I can tell you the general formula, and also tell you how I do it, which is different. I don’t follow the general rules.
The general rule would be:
For basal - any disconnect 1 hour or less, don’t worry about replacing lost basal. For everything over one hour, replace 1/2 of the basal you missed.
For carbs, the IC ratio immediately following low intensity exercise would be normal. For moderate to high intensity, IC ratio should be 1/2 of normal.
But I do it differently. I over-bolus right after exercise. Why? Because having high BG means those carbs are wasted. If you don’t have enough insulin to push the glucose into your cells, you just pee the carbs away. They don’t help you when they end up in the toilet. So I over-bolus, eat simple sugar right after exercise, and follow that with a full meal within an hour of exercise. Any extra insulin helps with the dinner. And any amount of insulin that was too much is just met with more carbs, which ultimately helps me the next day.
Find the formula that works right for you. I can almost guarantee, once you start replacing carbs after your workouts, you will start to feel much better on the swims the following days. Give that a week and see how you feel. Your muscles will be so happy!
so today was the day that i would try something new and i was very excited about it. i planned to the last detail how i would time everything. i was going to SUSPEND my pumps basal rate 1 hour before swimming. this would be the experiment to see how my BGs would respond to having less IOB while swimming. sad to say, however, that this was not in the cards for today. i woke up this morning and my BGs were 180. (how the F did that happen??) i corrected and had breakfast; i wasn’t about to let a little inconvenient HIGH ruin my day. but, sadly, my BGs were very stubborn and weren’t cooperative. they came down to 133 by lunchtime (not so bad), and i was ready to prep for my swim; i ate only 1/2 Ucan bar and sat back on the sofa and watched tv. i retested in 1/2 hour, and my BGs were high again (200). i couldn’t understand why this happened so quickly. usually it takes about 1 hour 45min before my BGs will elevate. so, instead of turning off my pump, i walked to the pool and decided to swim anyway. i swam for 1 hour, got out of the pool to test and my BG was 124. so i got back into the pool for another 1/2 hour of laps. got out, retested; 103. perfect. back to the locker room and gave myself .8 units (novolog) through my pump and drank copious amounts of water. then i walked briskly home, disappointed that i was unable to put into action my latest experiment, but satisfied that i was able to get in a strong 90 min swim.
usually, after an hour or so, my BGs remain tightly in target range (100-ish), but it is now almost 5pm and i just tested, and my BG was 133. haven’t a clue why i am this high. i am wondering what is going on inside of this little D body of mine that might be causing these weird #s.
i must add by saying that i did push myself for this swim. and i know that when i up the anty with my workout, my BGs can rise post workout. but still, i am caught off guard. WTF is going on.
i am a control freak with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. little differences drive me batty. i like the unobtainable: perfection, reliability, expectability…
so, following your recovery suggestions, i took saturday and sunday off (having made friday a challenging swim). and today (monday), i got into the pool and felt like a million bucks. i was loaded with the protein and carbs from the weekend, and i swam for 90 minutes, much faster than i usually swim. the funny thing is that my BGs did not plummet today; they went down, but slowly. i was 190 before i got into the pool, and after an hour i got out to test; i was 150, then i swam another half hour and my BGs were 104. i felt strong and comfortable. after the swim, i gave myself a bolus to cover the time off of the pump. usually, when i get home, my BGs are nice and sweet (around100 ); but, this time, (as i just tested for dinner) my BGs were elevated to 150. i don’t understand why my BGs have gone up instead of remaining stable and in target range. is it because i swam more intensely than usual? did i push some of those crazy hormones out which cranked up my BG?
i am confused. should i have given myself a larger bolus after my swim because i swam harder than usual?
and on another note: since i began swimming last year, i have put on 7 pounds. i am still very lean (no fat at all on my body) , but i feel heavier, bigger. is this because muscles are more dense than fat? i figure if anyone would know, you would have an answer to my question
You filled up your tank over the weekend! That’s what you used for your swim today. If you are going to swim every day, you should fill the tank every day.
It’s possible that some of it is hormones from swimming, and also possible that your liver is trying to replenish what your muscles used from the workout.
Did you follow your swim with both insulin to replace missed basal AND insulin for carbs you take after the swim? Did you take carbs right after your swim? That will be a big help. Carbs you take right after today’s swim will turn into muscle glycogen (fuel) for tomorrow’s swim.
Yes. Weight is not as important as what you are built with. You want the firmness of muscle rather than softness of fat.
i totally forgot to cut my basal off. but i did eat more (w/out bolusing) than i usually do for the workout. i usually only eat 1 Ucan bar, today i ate 1 1/2 . basically, what happens with the Ucan bar is this: i wait till i have no IOB left over from breakfast, and at around 12:15pm, i eat (no bolus) a 35 gram super starch protein bar. then i wait 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours after i have eaten. my BGs will rise from 100ish to 200 over this period of time. the super starch is slow, which is why i have to wait so long. then i walk to the pool.
generally, 1 hour of swimming will bring me down 100 points. so, if i want to swim longer, i need to eat more and go into the pool at around 250BG.
now, i know that we are working on improving this system by cutting off my basal 1 hour before i swim. i have faith, but i just got to go for it already. and, if that formula doesnt work for me, then i’ll find another. so, as you have been saying to me on each post, if not today, then i can try again tomorrow ('cause i’ll still be diabetic then as well ).
and about that 150 BG before dinner: i made a correction and bolused for dinner. my BGs came down to 75. (then i ate a small piece of chocolate, yummy.) so, all is well in Glucose Land.
i am looking forward to see how my over-night BGs go and what i wake up with tomorrow morning.
i would love to go for another 90 minute swim. its become a very comfortable length of time. (but i did have to take an Advil this evening ) so, tomorrow i will try my best to turn off my basal before i swim. we’ll see what happens. i will keep everybody posted. ( the support i am getting on this thread has helped keep me both motivated and stronger than i ever thought i could be. ) i am so grateful
my tank was full today, but i woke up so sore that i couldn’t make it to the pool. instead i went with my husband for a long walk. the weather was perfect for it, so it was nice to take advantage of being able to breath so much air while i exercised. i set a temp basal of 80% on my pump. i forgot how nice and easy that can be. virtually no rocket scientist calculations. had a nice flatline all day.
my mom wanted us to come over for dinner for sushi; i brought my own food with me. sushi and i are like mortal enemies. in all my years of eating sushi, i cannot figure out an insulin system for it (even if i only eat sashimi) (but then again, who wants to cut out the rice? whats the fun in that???)
i’ll be back in the pool tomorrow and i’ll see how all this food fueling is working. also, i think i will tattoo a note on my hand to suspend my pump an hour before i swim. i simply have got to make a go of it to achieve what you have. its like the NIKE commercial: “just do it” !! i want to flat line it. i plan to only eat 1/2 of my Ucan bar just to bring my BGs up to around 150. that way i will feel i have a bit of a safety net going into the water.
i’ll continue to keep you all posted on my latest experiment.
I hope it works well for you. It may take some time to get the exact numbers figured out, so be patient with it.
If 1 hour is not enough, you can try 1 1/2 hours or 2 hours.
Or 50% basal when it is 2 hours before, and then 0% basal when it is 1 hour before. The possibilities of ways to tinker with that basal adjustment are endless.
Today i am going to experiment with Eric’s suggested formula for my swimming. i am going to try setting my pump to a 50% basal 1 1/2 hours before swimming and at the same time, i will eat 1/2 of a Ucan bar. i will start the experiemnt at 12:15pm this afternoon. then i will wait for an hour and a half to see my BGs climb a bit, and then i will walk briskly to the pool.
i dont know what to expect, but i am hoping that i will have as much of a flat line as possible. if i have to get out of the pool sooner than usual, i will. i will keep monitoring my BGs throughout to see what is happening.
i am excited, but nervous. i am feeling a sense of a loss of control, and, as a control freak, this is out of my comfort zone. but if i want to improve, i’ve got to continue stretching those experimental muscles. yes, i am scared.
also, i am uncertain about how much insulin i will need to take after my swim to replace the time off of my pump and the time of the temp basal. i will report back my results later today when i get home.
It will probably take you some experimenting to lock on the right formula, so I hope you won’t get discouraged if the first few tries don’t quite work out. Cheering for you!
It is really great to share all of your experiments. This will also help a LOT of people!
in your best guess, will i be able to maintain a lower BG level without crashing? i think that is one of the fears that i have. also, how will i figure out how much insulin to bolus for AFTER my swim? usually, if i am around 100, i give myself .8 units, but now with the lower temp basal for 1 1/2 hours i have no clue how much insulin i need to keep me from spiking.
michael, thank you so much for your ongoing support. i really appreciate your confidence in me. i DO want to be able to help others. i hope that this does
@daisymae, you’ve already inspired me! WE’d been seeing persistent lows and highs in Samson’s gymnastics class and were getting frustrated, and even feeling nervous about him being in class. So seeing someone systematically tackle the right exercise bolus is making me want to do the same for him. It’s really great!!
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