Since I've been home on break my basal rates have bounced around a bit. After a few days of experiencing lows I reduced my basal rates and then encountered some 200 plus days. Two weeks ago when I finally made it back to NY my basal total was 13.5 units of insulin per day. Today my daily total basal is 16.25 units per day, more than double my basal totals at the time of my Ironman.
My diet has not been as healthy or consistent as it was when I was down in Virginia. Staying at my parents house, seeing friends and spending time in Boston all has added to a bit higher carb, higher fat diet than normal. My workouts haven't been as consistent as I would like and my sleep patterns probably haven't been as regulated. However, a 3 unit jump in basal rates in just over a 2 week period seems high.
I suppose it is now time to buckle down, return to nothing but egg whites, turkey sandwiches and chicken sausage until I get this thing back under control. I'm going to try and get my weight back under 190 by the time I return to school to see if the 7 to 10 lbs I gained after the Ironman have increased my insulin requirements. I also really need to find my software for my quick link so I can load my blood sugar information to my computer for analysis - in other words I need to become a good diabetic again.
2 comments:
hey Ed,
In my experience, when I cut back on the carbs or calories overall, I do end up reducing my basal rates.
Also another thought is that your carb ratio may have changed (in addition to basal rates).
For me, my weight definitely affects my basals, as you have noticed. And obviously as you know, the exercise amount/intensity has a huge effect.
When I come home for the holidays, my BG's always go nuts unless I increase my basal rate quite a bit. I think it has to do with the types of food but perhaps, more so, the fact that I am not walking to and from work everyday and am generally more sedentary (even though I continue to exercise and even get some skiing days in...)
Happy holidays!
Anne
Since winter hit upstate NY I barely ride my bike and haven't hit upon another form of exercise. All this attributed to gaining 10 pounds.
I went from 22u of basal to 30u and I attribute it to both the lack of exercise and the weight gain.
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