Blood Sugar Testing Questions

HEG

Active Member
Messages
36
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Pretty new to blood testing and can't find the answer to a couple of questions.

firstly why two hours after eating. What is so magical about 2 hours?

is it two hours from the start of eating your meal or the end?

I am finding it hard to test at two hours from the pre meal test
as Need to start work and can't stop to test on the 2 hour mark.
 

martsnow

Well-Known Member
Messages
141
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
This was a long debate that went on for ages last week, Apparently two hours, is the optimum time, for the digestion process. The majority of people test, from the start of the meals, because that is when the hormones, are released which encourage, salivation, and the flowing of, gastric juices. This is not an exact science, as peoples digestive, process and metabolism, varies. It is worth trying, at different times, starting with an hour onwards. You will then find from experience, when you body peaks, for Blood Glucose levels. From this, you will be able to try, different foods, and see what effect, they have, on your BG levels. Again some people, tolerate, different foods, whilst others cannot eat certain foods, because, they cause spikes in BG levels.

I am afraid, it is a learning curve, that only you will find out. I have only been diagnosed, seven weeks and am, only now, just finding out, what I can, and cant eat.

Good luck

Regards
Mart
 

Safi

Well-Known Member
Messages
515
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Apparently by the two hour mark your bs levels should have returned to near enough your pre-meal levels.

Some people test two hours after the first bite & some at two hours after the last. I've hedged my bets & test at about 2 hours 15min!
 
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pleinster

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1,631
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ignorance
Hi. I am finding that with some foods (and its al low carbs now...apart from a half bottle of beer) my levels don't return to pre-meal levels inside 2 hours, and it can take maybe 3 hours or so. I eat pretty late. Generally, levels drop well after that. Does anybody think I need to be concerned or is it just maybe personal digestive process? I am still getting my head around it all, but things are really improving.
 

Safi

Well-Known Member
Messages
515
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I eat a lot of fibre which makes for a slow, steady rise @pleinster so I'm rarely back at pre-meal levels at 2 hrs. I'm fairly sure that high fat meals do something similar. As long as my 2 hour number is no more than 1mmol above my pre-meal number I don't worry about it.
 
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HEG

Active Member
Messages
36
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I am beginning to think it is not a matter be a feeling of 'being in the dark' but more of a what suits your own body. Thank you all especially Mart your comment was useful as a benchmark belief regarding results.

I am home testing with my doctor and DN not recommending testing, so self funded and just had a thought as to whether to continue as the test time are quite erratic due to life commitments/being I. The right place to test.

Again thanks all for your comments as it is good to know you are not alone with the difficulties that arise from diabetes.
 
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Lamont D

Oracle
Messages
15,796
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
As others have said.
Pre meal fasting
1 hour after for spike.
2 hour after for return to pre meal fasting number if over 2 mmols over then something in your meal is causing that!

But as also been said and dependent on what we eat, it can be slower digestion or in my case quick!
You will learn to filter out all them baddies.

Do keep a food diary to compare over time what you eat and your results.
This will change as you lose weight, and you won't be as insulin resistant.

So when your fasting pre meal level is in the normal range you can up your carbs (baddies) and your spike won't be so high and your 2 hour will return to normal levels.
But you will always not be able to tolerate some of the high GI carbs particularly starchy ones (spuds) or grain or even some processed foods!
 
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4ratbags

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,334
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Its a real balancing act sometimes and although you feel like you are doing everything right the numbers still dont reflect it. How many carbs are you consuming in a meal as LC means different numbers to each individual.
 

HEG

Active Member
Messages
36
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Its a real balancing act sometimes and although you feel like you are doing everything right the numbers still dont reflect it. How many carbs are you consuming in a meal as LC means different numbers to each individual.

I try to keep around 80g to 100g per day. It depends if I feel the need for a slice of brown wholemeal bread with breakfast egg. Today cheese omelette so carb was lower. I now eat a lot of fish especially salmon. Med veg no chips, pasta etc. My habit of munching crisps whilst watching the TV has been replaced with a handful of nuts. Lunch is normally salad with houmous any variety so a few carbs there.

I am losing weight and so far 1 and a half stone. Having a three month blood test next week so hopefully the results will be good. I am feeling that I have a lot more energy just find the timing of blood sugar monitoring difficult.
 

4ratbags

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,334
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
If you are feeling good then that is great. Try not to stress out too much about testing as by the looks of it you have made some great changes and that is what is important. I rarely test anymore as I find it can stress me out too much sometimes so my goal is to enjoy all the pleasures of LCHF and if my HbA1c indicates its not going so well I will go back to testing.
 

Sirmione

Well-Known Member
Messages
477
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Donald Trump
If you are self-funding test strips the SD Codefree has by far the lowest running costs, it is not a fancy meter but is as accurate as any of the many I have tried and can connect to PC for data logging.

Foods with simpler carbohydrates (ie sugars) sharply spike almost instantly foods with complex carbohydrates take longer and don't spke so high but keep the blood glucose high much longer. In a healthy no-diabetic after 2 hours the body should have been able to bring a sugar spike down to blood glucose levels within the normal non-diabetic range.
As a type 2 I find starchy Carbohydrates are the biggest threat to my good glucose levels and these can effect my test numbers well beyond the 2 hour mark so there is little point in testing before 2 hours after the last bite of a meal.
The order food is broken down and enters your blood stream in a form your body can metabalise is pretty fixed sugars, followed by more complex carbohydrates, followed by proteins and eventually fats and oils.
 
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HEG

Active Member
Messages
36
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I have the SD Codefree monitor and yes cheap to run tend to buy supplies from Amazon. I was very happy this morning as the raise over night was from 7 Bedtime result) to 7.5 (this morning).
 

Sirmione

Well-Known Member
Messages
477
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Donald Trump
High test numbers waking are one of the pit falls of type 2 life, no real answer as to how to avoid them, I find eating a little fatty food (cheese) just before bed helps and there is some evidence cider vinegar has a very slight moderating effect. Having said that cutting carb consumption and moderate exercise should bring it down in the longer term.
 
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