This has been asked so many times!

[jim1951]

Glad to say that I am getting to grips with my numbers and estimate my HBA1C would be circa 45 at present.

However, like many others I struggle with my morning DP figures and T2 control would be a lot easier without this to contend with!

I normally skip breakfast, have a very low carb snack type lunch and limit my carbs with evening meal. I estimate 80g of carbs a day on average.

My BS at 1900, before my evening meal, is as low as 4.5 and normally no higher than 5.5. Two hours later no higher than 6.5ish. If I check before I go to bed it is back down to 5.5. All good so far.

Next morning it will be between 8 and 9 and still at that level before lunch.

So my numbers are "normal" before and after my main meal and before I go to bed, but are skewed by overnight and morning readings which have not been influenced by carb intake.

I understand how DP works and have tried every combination to combat it i.e., maybe peanut butter on celery before going to bed, a brazil nut on waking up. Maybe breakfast or maybe not, maybe lunch or maybe not. But nothing seems to bring that DP reading down which then lasts all morning.

If I have breakfast it is 40g of Paleo Granola which is rated at 5.9g of carbs for the serving.

Should I be introducing more carbs late at night or for breakfast to limit the effect of DP ?

 

[xfieldok]

Some people take a bite of cheese first thing. It is the last number to come down, just ignore it for now.

 

[TriciaWs]

How long have you been doing low carb? It can take months to get DP down after all the other readings are in range - I would be very cautious about increasing carbs instead and you need to try eating a breakfast snack or changing bedtime carbs over a week or two to see the impact.

 

[lucylocket61]

I have been successfully controlling my blood sugar levels by low carbing for over 8 years now. I still have a fasting blood test of around 8 every day. Some peoples bodies just do this. If everything else is going well, dont stress about it. We are all different.

 

[ianf0ster]

I mentioned elsewhere that in the past when I ate breakfast, an approximately zero carb breakfast (such as 2 boiled eggs i.e. less than 1gm of carbs) usually reduced my BG - it never raised it!
Other people just have a coffee with double cream.

I'm particularly carb sensitive in the morning, so I'd never dream of eating as much as 5.9gms of carbs first thing.

As the body gets fat adapted, the liver will start to decide that its OK not to help out with a glucose dump in the morning, but this can take over a year.

 

[chew824]

Wow, I'm just starting on my journey with low carb after dealing (or not as the case may be) with T2 for around 7 years. After my HCP put me on Insulin injections I decided I'd had enough (a drug that puts weight on when weight is one of the leading factors?!) and have changed to a very low carb diet. It's been a torrid few weeks but my fasting levels have settled to around 7.5 each morning... I'm asking... how can that be with next to no carbs and taking insulin!?! A year for them to shift?!? Ouch... maybe I was expecting miracles in just 3 weeks??

 

[ianf0ster]

Wow, I'm just starting on my journey with low carb after dealing (or not as the case may be) with T2 for around 7 years. After my HCP put me on Insulin injections I decided I'd had enough (a drug that puts weight on when weight is one of the leading factors?!) and have changed to a very low carb diet. It's been a torrid few weeks but my fasting levels have settled to around 7.5 each morning... I'm asking... how can that be with next to no carbs and taking insulin!?! A year for them to shift?!? Ouch... maybe I was expecting miracles in just 3 weeks??

Lets be clear about this, the most important levels for T2D are the spike levels - the difference between pre-meal Blood Glucose and the Blood Glucose 2hrs after first bite. These are the ones that you get under control immediately with ow Carb and BG testing.
This means that almost immediately you are no longer damaging your body.
- OK, it's nice to also have a low fasting BG (no Dawn Phenomenon), but you can have a normal (not even pre-diabetic) HbA1C level yet still get some DP.

 

[chew824]

Lets be clear about this, the most important levels for T2D are the spike levels - the difference between pre-meal Blood Glucose and the Blood Glucose 2hrs after first bite. These are the ones that you get under control immediately with ow Carb and BG testing.
This means that almost immediately you are no longer damaging your body.
- OK, it's nice to also have a low fasting BG (no Dawn Phenomenon), but you can have a normal (not even pre-diabetic) HbA1C level yet still get some DP.

That's interesting you say that, I've never heard any HCP suggest the damage is done during the spikes, every person I've ever met focuses on BS levels themselves, not the differences.