# viktorya1986 - weight loss and exercise



## viktorya1986 (Feb 21, 2013)

I started the diet 5 weeks ago as well as exercise 3 days a week and have had no weight loss so far  I have not had any issues with an upset stomach but I do have the opposite problem generally anyway. I recently put on alot of weight due to giving up smoking and binge eating and am desperate to loose weight but im not sure how to do it as a diabetic, any tips? Logically in my mind, when I start exercising all I am going to do is work off the glucose in my system followed by a hypo so am therefore topping up my glucose before going so realy defeating the object


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## Northerner (Feb 21, 2013)

viktorya1986 said:


> I started the diet 5 weeks ago as well as exercise 3 days a week and have had no weight loss so far  I have not had any issues with an upset stomach but I do have the opposite problem generally anyway. I recently put on alot of weight due to giving up smoking and binge eating and am desperate to loose weight but im not sure how to do it as a diabetic, any tips? Logically in my mind, when I start exercising all I am going to do is work off the glucose in my system followed by a hypo so am therefore topping up my glucose before going so realy defeating the object



Hi Viktorya, welcome to the forum  What insulin regime are you on?


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## viktorya1986 (Feb 21, 2013)

Thankyou :-D im on levemir twice a day and novo rapid (carb counting)


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## Northerner (Feb 22, 2013)

viktorya1986 said:


> Thankyou :-D im on levemir twice a day and novo rapid (carb counting)



If you are hypoing when you exercise then you need to look at the adjusting the timing and dosage of your insulin to try and avoid it. This is far from easy, but you can minimise the lows in time. Also, bear in mind that exercise doesn't just burn off glucose whilst you are doing it - it will make you much more insulin sensitive and you will be able to lower your doses overall if you can keep to a regular routine. Lower insulin doses should also help you control your weight 

Have you been diagnosed long?


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## viktorya1986 (Feb 22, 2013)

At the moment I am either letting my sugars run higher from lunch  before going gym after work (which makes me feel rather rubbish in the afternoon) or have fruit juice or a cereal bar just before going  to boost my sugar up (therefore adding more carbs/cals to my day to work off) but im not sure how else to go about it.i want to work off the weight i already have  Diagnosed nearly 11 years ago,i have recently moved so not up and running with diabetic team and called diabetes UK for advice who recommended this site to pick brains :-D


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## Northerner (Feb 22, 2013)

viktorya1986 said:


> At the moment I am either letting my sugars run higher from lunch  before going gym after work (which makes me feel rather rubbish in the afternoon) or have fruit juice or a cereal bar just before going  to boost my sugar up (therefore adding more carbs/cals to my day to work off) but im not sure how else to go about it.i want to work off the weight i already have  Diagnosed nearly 11 years ago,i have recently moved so not up and running with diabetic team and called diabetes UK for advice who recommended this site to pick brains :-D



Do you adjust your insulin before and after exercise? I know some people who have to significantly reduce their insulin before commencing exercise, and/or reduce their consequent doses as the exercise can have an effect  for many hours afterwards. It's a tricky business though, as it is a very individual thing. Personally, I find the best approach for me is to inject and eat around 60-120 mins before the planned exercise. For me, my levels are likely to stay steady or even rise for any period of exercise up to around an hour (I'm a runner), then start falling gradually so if I want to do more I need to top up with 5-10g carbs every 15-30 mins. My subsequent meal doses, however, will need reducing by around 20% to prevent me falling low in the hours after exercising.

If you could let us know what your normal schedule is i.e. when you inject, how long after eating/injecting you exercise, if you adjust your doses etc. then we might be able to make some suggestions. 

I found the book Diabetic Athlete's Handbook very useful for working out what to do when exercising. The website http://www.runsweet.com/ also has lots of useful information


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## viktorya1986 (Feb 22, 2013)

My daily routine is 14 u levemir first thing with breakfast of 25g carbs at 8am and 1 unit for every 5 grams of carbohydrate, at lunchtime (1pm) I will have around 80g carbs again 1 unit to 5 grams and evening meal (7pm) I will estimate my insulin between 8 - 16 units depending on what I eat and 12 u levemir before bed.

  On my exercise days I will exercise at 5pm. I am taking normal insulin etc and then having a juice or cereal bar on my way to the gym to ensure my sugars are around 16mmol before I start exercise (45 mins aerobic exercise at the gym) and my sugar tends to be around 5mmol when I finish and I dont seem to have any problems going hypo unless my starting sugar isnt up to at least 16mmol. 

My biggest issue that I am finding it very difficult to get my head around is that I have excess weight that I want to loose so.... for a normal person you will eat less, go to the gym and your body will release the stored glucose you already have in your system to burn off and maintain you through your exercise thus loosing weight eventually. How does this work for me? All I am seeing is that I ensure I have a higher blood sugar, work that off at the gym and therefore have not worked any of the 'stored' energy off thus not loosing weight becuase logically once I have worked off the sugar from the 16 mmol down to 5mmol im only going to end up going low if i continue. Im sure (I hope) there is a straight forward answer but its not clear to me  

I will take a look at those for more information too, thanks


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## Northerner (Feb 22, 2013)

viktorya1986 said:


> My daily routine is 14 u levemir first thing with breakfast of 25g carbs at 8am and 1 unit for every 5 grams of carbohydrate, at lunchtime (1pm) I will have around 80g carbs again 1 unit to 5 grams and evening meal (7pm) I will estimate my insulin between 8 - 16 units depending on what I eat and 12 u levemir before bed.
> 
> On my exercise days I will exercise at 5pm. I am taking normal insulin etc and then having a juice or cereal bar on my way to the gym to ensure my sugars are around 16mmol before I start exercise (45 mins aerobic exercise at the gym) and my sugar tends to be around 5mmol when I finish and I dont seem to have any problems going hypo unless my starting sugar isnt up to at least 16mmol.
> 
> ...



How many hours are between your lunchtime injection and your exercise? You should not have to push your levels up to 16 in order to prevent going hypo - this is actually potentially dangerous as exercising with high blood sugars can lead to levels increasing and DKA. If your levels are dropping off significantly during exercise, this is likely to be due to you having too much insulin in circulation which is causing your levels to fall away so quickly. Instead of eating/drinking extra carbs before exercising it might be an idea to change your lunchtime ratio so you have less insulin for the carbs you consume - this should mean your levels are higher prior to exercising (with no extra carbs) but you will also have less insulin circulating and hopefully that would mean less of a drop as a consequence of the exercise.

So, if you reduce your lunchtime bolus and aim to be around 8-10 mmol/l prior to exercising, then see what you are afterwards. You might want to test during the exercise too so you can get an idea of what is going on.

It will take a bit of experimenting and lots of testing, but once you've settled on something more suitable than your current methods then you can stick with that or fine tune things.


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## viktorya1986 (Feb 22, 2013)

it is 4 hours between lunch and exercise. I have tried to reduce my lunchtime insulin and subsequently allow my blood sugar to be higher before exercise but it is pushing my sugars up too high making me feel unwell in between lunch and exercise. Going into exercise anything below 16 (eg today I went in at 12) results in hypo (bearing in mind also that my sugars are generally high anyway so at 16 its not particularly high for me) however I will certainly try what your suggesting and not allowing my sugar to go quite so high, thanks. Although you are being very helpful, what I am really getting at his how to loose weight not controlling my blood sugars for exercise. As I said I cant get my head around how to use the stores I have on board already?



Northerner said:


> How many hours are between your lunchtime injection and your exercise? You should not have to push your levels up to 16 in order to prevent going hypo - this is actually potentially dangerous as exercising with high blood sugars can lead to levels increasing and DKA. If your levels are dropping off significantly during exercise, this is likely to be due to you having too much insulin in circulation which is causing your levels to fall away so quickly. Instead of eating/drinking extra carbs before exercising it might be an idea to change your lunchtime ratio so you have less insulin for the carbs you consume - this should mean your levels are higher prior to exercising (with no extra carbs) but you will also have less insulin circulating and hopefully that would mean less of a drop as a consequence of the exercise.
> 
> So, if you reduce your lunchtime bolus and aim to be around 8-10 mmol/l prior to exercising, then see what you are afterwards. You might want to test during the exercise too so you can get an idea of what is going on.
> 
> It will take a bit of experimenting and lots of testing, but once you've settled on something more suitable than your current methods then you can stick with that or fine tune things.


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## Northerner (Feb 23, 2013)

viktorya1986 said:


> it is 4 hours between lunch and exercise. I have tried to reduce my lunchtime insulin and subsequently allow my blood sugar to be higher before exercise but it is pushing my sugars up too high making me feel unwell in between lunch and exercise. Going into exercise anything below 16 (eg today I went in at 12) results in hypo (bearing in mind also that my sugars are generally high anyway so at 16 its not particularly high for me) however I will certainly try what your suggesting and not allowing my sugar to go quite so high, thanks. Although you are being very helpful, what I am really getting at his how to loose weight not controlling my blood sugars for exercise. As I said I cant get my head around how to use the stores I have on board already?



Hi, I moved these posts out to a separate thread as they have moved away from the original 

If your levels are generally on the high side, then it is important that you tackle this problem and try not to focus too much on the weight-loss at the moment, I think. Those persistently high levels will do you more harm in time than the extra weight you are carrying. I think if you can get better control generally then you will be able to exercise more efficiently and this in turn will help raise your metabolism and start losing weight. As I mentioned earlier, you will not only burn the glucose needed to perform the exercise session, but your body will continue to burn energy at an increased level for many hours beyond the session, so it is not a simple case of energy in/energy out  

What would a typical day be like for you in terms of meals, insulin doses and BG readings? Perhaps you could try having a low-carb lunch so that you need less insulin for it - with less circulating insulin you are less likely to drop low, plus your body will be using more fat for energy.


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## megga (Feb 23, 2013)

Hi just like you i wanted to loose weight, but i first got my blood sugars under control, the way i see it, when your blood sugars are all over the place, its quite tricky getting them under control, and when you exercise its another thing to get used to, then the diet. so what i did was first sort out my blood sugars and understand whats going on with food and my body.
Then the diet came easy, as i already started understanding food a bit more. The the exercise bit is a whole new ball game, but you will get there.
You have given up smoking, so thats a massive first step, and not an easy one. As northerner said, 16 is quite high to exercise, your body cant use the insulin when exercising correctly. My Diabetic nurse told me it can cause Ketones, this i know nothing about, but i dont start exercising if my blood sugars are below 7 or above 12.


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## viktorya1986 (Feb 24, 2013)

Thanks. What do you mean when you say have less insulin circulating? My understanding is ...at lunch, for example, I will be around 7mmol and have 80g carbs and take 16u novo rapid which will ensure 2 hours later my sugars will again be around 7mmol and from what I have been told, all that insulin will have done its job after 2 hours and will no longer affect my sugars? Or are you meaning say eat 50g carbs and take 10u novo rapid which will do the same job but I have taken less? Sorry, I had got my routine sorted very well and now im trying to change things and incorporate exercise and diet its all a bit new to me! 

Many thanks



Northerner said:


> Hi, I moved these posts out to a separate thread as they have moved away from the original
> 
> If your levels are generally on the high side, then it is important that you tackle this problem and try not to focus too much on the weight-loss at the moment, I think. Those persistently high levels will do you more harm in time than the extra weight you are carrying. I think if you can get better control generally then you will be able to exercise more efficiently and this in turn will help raise your metabolism and start losing weight. As I mentioned earlier, you will not only burn the glucose needed to perform the exercise session, but your body will continue to burn energy at an increased level for many hours beyond the session, so it is not a simple case of energy in/energy out
> 
> What would a typical day be like for you in terms of meals, insulin doses and BG readings? Perhaps you could try having a low-carb lunch so that you need less insulin for it - with less circulating insulin you are less likely to drop low, plus your body will be using more fat for energy.


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## Northerner (Feb 24, 2013)

viktorya1986 said:


> Thanks. What do you mean when you say have less insulin circulating? My understanding is ...at lunch, for example, I will be around 7mmol and have 80g carbs and take 16u novo rapid which will ensure 2 hours later my sugars will again be around 7mmol and from what I have been told, all that insulin will have done its job after 2 hours and will no longer affect my sugars? Or are you meaning say eat 50g carbs and take 10u novo rapid which will do the same job but I have taken less? Sorry, I had got my routine sorted very well and now im trying to change things and incorporate exercise and diet its all a bit new to me!
> 
> Many thanks



Novorapid will be active in your body for up to 5 hours after injecting - it may peak at 2 hours, but there will still be some circulating for at least two or three hours afterwards, so I think whoever told you it will all be done by two hours is very misinformed. Some insulins do act more quickly, e.g. Apidra, but certainly not novorapid. In the case you mention, if I was 7 at two hours after injecting then depending on what I have eaten there's every possibility I would be having a hypo at 3 or 4 hours. If my food was very low GI then it might keep levels steady.

Perhaps this is the key to your problems? No need to apologise viktorya, this stuff can be very complicated, so keep up with the questions!


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## viktorya1986 (Feb 24, 2013)

I do love how 11 years on I am still learning things that I would expect to be basic information I should be told by the diabetic team, haha. That certainly does make alot more sense, I shall reduce my ratio and see how I get on although my concern is the time from eating to the exercise will mean a higher blood sugar. Whilst at work I am particularly strict with keeping my sugars below 10 as anything above makes me feel ill  My typical lunch would be a sandwich, cereal bar and apple so not particularly low GI? 





Northerner said:


> Novorapid will be active in your body for up to 5 hours after injecting - it may peak at 2 hours, but there will still be some circulating for at least two or three hours afterwards, so I think whoever told you it will all be done by two hours is very misinformed. Some insulins do act more quickly, e.g. Apidra, but certainly not novorapid. In the case you mention, if I was 7 at two hours after injecting then depending on what I have eaten there's every possibility I would be having a hypo at 3 or 4 hours. If my food was very low GI then it might keep levels steady.
> 
> Perhaps this is the key to your problems? No need to apologise viktorya, this stuff can be very complicated, so keep up with the questions!


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## Northerner (Feb 24, 2013)

viktorya1986 said:


> I do love how 11 years on I am still learning things that I would expect to be basic information I should be told by the diabetic team, haha. That certainly does make alot more sense, I shall reduce my ratio and see how I get on although my concern is the time from eating to the exercise will mean a higher blood sugar. Whilst at work I am particularly strict with keeping my sugars below 10 as anything above makes me feel ill  My typical lunch would be a sandwich, cereal bar and apple so not particularly low GI?



I think you need to experiment (flipping diabetes imposing 'patience' on people!) so reducing your ratio would be a good first step to see how it affects you. Reducing your carbs and therefore your doses might also help, as I find smaller doses are more predictable in their action. Let us know how things go!


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