Do you eat up the best?

[It Ain't Over]

Had an interesting conversation with a co- worker this morning. Her spouse is a type 1 and has some problems, as we all do. She said when he gets low in the middle of the night he goes straight to the ice cream, best deserts, candies, whatever. She asked why don't he just drink that crappy juice we never touch? He doesn't remember it anyway!
I thought that was incitefull. I know I am guilty of this as well.
Last night woke up with 32, went straight for the MochaI Ice Cream. I was drawn to it like a fly is drawn to a flame. I really didn't know it until I recovered and looked at the melting container of Dreyers sitting there.
Do you find that is the case with lows as well? I think I feel shorted with the T1 and take advantage of the lows to sample the best, even if something else would do.

[Cormac_Doyle]

When I'm low, I subconsciously grab the sweetest/most carb-rich food available ... and if it's bad, I typically have no self control over how much I eat either ... before now I've eaten an entire large (263g) tube of pringles!

Ice cream is definitely another draw ...

[soso]

I will eat chocolate, which I know is not the best fix..I have the glucose tabs right there... I will start with a couple of those, if it is really low though..
I am not bad on the stopping before I eat the whole thing, but true enough, the lower I am the more I just want to survive and find it hard to stop.. 15g? hahaha... not likely....

[poodlebone]

When I could actually feel my lows I would also go for the stuff that probably wasn't ideal for treating lows. You panic, you go for the stuff you know has carbs even if that means ice cream and cookies! I one stumbled to the kitchen with a bad low and opened the freezer. I had "sugar free" ice cream in there and got a spoon. That stuff really does raise my BG, and now slowly. I went back to bed and felt better very soon.

Now that I don't feel lows and I don't get the panicky feelings, I find I'm better at what I use although I do still make bad choices. I really like lollipops and they do raise my BG, but they take too long to eat and really aren't the best choice. When it's really low I do grab the glucose tabs but when it's not dangerous yet (for me, that means under 40) I go for the lollipops. Tootsie Pops are my favorite. I do use Dum Dums for mild lows.

[alicat61]

:) Hi,
I always feel treating a low is the time when I get to have that chocolate bar or piece of mud cake and not feel guilty:D
A glucose lolly to me is a waste of oppitunity for chocolate:D

[owlyn]

I used to do the same thing, and the regretted it after. I have since found that an apple does the trick quite vicely and VERY quickly. I'm rarely craving anything afterwards. Most apples are about 22g of carb. I keep a supply of either Pink Ladies or Honeycrisps around.

[Gary_W]

In the bad old days, my typical hypo treatment was to empty the fridge. I would justify it by saying that I couldn't really eat it normally so I may as well take advantage when I 'have to'.

Result - weight gain plus huge overshoots.

These days, the worst I'll do is have tea with a spoonful of sugar and a biscuit (small, less sweet version of a cookie with typically 8-12g of carbs). Usually, though, it's OJ or glucose tabs.

Yes, I eat decent icecream or the occasional cake, but I do it as part of a meal and I bolus for it. It tastes so much better when you don't have that delightful metalic taste in your mouth that I get when I'm hypo. I'd rather have the good stuff when I'm stone cold sover and can enjoy it properly.

[TenderVittleS]

Not anymore. The rollercoaster affect ruined my day and made me feel like **** more than the actual low BS. I would always overeat, feel good for about an hour or so, then the rest of the day was battling the ups and downs and getting extremely pised off!!! Now its just juice for me. Half the battle of having a low is to not "freak" out like the world is ending.

[KCP]

Its so hard not to freak when you feel like your about to faint tho ;)

Now a days i stick to one sante bar. It works well for me.. and I get chocolate too :D

[EeyoreButterfly]

Its so hard not to freak when you feel like your about to faint tho ;)

Now a days i stick to one sante bar. It works well for me.. and I get chocolate too :D

I hit 45 when I did the OGTT and honestly felt like I was going to pass out. I have not had a Frozen Mocha at panera in forever, but I did that day! I just wish I could have enjoyed it more, it's one of my all time favorite foods but I just cannot justify the points or the carbs anymore. :(

[drummingfool]

Peanut butter... my weakness. :)

[BigcityRich]

Not anymore. The rollercoaster affect ruined my day and made me feel like **** more than the actual low BS.

Ditto

"DURING A LOW, YOU NEED TREATMENT, NOT A TREAT".

I simply do not buy Ice cream and cookies and chips and other nasties. Treats are not an option for me.

I used to go for a glass of milk for a low, but now I only have low carb, low sugar fake milk stuff.

I always have grape glucose tabs in the house and I always have the small apple juice boxes for the occasional low.

It may be more of a panic for type 1 folks, I dont know.

[KCP]

Yea, i know that when i am hypo (which happens ALOT) i get sick of treating them. I mean i have at least a hypo every second day, and its not because i need to look at my dosages or anything, before anyone says so. Its because i keep such a stringent line that i stick a little too close to the line sometimes and my hormone levels and excersise push me down. SO, sure, i need treatment. But beleive me, after 17 years im a little sick of treatment :P

[Mich]

Sorry to say, the really good stuff just doesn't do the job for me either.

Glucose tabs for me. Two 4 gram tabs raise my bs about 35-40 points--but I have to wait about 10-15 minutes. Not fun during the wait, I just have to be aware of how I am feeling. If my bs was on its way down lower, I may need one or even two more tabs.

Afterward, I have to test a lot to correct with insulin if my liver dumped.

Do "normal" people ever have this much fun? :T

Mich

[EeyoreButterfly]

I normally use tabs, but in the incident posted above, I had run out and forgotten to put more in my purse. At that point, I just needed something and fast!

[Subby]

Had an interesting conversation with a co- worker this morning. Her spouse is a type 1 and has some problems, as we all do. She said when he gets low in the middle of the night he goes straight to the ice cream, best deserts, candies, whatever. She asked why don't he just drink that crappy juice we never touch? He doesn't remember it anyway!
I thought that was inciteful. I know I am guilty of this as well.
Last night woke up with 32, went straight for the MochaI Ice Cream. I was drawn to it like a fly is drawn to a flame. I really didn't know it until I recovered and looked at the melting container of Dreyers sitting there.
Do you find that is the case with lows as well? I think I feel shorted with the T1 and take advantage of the lows to sample the best, even if something else would do.

I used to be like this, and now and then will still be opportunistic. But by and large I try not to do it. 1) it associates lows with eating something nice which is kind of masochistic I think and 2) a low should be treated in a very controlled manner. I sure know any "fun" foods like chocolate icecream I will no way stop at a serving of 15g energy - not with ravaging cravings from a low. No way! And this inevitable overeating just means rebounds and troubles. And I suspect sometimes we know that it might lead to a rebound low down the track... giving chance to eat more ice cream... etc etc

So that's me. Maybe others can happily have such things around and "wait" for a low and only have very small portions. You'd want to be very clear that you can handle this. For me I think it's a recipe for trouble.

One thing that I will say helps is to find a hypo fix that isn't too unpleasant. Does the diabetic in trouble just not like the juice? Make it something that's pleasant enough, but not addictive/decadent, and chances are better that it will be utilised and the habit will be formed.

I found the small Poppers tropical juice which is a really nice juice and a perfect 15g tetra pack. Others may prefer other things. Just something you get along with - not tabs if you hate them (I don't like them myself - but I do have the glucose powder for hypos at home and eat 3 teaspoons, that works well).

If a diabetic really must treat themselves to things they wouldn't normally eat, much better to bolus for it and try and eat an amount you are happy with (but not too much), and just be responsible about it.

[KCP]

I mean, we dont have lots of suagr laden foods at my house. not at all! and I will occaisionally have a chocolate for a treat as well and Bolus for it. I just know it works for me.
I tried glucose powder, ive tried barley sugars, glucose tabs. I end up having to eat the entire packet before i see any results!
SO sante bars it is. Why? cos they work for me :)

[GretchO]

I used to over indulge on lows, but like others have said it's not nearly as much fun as eating the same stuff when you can actually taste it. What the H causes that weird metallic taste when you're low anyway?

I use juice boxes...buy them by the case at Sam's (Apple & Eve, the little ones). They work quickly, the same as glucose tabs (for me anyway).

[mell1682]

Peanut butter... my weakness. :)

Mine too :) We ALWAYS have PB around for my hypos, I put in on bread and drink a little tiny bit of regular pop/soda/carbonated beverage and it does the trick rather nicely without shooting me through the roof. I have gotten a lot better about treating and not overdoing things but in the past I used to empty the kitchen to fix a hypo, then I'd get so high I'd take insulin and wait and go low and start the cycle all over again.