New Cyclist with Type1 Diabetes

Tony1968

Hi,
Last week I purchased my very first road bike (at the age of 48!). I want to lose some weight (I'm 16 Stone) whilst improving my fitness however, I have type 1 diabetes and I am conscious that I have to be careful of my blood sugars plummeting during or after a ride. I have been wary of exercise because of the fear of hypos but now I have decided to bite the bullet! I am looking for a fast acting drink that will boost my sugar levels more or less instantly, for slower acting sugars I would have soreen or a flapjack bar. Under normal circumstances I would have coke to bring me up but this is gassy and not ideal.

Any suggestions?

Thank you.

taon24

Presumably the thing to do would be to get into a routine with the cycling in terms of similar distance, time and pacing for a few months, keep a track of your blood sugar before and after the ride and see whether and how much you need to alter your normal intake to compensate.
I'm not a type 1 diabetic but in terms of sugary drinks my preferences are squash with a pinch of added salt or a mixture of Juice and water, again with a pinch of salt. It depends on the juice and how hot the day is but usually about 60:40 juice to water, with more water the hotter the day is. You can put coke in a water bottle before a ride, and give it a shake to help it go flat if that is more to your taste?

Tony1968

Thanks for the reply, will try shaking. I am monitoring regularly - I'm just in un charted waters. Have a great weekend.

cookeeemonster

Depending on the length of ride I might ensure I'm a bit higher than normal to start off with then top up during the ride and so on. We're all different so the best thing is to do a lot of testing...can be a pain mid ride but it's gotta be done until you know how you react...and this will change as you lose weight and readjust your insulin amounts plus food intake and so on.

It's expensive but as a temporary measure... Have you heard about the freestyle libre blood test system? Basically attach a sensor on your arm (lasts two weeks) and you put a reader (like a small phone) against your arm whenever you want to find your blood test level. Could be an idea as its a million times better than normal fingertip blood tests. Hopefully will be on the nhs in a year or so.

Anyway good luck, I was slightly heavier than you 4 years back when I started cycling and the weight dropped off and stayed off, it's all good!

Tony1968

Hi, Thanks for taking the time to reply - I'll look into the libre testing kit, I think that's a great option. Kind regards.

perfectmark

I have type 1 as well and cycle regularly (commute 5 days a week and often cycle on weekends). I find lucozade to be best, but can be a bit expensive so only get it when on offer. Otherwise I just use the small juice cartons you get from lidl/aldi. I find I need to take a juice carton every 30mins or so (which is about 20g of sugar). Plus if you go for a long ride, you will also need to take a lot less insulin after the ride (for the rest of the day).

PTestTeam

You could get in touch with the Pro Team Novo Nordisk. All their riders have Type 1 Diabetes, and they manage to compete in big Pro races! They might be able to offer really good advice and insight

http://www.teamnovonordisk.com/

Tony1968

Thank you all for getting back to me, the general feeling and my own is that regular testing is key before and after. Thanks all for the tips on drinks and I will certainly have a look at the Nordisk website.

carrock

Cycling will lower your blood sugar very gradually but hypos are more to do with having too much insulin in your system. If you are overweight you are probably insulin resistant which means you are injecting a lot of insuiln ( more than 10 units at a time )

My very forward thinking GP put me on Metformin as well as insulin which has helped enormously. I have lost a stone since April as I dont need to take as much insulin and have fewer hypos.

In terms of blood sugar have some long acting carbs a couple of hurs before a long ride ( bowl of porridge is ideal ) and take glucose tablets with you. The best range i find for cycling is BS between 5 and 7. Never set off if your BS is above 10 and conversely if it drops below 5 pop a couple of jelly babies.

getnoticed

Not sure if you have come across Team Blood Glucose - they will be able to offer targeted support.

In the interim, check out the Torq A1c Gel to manage hypos
http://www.torqfitness.co.uk/nutrition/ ... c-diabetes

photonic69

My mate has T2 diabetes for the last 17 years. He is fastidious about what he eats and thus has very good control over his blood sugars so needs minimal units of insulin throughout the day (on usual days). A balance of low GI foods as a base plus a sweet treat before he goes out on the bike followed by 1 Mars Bar every hour on the bike works for him. After a three or more hour ride when he gets back his BS is within a good range. That works for him but not necessarily for you. You need to find your own limits and levels of sugar intake for the amount of exercise. The specific Diabetes gels look cool but they also look very expensive! If you can ingest Mars Bars or the like then it is far cheaper.

Best advice would be a start riding with a buddy or a group. That way if your levels bomb they can help. Test yourself regularly and fine tune your foods.

HTH

Nic.