Guess I have Diabetes

[Jamesuk9]

It almost seems wicked that something that tastes so good can also help lower blood glucose levels while helping weight loss doesn't it?

You forgot the blood pressure too, it will lower your blood pressure.

Mine normalised within weeks and I came off BP meds after 20 yrs.

Less inflammation, less body weight, more energy, yet they say LCHF is unhealthy.... Yeah right!

 

[bulkbiker]

Well my blood pressure hasn't really changed even with loosing 7 stone so I tend not to mention that as for me it hasn't.. or at least not appreciably.

 

[Jamesuk9]

Well my blood pressure hasn't really changed even with loosing 7 stone so I tend not to mention that as for me it hasn't.. or at least not appreciably.

Likewise, I suspect I'll never have the level of BS control that you have from LCHF.

Amazing how it works in different ways for different people, yet again proving that a standard approach does not apply for everyone.

I find the blood sugar response to LC has been moderate, yet the BP response has been huge for me.

 

[bulkbiker]

Likewise, I suspect I'll never have the level of BS control that you have from LCHF.

Amazing how it works in different ways for different people, yet again proving that a standard approach does not apply for everyone.

I find the blood sugar response to LC has been moderate, yet the BP response has been huge for me.

what weird old things our bodies are.. how low carb are you? I tend to aim for as few as possible.

 

[Jamesuk9]

what weird old things our bodies are.. how low carb are you? I tend to aim for as few as possible.

Very low, I'm one meal a day, have been most of my life.

On my journey here I have found that I'm very insulin resistant until around lunchtime so I survive on hot drinks and water all day and then eat around 7pm where I can pretty much eat most things without massive spikes. A heavy carb meal will peak at around 8.5 but it's short lived, no longer than 15 mins over 8.

If I eat even 5g carbs in the morning it pushes me up at least 3.0 yet the same, 5g in the evening has little to no effect.

I'm sure a lot of it has been contributed to by my once a day eating ritual all my working life.

My numbers are improving considerably as a result of this fast though.

I went to bed at 4.8 last night, woke up at 5.5, which rose to 7 almost immediately and then came down to around 5.5, where it has sat pretty much all day today. It's now starting to drop to high fours which ties in with my insulin resistance during the day theory.

Under my old regimen, I'd be in the sixes all day, rising to nearer 7 as evening approached.

So, I'm making progress, not sure what to make of it but the numbers don't lie I guess.

 

[bulkbiker]

Very low, I'm one meal a day, have been most of my life.

On my journey here I have found that I'm very insulin resistant until around lunchtime so I survive on hot drinks and water all day and then eat around 7pm where I can pretty much eat most things without massive spikes. A heavy carb meal will peak at around 8.5 but it's short lived, no longer than 15 mins over 8.

If I eat even 5g carbs in the morning it pushes me up at least 3.0 yet the same, 5g in the evening has little to no effect.

I'm sure a lot of it has been contributed to by my once a day eating ritual all my working life.

My numbers are improving considerably as a result of this fat though.

I went to bed at 4.8 last night, woke up at 5.5, which rose to 7 almost immediately and then came down to around 5.5, where it has sat pretty much all day today. It's now starting to drop to high fours which ties in with my insulin resistance during the day theory.

Under my old regimen, I'd be in the sixes all day, rising to nearer 7 as evening approached.

So, I'm making progress, not sure what to make of it but the numbers don't lie I guess.

Sounds like you are making some good progress..which is after what we are all here for..

 

[Prem51]

I'm even considering some urine testing strips as too much sugar reported in that was what first alerted the doctor in my medical that I might be diabetic. Is that going too far?

One new question. As I'm about to go on holiday should I pack the test kit in hand luggage or is it ok for it to go in the hold luggage? What do others do with their test kit when flying?.

Hi Chris! You don't need the urine strips. The blood glucose monitor will give you more accurate readings of your blood sugar levels.

I am flying home in a few hours. I put my test kit in the hold luggage. Airport security might be wary of any sharp pointy things being taken into cabin. I don't need to test during flight.
It might be different for Type 1s who do need to test and inject.

 

[Prem51]

I have the accu-chek nano myself and am very satisfied with it... also the fingerpricker is much better as in all other types

I buy my test Sticks here , and the kassett you need for you accu chek mobile is also available, don´t know if it is cheaperhere than in the UK the Price is in EURO , takes about 4-5 days to get ones orders
https://www.apo-rot.dk/index_detail...om=789389349&_filterartnr=10270545&_nav=suche

The prices for a cassette of 50 Accu Chek Mobile tests on that site are higher than in UK.
You can buy 1 cassette online here for around £23. I buy 4 cassettes at a time. Online prices are around £80, but you can get 4 cassettes on ebay for about £50 or less.
Check the expiry date though, as you need to use them by that date or they won't work. And once you insert them into monitor you have to use them within 90 days, or again they won't work.

 

[chrisnj]

Hi Chris! You don't need the urine strips. The blood glucose monitor will give you more accurate readings of your blood sugar levels.

I am flying home in a few hours. I put my test kit in the hold luggage. Airport security might be wary of any sharp pointy things being taken into cabin. I don't need to test during flight.
It might be different for Type 1s who do need to test and inject.

@Prem51 thanks, it was the sharp things and airport security I was worried about, even though they are quite small. I'll go for putting it in the hold to be sure. Hope you have/had a good flight.

 

[chrisnj]

So I've just performed my first BG test 2hrs after dinner - wasn't as scary as I was making myself think it would be to perform.

The result was 8 mmol/L which I think translates to around 49 to compare to my A1c of 85 which seems and encouraging result to me, although am I right in thinking its the morning test that is more of an indicator to compare to the A1c result?

 

[Prem51]

Not really, I only do fbg tests mainly. But if you are testing after meals just tick that box and the monitor can give you 7, 14 and 30 day averages. The 30 day average should be the closest to an HbA1c, but if you record the figures for 3 consecutive 90 day averages and work out the average of those, that should give you a rough idea of what your HbA1c might be, as the HbA1c is based on your bs levels over the last 8-12 weeks.

 

[Liam1955]

@chrisnj - 8 is fine for 2 hours after a meal .

Ranges for Type 2 Diabetes:

Before Meals - 4 -7.
2 hours after Meals - 4 - 9. (Or 8.5 as some go by)

It may help if you were to keep a record (Diary) of your blood sugar tests before and after meals, and also what you ate. Over time you will be able to see which foods raise your blood sugars and those that don't.

 

[miahara]

So I've just performed my first BG test 2hrs after dinner - wasn't as scary as I was making myself think it would be to perform.

The result was 8 mmol/L which I think translates to around 49 to compare to my A1c of 85 which seems and encouraging result to me, although am I right in thinking its the morning test that is more of an indicator to compare to the A1c result?

I think that in order to gain a better indication of your likely HbA1c level you should spread tests across all meals. 8mmol/L isn't bad at all as it's below the NICE target of under 8.5. The morning indicator alone isn't a reliable indicator of your average BG during the whole day.What you eat - breakfast, lunch and dinner will affect your BG. I know that currently my post-diinner BG average is my biggest of the day at 8.7, lunch 8 and breakfast 8.3 and these need to be averaged out across the day and then over several days in order to give me a guess at my HbA1c.

Dave

 

[chrisnj]

@Liam1955 @miahara @Prem51 thanks for the input. My morning test today gave a result of 9. Is that normal that its higher than the one 2 hrs after eating last night? I didn't eat anything more last night and drank mostly water, although did have a coke zero after last nights test but that is supposed to be zero carbs and sugar. Lots to learn I guess on this thing.

 

[miahara]

Most likely to be associated with the 'dawn phenomenon' Chris. My morning pre-breakfast BG is almost always higher than the pre-bed the previous day. I very much doubt if the zero carbs drink had any effect.

Dave

 

[CherryAA]

@Liam1955 @miahara @Prem51 thanks for the input. My morning test today gave a result of 9. Is that normal that its higher than the one 2 hrs after eating last night? I didn't eat anything more last night and drank mostly water, although did have a coke zero after last nights test but that is supposed to be zero carbs and sugar. Lots to learn I guess on this thing.

For many of us the actual levels overnight remain quite low, but then rise again either soon before or after waking. This gives the impression that it is a " fasting level" but in fact you haven't spent all night at anything like that high.

 

[Robert Swanson]

I agree with the vast majority of input to this thread.

I was diagnosed with T2 in January 2014 and with the adoption of a LCHF lifestyle together with both a blood glucose meter (Codefree - test strips were only about 7p each), and a blood pressure monitor I quickly identified the food and drink that were causing me problems.
I got my blood sugars down to acceptable levels within two months and was taken off my local surgery diabetic register shortly afterwards.
I tested regularly (up to 7 times a day) for the first 12 months, and reduced this to twice a day for the next year or so.

During this time my average fasting reading was about 4Mmol/L, and I never exceeded 7Mmol/L.

I stopped all testing in August 2016, and would only test again if I felt the need to.

I have never felt so well in my life, (I am 70), and though I got no support from my local GP or the NHS in general I am convinced that this is the best course of action for anyone like me who has a "sugar intolerance"

I must mention that I got my greatest inspiration for adopting the LCHF diet from a Dr Troy Stapleton, who I think for any diabetic is well worth listening to/looking at on You Tube.

 

[Prem51]

@chrisnj Ideally a morning fbg for T2s should be between 4-7. 9 is a bit high, but as others have said it might be Dawn Phenomenon where your liver dumps stored glucose into your bloodstream as you wake to give you a boost as you get going for the day. Fbgs are often the last figures to fall. It is still early days for you and your fbgs will probably fall in time.

 

[dorothy454]

h

welcome here chrisnj
yes do buy a blood glucose meter and measure your blood glucose first thing in the morning ... gives you an impression of how well you are treating your diabetes with foods in general

and then keep away from all high spiking foods like fruits and al kinds of sugars honey and bread and pasta and rice
http://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods

if you miss fruit very much remember berries seems to be a better choice as they are very high in fibres and spike in a slower rate, some combine berries with cream as the fat also slows the spiking

about proteins eat a little under 1 gram pro kg bodyweight as protein eaten in higher amounts than what one essentially eat can be transformed by the liver into glucose as well..

 

[lowedb]

Regarding airports. On another thread I was advised it wouldn't be a problem in hand luggage. I flew a few weeks ago with an accuchek mobile in my bag and nothing was said. Will be doing it again soon.