Help with Diabetes and Biking

I'm insulin dependent. Why does it take so long for your sugar to return to normal? Are you insulin dependent? Prior to my usual 1 1/2 hour bike ride, I eat one cup of homemade yogurt and a banana, approx 250 calories - the amount of energy burned in that same amount of time and notice no increase in blood sugar. I'm 6 ft 210 pounds.

I am insulin dependent and I guess the fear of having an insulin reactio while out riding (usually 50 miles or more) makes me load up before I leave and then at the rest stops (organized rides) load up more. Most of the time I will burn whatever I eat but sometimes my blood sugar is sky high when I return.

Thanks for your help

I'm a type 2 guy. I actually have the opposite problem. I have a tendency to go hypoglycemic after long rides. But let me make a suggestion and it's pretty simple. Peanuts and peanut butter sandwiches on the road, and Payday candy bars for those times when the blood sugar is really crashing.

For me the fat slows down the spiking affect and keeps me from crashing later. The other thing that is great about the Paydays is that they are inexpensive and have no chocolate so they are safe in your pocket and on hot days.

I've heard alot about the Payday candy bars. I may bring a couple along on my next ride. This is why I've been loading before a ride.......to avoid crashing!! Thanks for you help.

Why not consider "energy" bars? They're low fat, only around 10% calories by fat. What's good about Paydays?

Every body who uses the Paydays on rides like them because they are covered with peanuts not chocolate thus when you open it up on a hot day, you don't have a mess. I've never had one.

Hi,

I was recently diagnosed with type II diabetes. In fact I first had an inkling that something was wrong with me when, after an intense 4 hour mountain bike ride, both legs cramped up completely - quads, calves and even the arches in my feet. Most painful thing I have every endured. Fasting blood test showed glucose level at 366 mg/dl. Three weeks have passed, I am on oral medication to increase insulin production, etc. Blood glucose levels now hover around 200 mg/dl, though I can get it lower if I eat very carefully. Here's the problem - I still get leg cramps. After one hour of riding they start. I am hydrating very well, and using low GI energy foods with fructose instead of glucose or other sugars. I gave up on Gatorade because of its high GI. I was thinking of putting packets of oral rehydration powder in my camelbak but I can't find any that have the sodium and potassium, but without pure glucose.l
Any advice on what I can do to stop the leg cramps?

kokopuffs said:

Why not consider "energy" bars? They're low fat, only around 10% calories by fat. What's good about Paydays?

There aslo sas an artical in bicycle mag a while back that showed that 2 paydays are almost same as the eneregy bars.

Me: type 1, 23 years, on insulin pump for three years. HBA1c 6-7.

This is my experience with riding and diabetes, and it differs (often a great deal) from what many other people have luck with--in other words YMMV. I find that my bg increases immediately after a ride, but also during the ride if the intensity is high enough (hormone release can increase bg). I make no adjustments to my insulin intake at all for riding (unless I'm planning on 5-6 or more hours), but I make sure I start with a good bg (100-150 is the goad starting range). During my rides of less than 2 hours, I usually consume 1 bottle of sports drink (cytomax or gatorade) and one bottle of water or more. During longer rides (3-4 hours), I eat a powergel or something similar (sometimes 2) and take insulin if I feel that my bg is increasing (I get "heartburn" when my bg is passing 180 or so, so I can tell when its going up) on top of the sports drink. On even longer rides, I check my bg at rest stops if necessary, drink and eat whatever I want and take insulin to cover about 80% of the carbs I eat.

How to deal with eating and controlling your bg on rides is a very personal thing. There is no one forumula that works for everyone. When I first started riding while on the insulin pump, I heard of many people saying they decrease their basal rates up to 50%. When I tried this, my bg skyrocketed during and after the ride--it made for a completely miserable ride.

Trekn48--here is my suggestion. I would lay off "loading up" before a ride. Eat a regular meal and take the normal insulin that goes with it. During the ride, carry some foods (I find powergels are easy to eat and act fairly quickly) with you, and take a bottle of gatorade as well as water. Sip the gatorade consistently, and eat if you feel low. At rest stops, eat lightly if at all depending on how you feel. Pushing your bg too high can be just as dangerous while you are riding as a low bg can.

Next advice, to anyone thats not using one already--GET A PUMP!!!!! They're really wonderful devices--even for type 2's that have a hard time controlling their bg's (this may be something to talk to your doc about Uberclyde, as it sounds like medication and diet aren't working that well for you).

I'm a type II.
It took a little while to get a handle on my sweet levels.
I never load up before a ride. Eat normal. My typical week day ride lasts 1.5 hours, during which I only bring water. Week end rides are 3 hours, during with I bring a low carb energy type bar. I'll have half the bar after an hour and the other half after the second hour. My levels seem to be ok.
Bring your meter with you and experiment for a while, taking readings during your ride. Log what what eat, ride time...etc.
Drink water,drink, drink, drink.
Good luck !

leg cramps? Magnesium Plus powder by pure essense labs dissolved in ice tea sweetened only with dried mint leaves and hibiscus flowers.