Golf and type 2

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christernoxid

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Type 2
I was diagnosed with type 2 a few months ago, I'd like to get back into golf but I'm not sure how this will affect the blood sugar levels. Would anyone have an idea if you eat before or during a game and what sort of thing you should eat?
 
christernoxid said:
I was diagnosed with type 2 a few months ago, I'd like to get back into golf but I'm not sure how this will affect the blood sugar levels. Would anyone have an idea if you eat before or during a game and what sort of thing you should eat?
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Gentle exercise is good for BG levels. I don't play golf but I would think that golf qualifies as gentle exercise.
 
Are you on any medication? The reason I ask is that you seem to be concerned about your blood glucose (BG) levels dropping low and this will only happen if you have too much medication. Diabetes is all about high BG levels. Hypos only happen when we get too much insulin, so unless you are on insulin or medication which stimulates insulin production, then you do not need to take any particular action as regards eating something before you play and the gentle exercise should be really beneficial for you and help gently lower your levels within the normal range.
 
Any healthy diet with plenty protein, veg and healthy fat (and little or no sugary or starchy stuff) is par for the course.
 
What's the description of golf? ---- A good walk spoiled!

Seriously though, exercise is good, and follow the usual low carb healthy living diet suitable for diabetics

But since you will be doing exercise you might get a hypo so take a couple of chocolate bars, or sweets or something; just keep a packet in your golf bag till you need them
 
zuludog said:
But since you will be doing exercise you might get a hypo so take a couple of chocolate bars, or sweets or something; just keep a packet in your golf bag till you need them
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Surely that's only relevant if @christernoxid is on insulin or certain other meds, and we don't know it they are.
 
zuludog said:
But since you will be doing exercise you might get a hypo so take a couple of chocolate bars, or sweets or something; just keep a packet in your golf bag till you need them
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Why might the OP have a hypo on the golf course?
This is what makes people more confused about diabetes. Diabetes causes high BG not low!

Until we know what medication the OP is on, this comment is just confusing things more. Plus, even if they are on hypo causing medication, chocolate is not a good choice of hypo treatment because the fat in it slows down the release of glucose and one chocolate bar is more carbs than is needed to treat most hypos.
 
JITR said:
Any healthy diet with plenty protein, veg and healthy fat (and little or no sugary or starchy stuff) is par for the course.
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To keep things simple, I decided not to add 'and a dose of 10,000 steps a day'. You probably need to eat more nutritious food if you can't sustain that and want to play golf!

Note: I mean for the majority of the newly diagnosed, not those with complications.
 
I eat in the morning, go through my day, whatever it is and eat in the evening.
Really I can't see any reason to be spending time and energy eating in between. For an ordinary type 2 it is probably better to avoid eating and allow the pancreas to rest anyway.
This weather, adequate hydration and maybe a bit more salt on the meals you do eat is advisable, but unless you are taking medication to actively reduce blood glucose it should not be necessary for a type 2 to eat when exercising.
 
Drummer said:
I eat in the morning, go through my day, whatever it is and eat in the evening.
Really I can't see any reason to be spending time and energy eating in between. For an ordinary type 2 it is probably better to avoid eating and allow the pancreas to rest anyway.
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I agree. Do the same except have lunch not breakfast. Sometimes, like today, skip lunch too to save time, and feel all the better for it.
 
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rebrascora said:
Why might the OP have a hypo on the golf course?
This is what makes people more confused about diabetes. Diabetes causes high BG not low!
Click to expand...

It's quite surprising how many people with T2D think they are having 'hypos' when they're not on any medication that can cause one And they don't understand that going low is normal during exercise (Especially when combined with alcohol) but the body will compensate very quickly (Usually 10 minutes in my case, even when on Metformin.)

Some of the people on the Facebook group I joined are eating jelly babies when they see it go below 5!
 
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christernoxid said:
I was diagnosed with type 2 a few months ago, I'd like to get back into golf but I'm not sure how this will affect the blood sugar levels. Would anyone have an idea if you eat before or during a game and what sort of thing you should eat?
Click to expand...

I think the gentle exercise and additional steps of golf should be a good fit for T2 diabetes. And as others have said, if you aren’t on glucose-lowering medication that can cause hypos like insulin or gliclazide then the chances of inducing genuinely low glucose levels are small.

If your BG levels have been running high for some time, then BGs are the lower end of the normal/healthy range can sometimes give rise to hypo-like symptoms, so you might want to obtain a BG meter to take with you in case you come over feeling a bit wobbly.

It can be reassuring to have a reading that shows your levels are safely above 4.0 if your brain is giving out hypo warning signs.

If you need to self fund your BG meter, some of the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £10 for 50. The Contour Blue also seems popular. Some brands have strips that cost 3x as much!
 
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