Two simple hacks that help me be in range 2 hours after meals

I spent years struggling with my T1D management when it came to mimicking the pattern of a non-diabetic's BG levels that return to the target range approximately 2 to 3 hours after a meal. I tried everything from pre-bolusing and doing an extra bolus after a meal, to cutting out carbs altogether. Nothing worked on a consistent basis. All I got was a big dose of frustration land cortisol that shot my BG through the roof. I had become tired and unmotivated, and simply wanted to throw in the towel.

One morning, after checking my BG levels, I had an epiphany. I realized I had been trying to achieve my goal without any knowledge about how the human body actually metabolizes nutrients. So, I did a little bit of research on the internet, and this is what I learned.

After eating, carbs are digested and absorbed into the bloodstream within 15 to 30 minutes, whereas proteins and fats are digested and absorbed in around 3 to 5 hours. However, when carbs are mixed with fats, carbs take not just substantially longer to be digested and absorbed, but can cause the BG to spike even higher. This, as I'm sure you may already know, not only requires more bolus insulin to correct, but will also take longer for BG levels to return to the ideal target range.

So, the following 2 methods commbined is how I manage to get

• Carbs first Order. Since I couldn't find a universal name for this, I decided to coin it with the name "First First Carb Order", in honor of its unction. Basically, what this implies is that carbs and fiber be consumed first before moving on to eating proteins and fats. This is what it wold look likr on your plate:

  
  

  Vegetables, fruits and grains first, protein and fats last. Simple.

• Meals are 5 units or less in insulin value. This is something that I had to learn to fine-tune in the beginning, and discovered that 5 units of bolus insulin was my maximum threshold. Anything higher and my BG will take a little longer to return to the ideal target range within 2 to 3 hours. I think this varies from person to person, depending on each individual's level of insulin sensitivity.

I do my carb counting as a whole on my plate and bolus with FIASP insulin 5 to 10 minutes after I start eating my meal to coordinate the digestion and absorption of the carbs into the blood stream (it takes the body 15 to 30 minutes to digest and absorb the carbs). FIASP starts to work within 5 minutes after injecting. Before I switched to FIASP insulin, I would prebolus with APIDRA insulin around 10 minutes before eating my meal.

Another perk to this is that since I don't mix the carbs directly with the proteins and fats, I don't need to extra bolus afterwards. I also practice the habit of making sure that my BG is stable before I eat, so I usually check my BG levels before I start to prepare my meals, which gives me a comfortable 30 to 40 minute window to administer myself a bolus insulin correction should it be required.