Timing of blood glucose testing

[Restormel01]

New to this forum - I see that blood glucose testing is suggested before and after meals. How long before a meal do I test AND how long after a meal ? How important is it to maintain regular meal times.

 

[Gudrun]

The most important thing you can do is to check first thing in the morning (before you drink your first coffee, or have breakfast) to get an idea of your fasting blood glucose levels. Then, when you have an idea of what it is, check before the meal, and then one hour after and two hours after. Once you have got some idea what spikes your blood (what increases your blood glucose levels) you only really need to check after meals.

They generally say that we should try to stay below 8.5 two hours after a meal. Although at the X-Pert Diabetes self-management course I am on at the moment, they recommend that anything up to 10 is perfectly fine. I prefer to go lower and follow the advice given in this forum.

But you need the starting point first... i.e. you need to get your fasting blood glucose levels. If, for example, you start with 9 (diabetes range) then it would be silly to expect to reach 8.5 after a meal (if you know what I mean...).

I don't really stick to particular meal times. I eat when I'm hungry, often skip breakfast and have brunch at 11:00-ish, a snack in the afternoon and dinner around 5:00, with a snack a few hours later if I feel hungry.

Have you got a meter yet? I would recommend getting the Codefree meter to check your blood. Although there are lots out there, the test strips are cheapest for the Codefree.

Let us know a little more about yourself. Have you been diagnosed with Prediabetes?

 

[cyclist]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm sure @daisy will be along with some welcoming advice for you soon

The key for testing is consistency

I test immediately before the meal then 2 hours afterwards (for foods that I am unsure about)

Eating times don't matter (well not for me anyway) but the consistency of the timing does

You may spike a little between 0-2 hours but should be back down to decent levels by this time

What BG (blood glucose) monitor do you have?

Once you have tested foods and know their values you don't need to keep testing them again, unless something changes (diet / meds etc)

 

[Daphne917]

Test just before your meal and then 2 hours after your first bite. If I'm trying something that may be a bit more carby than usual I test after 1, 2 and 3 hours just in case my BS is still rising after the 2 hour point which can happen!

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hello and welcome.

For testing out what a meal has done to your levels, test immediately before you eat and 2 hours after your first bite.
Certain foods digest quickly, others take longer, some can take all day. The 2 hour timing is fine until you get more experienced. Any rise from before to 2 hours after should be no more than 2mmol/l (ideally less). If it is, there are too many carbs in that meal and you need to adjust your portion size or avoid that food.

I find it very important to maintain regular meal times, evenly spaced as much as possible. However, others aren't as bothered.

 

[Restormel01]

The most important thing you can do is to check first thing in the morning (before you drink your first coffee, or have breakfast) to get an idea of your fasting blood glucose levels. Then, when you have an idea of what it is, check before the meal, and then one hour after and two hours after. Once you have got some idea what spikes your blood (what increases your blood glucose levels) you only really need to check after meals.

They generally say that we should try to stay below 8.5 two hours after a meal. Although at the X-Pert Diabetes self-management course I am on at the moment, they recommend that anything up to 10 is perfectly fine. I prefer to go lower and follow the advice given in this forum.

But you need the starting point first... i.e. you need to get your fasting blood glucose levels. If, for example, you start with 9 (diabetes range) then it would be silly to expect to reach 8.5 after a meal (if you know what I mean...).

I don't really stick to particular meal times. I eat when I'm hungry, often skip breakfast and have brunch at 11:00-ish, a snack in the afternoon and dinner around 5:00, with a snack a few hours later if I feel hungry.

Have you got a meter yet? I would recommend getting the Codefree meter to check your blood. Although there are lots out there, the test strips are cheapest for the Codefree.

The most important thing you can do is to check first thing in the morning (before you drink your first coffee, or have breakfast) to get an idea of your fasting blood glucose levels. Then, when you have an idea of what it is, check before the meal, and then one hour after and two hours after. Once you have got some idea what spikes your blood (what increases your blood glucose levels) you only really need to check after meals.

They generally say that we should try to stay below 8.5 two hours after a meal. Although at the X-Pert Diabetes self-management course I am on at the moment, they recommend that anything up to 10 is perfectly fine. I prefer to go lower and follow the advice given in this forum.

But you need the starting point first... i.e. you need to get your fasting blood glucose levels. If, for example, you start with 9 (diabetes range) then it would be silly to expect to reach 8.5 after a meal (if you know what I mean...).

I don't really stick to particular meal times. I eat when I'm hungry, often skip breakfast and have brunch at 11:00-ish, a snack in the afternoon and dinner around 5:00, with a snack a few hours later if I feel hungry.

Have you got a meter yet? I would recommend getting the Codefree meter to check your blood. Although there are lots out there, the test strips are cheapest for the Codefree.

Let us know a little more about yourself. Have you been diagnosed with Prediabetes?

The most important thing you can do is to check first thing in the morning (before you drink your first coffee, or have breakfast) to get an idea of your fasting blood glucose levels. Then, when you have an idea of what it is, check before the meal, and then one hour after and two hours after. Once you have got some idea what spikes your blood (what increases your blood glucose levels) you only really need to check after meals.

They generally say that we should try to stay below 8.5 two hours after a meal. Although at the X-Pert Diabetes self-management course I am on at the moment, they recommend that anything up to 10 is perfectly fine. I prefer to go lower and follow the advice given in this forum.

But you need the starting point first... i.e. you need to get your fasting blood glucose levels. If, for example, you start with 9 (diabetes range) then it would be silly to expect to reach 8.5 after a meal (if you know what I mean...).

I don't really stick to particular meal times. I eat when I'm hungry, often skip breakfast and have brunch at 11:00-ish, a snack in the afternoon and dinner around 5:00, with a snack a few hours later if I feel hungry.

Have you got a meter yet? I would recommend getting the Codefree meter to check your blood. Although there are lots out there, the test strips are cheapest for the Codefree.

Let us know a little more about yourself. Have you been diagnosed with Prediabetes?

 

[Restormel01]

The most important thing you can do is to check first thing in the morning (before you drink your first coffee, or have breakfast) to get an idea of your fasting blood glucose levels. Then, when you have an idea of what it is, check before the meal, and then one hour after and two hours after. Once you have got some idea what spikes your blood (what increases your blood glucose levels) you only really need to check after meals.

They generally say that we should try to stay below 8.5 two hours after a meal. Although at the X-Pert Diabetes self-management course I am on at the moment, they recommend that anything up to 10 is perfectly fine. I prefer to go lower and follow the advice given in this forum.

But you need the starting point first... i.e. you need to get your fasting blood glucose levels. If, for example, you start with 9 (diabetes range) then it would be silly to expect to reach 8.5 after a meal (if you know what I mean...).

I don't really stick to particular meal times. I eat when I'm hungry, often skip breakfast and have brunch at 11:00-ish, a snack in the afternoon and dinner around 5:00, with a snack a few hours later if I feel hungry.

Have you got a meter yet? I would recommend getting the Codefree meter to check your blood. Although there are lots out there, the test strips are cheapest for the Codefree.

Let us know a little more about yourself. Have you been diagnosed with Prediabetes?

Hi Gudrun,
Not sure about this and how to reply so I'm just going to write, post and see what happens.
Yes, I have a meter ... an Accuchek mobile - model U1. Background - had led a pretty fit life until Jan 2010 when I was diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia. On medication for life - including Warfarin but have it all under control, not just with meds but with diet too. Went for my 2 year eye sight test and my Optometrist decline to proceed with prescription as the right eye indicated that I had the signs of raised glucose levels. Has written to my GP requesting fasting blood glucose blood tests. Must say my father died from diabetes and was diagnosed with it about age 58. (I'm 70). So nothing that is ahead of me will come as a big surprise. My experience with eyesight tests in the context of my arrhythmia is the eyesight tests are a true indicator of what else is going on in the body. Got my meter today and the reading which I took at the end of the meter set up at 4 .00 pm was 7.2 - hence the post and the question. Thank you for your comments.

 

[Gudrun]

Hi Gudrun,
Not sure about this and how to reply so I'm just going to write, post and see what happens.
Yes, I have a meter ... an Accuchek mobile - model U1. Background - had led a pretty fit life until Jan 2010 when I was diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia. On medication for life - including Warfarin but have it all under control, not just with meds but with diet too. Went for my 2 year eye sight test and my Optometrist decline to proceed with prescription as the right eye indicated that I had the signs of raised glucose levels. Has written to my GP requesting fasting blood glucose blood tests. Must say my father died from diabetes and was diagnosed with it about age 58. (I'm 70). So nothing that is ahead of me will come as a big surprise. My experience with eyesight tests in the context of my arrhythmia is the eyesight tests are a true indicator of what else is going on in the body. Got my meter today and the reading which I took at the end of the meter set up at 4 .00 pm was 7.2 - hence the post and the question. Thank you for your comments.

It sounds like you are still waiting for a GP appointment. Hopefully that will happen soon. The GP is likely to give you an HbA1c test, which is a blood test that checks your blood glucose level over the last 3 months or so (and takes the average). I believe anything below 48 is considered normal (prediabetic). Your GP will tell you more.

If you checked your blood at 4:00pm... how long was it after you had eaten something? If you had, for example, a sandwich a couple of hours before, the blood glucose sounds fine. If you had fasted all day (another example), then it sounds a bit high.

Basically, everything you eat that contains carbohydrates (bread, potatoes, pasta, rice) is likely to raise your blood sugar levels (blood sugar is the same as blood glucose). There is even carbohydrates in vegetables and milk.... you need to test and test again to see what you can eat that doesn't raise your blood sugar levels too high.

It is early days yet, but you have found this forum and reading all the information in here is the best thing you can do. There is a lot of knowledge here and a lot of wisdom. Just browse around and if you have any questions, just ask.

Good luck and please keep posting.

 

[Restormel01]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm sure @daisy will be along with some welcoming advice for you soon

The key for testing is consistency

I test immediately before the meal then 2 hours afterwards (for foods that I am unsure about)

Eating times don't matter (well not for me anyway) but the consistency of the timing does

You may spike a little between 0-2 hours but should be back down to decent levels by this time

What BG (blood glucose) monitor do you have?

Once you have tested foods and know their values you don't need to keep testing them again, unless something changes (diet / meds etc)

Hi cyclist,
Thank you for your comments. I am assuming you can access my reply to Gudrun which will tell you something of my background - I have an Accuchek Mobile - Model U1 .... its gonna be another learning curve. I chose this model and make because I already have one of the Roche devices for blood testing my Warfarin levels, i.e. obtaining my INR.

 

[Restormel01]

Hello and welcome.

For testing out what a meal has done to your levels, test immediately before you eat and 2 hours after your first bite.
Certain foods digest quickly, others take longer, some can take all day. The 2 hour timing is fine until you get more experienced. Any rise from before to 2 hours after should be no more than 2mmol/l (ideally less). If it is, there are too many carbs in that meal and you need to adjust your portion size or avoid that food.

I find it very important to maintain regular meal times, evenly spaced as much as possible. However, others aren't as bothered.

Hi Bluetit,
What a lovely photo - did you take it ? Thank you for your comments, most appreciated. I am assuming you can access my response to Gudrun .. if not let me know and I'll repeat it on here. I'm intrigued by the 'Statistics' following your reply ... where do they come from. so sorry, but being a newbie I'm trying to understand how this forum works. Thanks again.

 

[Gudrun]

Hi Bluetit,
What a lovely photo - did you take it ? Thank you for your comments, most appreciated. I am assuming you can access my response to Gudrun .. if not let me know and I'll repeat it on here. I'm intrigued by the 'Statistics' following your reply ... where do they come from. so sorry, but being a newbie I'm trying to understand how this forum works. Thanks again.

You're doing fine, Resormel01... Any reply you give to one we can all read.

 

[Restormel01]

It sounds like you are still waiting for a GP appointment. Hopefully that will happen soon. The GP is likely to give you an HbA1c test, which is a blood test that checks your blood glucose level over the last 3 months or so (and takes the average). I believe anything below 48 is considered normal (prediabetic). Your GP will tell you more.

If you checked your blood at 4:00pm... how long was it after you had eaten something? If you had, for example, a sandwich a couple of hours before, the blood glucose sounds fine. If you had fasted all day (another example), then it sounds a bit high.

Basically, everything you eat that contains carbohydrates (bread, potatoes, pasta, rice) is likely to raise your blood sugar levels (blood sugar is the same as blood glucose). There is even carbohydrates in vegetables and milk.... you need to test and test again to see what you can eat that doesn't raise your blood sugar levels too high.

It is early days yet, but you have found this forum and reading all the information in here is the best thing you can do. There is a lot of knowledge here and a lot of wisdom. Just browse around and if you have any questions, just ask.

Good luck and please keep posting.

Hi again Gudrun,
Thanks for that. GP appointment this Thursday and I already have a fasting blood test booked for a week after that for other routine tests associated with my arrythmia medications. Might get GP to add another to the pile ! Your third paragraph is interesting and is giving me a pointer as to some more work/research I have to do. My diet to deal with arrhythmia excludes bread and pasta, but includes potatoes and rice. Especially rice.

 

[Gudrun]

You really just have to try everything to know what you can eat. Now that you've got your meter, play around a little with it tomorrow when you have your meals. For example, I can eat porridge made with oatmeal without it raising my blood sugar levels. Weetabix (my favourite) is another thing and I can have that only as a treat.

I would advise you to write down what you eat and write down what your blood sugar levels are like after 1 and 2 hours. If you include portions (or weigh the amount of rice or potatoes), then you get a good idea. It may be that you can eat small amounts, but not large ones; or that it will be best to avoid it altogether.

A lot of people here advocate the LCHF diet (low carb / high fat). I have tried the LCMF (low carb / medium fat) and found that it decreased my average fasting levels. I check my blood every morning and then take a monthly average (good way to keep a check on whether it's going up or down). It all comes down to checking and testing.

Glad you've got your appointment with the blood test. It will be a good starting point from which to work.

I also have family history of diabetes... my mother and aunt lost their sights and my sister was in the process of going blind before she died. My mother had gangrene in her foot and I have always accepted that eventually it may get me also. In my family (apart from one niece and myself) EVERYBODY has (had) diabetes. But catching it early (in the prediabetic stage) I am hopeful that I can keep it at bay - at least for some more years if not for good.

 

[Restormel01]

You really just have to try everything to know what you can eat. Now that you've got your meter, play around a little with it tomorrow when you have your meals. For example, I can eat porridge made with oatmeal without it raising my blood sugar levels. Weetabix (my favourite) is another thing and I can have that only as a treat.

I would advise you to write down what you eat and write down what your blood sugar levels are like after 1 and 2 hours. If you include portions (or weigh the amount of rice or potatoes), then you get a good idea. It may be that you can eat small amounts, but not large ones; or that it will be best to avoid it altogether.

A lot of people here advocate the LCHF diet (low carb / high fat). I have tried the LCMF (low carb / medium fat) and found that it decreased my average fasting levels. I check my blood every morning and then take a monthly average (good way to keep a check on whether it's going up or down). It all comes down to checking and testing.

Glad you've got your appointment with the blood test. It will be a good starting point from which to work.

I also have family history of diabetes... my mother and aunt lost their sights and my sister was in the process of going blind before she died. My mother had gangrene in her foot and I have always accepted that eventually it may get me also. In my family (apart from one niece and myself) EVERYBODY has (had) diabetes. But catching it early (in the prediabetic stage) I am hopeful that I can keep it at bay - at least for some more years if not for good.

Hi Gudrun,
Thanks again. By the way what are the statistics that appear below your post ? I will take your advice on writing down diet records. I'm already starting to do that with my arrhythmia issues anyway. Clearly, at this stage I have to look very, very carefully at diet and food. In fact I might even revisit a Nutritionist because much of my diet I follow to keep my arrhythmia in check is quite the opposite of what I may need to follow re Prediabetic.. Interestingly genetics comes into the equation again - as I said my Dad had diabetes but his Dad (my grandfather) and that side of the family have a predisposition to strokes and in more recent times arrhythmias. Hence my being on Warfarin.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi Bluetit,
What a lovely photo - did you take it ? Thank you for your comments, most appreciated. I am assuming you can access my response to Gudrun .. if not let me know and I'll repeat it on here. I'm intrigued by the 'Statistics' following your reply ... where do they come from. so sorry, but being a newbie I'm trying to understand how this forum works. Thanks again.

Hi,

Thank you! Yes, I did take the photo myself, in my back garden. It's one of my hobbies.

The statistics under our posts are in what is called our signature. If you scroll to the top right of this page where your name is, and hover over your name, you will see a drop down menu. Click on "signature". That will take you to a page where you can write anything you like in the box.

Hope this helps.

 

[Gudrun]

Hi Gudrun,
Thanks again. By the way what are the statistics that appear below your post ? I will take your advice on writing down diet records. I'm already starting to do that with my arrhythmia issues anyway. Clearly, at this stage I have to look very, very carefully at diet and food. In fact I might even revisit a Nutritionist because much of my diet I follow to keep my arrhythmia in check is quite the opposite of what I may need to follow re Prediabetic.. Interestingly genetics comes into the equation again - as I said my Dad had diabetes but his Dad (my grandfather) and that side of the family have a predisposition to strokes and in more recent times arrhythmias. Hence my being on Warfarin.

You're in good hands here with lots of knowledgeable people to give advice (I have learned a lot from them). You will have to tweak your diet to make sure it fits in with all you need and all you can eat with your arrhythmia as well as whatever your GP may find at your next blood test. But it can be done and you'll feel better once you've got it under control.

As Bluetit already mentioned, the bits underneath our posts are our 'signature'. They are our diagnoses so that everybody can see where we are. Bluetit was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, while I am (still) prediabetic. I have included the results of my HbA1c tests, triglycerides and BMI (they all should be reduced). I would like to get my HbA1c results back into the 30s, my triglycerides below 1.7 and my BMI should be no more than 25. Losing weight would reduce my blood glucose levels (possibly quite dramatically) and that is what I am trying to do now. However, as I have got chronic fatigue (ME) I can't exercise and as I'm no spring chicken either, it's not easy.

 

[Restormel01]

You're in good hands here with lots of knowledgeable people to give advice (I have learned a lot from them). You will have to tweak your diet to make sure it fits in with all you need and all you can eat with your arrhythmia as well as whatever your GP may find at your next blood test. But it can be done and you'll feel better once you've got it under control.

As Bluetit already mentioned, the bits underneath our posts are our 'signature'. They are our diagnoses so that everybody can see where we are. Bluetit was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, while I am (still) prediabetic. I have included the results of my HbA1c tests, triglycerides and BMI (they all should be reduced). I would like to get my HbA1c results back into the 30s, my triglycerides below 1.7 and my BMI should be no more than 25. Losing weight would reduce my blood glucose levels (possibly quite dramatically) and that is what I am trying to do now. However, as I have got chronic fatigue (ME) I can't exercise and as I'm no spring chicken either, it's not easy.

Hi Gudrun and Bluetit,
Well, I'm getting into this a bit more thank you both. Yesterday (17/1) I did a test just before my evening meal - result was 5.5. Next test 2 hours later was 4.8. My meal was a starter, Avocado and prawns with the usual topping and mains was fish pie (no green veg). This morning 18/1 - my fasting test was 5.5. What do you reckon ???
John

 

[Daphne917]

Seems good to me - within normal range so well done an a good result.

 

[Gudrun]

Hi Gudrun and Bluetit,
Well, I'm getting into this a bit more thank you both. Yesterday (17/1) I did a test just before my evening meal - result was 5.5. Next test 2 hours later was 4.8. My meal was a starter, Avocado and prawns with the usual topping and mains was fish pie (no green veg). This morning 18/1 - my fasting test was 5.5. What do you reckon ???
John

That sounds very good. You can be pleased and don't need to worry too much about what the GP may find. Sounds like normal range. Certainly nothing to worry about.

 

[Restormel01]

That sounds very good. You can be pleased and don't need to worry too much about what the GP may find. Sounds like normal range. Certainly nothing to worry about.

Hi Gudrun, Hi Bluetit,
Yeah well since my last post I have seen my GP and am booked in for fasting blood test next Thursday - HbA1c. I took with me my readings right up until Thursday morning and he didn't seem to like the number of readings over 6 from my Accu-Chek device. Certainly all readings - Fasting, Before Meal and After Meal are all showing a marked increase in readings over 6 !
Now something else to ask - anybody - blood pressure ? I've had a blood pressure issue for over 7 years and it has been controlled by Ramipril. In fact until recently its been about 127/75. Now, all of a sudden my resting blood pressure readings (all taken on my Omron home blood pressure monitor) are all over the place, quite erratic can be as low as 112/71 and swing as high as 160/93 ... all within hours. When I saw GP he took my blood pressure, said it was 160/90 ( I told him don't worry - 'white coat syndrome') ... then he announced he wanted me to wear a 24hr blood pressure monitor.
So I'm now wondering if there is a link between erratic resting blood pressure and raised blood sugar levels. I might add I never complained to him about my BP.
Lastly, does anyone use meditation as a technique for dealing with stress ?
Many thanks.