[thcri]

Just found this site looking for an answer to a question I have. But first an introduction and then I will try and continue my search to answer my question.

I am 54 years old and last March I was diagnosed diabetic. I entered the hospital via the emergency room due to an obstruction in my upper intestinal track. This is about the third time this has happened to me and is due to some previous surgery causing scar tissue. You want pain this is extremely painful and you are put out for one to two days. Anyway while there my glucose was around 385 and my 3 month average was around 240. I was started immediately on three fast acting and one slow release shot per day. I had to take shots due to the pills normally plugging people up.

Now I always knew I was going to get Type II diabetes as it ran on my dad's side and my mother's side and my weight being up at 300. I left the hospital with the decision to change. I immediately started eating right and was able to stop taking the three fast acting shots per day. On May 7th I stopped taking the nightly slow release shots as my Glucose levels were staying below 85 and even after not taking the shots I am staying below 100. My Ab1c last month was 5.7. On June 17th I pulled my old bike out and started riding it and have ridden over 1200 miles since and plan on ridding more. But Minnesota is not advantages for riding in the winter so I joined a health club. I am now down to 222 pounds or 75 pounds lost since last March and feel great. I am 6' tall and would still like to get down under 200 before the bike riding season starts next spring but it is getting tougher every day to lose any weight. But I know my body is changing even though I am not losing much which is good.

But the reason I went looking and found this place is whenever I work out my Glucose shoots up, way up. This morning I got up at 5:00am and my glucose was 89. I didn't eat anything, only drank water and I worked out hard for 1-1/2 hours and after that my glucose was 119. I thought working out was supposed to lower your glucose?? This is not the first time I have noticed this. When riding extensively on longer trips I take Shot Blockers with me and take one every 1/2 hour which seems to prevent me from dropping too low. So anyway I plan on doing some searching here to find my answers.

Thanks for listening to me.

 

[lawprop]

Just found this site looking for an answer to a question I have. But first an introduction and then I will try and continue my search to answer my question.

I am 54 years old and last March I was diagnosed diabetic. I entered the hospital via the emergency room due to an obstruction in my upper intestinal track. This is about the third time this has happened to me and is due to some previous surgery causing scar tissue. You want pain this is extremely painful and you are put out for one to two days. Anyway while there my glucose was around 385 and my 3 month average was around 240. I was started immediately on three fast acting and one slow release shot per day. I had to take shots due to the pills normally plugging people up.

Now I always knew I was going to get Type II diabetes as it ran on my dad's side and my mother's side and my weight being up at 300. I left the hospital with the decision to change. I immediately started eating right and was able to stop taking the three fast acting shots per day. On May 7th I stopped taking the nightly slow release shots as my Glucose levels were staying below 85 and even after not taking the shots I am staying below 100. My Ab1c last month was 5.7. On June 17th I pulled my old bike out and started riding it and have ridden over 1200 miles since and plan on ridding more. But Minnesota is not advantages for riding in the winter so I joined a health club. I am now down to 222 pounds or 75 pounds lost since last March and feel great. I am 6' tall and would still like to get down under 200 before the bike riding season starts next spring but it is getting tougher every day to lose any weight. But I know my body is changing even though I am not losing much which is good.

But the reason I went looking and found this place is whenever I work out my Glucose shoots up, way up. This morning I got up at 5:00am and my glucose was 89. I didn't eat anything, only drank water and I worked out hard for 1-1/2 hours and after that my glucose was 119. I thought working out was supposed to lower your glucose?? This is not the first time I have noticed this. When riding extensively on longer trips I take Shot Blockers with me and take one every 1/2 hour which seems to prevent me from dropping too low. So anyway I plan on doing some searching here to find my answers.

Thanks for listening to me.

Hi Thcri,

Welcome to the forum

Well done on the lifestyle change. You are obviously getting in control of your diabetes.

When you exercise hard for a long period of time your muscles start demanding more and more energy. Your body starts to produce more glucose from your liver to meet the demand. This would happen to anyone regardless of diabetes as it is a natural process your body goes through but as you are insulin resistant it can increase the effect. You are still making it easier for the insulin to do it's job by exercising though.

Try eating some protein before and immediately after exercising. It will counter the effects and help refuel your muscles. If you don't get the fuel to exercise balance right you will get big spikes and lows. It's a personal eat to your meter thing that will quickly become aparent and see your levels stabalising.

 

[breezeonby]

Just found this site looking for an answer to a question I have. But first an introduction and then I will try and continue my search to answer my question.

I am 54 years old and last March I was diagnosed diabetic. I entered the hospital via the emergency room due to an obstruction in my upper intestinal track. This is about the third time this has happened to me and is due to some previous surgery causing scar tissue. You want pain this is extremely painful and you are put out for one to two days. Anyway while there my glucose was around 385 and my 3 month average was around 240. I was started immediately on three fast acting and one slow release shot per day. I had to take shots due to the pills normally plugging people up.

Now I always knew I was going to get Type II diabetes as it ran on my dad's side and my mother's side and my weight being up at 300. I left the hospital with the decision to change. I immediately started eating right and was able to stop taking the three fast acting shots per day. On May 7th I stopped taking the nightly slow release shots as my Glucose levels were staying below 85 and even after not taking the shots I am staying below 100. My Ab1c last month was 5.7. On June 17th I pulled my old bike out and started riding it and have ridden over 1200 miles since and plan on ridding more. But Minnesota is not advantages for riding in the winter so I joined a health club. I am now down to 222 pounds or 75 pounds lost since last March and feel great. I am 6' tall and would still like to get down under 200 before the bike riding season starts next spring but it is getting tougher every day to lose any weight. But I know my body is changing even though I am not losing much which is good.

But the reason I went looking and found this place is whenever I work out my Glucose shoots up, way up. This morning I got up at 5:00am and my glucose was 89. I didn't eat anything, only drank water and I worked out hard for 1-1/2 hours and after that my glucose was 119. I thought working out was supposed to lower your glucose?? This is not the first time I have noticed this. When riding extensively on longer trips I take Shot Blockers with me and take one every 1/2 hour which seems to prevent me from dropping too low. So anyway I plan on doing some searching here to find my answers.

Thanks for listening to me.

Hello and welcome to the forum. I have never experienced high blood sugar while exercising. We have many members that do experience high blood sugar while exercising. Hopefully you will get some tips and advice from them. I hope you have time to visit often and enjoy!

 

[thcri]

Lawprop, thank you so much for the information on taking protein. With that information I was able to some easy Google Searches and research and learned a lot. I am not taking any insulin right now and was worried my working out was going to force me to start taking insulin again. I will start with the suggestions as soon as I am back in town and start working out again.

 

[lawprop]

Lawprop, thank you so much for the information on taking protein. With that information I was able to some easy Google Searches and research and learned a lot. I am not taking any insulin right now and was worried my working out was going to force me to start taking insulin again. I will start with the suggestions as soon as I am back in town and start working out again.

Glad to help.

 

[thcri]

Try eating some protein before and immediately after exercising. It will counter the effects and help refuel your muscles. If you don't get the fuel to exercise balance right you will get big spikes and lows. It's a personal eat to your meter thing that will quickly become aparent and see your levels stabalising.

With the Thanksgiving weekend I didn't have much opportunity to work out especially being out of town but yesterday I did buy some Whey Protein and tried things out. So this is only a one time test but I think we are on to something.

I woke up Sunday Morning and my Blood Sugar level was 105. I ate breakfast, drank a glass of the Protein mixed with water, worked out for about two hours of which 1 full hour on a spinning bike that was hard going, came home, drank another glass of Protein, waited about a 1/2 hour and tested Blood Sugar level again and was at 99. This is the first time it has ever been lower after my work out that I know of. Will continue this and check again probably this afternoon.

This is probably also why I have not been able to shed any more pounds for the last two months. Hopefully I will see some change in my weight.

 

[lawprop]

With the Thanksgiving weekend I didn't have much opportunity to work out especially being out of town but yesterday I did buy some Whey Protein and tried things out. So this is only a one time test but I think we are on to something.

I woke up Sunday Morning and my Blood Sugar level was 105. I ate breakfast, drank a glass of the Protein mixed with water, worked out for about two hours of which 1 full hour on a spinning bike that was hard going, came home, drank another glass of Protein, waited about a 1/2 hour and tested Blood Sugar level again and was at 99. This is the first time it has ever been lower after my work out that I know of. Will continue this and check again probably this afternoon.

This is probably also why I have not been able to shed any more pounds for the last two months. Hopefully I will see some change in my weight.

That's great news! What did you have for breakfast? I'm still figuring out good combinations and this obviously worked for you.

 

[Dr. Steve]

Welcome Thcri

If anyone is interested in some underlying physiology, here is a condensed version of an explanation I posted on another thread dealing with this issue.

Ideally... when blood glucose levels are high, (as you would know) Insulin should be released to tell certain types of cells around your body to uptake glucose out of the blood stream (glucose then converted and stored in muscles and liver as glycogen).

When blood glucose levels are low, Glucagon is released to tell your body to convert the glycogen back to glucose and release it back into the blood stream (thus increasing your blood glucose levels).

In an individual without diabetes, these two processes work in a balancing act to keep blood glucose within optimal ranges. However, in an individual with diabetes, the insulin side of the equation is affected (the exact physiological mechanisms vary between diabetes types and sub types).

Additionally, some types of exercise can also stimulate the release of human growth hormone (GH). GH can also result in more conversion of glycogen in the liver to glucose. GH can also lead to increased break down of stored fats into the blood (fatty acids). These fatty acids are then used as an alternate source of fuel (to glucose) by some tissues. This is not necessarily a bad thing if you are trying to lose weight, but it could possibly contribute to the observed higher blood glucose readings. In summary, GH can result in more glucose going into the blood, but less being burned up by some tissues that are now using fatty acids instead. GH also plays a number of other important roles in your body.

I know this whole process can sound complicated and a little confusing. But there are some great suggestions around on this forum for how to keep the glucose high enough that it doesn’t trigger a ‘dumping of glucose’ as many describe it... without elevating your glucose to inappropriate levels. With a bit of practice and monitoring I’m sure you’ll find a routine that suits your body! It sounds like you are already on the way.

If in doubt an exercise physiologist specialising in diabetes may be able to help you with specific advice. You have clearly made some excellent health gains in recent times. If you keep up the positive attitude and good work I’m sure you will continue to see great benefits!

 

[thcri]

That's great news! What did you have for breakfast? I'm still figuring out good combinations and this obviously worked for you.

I had a bowl or raspberries with half and half poured over them. Today I go to the Doctor for an annual check up. I am worried that my a1c is going to go up with the higher blood sugar levels I have been experiencing over the last two months. Funny how it changed as when I first started riding bike my levels went down and I had to take Shot Blok tabs to keep my level up.

 

[thcri]

I guess I haven't been around long enough to edit or add to my post or at least I don't a edit tab.

But here is my results from July 8th or roughly 5 months after I was diagnosed with diabetes.

Your A1c is 5.5%; Total cholesterol is 155, triglycerides 87,HDL cholesterol 46,LDL 92.

My frustrating thing is that since September 19th I have only lost 5 pounds. I feel I am eating right and working out every other day and sometimes every day for at least an hour up to two hours. Eating right is a pain and I hate it. If the reward of losing weight was there it wouldn't be so bad. But not losing weight you kind of at times just give up.

 

[Shanny]

You've had quite a significant weight loss since your diagnosis . . . I think you're doing all the right things and it will continue to come off - just at a little slower rate. Consider that you're replacing fat with muscle which weighs more. Maybe if you began measuring inches lost, you'd see progress more clearly.

 

[RobertIA]

thcri, You have received much excellent advice. Welcome to the forum.

You may want to read this about different types of exercise, Resistant Training Combined With Aerobics Beneficial For Diabetes Patients . Also consider alternating and if you have an indoor pool available, add swimming to the exercises.

You may also want to read this from my blogs about sleep and weight loss, Diabetes Topics: Sufficient Sleep is Part of Lifestyle Change .

Another tip that proves effective for some people is drinking two 8-oz glasses of water shortly before a meal. This helps reduce the desire for lots of foods and you will be able to eat less.

Just remember that not everything works for everyone so you need to try and find what works for you. The chances are that you have reached a weight loss plateau and by changing what you do should help you break through this.

Good luck and keep a positive attitude.

 

[jeanie]

Just hang in there and let everyone on this site help you stay motivated. I come on the site at least once a day even though I don't post each time. Unfortunately, I can't offer you anything but kudos for working out and losing so much weight to this point. You're eating right and exercising. Perhaps some others can help you find a way to continue your weight loss. Good luck.

 

[lawprop]

I had a bowl or raspberries with half and half poured over them. Today I go to the Doctor for an annual check up. I am worried that my a1c is going to go up with the higher blood sugar levels I have been experiencing over the last two months. Funny how it changed as when I first started riding bike my levels went down and I had to take Shot Blok tabs to keep my level up.

I think Dr Steve's explanation is a good illustration of how balancing what goes in our bodies with what we want them to do is very important. The specifics are different for each of us but there are obvious elements that work across the board.

Thanks Dr Steve. It helps to know the science behind the practice.

 

[thcri]

thcri, You have received much excellent advice. Welcome to the forum.

You may want to read this about different types of exercise, Resistant Training Combined With Aerobics Beneficial For Diabetes Patients . Also consider alternating and if you have an indoor pool available, add swimming to the exercises.

You may also want to read this from my blogs about sleep and weight loss, Diabetes Topics: Sufficient Sleep is Part of Lifestyle Change .

Another tip that proves effective for some people is drinking two 8-oz glasses of water shortly before a meal. This helps reduce the desire for lots of foods and you will be able to eat less.

Just remember that not everything works for everyone so you need to try and find what works for you. The chances are that you have reached a weight loss plateau and by changing what you do should help you break through this.

Good luck and keep a positive attitude.

Good articles. I am sleeping much longer hours that I used to still not at the 8.5 hours recommended. I am used to 5 to 6 and am at 7 to 8 at best.

As for the resistance versus aerobic I am already kind of on that schedule already where I will do different things each night or morning depending on when I go. How often do you recommend exercising per week?

 

[RobertIA]

Again this will vary depending on the person. Suggested is between 150 minutes (30 min x 5 days) to 250 minutes (50 min x 5 days).
Some urge 6 days and a few only 3 days. This would also depend in how much and how fast you wish to lose weight.

Just be aware that if you are at a plateau, it may require a little extra to break through the plateau.

Good luck.

 

[thcri]

Got my results from my physical last Tuesday. My family Doctor is pretty happy and she knew I was off my daily day time quick acting shots but did not realize I want off the Lantus night time insulin back in May. So that was a shock to here. I thought my A1C was going to go up since July and my working out thinking it was taking it up but it went down. She would not do my cholesterol as she felt it was not needed since the ones in July were so good. Doubled my work outs the last couple of days hoping I could drop maybe even one pound but no luck. This morning I woke up and weighed and decide to take a day off of working out. So tomorrow night or afternoon I will hit it again.

July 8th Results.
Your A1c is 5.5%;
Total cholesterol is 155
triglycerides 87
HDL cholesterol 46
LDL 92.

November 29th Results
Your blood glucose is 97
hemoglobin A1C is 5.3
Cr 1.0,
PSA normal at 0.75
TSH 1.0

 

[Shanny]

GOOD numbers, thcri! Keep on keepin' on!