Exercise and Diabetes

[RJM62]

I have no question to ask, but rather an observation from my recent experience.

I've had diabetes for years. I usually manage it quite well through diet and exercise. But about two or three weeks ago, my blood sugar levels suddenly started going all over the place, with FBGs over 140 and postprandials over 220. (Self-grounding was a non-issue as I have no money to fly very much these days, anyway.)

I called my doctor, who asked me when the problem had started and what had changed that might have caused it. I thought about it, and told him that I first noticed it a couple of days after I drove my goddaughter home. (She'd stayed with us over the summer, and is quite an active kid.)

"Oh, that was nice of you," he said. "I'll bet she had fun. What kinds of things did you do together?"

"Well, we went to the beach or pool almost every day, went for bike rides, went to the park, went to museums, that sort of thing," I said.

"There's your answer," he said. "When she was here, you exercised more. Now get off your lazy a$$ and start exercising again, then call me back in a week with your levels."

Sure enough, he was right. After a summer of activity, I'd taken a couple of weeks to "relax a bit;" and my blood sugar rapidly got out of control. Simply taking a short walk after my meals and a long walk or a bike ride every evening quickly got my levels back where they should be. Today, my FBG was 98, and the two postprandials I took were 120 and 114.

Just thought I'd share that for others who manage their diabetes with diet and exercise. Don't neglect the exercise part; it's as least as important as the diet.

-Rich

 

[steingar]

Calories in must balance calories out to maintain homeostasis. Less exercise=fewer calories going out. With similar numbers of calories going in, balance could not be maintained.

 

[RJM62]

Just an update... Since my original post, my average for FBGs has been 92, and my average for postprandials has been 128. Both dropped dramatically during the week after I resumed exercising and being serious about my diet, but have been pretty flat at the above levels for the past week. I'm not due for another A1C for a month or so; but my doc isn't worried based on the results of my daily monitoring.

According to my doc, my present levels would put me well under the diagnostic thresholds for diabetes were it not for the fact that I'm actively managing it by eating a low-carb diet and exercising. In other words, if I get lazy and start eating "normally" and not exercising, my glucose levels will quickly shoot up again. Of course, I already knew that; but he just wanted to reinforce the importance of managing my diabetes.

I've been eating a diet that's not quite Atkins (I allow myself more vegetables and fruits than Dr. Atkins would approve of). But it's working as far as the glucose is concerned, and I'm also losing weight, albeit not quite as quickly as I would on Atkins.

But then again, I didn't gain it that quickly, either. I weighed 150 when I graduated from high school (I was somewhat underweight from four years of purposely keeping my weight down for wrestling), and I weighed 170 when I got out of the service. I reached a lifetime high of a 240 a little over a year ago, and I presently weigh 218. I'm shooting for something in the 180 - 190 neighborhood within a year, which I think is reasonable and sustainable for a middle-aged man.

My doc also told me that keeping my glucose levels at levels less than the diagnostic criteria, as well as losing more weight, will drastically reduce my risk of the various medical problems that diabetes can cause to roughly the same level as if I'd never been diagnosed. That's a good incentive.

I'm not in the habit of discussing my medical condition on Internet message boards, but I thought I'd share this for the encouragement of others who might be in a similar position.

-Rich