• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Type 2 Blood Testing Fasting Meal Planning

Tiz

Tiz

Member
Messages
24
Location
DEVON
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I am Type 2 have been able to control with diet only. I have underactive thyroid and take a blood pressure tablet, i have been on a statin but maybe changing that. My latest HBA1C WAS 53 last three months my diet
was not as good i had flu and then sinusitis. I am trying to get back to Low Carb ways that helped me before
i managed to lose some weight but probably put back half a stone. My Blood Test first thing this morning
was 8.1 i am trying to do coffee and cream and then have something around 12.00 or 1pm i did a second test
at 11.am and blood still 8.1. I did take my other medication probably an hour before this. Trying to sort out
a meal pattern so did think Coffee and Cream then light meal 12 noon or 1pm then main meal at 7pm.
I am testing foods 2 hrs after but i am worried that with highish reading 8.1 should i leave a longer gap between
any food or am i probably going to have to take metformin at some stage. I also do not know if i should rethink
the time i take other meds. I am due to see the DN shortly as the HBA1C was higher than a previous test, i want
to go with some idea of how to proceed the statin i was on did not really help my cholesterol which was 4.4. i am
just a bit uncertain if metformin is suggested would it be better to take if it gets blood sugars down a bit or should i try and keep going diet wise Low Carb and ask for another test if thats possible in 3 months or 6 months. I do not like taking any medication at all but have to take Levoxythyroxine and the blood pressure
tablet maybe switching back on the statin. Any advice on the 8.1 would help.
 
The higher numbers in the morning, and while fasting, are probably dawn phenomenon. Those are the last numbers to come down, and you've only just started back on low carb. Maybe eat in the morning to tell your liver to knock it off? Would that work for you? I know my bloodsugars can still run pretty high three years after starting low carb, unless I have breakfast or something small that'll tell my liver "Calm down, I've got this". ;) What is really important are your numbers before and after food. Those'll tell you more about how you're doing than the fasting numbers. If those improve, the liver -and the dumping of sugar into your bloodstream- should follow suit, eventually.

As for your metformin question, it's not an either or thing, if you want to stay ahead of complications and maybe get into remission. Metformin tells your liver to dump about 75% less glucose than it normally would. It doesn't do anything about what you consume. So... You could wait a bit and experiment with numbers (see what happens if you have some egg 'n'bacon/cheese in the morning instead of fasting), or you could add metformin into the mix and get those fasting numbers down quicker. (keep in mind metformin has possible side effects). But it would be wise to continue a low carb diet as well. Your choice entirely of course, but I do feel you should know your options and their consequences. T2 is only a progressive condition if diet isn't tackled as well. As for statins, they can raise bloodsugars (or even cause diabetes), so if you can stay off those, that'd be nice. But that's between you and your doc. As for the levothyroxine, don't forget you need to take it half an hour before you eat, or two hours after you eat. (As you're usually not having breakfast. You probably know this, but just to be on the safe side).
 
viz said:
I am Type 2 have been able to control with diet only. I have underactive thyroid and take a blood pressure tablet, i have been on a statin but maybe changing that. My latest HBA1C WAS 53 last three months my diet
was not as good i had flu and then sinusitis. I am trying to get back to Low Carb ways that helped me before
i managed to lose some weight but probably put back half a stone. My Blood Test first thing this morning
was 8.1 i am trying to do coffee and cream and then have something around 12.00 or 1pm i did a second test
at 11.am and blood still 8.1. I did take my other medication probably an hour before this. Trying to sort out
a meal pattern so did think Coffee and Cream then light meal 12 noon or 1pm then main meal at 7pm.
I am testing foods 2 hrs after but i am worried that with highish reading 8.1 should i leave a longer gap between
any food or am i probably going to have to take metformin at some stage. I also do not know if i should rethink
the time i take other meds. I am due to see the DN shortly as the HBA1C was higher than a previous test, i want
to go with some idea of how to proceed the statin i was on did not really help my cholesterol which was 4.4. i am
just a bit uncertain if metformin is suggested would it be better to take if it gets blood sugars down a bit or should i try and keep going diet wise Low Carb and ask for another test if thats possible in 3 months or 6 months. I do not like taking any medication at all but have to take Levoxythyroxine and the blood pressure
tablet maybe switching back on the statin. Any advice on the 8.1 would help.
Click to expand...
How "low" is your low carb dieting? It could be that you are eating just enough carbs to keep your blood glucose high and your glucose levels elevated enough so as to not get the benefits of ketosis.
 
JoKalsbeek said:
The higher numbers in the morning, and while fasting, are probably dawn phenomenon. Those are the last numbers to come down, and you've only just started back on low carb. Maybe eat in the morning to tell your liver to knock it off? Would that work for you? I know my bloodsugars can still run pretty high three years after starting low carb, unless I have breakfast or something small that'll tell my liver "Calm down, I've got this". ;) What is really important are your numbers before and after food. Those'll tell you more about how you're doing than the fasting numbers. If those improve, the liver -and the dumping of sugar into your bloodstream- should follow suit, eventually.

As for your metformin question, it's not an either or thing, if you want to stay ahead of complications and maybe get into remission. Metformin tells your liver to dump about 75% less glucose than it normally would. It doesn't do anything about what you consume. So... You could wait a bit and experiment with numbers (see what happens if you have some egg 'n'bacon/cheese in the morning instead of fasting), or you could add metformin into the mix and get those fasting numbers down quicker. (keep in mind metformin has possible side effects). But it would be wise to continue a low carb diet as well. Your choice entirely of course, but I do feel you should know your options and their consequences. T2 is only a progressive condition if diet isn't tackled as well. As for statins, they can raise bloodsugars (or even cause diabetes), so if you can stay off those, that'd be nice. But that's between you and your doc. As for the levothyroxine, don't forget you need to take it half an hour before you eat, or two hours after you eat. (As you're usually not having breakfast. You probably know this, but just to be on the safe side).
Click to expand...
 
Thank you for that help i shall try something small at breakfast - hoping the numbers will start to come down i know i would prefer to keep medication to a minimum. I knew DP happened to some but i did not realise a small amount of food might tell the liver to knock it off! I mistakenly thought that if i fasted a bit longer that
would make the blood sugar drop a bit. I will keep doing the before and after food tests and try and work harder at Low Carb and exercise. Once again many thanks i am just a bit bothered and bewildered by it at the moment.
 
bulkbiker said:
How "low" is your low carb dieting? It could be that you are eating just enough carbs to keep your blood glucose high and your glucose levels elevated enough so as to not get the benefits of ketosis.
Click to expand...
 
Thank you for your reply i am not in a settled plan yet which i should be. I tend to eat chicken or fish mostly and
i am aiming to try and go 40-50 grams of carbs per day last meal around 7pm. I need to lose weight so i hope
i am about right 40-50 grams. I am testing more at the moment to try and develop a plan i can really stick
with finding it a bit tricky at the moment. I shall just keep going as low carb is the only thing that works for me.
 
Back
Top