Sushi

Jenny, on what's in a roll.

1. The rice is short grainMuch starchier — and it's seasoned with a sugar and vinegar mixture to make it sticky. More carb than plain rice.
2. Size is the diameterSix to eight pieces a roll. Small, medium, or the big specialty rolls with extra sauces and crispy onions on top. The wider the roll, the more carb in every piece.
3. “Spicy” usually means mayonnaiseThe spice comes in a mayo with some heat in it. That's the fat.

Why Jenny agrees with a four-hour extension.

1. The rice is a quick hitHigh glycemic index. Pre-bolusing matters here.
2. It's eaten coldLike pasta cooked, cooled and eaten cold, cold rice can dull the glycemic hit — and stretch it out. With the protein alongside, that stretch can be several hours.
3. It's smallThat's what trips people up. It's rice, it's a little piece — and then the second push shows up hours later.

Scott, moving numbers in the estimator.

1. Without the proteinStill 3.5 up front, but the extended wave drops by about half a unit and shrinks from four hours to three.
2. Without the fatJust 35 carbs: a 3.5 bolus and nothing for later. That must be what people are seeing.
3. Treat it like a burger and friesScott: as far as that secondary hit goes, this food deserves the same respect.
4. Specialty rolls push it furtherJenny: fried shrimp, fried squid or eel inside, mayo sauces on top, avocado in a California roll. Edamame first helps — fiber and protein before the rice.

On the tape: “it's now four units up front — that went up by a half unit,” and “over five units” total. The estimator's math on 45 carbs is 4.50 up front, 1.11 over four hours, 5.62 total (the estimator rounds each figure on its own). Jenny: that 10 grams is a unit you'd miss — and with a sensitivity of 50, a 50-point rise you didn't expect.

As read: 10 and a half up front, three units over eight hours, “13 and a half units for sushi.” The estimator's math lands on 10.50, 3.03 over eight hours, 13.53.

Jenny: this is not a judgment.

1. “Something's gotta be wrong”If your meals are usually six or seven units, 13 and a half looks like a mistake. Scott: but are you having this meal on six or seven units and sitting at 300 for five hours? This is your answer.
2. Drop the fat and the whole wave disappearsNobody teaches you to bolus for fat. Take it out and the estimator just says 10 and a half — three units and eight hours of need, gone.
3. An automated system can make it worseNot only is the extended insulin missing — the algorithm may be pulling your basal. Then you call the pump company and say the pump doesn't work.
4. A learning toolScott built the estimator to learn from: throw numbers in and watch what counting, or not counting, each thing does to the amount and the timing. Take it to your doctor and ask why nobody mentioned fat.