Extreme Hunger

[Matt9332]

Hello everybody,

As all of you may know, I just turned 14 and half way through puberty. But now I'm really struggling to not eat food. I am starving half the day, but my sugar isn't even low. At dinner time my BG was 162, not to bad, not to good. I had rice, curry quite a lot. I did my usual 10 units of Humolog. I ate at 7:30, and now it's just about 10PM and I checked my BG and it's 182. This really made me angry because I was looking forward to a cup of milk with some good old digestive cookies.

Now I'm left starving with a high glucose level, and I'm really getting sick of this.

[xMenace]

Do you not count carbs? Instead of matching food to your insulin, eat your heart out and match your insulin to your carbs. You are a growing boy. Eat!

Remember to stop the eating at the appropriate age or you'll develop type 2 diabetes as well. That would really suck ;)

[Matt9332]

Well, I'm currently not over-weight the doctor described me as "A little chubby" lol. But I don't usually count my carbs, I just like to eat till I'm full.

[xMenace]

Most of us count carbs and match our insulin to it. AT breakfast I take 1 unit of humalog for every 4 grams of carbs. AT lunch I don't need as much insulin and I only take 1 unit for every 10 grams of carbs. At dinner and in the evenings I take 1 unit per every 5 grams of carbs. It takes a bit of trial and error to find these rates, but once you do, you can eat!

Be aware that typically larger meals affect the ratios. You may need more insulin for larger meals than smaller ones.

[Matt9332]

How much insulin is needed for 2/pcs. of sliced bread without crust? and a piece of ham inside?

[xMenace]

How much insulin is needed for 2/pcs. of sliced bread without crust? and a piece of ham inside?

Bread is about 15g of carbs per slice, at least store bought in North America is. That would be 3 units for me at lunch but 7 at breakfast and 6 at dinner. No carbs in ham or butter.

A few people do inject for protein too. Generally they take much less, and if on a pump, extend it out longer. Most of us ignore 'regular' sized portions.

Rememeber everyone is different. My doses would kill people. You need to find your own.

[Matt9332]

The reason I'm asking about Sandwhiches and bread is because I tend to eat a lot of bread with ham for snacks and lunch. My dinners are huge and I will need at the least 90 Grams of carbs.

I feel I'm having a lot of trouble coping with my diet, I think I'm going to ask to see a dietion, even though I hate them I really think it's neccesary.

[xMenace]

I feel I'm having a lot of trouble coping with my diet, I think I'm going to ask to see a dietion, even though I hate them I really think it's neccesary.

Go slowly. Test a lot. The more you understand how you react to food and insulin, the better you can match them. A lot of discussions on this forum revolve around this matching game.

[UpNorth]

When you feel ready for it, try to adjust your doses to fit what you eat. It takes some trial and error, so always keep something sugary nearby:o If you can figure out your insulin:carb ration then you'll easily be able to eat until you feel full, and still have good numbers afterwards:)
It's not always 10 units of insulin is the right amount, sometimes you might need more, sometimes less. Something is definitely not right with your doses if you go around hungry most of the day, and still being high.

One thing though... Rice can really whack the sugars for some people. Some people might find that basmati rice or wholegrain works better for them. I eat normal sticky rice though, and i eat it very often, often cook chinese food at home:D Another thing i often do when having rice or pasta, which is rich in carbs, but quite slow, is that i take about 70-75% of my dose when eating, and the rest about 1h later. gives me a longer insulin peak at the same time as the amount of carbs get covered. It works quite well for me anyways:T

[Alice]

I think in the U.S., a lot of diabetic educators/doctors start people out at 1 unit of insulin for about 15 carbs...then they adjust up or down according to your own personal results.

I don't know if Thailand (is that where you live?) has nutrition labels, but here in U.S. most food grocery items are clearly marked which is a blessing to most of us!

If no nutritional labeling, then purchase a local book on nutrition counts. Breads will vary, some you will just have to guess-ti-mate.

Remember that if you need more insulin to cover your carb intake, then the ratio numbers get lower...1:5 is more insulin than 1:10 or 1:15.

Your weight has a lot to do with your carb metabolism. Everyone is different. Also, expect a slower curve with pasta, rice, potatoes, pizza. Some of those we split our dose, waiting about an hour between total.

You might also get a food scale...the one discussed here lately is a Salter that has a carb counting feature based on weighing foods...you can order from Amazon.

[Alice]

I did want to add: Blood glucose levels have very little to do with appetite. You can be starved and have a high level...and lack of appetite and have normal/low.

[Bunkins]

I feel ya, I'm 24 and under weight.. I eat all the time, if I slow down just a little bit my weight nose dives.. Eatting 120-140 grams of carbs for lunch is not uncommon for me, even then a hr or two later I'm starving again.. I try not to snack if I can help it, I just dont like taking the time to correct for it mostly, so I eat quite a bit during meals so that I'm not so hungry during the rest of the day.. If I do snack ( normally peanut butter samwiches, good stuff :D 2 of them helps me fill full for quite a while ), I know how much insulin I need for what I eat. Just check my BG before and about 1 1/2 hrs later..

My insulin to carb ratio is 1 unit to 20 grams, it's been really close to that for the almost 5 yrs I've been diabetic.. Once ya figure out what yours is, then it makes it SO MUCH easier, it is worth the trial and error figuring it out.. If you find yourself staying a tad high when not eatting, you could even increase your long lasting insulin, this is what I had to do to stay half way stable during the day..

[dan_o_89_rs]

This has really informed me... Good luck Matt.

[Jodie]

I am 18 and I feel hungry alot of the time but I try not to eat when I dont need to. I have all my meals and sometimes have snacks in between but I always feel hungry not sure if its the insulin that causes the hunger

[UpNorth]

High or low bloodsugar can affect the appetite, at least for me... I can feel pretty hungry if i'm high or low, but at the same time i can feel nauseaus then :s:

[aqualimestar]

Most of us count carbs and match our insulin to it. AT breakfast I take 1 unit of humalog for every 4 grams of carbs. AT lunch I don't need as much insulin and I only take 1 unit for every 10 grams of carbs. At dinner and in the evenings I take 1 unit per every 5 grams of carbs. It takes a bit of trial and error to find these rates, but once you do, you can eat!

Be aware that typically larger meals affect the ratios. You may need more insulin for larger meals than smaller ones.

Wow, and I thought I was insulin sensitive in the morning! My doctors made a huge deal out of the fact that I need a 1u-8g for breakfast... I guess it isn't uncommon to need quite a bit more insulin in the AM :)

[xMenace]

Yesterday I did around 30u for both a nasty high (failed set) and a big company breakfast.

[UpNorth]

This is really both annoying, inconvenient and simply just a pain in the backside... but for the past few days i've been very hungry before sleep :eek: I've been known to eat A LOT at 1am or something like that this week :o I really have no idea why... but what the heck... nothing a few of units of Novorapid can't handle :T Though i take a unit or 2 less than i'd take in daytime, to not risk going low overnight... Guess you could call this extreme hunger too :s: I normally don't feel hungry before sleep...

[Nikky]

Matt, also remember that you are 14.. Bless all the little cotton sox in the world if Diabetes made sence and acted like you wished and hoped it would at 14 :o