I am hoping there is a similar person here who can offer their experience.
I was diagnosed with diabetes years ago, but nothing serious. The doctor prescribed metformin & I took it, continuing to eat a very unhealthy diet. Finally my body gave up and my blood sugar went through the roof. For those who know what it means, my A1C was 11.8. This scared the crap out of me and forced me to change my eating habits. A much healthier diet & 75 lbs later, I am off of half of my medications, my cholesterol levels are great, and my blood pressure is a step away from being completely off that medication. The more important part is that my A1C was 5.4 at my last MD visit.
Now, on to my problem. I changed my diet on my own. My doctor had all but given up on me and admitted he had planned on putting me on insulin at the 3 month visit following the A1C level of 11.8. My diet change is what prevented that from coming to fruition. The doctor was astonished when I returned after 90 days and his exact words were "I don't know what you're doing. I don't want to know what your doing. Just keep doing it because it is working." What I was doing consisted of completely cutting out simple carbs. I eat almost nothing with added sugar. I do not eat bread. My meals consist of vegetables & meat with some high fiber / low net carb flat breads mixed in. I do eat some occasional popcorn because I have convinced myself that it is whole grain
When cycling, I can go for hours at a slow & controlled pace. If I climb a hill or start to push myself at all, my legs begin to burn and I can only go so far before I have to stop for a break. After a couple of minutes I am good to continue for a short period until the same thing happens. This is common until I get back to flat ground or begin to ride at a more leisurely pace. I am wondering if this is due to my lack of carbs. Can diet controlled diabetics consume small amounts of simple carbs (30 grams per hour) during rides without any ill effects? Is it possible that I am just weak?