Low carbing but still spiking

[Rekarb]

I'm low carb - under 50 a day. I get plenty of exercise and my BMI is 21. Yet, I see spikes that average about 170 when I eat. I get down after 2 hours to about 100-110. Need to deal with these spikes.

I'm going to see my endo and I need methods or meds to discuss. Chime in with any and everything, I'm open to all suggestions.

Mike

[jtausch]

you could look at what type of carbs your eating to see if different foods react differently or you might want to try insulin a fast acting just a idea

[ShottleBop]

I agree with jtausch--it would help to know what kind of carbs you're eating. Fast-acting carbs--even though small in quantity--could be causing the spikes.

[warrenav]

Assuming the metformin (actosplusmet) is beneficial for you like it is for me, 850mg is not that high a daily dose. My endo doesn't like actos. Many on the board are taking 1500mg or 2000mg metformin per day. I'm currently low carb, BMI ~19 and taking 1500mg/day. Occasionally spike some when I eat an extra bit of carbs or have higher stress, but generally well behaved.

Warren.

[cyberus]

Yeah .. its not just how many but what carbs.

I can chow 15-25g of any cabbage family veg and nary a twitch on the meter ....

... a slice of deli rye bread @18g and ZOOOM! up she goes

[enigmalady777]

Rye bread, french bread, white bread. These will all spike me to Pluto.

And it's true that the type of carbs matters as much as the amount.

[Rekarb]

I've pretty much given up anything white or if I do try a very thin slice of bread it is loaded with butter and cheese.

I find spikes with things like green smoothies. I first started with an avocado, kale and a banana. Nope. Tried substituting grapes for the banana. Nope. Tried putting blueberries in instead. Nope. Skipped the fruit altogether, still spiked! It's like I have Bernsteins "Chinese restaurant syndrome" without getting full.

No, I'm pretty much a meat, vegetables and cheese kind of guy and all that stuff gets cooked in butter.

These aren't long lasting spikes. I go up and come down in about 1.5 hours. It's just that my body seems very slow initially reacting to food.

Yeah, I'm thinking about insulin and also Symlin right now. I don't mind injecting if it will keep the bgs under 140.

Mike

Please keep the ideas coming.

[dbc]

These aren't long lasting spikes. I go up and come down in about 1.5 hours. It's just that my body seems very slow initially reacting to food.

Yeah, I'm thinking about insulin and also Symlin right now. I don't mind injecting if it will keep the bgs under 140.

Seems like maybe your honeymoon is coming to an end? As a T1.5 you're pretty much guaranteed to have to use insulin sometime - maybe sooner rather than later? And "progressing" to insulin gives you much more direct control of bg.

[Rekarb]

Assuming the metformin (actosplusmet) is beneficial for you like it is for me, 850mg is not that high a daily dose. My endo doesn't like actos. Many on the board are taking 1500mg or 2000mg metformin per day. I'm currently low carb, BMI ~19 and taking 1500mg/day. Occasionally spike some when I eat an extra bit of carbs or have higher stress, but generally well behaved.

Warren.

I don't like actos either and I going to get off it. The met seems to be doing its job. My A1c is down to 5.8. I'm still having those bathroom moments and I don't know if I could handle that much met. Plus another part of my thinking is to try to directly address the problem as much as possible. If I didn't have these spikes, my A1c would probably be below 5 so I figure to fine tune my regimen to get at that particular problem.

What really drives me crazy sometimes is the thought that I just don't know what this stuff is doing in my body. I figure if I'm injecting at a particular time for a particular situation I have more control. Of course, this could be another diabetic illusion too.

So am I crazy to take this point of view?

Mike

[Rekarb]

Seems like maybe your honeymoon is coming to an end? As a T1.5 you're pretty much guaranteed to have to use insulin sometime - maybe sooner rather than later? And "progressing" to insulin gives you much more direct control of bg.

Honeymoon! I haven't even had time to pick out the tux!

But levity aside, I don't have any antibodies and my baseline bgs are still going down. My endo says that some t1s don't show antibodies so I shouldn't fixate on that. He is going to run a c-pep to see if it has gone up. If it has, I've got time to pick out a tux and a caterer.

Mike

[warrenav]

I don't like actos either and I going to get off it. The met seems to be doing its job. My A1c is down to 5.8. I'm still having those bathroom moments and I don't know if I could handle that much met. Plus another part of my thinking is to try to directly address the problem as much as possible. If I didn't have these spikes, my A1c would probably be below 5 so I figure to fine tune my regimen to get at that particular problem.

How tight your control goal is can be something of a tradeoff. After demonstating reasonable control (A1c=6.0) on low carb, my endo was happy to either leave me on meds or give a prescription for insulin. There would be advantages to both. I chose to stay on the met mostly to avoid ever worrying about lows and constant testing. My testing is not required most of the time... mostly just a couple times a day to keep track of how things are going, unless testing a new food. Folks at work don't know I'm diabetic since they don't need to.

But adding insulin could help keep tighter control, and for me it would actually help me *gain* weight. Metformin still plays a part in the bathroom, but is much less of an issue after cutting back from 2000 to 1500mg (I do suggest the ER/XR versions of met!). Finally, there are arguments about preserving beta function. That hasn't yet (over 10 yrs) seemed to play that much of a role in my D, and may not if reasonable control is maintained.

But I certainly think aiming for your best control is worthwhile!

Warren.

[Dis-N-Dat]

50 g per day???!!! I'd still be back to 260 bg if I in-took that many carbs. I'm not sure what kind of carbs your taking in. Heck for all I know your net carbs may be less than half that.

Fill us in with some greater diet detail please. I think we'd be able to help a bit more.

(Oh yeah, wlecome to DF!)

[ramon]

Carbohydrate-rich foods instructed to remove in the carbohydrate-reduced diet

Staple foods
rice, bread, corn, spaghetti, noodle made of wheat or buckwheat, potato, sweet potato, taro and yam

Fruits
pear, apple, persimmon, mikan, orange, grapefruit, peach, grape, melon, water melon, banana, pine apple and Japanese chestnut, etc.

Vegetables
carrot, Indian lotus, pumpkin and autumn squash

Confectioneries


Drink
beverages containing sugar, glucose and fructose, and milk

Alcohol
brew: sake, beer and wine (Distilled liquor was not restricted.)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ramon]

Im exprementing with a shot of Crown Royal with each meal and experiance a lot less spikes. My spikes for tonite went from87-101 which is pretty **** good for me.

[yannah]

I would not drink that much alcohol while taking met.

and I am under 50 carbs a day and doing well. but I don't eat the things that I know spike me.