned "slow release carbs"?  I worry that something like a banana will cause a spike then a crash of energy level.


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## Drummer (Feb 26, 2022)

andyp64 said:


> I'm finding the "running out of steam" issue a problem myself.  What would anyone suggest to eat for the aforementioned "slow release carbs"?  I worry that something like a banana will cause a spike then a crash of energy level.


It would.
Are you inhibiting your liver by taking Metformin? It totally incapacitated me for the few weeks I took it and a statin.


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## Chris Hobson (Feb 27, 2022)

_Slow release carbs? Try my Oatibix porridge recipe. _
*https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/porridge-made-from-oatibix.98438/*


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