Anyone have experience with meal supplements like Ensure or Boost? Due to other medical issues, I’ve lost weight and am having trouble with my appetite. My diabetes clinic dietitian suggested using Boost High Protein as a supplement. How do I bolus for this (MDI)? 
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I use Boost Glycose Control drinks after exercise (run). I think @daisymae does, too. I usually use my normal I:C ratio for it, or maybe slightly less insulin. For me, after a run, Boost gets absorbed right away so a pre- bolus wouldn’t be needed. It might be different for me since I only drink it after exercise.
Oh, the Boost I use has only 16g carbs though, not the 28g you sow in the image.
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It’s really quick. Think more along the lines of cookies rather than potatoes!
Pre-bolus for it, or try to be dropping when you drink it.
(keep in mind, @daisymae and @Trying are using it after exercise, so their situation is different, they have insulin sensitivity when they drink it)
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@Eric
I don’t normally “snack” unless I’m low, so I’m not used to bolusing between meals. Do I need to wait a certain period of time after a meal bolus to bolus for a “snack”? I was thinking I would just take this at a meal and add in the carbs. (Humalog)
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To make it easy, I would suggest making it a “dessert”. In that case, take some extra insulin for your meal, and then wait until your BG drops after your meal, and then drink it. So it would cover an intentional low BG and be dessert, which happens to coincide with the planned low after your meal.
Planned lows are good, as long as you have something to cover for it and you are ready and testing.
So it might be an hour or 2 after a meal when you see your BG is dropping from the extra insulin, and you are ready with your shake.
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@Eric
Would you take enough extra insulin at the meal to cover all the carbs in the “shake”?
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You know, I just got an idea. What I need to do is to use these “shakes” as a low treatment, but not a whole one, it’s too many carbs. Any ideas? If I get low at night (I usually drift down all night) I usually eat a Belvita cracker that’s about 10 g carbs. Wouldn’t this “shake” be a good replacement? Brainstorm ideas, like how to split this up?
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Hi @Jan
The Belvita snacks are much slower and longer lasting. You could use the shakes for a low treatment like that at night, but it will just have a different rate, so it will take some experimenting to get it dialed in correctly.
I would take just slightly less.
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What I meant to say in the above post is that the shakes can be used for a normal low treatment, because they are pretty quick.
But for an extended low throughout the night, which might mean too much basal at night, the Belvita snacks are better because they will last several hours. The shakes will be gone much quicker.
So for a fast low and fast treatment, the shakes are better. But for longer lasting and less severe lows, the Belvita snacks are ideal. I eat a few before bed sometimes when I think I will be going low later on.
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You can treat a low with something that has too many carbs for a low, you just have to take insulin for the extra as you are eating it. Actually not a bad time to do it, since the low can mean you don’t have to prebolus for some stuff, since you’re starting off already low.
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