Hi Living Vertical followers, my name is Christel and I’m a fitness geek and Type 1 diabetic. Like Steve, I’m all about understanding my diabetes and managing it rather than letting it run my life.
I always tell people that my (slight) obsession with data is one of the main reasons why I’m able to live a very active fitness lifestyle as a diabetic. I monitor and record pretty much everything related to food, exercise, and insulin and use that data to adjust my diabetes management. This means that I rarely have to guess when it comes to my diabetes management. Instead, I make fact-based decisions on a daily basis to ensure that my sugars are in check.
This is one of the things I write about on TheFitBlog and it does sometimes lead to questions from my readers about how I keep all my data straight and avoid getting overwhelmed. The short answer is a good combination of technology and old fashioned note books.
Since you follow Steve here on Living Vertical, I’m just going to go ahead and assume that you also see him as an inspiration and want to take charge of your diabetes and your health (if you haven’t already). Therefore, I would like to share a few tips & tricks on how to get enough data to manage your diabetes (and fitness) without getting overwhelmed.
The low tech component to my diabetes management
The first step to getting the data you need is to get out pen and paper and start taking notes of everything you do. It’s as low tech as can be.
Whenever I start on new diet or exercise regime, I’ll try to keep everything constant for at least 3-4 days in order to get my data straight. I’ll (as a minimum) stick to eating the same type and amount of carbs at each meal. I’ll make notes of when and what I eat, my dose for the meal, and my blood sugar before the meal as well as 90-120 minutes after the meal. I’ll also note down what else I’ve been up to (exercise, stress, etc.). This gives me the data points I need in order to start seeing patterns and making adjustments.
I’ll then use this data to calculate my insulin ratios throughout the day (yes I have several, and they depending on the time of day). If my blood sugar consistently 90-120 minutes after a meal is down to where it was before my meal, I know I have found the accurate carb ratio for that time of day. If it’s not, I’ll change the dose as needed. The same method goes for correction ratios (aka insulin sensitivity).
Utilizing technology in my diabetes management
While finding my patters and insulin rations are a very low-tech process, I use technology for the next steps.
As mentioned, I have several carb and correction ratios depending on the time of day, but that’s just two factors. I also need to make dosing reductions depending on my workout regime and active insulin onboard (I’m on MDI). I have found a way of doing that without having to try and remember way too many variables myself.
I was fortunate enough to receive an old pump from a former employer. Since I’m on MDI, I don’t use it as a regular pump, but I track all of my pen injections in the pump and use the bolus calculator to calculate insulin doses.
By using the pump, I always know how much active insulin I have on board, and because I have my carb and insulin sensitivity ratios programmed in the pump, I don’t have to calculate how much insulin I need for carbs or corrections myself. Also, when I go see my doctor she can just download data from the pump so I don’t have to keep a paper log for that.
A pump is obviously a REALLY expensive solution, but the good news is that I’ve recently found a great alternative. I’ve started using an app called RapidCal that can log the same information as the pump plus my exercise correction factor. Hurrah, I (almost) don’t have to think anymore J the app does it all for me.
This may sound like a lot of work, and it is. However, I think it’s worth it. After only a few days of tracking everything, I have solid enough data to calculate my daily ratios and be proactive in my diabetes management rather than having to be reactive and let the diabetes control me.
Christel is a blogger, certified personal trainer, bikini fitness competitor, and fitness model. She has been living with type 1 diabetes since 1997, and at an early stage decided that that wasn’t going to slow her down. She writes about Health, Fitness and how to be Fit With Diabetes on her blog TheFitBlog.com. She also trains people with diabetes from across the globe, online and in person, and supports them in meeting their fitness goals.
