Here is an overly-simplified way of looking at it. Suppose your insulin duration is 4 hours. And just for illustration, suppose your insulin depletes at a perfectly straight rate (kind of like the way they “think” it works on the pump’s IOB display).
Again, using a duration of 4 hours:
If you take 5.0 units, at 1 hour your IOB display tells us that you have 3.75 units left. Which means you have used 1.25 units in that first hour.
If you take 8.0 units, at 1 hour your IOB tells us you have 6.0 units left, so you have used 2.0 units in that first hour.
Your body having processed 2.0 units of insulin in the first hour would obviously mean less of a spike than if it had only processed 1.25 units in the same time span.
Sorry, is this an overly simple example for what you were asking?
Nope, this is perfect!! Thank you also for the encouragement, and thanks to each of you for your patience with my newbie questions!!
I tend to be a little “type A” with a dose of anxiety mixed in, so I’m the type that reads everything the Internet is willing to throw at me when it comes to things like scary diagnoses I had to be told multiple times by loving family to give myself a break from google when I was first diagnosed. I’ve finally worked out where to go for good info and what to stay away from. Anyway, I hope I’m not getting ahead of myself, but I’m kind of enjoying learning a few tricks of the trade I appreciate you guys being willing to take the time to answer my questions!
@kpanda01, sharing and explaining things is our sole reason for being. Many of our member have been doing this for a long time, and others like myself have been doing it for a much shorter time, but we all benefit from the learning. Keep the questions coming.
Also, since most adults who are diagnosed aren’t given a set of classes from their endo team’s, there is often a lot of ground to cover. While we found the classes our endo forced us to take somewhat simple, they provided a great base to learn from. I have seen too many folks on our site who were diagnosed as adults, with pretty basic issues that no one thought to teach them. I really think that is a shame.
I was scheduled for some classes at one point, but after I found out they billed like $1100 for an hour appointment I had with a lousy dietician, I cancelled the rest of the education classes. Thankfully my insurance company only allowed a certain amount to be billed, but it was still highway robbery. So anyway, I guess you guys are my “diabetic education”
I only snack a little at night usually, trying to stop or pick better choices now though as I’m overweight and need to lose like 30 lbs at least and that’s like part of it I think? I may be bad for it, would eat chips or something. Not like too many carbs of them but I used to like those little bags of chips and lil something sweet like a cookie. Trying to switch to quest cookies to see if those are any better. If not maybe string cheese or veggies and some sort of low carb dipping sauce before I cut the snack out of my night entirely. I can’t snack during the day really, not unless I wanna be too full . Not much of an eater until the evening with dinner and my night snack.
One of my absolute favorite snacks right now is veggies (most often cucumbers, carrots, and grape tomatoes) dipped in guacamole or ranch dressing. I’ll eat some salami with it sometimes and make it basically a mini meal (some days we eat dinner early because of my toddlers, around 5pm, so I get hungry before bed). It’s kinda weird for me that I can choose that over my “usual” ice cream/chocolate/popcorn/whatever evening treat, but for some reason, it’s so good!
I need to do the veggies and dip thing more! It’s tasty, but I tend to not bother if it’s something I have to cut up (I guess I am really that lazy!) Baby carrots and grape tomatoes sound good though.
@Eric, I was looking for where you had explained why doing insulin ahead of a high was better than doing one to correct a high. Or I guess why trying to correct a high is harder, takes longer, than doing the insulin before. Do you have any idea what I’m talking about?
Probably this. Somebody was talking about why it felt like it took more insulin to bring you down when you were already high… I can’t temember what you said, but you made it sound like “of course it does because…”
I don’t usually have “dip” around the house (oh boy, I’ll avoidi the joke that came to mind) but often have whipped cream cheese with veggies or Peanut Butter with celery (of course).
It really is all about what works for each of us and our current lifestyles. No snack shaming here!!!
I had to be told multiple times by loving family to give myself a break from google when I was first diagnosed. I’ve finally worked out where to go for good info and what to stay away from. Anyway, I hope I’m not getting ahead of myself, but I’m kind of enjoying learning a few tricks of the trade 
stuff.