Weird glucose levels

[Alexandra100]

Fasting this morning: tested 6.5. 2 hrs after a pretty low carb breakfast: tested 6.2. After a hilly 1 mile walk tested 5.5 (the lowest I've seen for days.) Celebrated with a snack, the first real carbs of the day 30+g. 1 hr later tested 10.03 (highest ever by far.) Re-tested at once and got 8.7. Is this a normal meter variation? If so , it makes pretty much nonsense of testing. All these test numbers are worse than I got the first day of testing, before I really got going with the low carb. That day my fasting test was 5.0 and 1 hour after the same 30g carb snack I just ate I tested 4.6, then 2 hrs later 5.3.

So I have 2 questions: is my TEE2 meter faulty?
Should I be trying high carb instead of low?

 

[AM1874]

Hi @Alexandra100 ..
Meters (including the TEE2) can generate up to a 15% error rate .. that's standard. You could also test again after a spurious reading making sure that you have throughly washed your hands .. and/or try the control fluid that you should have received with your meter.
In terms of diet, I suggest that you give up the 30g carb snack and I think that you might also do well to re-focus your LCHF strategy .. you might find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. together with the following Diet Doctor websites, which will give you all the info that you need on what and what not to eat ...
Low Carb Intro and Information and Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

Hope this helps

 

[Alexandra100]

Hi @Alexandra100 ..
Meters (including the TEE2) can generate up to a 15% error rate .. that's standard. You could also test again after a spurious reading making sure that you have throughly washed your hands .. and/or try the control fluid that you should have received with your meter.
In terms of diet, I suggest that you give up the 30g carb snack and I think that you might also do well to re-focus your LCHF strategy .. you might find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. together with the following Diet Doctor websites, which will give you all the info that you need on what and what not to eat ...
Low Carb Intro and Information and Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

Hope this helps

Thanks very much for answering. I'm not sure I have the heart to keep on with all this. 4 days of a much lower carb diet than I am used to, feeling empty & ill, low energy - and the test results are much worse than on the 1st day. It almost seems as if I have been teaching my body not to tolerate carbs.

 

[derry60]

I understand how you are feeling regarding your BG levels. I have done mine many times and then repeated the test straight after the first and got a silly different level. I know that we are just using the meter as a guide, but sometimes it can be way out, then I have tried a third time all within 3 mins of each other and got a different reading again. My meter is fine as I tried my friend's meter also, and the same thing happens at times. It can be soul destroying at times. Are you saying that when you were eating more carbs your BG was better?

 

[Alexandra100]

I understand how you are feeling regarding your BG levels. I have done mine many times and then repeated the test straight after the first and got a silly different level. I know that we are just using the meter as a guide, but sometimes it can be way out, then I have tried a third time all within 3 mins of each other and got a different reading again. My meter is fine as I tried my friend's meter also, and the same thing happens at times. It can be soul destroying at times. Are you saying that when you were eating more carbs your BG was better?

Derry, thanks so much for replying. Yes, I started testing first thing on Thursday 31st August. (I know Thursday to Monday is not very long and I should be more patient, but it's hard to keep on when there is no progress & the test results are even getting worse.) My fasting tests have gone: 5, 5.8, 7.1, 6.1, 6.5. 2 hour tests after similar meals are unpredictable. The first day they were 5.3, 3.9, 6.3 (the 6.3 after c. 65g carbs) but since then they have all been over 6 even for very low carb breakfasts after fasting.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Derry, thanks so much for replying. Yes, I started testing first thing on Thursday 31st August. (I know Thursday to Monday is not very long and I should be more patient, but it's hard to keep on when there is no progress & the test results are even getting worse.) My fasting tests have gone: 5, 5.8, 7.1, 6.1, 6.5. 2 hour tests after similar meals are unpredictable. The first day they were 5.3, 3.9, 6.3 (the 6.3 after c. 65g carbs) but since then they have all been over 6 even for very low carb breakfasts after fasting.

This is a life long learning curve, not one you can learn or understand in a few days.

Morning fasting readings are unreliable because factors other than food come in play. (liver dumps, restless night, stress, full bladder, and many other things.)

Initially, I would forget fasting tests and concentrate on before and after meal tests, and keeping any 2 hour rise down below 2mmol/l and preferably a lot less than that. Keep records and look for trends in the amount by which you rise post meal rather than the actual level. Trends will only appear after time. They don't appear in a few days.

Sometimes post meal tests can vary a lot even with the exact same food, because hormones and such like play a part, not to mention our livers being over enthusiastic at times.

When I see an unexpected rise from before to after that is out of my personal range for the food eaten I test again, and then maybe again. All different, and spread out - I average them for my records. Sometimes they differ but not by a lot so I look for 2 very similar ones and average those. If the test comes back within your personal range for the food eaten, even if a bit on the high or low side, then record it and move on. You won't know what your personal ranges are yet, you haven't been doing it long enough.

 

[geefull]

Thanks very much for answering. I'm not sure I have the heart to keep on with all this. 4 days of a much lower carb diet than I am used to, feeling empty & ill, low energy - and the test results are much worse than on the 1st day. It almost seems as if I have been teaching my body not to tolerate carbs.

Hi @Alexandra100

When you first start to eat a low/lower carb diet you may suffer what they call ' carb flu ' which can make you feel less than great for a short period, (do a forum search for more info), this passes as your body adapts. Your body needs some time to adapt to a different fuel mix.

Drinking more water and also upping your salt intake can help with this as a low carb diet requires more liquid intake and flushes salt out more quickly.

Also - from my own experience I think carbohydrates are addictive (they don't call it a sugar rush for nothing) and some level of craving is to be expected

 

[Alexandra100]

Hi @Alexandra100

When you first start to eat a low/lower carb diet you may suffer what they call ' carb flu ' which can make you feel less than great for a short period, (do a forum search for more info), this passes as your body adapts. Your body needs some time to adapt to a different fuel mix.

Drinking more water and also upping your salt intake can help with this as a low carb diet requires more liquid intake and flushes salt out more quickly.

Also - from my own experience I think carbohydrates are addictive (they don't call it a sugar rush for nothing) and some level of craving is to be expected

I could maybe hack that if I was seeing any improvements in my glucose levels. But worsening?

 

[Alexandra100]

This is a life long learning curve, not one you can learn or understand in a few days.

Morning fasting readings are unreliable because factors other than food come in play. (liver dumps, restless night, stress, full bladder, and many other things.)

Initially, I would forget fasting tests and concentrate on before and after meal tests, and keeping any 2 hour rise down below 2mmol/l and preferably a lot less than that. Keep records and look for trends in the amount by which you rise post meal rather than the actual level. Trends will only appear after time. They don't appear in a few days.

Sometimes post meal tests can vary a lot even with the exact same food, because hormones and such like play a part, not to mention our livers being over enthusiastic at times.

When I see an unexpected rise from before to after that is out of my personal range for the food eaten I test again, and then maybe again. All different, and spread out - I average them for my records. Sometimes they differ but not by a lot so I look for 2 very similar ones and average those. If the test comes back within your personal range for the food eaten, even if a bit on the high or low side, then record it and move on. You won't know what your personal ranges are yet, you haven't been doing it long enough.

Thanks Bluetit. I don't want to abandon the fasting tests as I suspect that due to my sleep apnoeia (see separate thread) there is a lot going on during the night that I should know about. I am even contemplating getting up in the night to test!

 

[Brunneria]

Thanks Bluetit. I don't want to abandon the fasting tests as I suspect that due to my sleep apnoeia (see separate thread) there is a lot going on during the night that I should know about. I am even contemplating getting up in the night to test!

Nightime testing can be very informative, but the problem with fasting readings is that until you have been testing a while you won't have a clue which of the various factors that Bluetit listed are affecting your reading on that particular morning.

It is very easy to blame a few carbs the night before, when it was really the car alarm that went off on the street at 3am that disturbed your sleep. Or to blame the car alarm when in fact you are brewing a virus which is raising your blood glucose...
That kind of thing.
Unfortunately, the possible influences and permutations are nearly endless.
My dreams (if stressful) seem to have a particular impact.

 

[Kristin251]

What do you consider low or very low carb? 65 and 35 in one meal I don't consider low.

The trick to becoming fat adapted or low carbing is to not swing all over the place. Meaning one low carb meal and one high carb. Best to spread your carbs out throughout the day rather than all at one go.

 

[derry60]

Derry, thanks so much for replying. Yes, I started testing first thing on Thursday 31st August. (I know Thursday to Monday is not very long and I should be more patient, but it's hard to keep on when there is no progress & the test results are even getting worse.) My fasting tests have gone: 5, 5.8, 7.1, 6.1, 6.5. 2 hour tests after similar meals are unpredictable. The first day they were 5.3, 3.9, 6.3 (the 6.3 after c. 65g carbs) but since then they have all been over 6 even for very low carb breakfasts after fasting.[/QUOTE Quite a few of us on here are eating no more than 20 grams of carbs a day. Are you watching the sugar of what you eat? I am sure that I read somewhere that it can be quite common for BG levels to go up at first when starting a very low carb diet, but then levels out. I would cut the fasting one out as Bluetit suggests, I am going to because it is so unreliable. My testing is more reliable 2 hours after eating. My surgery does not even do fasting tests anymore, they seem more interested in testing after we have eaten food. The nurse told me that fasting test was not really reliable.How far over 6 are you after eating meals?as that is not really bad. When I first started the low carb diet, I also felt weak and very tired. I didn't really feel hungry because I ate tons of veg (Only the ones that grow above ground) Are you eating Swede, Carrots or sweet potato, rice, pasta, couscous? These are high in carbs and in some people can cause an increase in sugar levels.I eat Greens, cabbage, sprouts, green beans, courgettes broccoli, and cauliflower. Plenty of green salad with cucumber spring onions, celery, spinach, rocket etc. I do have some tomatoes with that, and eggs. I also eat Celeriact mashed, in place of potatoes.or roasted Celeriac. All meat and cheese, fish, berries with cream. There are some great recipies on here. 4 Days is not very long, keep going and wait to see what happens. Good luck

 

[Bluetit1802]

What do you consider low or very low carb? 65 and 35 in one meal I don't consider low.

I agree those amounts per meal are not really low carb. If I eat more than 20g of carbs in one meal my blood sugar will rise more than I am willing to accept. I have zero carb for breakfast, a few at lunch, and the rest of my allowance in the evening. This is because my insulin resistance improves as the day goes on.

 

[Alexandra100]

What do you consider low or very low carb? 65 and 35 in one meal I don't consider low.

The trick to becoming fat adapted or low carbing is to not swing all over the place. Meaning one low carb meal and one high carb. Best to spread your carbs out throughout the day rather than all at one go.

I was following the advice on this forum to make breakfast an almost carb-free meal. I can't make all my meals as carb free as that, so either I eat carbs for breakfast OR I am obliged to swing between different amounts of carbs.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I was following the advice on this forum to make breakfast an almost carb-free meal. I can't make all my meals as carb free as that, so either I eat carbs for breakfast OR I am obliged to swing between different amounts of carbs.

It is a good plan to eat as few carbs at breakfast as you can, but I am concerned that 65g in one meal is too many for most people.
As you are not diabetic, and apparently not even pre-diabetic, this may not be applicable to you. You may be best spreading them out throughout the day as @Kristin251 suggested. It would put less strain on your pancreas.

 

[Alexandra100]

It is a good plan to eat as few carbs at breakfast as you can, but I am concerned that 65g in one meal is too many for most people.
As you are not diabetic, and apparently not even pre-diabetic, this may not be applicable to you. You may be best spreading them out throughout the day as @Kristin251 suggested. It would put less strain on your pancreas.

I agree with you about the 65g. I was getting over optimistic based on the better than expected test results I got all day. And I was following the principle of experimenting. That was a first favourite meal for me, and I wanted to see if I could get away with it. I have tried again since, and no, I can't. At present I am not aiming for an ultra-low carb diet, just to reduce carbs enough to see my bg stabilise or preferably go down a few points, so I never qualify as properly pre-diabetic. I don't think 30g x 3+ daily is unreasonable, especially given the much higher level of carbs I have been used to eating and the exercise I want to do. But if it is not low enough, that will show up over time. Given that I have a BMI of 16.5, and that with all this bother about carbs I feel as if I don't care if I never eat again, I think an ultra strict regime is the last thing I need.

 

[Kristin251]

I do the same as @Bluetit1802 and eat the majority of carbs in the evening. Just mostly a fatty bf and ramp the carbs up slightly as the day goes on but all my carbs are from wholesome fresh above ground veggies. I'm ultra low carb as it's the only way I keep steady. Your meter will tell you when it's too much.