Who Must Plan With a Doctor

Some people need a doctor's plan before any fast. Five situations put you on that list.

The five are insulin, sulfonylureas, type 1 diabetes, pregnancy and a past severe low. A sulfonylurea is a type of diabetes pill. A severe low is a blood sugar drop that needs someone else to help.

Maybe none of the five fit you. A new fasting pattern still changes when you eat. That can shift your blood sugar.

Some medicines keep working even when no food arrives. They can keep lowering blood sugar through a long gap.

The doctor who manages your medicines decides any change to them for a fast. Guessing at a change is not safe.

Your doctor knows your medicines and your health history. Ask your care team to review your whole plan, meal times included, before day one.

Key takeaways

• Insulin, sulfonylureas, type 1 diabetes, pregnancy and a past severe low each call for a doctor's plan first.
• A new fasting pattern changes meal timing, which can move blood sugar.
• Medicine changes are for your doctor to decide, not for a plan you copied from someone else.

Try it

Check the five situations against your own life. Write down any that fit you. Add the date of a past severe low if you remember it.