How to Skip Meals with Diabetes
Diabetics are often told to follow strict schedules to ensure better overall control over blood sugar levels. While maintaining a fairly similar day-to-day schedule is recommended, skipping meals every once in a while is acceptable and can be accomplished fairly easily. By closely monitoring your blood sugar levels and adjusting your insulin, you can make your own meal schedule, one not dictated by your diabetes.
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Things You'll Need
- Blood glucose test kit
- Carbohydrate-rich snack
- Insulin and syringe/insulin pump
Instructions
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Preparing to skip a meal
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Check your blood glucose about an hour prior to the meal you would like to skip. Get your blood sugar within the normal range (between 70 and 120 mg/dl) prior to skipping any meals. If your blood sugar is higher, inject a correction dose, as recommended by your doctor. However, if it is lower, you will have to snack to get your blood sugar back to normal range.
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Skip the meal if your blood glucose is within the normal range and you have long-acting insulin, such as Lantus, actively working, as it is designed to keep sugars steady over the long term. Pump users can leave their insulin pump on, as normal. Do not inject the fast-acting insulin you would normally inject prior to a meal.
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Monitor your blood sugar roughly two hours after your normal meal time, or check your sugar sooner if you aren't feeling well. Grab a snack if your blood sugar drops below 70 mg/dl after missing a meal. Inject a correction dose of insulin if your sugar is higher.
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Tips & Warnings
Skipping meals as a diabetic often requires a bit of trial and error, as no two individuals are alike. However, by checking your blood sugar often and adjusting your insulin and diet, you will quickly learn what works for you.
Always consult your doctor when considering modifying your daily diabetic routine.
