Rising blood glucose readings

[Alison Campbell]

Hi please tell us how you get on with testing your meals and what changes you can make to get the results lower.

My cholestral levels have reduced with eating less carbs and switching to full fat products like butter and youghurt. I also feel less hungry and have been able to cut out snacks.

 

[Frank68]

Hi frank, it's hard isn't it? I was surprised at the 'carbs' issue too. For example a handful of your grapes is probably about the same carb count as your ice cream, may as well have had that! I think the hardest thing is to get your head around the issue of 'healthy things' somehow being 'better', for most people generally grapes would give them more nourishment than a bowl of crisps, but if you looked at them carb for carb, then the effect on your glucose levels will be similar.

I am only just getting my head around the whole carb thing. To begin with I only looked at the sugar content within the carb count, now I realise I must take into account the whole of the carb percentage within the food.

 

[Frank68]

Hi please tell us how you get on with testing your meals and what changes you can make to get the results lower.

My cholestral levels have reduced with eating less carbs and switching to full fat products like butter and youghurt. I also feel less hungry and have been able to cut out snacks.

That's interesting to hear that your cholesterol level has gone down through reducing your carb intake even though you have increased your full fat intake.

 

[Geoffno6]

Hi Frank, welcome to the forum. The good news is that your numbers have crept up slowly so the rise has been spotted early so you’re unlikely to have done much/any damage to yourself. Have you being testing before eating and again two hours after to see the effect of different foods. I’m 6 foot and a tad skinny at just over 12 stone so similar to you so you probably need to eat well. I like you was worried about cholesterol levels with all the egg and fat but six months of LCHF hasn’t caused any problems. Let us know your readings before and after different foods, I find any significant quantity of bread, pasta, potato, porridge, cereal, fruit etc or sugars sends my BS into the teens for hours but you’ll only know what effects you by testing. The good news is that as your diet was fairly carb heavy you’ll probably get good results by dropping the carbs. Good luck!

 

[walnut_face]

That's interesting to hear that your cholesterol level has gone down through reducing your carb intake even though you have increased your full fat intake.

Only 20% of your cholesterol is dependent on what you eat, your liver makes the other 80%, so dont worry too much. I would (and do) prioritize, and BS would be No1 for me

 

[Groundgripper]

Hi please tell us how you get on with testing your meals and what changes you can make to get the results lower.

My cholestral levels have reduced with eating less carbs and switching to full fat products like butter and youghurt. I also feel less hungry and have been able to cut out snacks.

I test before meals then an hour after and finally 2 hours after to see what is happening, I have more or less dumped the carbs just about completely, and over the last few weeks have dropped about 4 kilos in weight, I took a good actual long look in the mirror today at my face, which I rarely do, because there appears to be some old git gets in the way and stares back, anyway I realised that my cheeks look taught and there is no sign of any fat around my face, just a shame the comb over is so bad.
I have to admit I do get hungry, and I look in the cupboard/ larder and find myself doing the carb/sugar scan on everything, and muttering -no, no, no, no, no, as I desperately try to find anything suitable, and eventually end up with a boiled egg or two which I dip rolled up cold cuts in, you have got to try that one! other than that my cholesterol is reasonably good, but I am still in the serious transition stage from -Oh Yeh Boy, got to have me a really big sandwich and a slice of cake, to the maybe being a bit on the very wary of everything side, I will learn but I have highs and lows of hunger cravings.

 

[Frank68]

Hi Frank, welcome to the forum. The good news is that your numbers have crept up slowly so the rise has been spotted early so you’re unlikely to have done much/any damage to yourself. Have you being testing before eating and again two hours after to see the effect of different foods. I’m 6 foot and a tad skinny at just over 12 stone so similar to you so you probably need to eat well. I like you was worried about cholesterol levels with all the egg and fat but six months of LCHF hasn’t caused any problems. Let us know your readings before and after different foods, I find any significant quantity of bread, pasta, potato, porridge, cereal, fruit etc or sugars sends my BS into the teens for hours but you’ll only know what effects you by testing. The good news is that as your diet was fairly carb heavy you’ll probably get good results by dropping the carbs. Good luck!

I have only just started on the journey to reduce my blood sugar levels so time will tell. Now I know, I am monitoring my carb intake for various meals and taking a reading just before and two hours after. My first readings yesterday of 4.5 were encouraging before I ate a very low carb omelette but 8 two hours later. The next few weeks will begin to give me a better picture of what is going on and what I should avoid. I assume activity will help to reduce blood sugar levels as well. It was one of the main reasons for getting a dog as she keeps me active as well.

 

[DCUKMod]

Hi Frank - Welocme aboard, and well done for recognising the need for each of us to gain a greater understanding of our condition, and as a result take better control of our health.

In my view, you have taken the most important steps already. Firstly, you have decided to do what you can about your rising blood glucose numbers. You have learned that carbs trump sugar in terms of impacting our blood sugars, and thirdly you have a meter for immediate and personal feedback.

When I was diagnosed, I found the biggest game changer for me was the blood glucose monitor because that helped me shape what worked for me. I was diagnosed with an A1c of 73, totally without any apparent signs or symptoms, and making ready for a big adventure, thousands of miles away from the NHS. Immediately, it was clear I had to be in charge, because I would have no safety net.

Years beforehand, my father had been diagnosed with diabetes, as a result of very high doses of steroids, in an effort to slow the progress of a condition which eventually saw him off. The other condition saw him off, not the diabetes!) Back in the late 80s, he was given test kit, although not nearly as small, comfortable or sophisticated as we have now!, so I already understood the impact of the hour by houir readings.

What my meter did for me, was to give me the immediate feedback I needed, each time I ate, to understand how my body coped with various foods. If the number was too big, I'd eat a bit less of that, or give it up, but if the number was about right, I'd continue with it. My meter also helped remind me from time to time that my body hadn't just been having a laugh with me that day in October 2013. I was returning numbers in the diabetic range. It also helped my partner accept my diagnosis, understand what was going on and accept that things had to be changed a bit. As his was, and is, the main cook in this household, that was important. It's one thing trying to wrangle our bodies into the right place, without having to be on full-time persuasion mode with the person delivering food to the table.

In both my personal experience and watching others on here, many of us fine we have our own, personal rocket fuel foods. For some it's bread (or grains in general), for some it's potatoes, and for some it's plain old sugar. As someone who has never had a sweet tooth, it was a shocker to learn that my most favourite Salsa and Mesquite Kettle Chips weren't doing me any favours. On the upside, where I was spending my big adventure. Those weren't available anyway, so that dealt with that for the next 9 months at least!

Frank, my advice to you would be to take your time. It's up to you how you approach your diet, but my usual view is to take feedback from your meter and only give up what you need to. If you find your body can cope with bread, an apple, chips, or whatever else, then why turn your back on it/them if it's not necessary.

To be fair, over time, I have some things I can now cope very well with, but I just don't bother any more. I have either lost the taste for them, or they're more trouble to prepare than the enjoyment I might garner once in a while.

It's early days for you, so keep asking the questions. Keep recording your blood sugars and what you eat and drink relating to those readings, in a manner you can look back upon. That can just be useful to review over time, should you have a rogue reading, or you go back to try something you haven't had for a long time, and wonder how it went last time.

Good luck with it all. It's a bit of a long haul, but a changed way of eating doesn't have to mean hardship or boring.

 

[Geoffno6]

Those results aren’t bad. With a base figure of 4.5 and a few peaks which many people (me included) get even when your meal is low carb, you’ll have that Hba1c down in the low 40s or lower. If you’re keen to get an idea of your likely Hba1c the free MySugr app is surprisingly accurate. BTW how is your weight, are you managing to avoid losing more? Keep us posted, we all love a success story!

 

[Geoffno6]

I forgot to mention, yes exercise seems to work well. I find that hard exercise that really pushes you for a long period of time, like running, can raise your levels, but gentle steady exercise like walking or very short bursts like weights pushes your BG down.

 

[bulkbiker]

My first readings yesterday of 4.5 were encouraging before I ate a very low carb omelette but 8 two hours later.

What was in the omelette (apart from the eggs of course) and what did you cook it in (i.e. butter oil?) and no I don't mean a frying pan!

 

[Frank68]

@Frank68
Hello Frank and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.

Thanks for all the information. I have found it really helpful and am just in the process of going through it to understand things further.

 

[Frank68]

Hi Frank - Welocme aboard, and well done for recognising the need for each of us to gain a greater understanding of our condition, and as a result take better control of our health.

In my view, you have taken the most important steps already. Firstly, you have decided to do what you can about your rising blood glucose numbers. You have learned that carbs trump sugar in terms of impacting our blood sugars, and thirdly you have a meter for immediate and personal feedback.

When I was diagnosed, I found the biggest game changer for me was the blood glucose monitor because that helped me shape what worked for me. I was diagnosed with an A1c of 73, totally without any apparent signs or symptoms, and making ready for a big adventure, thousands of miles away from the NHS. Immediately, it was clear I had to be in charge, because I would have no safety net.

Years beforehand, my father had been diagnosed with diabetes, as a result of very high doses of steroids, in an effort to slow the progress of a condition which eventually saw him off. The other condition saw him off, not the diabetes!) Back in the late 80s, he was given test kit, although not nearly as small, comfortable or sophisticated as we have now!, so I already understood the impact of the hour by houir readings.

What my meter did for me, was to give me the immediate feedback I needed, each time I ate, to understand how my body coped with various foods. If the number was too big, I'd eat a bit less of that, or give it up, but if the number was about right, I'd continue with it. My meter also helped remind me from time to time that my body hadn't just been having a laugh with me that day in October 2013. I was returning numbers in the diabetic range. It also helped my partner accept my diagnosis, understand what was going on and accept that things had to be changed a bit. As his was, and is, the main cook in this household, that was important. It's one thing trying to wrangle our bodies into the right place, without having to be on full-time persuasion mode with the person delivering food to the table.

In both my personal experience and watching others on here, many of us fine we have our own, personal rocket fuel foods. For some it's bread (or grains in general), for some it's potatoes, and for some it's plain old sugar. As someone who has never had a sweet tooth, it was a shocker to learn that my most favourite Salsa and Mesquite Kettle Chips weren't doing me any favours. On the upside, where I was spending my big adventure. Those weren't available anyway, so that dealt with that for the next 9 months at least!

Frank, my advice to you would be to take your time. It's up to you how you approach your diet, but my usual view is to take feedback from your meter and only give up what you need to. If you find your body can cope with bread, an apple, chips, or whatever else, then why turn your back on it/them if it's not necessary.

To be fair, over time, I have some things I can now cope very well with, but I just don't bother any more. I have either lost the taste for them, or they're more trouble to prepare than the enjoyment I might garner once in a while.

It's early days for you, so keep asking the questions. Keep recording your blood sugars and what you eat and drink relating to those readings, in a manner you can look back upon. That can just be useful to review over time, should you have a rogue reading, or you go back to try something you haven't had for a long time, and wonder how it went last time.

Good luck with it all. It's a bit of a long haul, but a changed way of eating doesn't have to mean hardship or boring.

Thanks for all the information. Since joining the forum I am learning loads so hopefully I will be able to get things under control before too long.

 

[Frank68]

What was in the omelette (apart from the eggs of course) and what did you cook it in (i.e. butter oil?) and no I don't mean a frying pan!

It was a mushroom omelette so mushrooms, tomatoes, a little Parma ham and three eggs. It was cooked in a non stick pan so very little olive oil just to lubricate the pan.