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newbie - BG question

N

NorthernPhoenix

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
So I got diagnosed last week with T2.

My result at the Drs was HBa1c of 118. They checked by BG and it was 19.7.

I have started a keto plan.. today I have had roughly 29g of carbs, made up of bits throughout the day, greek yog, mayo etc.

I've got a BG meter to monitor myself this afternoon.

I tested at 3pm BG 13.7

I tested at 6pm BG was 11.9 (before the evening meal)

Had a tomato, red pepper and cheese omelette with salad and 1 TBSP of mayo

I tested again at 8.15pm and my BG is 14.8

I'm still very new and have been following keto for 4 days, still early days I know. My question is... I know my BG is high but the changes before and after meal - does that mean I have eaten something high in sugar and not realised? Is the change in range for what my current levels are. What am I looking for?

Any help appreciated.
 
See here for target ranges. If you get a large rise after a meal then something you have eaten is likely to have caused it. Basically the food contains more carbs than your body is able to handle at the moment.
You can get information on carbs on food labels ... its not just sugar you need to reduce/avoid.
It can take some time for blood glucose values to come down to more normal levels.
 
Hi and welcome to the forums. I think you're doing the right things, but clearly you're not seeing much improvement yet.

One of the things to be aware of (as well as ditching bread, rice, pasta, sugar, fruit, root veg etc) is "hifdden carbs" - by which I mean carbs in food where you wouldn't maybe expect. Milk has carbs in the form of lactose, for example. So, unfortunately, you need to check things like yoghurt and mayonnaise to ensure what the carb content actually is and that they haven't had sugar added.

The other thing is that, as you say, it is early days. You had a reading of 19.7 last week. The readings you report, both before and after food, seem to be substantially lower. While a low-carb diet can work quickly, maybe four days is a little too soon to be seeing really big change.

Keep it up, and best of luck
 
NorthernPhoenix said:
So I got diagnosed last week with T2.

My result at the Drs was HBa1c of 118. They checked by BG and it was 19.7.

I have started a keto plan.. today I have had roughly 29g of carbs, made up of bits throughout the day, greek yog, mayo etc.

I've got a BG meter to monitor myself this afternoon.

I tested at 3pm BG 13.7

I tested at 6pm BG was 11.9 (before the evening meal)

Had a tomato, red pepper and cheese omelette with salad and 1 TBSP of mayo

I tested again at 8.15pm and my BG is 14.8

I'm still very new and have been following keto for 4 days, still early days I know. My question is... I know my BG is high but the changes before and after meal - does that mean I have eaten something high in sugar and not realised? Is the change in range for what my current levels are. What am I looking for?

Any help appreciated.
Click to expand...
With a hba1c that high,it will take a good few days, or even weeks to come down.
You've made a good start going very low carb, and your levels are starting to come down.
Diabetes takes months if not years to develop, and maybe as long again to get In to remission and to stay there.
Try to be patient. Be aware you may start to feel worse (what is known as keto flu) before you start to feel better but it is temporary and you will get through it if you stay low carb.
Rather than snacking constantly try to eat 3 good filling meals with nothing in between. That give you body time to process the food before you fill it up again.
As things resolve you can change more things later, but be patient now
 
NorthernPhoenix said:
So I got diagnosed last week with T2.

My result at the Drs was HBa1c of 118. They checked by BG and it was 19.7.

I have started a keto plan.. today I have had roughly 29g of carbs, made up of bits throughout the day, greek yog, mayo etc.

I've got a BG meter to monitor myself this afternoon.

I tested at 3pm BG 13.7

I tested at 6pm BG was 11.9 (before the evening meal)

Had a tomato, red pepper and cheese omelette with salad and 1 TBSP of mayo

I tested again at 8.15pm and my BG is 14.8

I'm still very new and have been following keto for 4 days, still early days I know. My question is... I know my BG is high but the changes before and after meal - does that mean I have eaten something high in sugar and not realised? Is the change in range for what my current levels are. What am I looking for?

Any help appreciated.
Click to expand...
You're testing and you started a low carb diet. You're on the right track here, well done! Talk about hitting the ground running. It'll take a while for your blood sugars to come down, so do be patient. There's lots of glucose stored in your liver, and having been high for a long time, your body thinks that's where it should be. So the ever "helpful" liver can dump glucose into your bloodstream to get you to a number it thinks you should be at. Especially in the morning, it'll do more than its bit to get you higher. It'll get depleted as it goes and you'll get used to lower numbers as you keep up the diet. If you feel wobbly even when your blood sugars are normal, fatigued, nauseated, you might want to add in some electrolyte supplements or coconutmilk/water to feel better. It'll pass, and you'll come out feeling better at the other end of it.

You're doing an excellent job at self-care right now. Test before a meal and 2 hours after, you're looking for a rise of no more than 2.0 mmol/l. If it's more, there were more carbs in the meal than your body could handle. Stick with the 2-or-less measurements and you should get your blood glucose levels back to normal in short order.

Good luck!
Jo
 
JoKalsbeek said:
You're testing and you started a low carb diet. You're on the right track here, well done! Talk about hitting the ground running. It'll take a while for your blood sugars to come down, so do be patient. There's lots of glucose stored in your liver, and having been high for a long time, your body thinks that's where it should be. So the ever "helpful" liver can dump glucose into your bloodstream to get you to a number it thinks you should be at. Especially in the morning, it'll do more than its bit to get you higher. It'll get depleted as it goes and you'll get used to lower numbers as you keep up the diet. If you feel wobbly even when your blood sugars are normal, fatigued, nauseated, you might want to add in some electrolyte supplements or coconutmilk/water to feel better. It'll pass, and you'll come out feeling better at the other end of it.

You're doing an excellent job at self-care right now. Test before a meal and 2 hours after, you're looking for a rise of no more than 2.0 mmol/l. If it's more, there were more carbs in the meal than your body could handle. Stick with the 2-or-less measurements and you should get your blood glucose levels back to normal in short order.

Good luck!
Jo
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply!

I'm happy to hear I'm headed on the right track, the BG levels has been confusing me and I have been trying not to think too deeply about it.

I think given circumstances around my diagnosis I've just said to myself I need to get a handle on it, I've been reading through the forum and trying to answer the million questions I have to make me feel a little better and prepared.

As you say the BG at the moment will be a little all over the place. I didn't entirely realise that the liver stores the glucose I thought it was the kidney doh! I take it that the rise before and after my meal is roughly around target.

Thabk you for your help, it's been a journey and education these last few days!
 
KennyA said:
Hi and welcome to the forums. I think you're doing the right things, but clearly you're not seeing much improvement yet.

One of the things to be aware of (as well as ditching bread, rice, pasta, sugar, fruit, root veg etc) is "hifdden carbs" - by which I mean carbs in food where you wouldn't maybe expect. Milk has carbs in the form of lactose, for example. So, unfortunately, you need to check things like yoghurt and mayonnaise to ensure what the carb content actually is and that they haven't had sugar added.

The other thing is that, as you say, it is early days. You had a reading of 19.7 last week. The readings you report, both before and after food, seem to be substantially lower. While a low-carb diet can work quickly, maybe four days is a little too soon to be seeing really big change.

Keep it up, and best of luck
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply.

I think the hidden carbs is an area I definitely need to check on, I've been checking labels and logging what I'm having to give me an idea. The BG levels are another area of confusion but at least they have lowered in these very early days, I'm definitely not expecting miracles or too much too soon but just trying to gauge if at this stage the rise I saw after a meal was about par for the course.

Thanks again.
 
NorthernPhoenix said:
Thank you for your reply!

I'm happy to hear I'm headed on the right track, the BG levels has been confusing me and I have been trying not to think too deeply about it.

I think given circumstances around my diagnosis I've just said to myself I need to get a handle on it, I've been reading through the forum and trying to answer the million questions I have to make me feel a little better and prepared.

As you say the BG at the moment will be a little all over the place. I didn't entirely realise that the liver stores the glucose I thought it was the kidney doh! I take it that the rise before and after my meal is roughly around target.

Thabk you for your help, it's been a journey and education these last few days!
Click to expand...
Well, the adrenal glands are on top of the kidneys.... And those can send out a signal that tells the liver to start dumping glucose in times of stress or illness, so you're not entirely off-base. ;)

You're going to be just fine. Really, you're off to a fabulous start. :)
Jo
 
JoKalsbeek said:
There's lots of glucose stored in your liver, and having been high for a long time, your body thinks that's where it should be. So the ever "helpful" liver can dump glucose into your bloodstream to get you to a number it thinks you should be at.
Click to expand...
Is this good advise? The glycogen stored in the liver and skeletal muscle is there for a reason. It's released when the hormone glycogon is produced, which is released when blood sugar drops (assuming the liver is not busy doing other things like processing alcohol) to bring things back into balance (i.e. homeostasis at work). Insulin also suppresses the delivery and/or actions of glycogon. This is a good thing. I know the OP is not type 1 and not on insulin but they are on a medication that can lower blood sugar; I don't know what medication so can't really say anything further, but deliberately depleting glycogen stores is something I'd imagine should be done in consultation with a doctor

Edit: I see now it's not advice you were giving. I apologise. I still think that liver-stored glycogen is, in general, a good thing.
 
MrsA2 said:
With a hba1c that high,it will take a good few days, or even weeks to come down.
You've made a good start going very low carb, and your levels are starting to come down.
Diabetes takes months if not years to develop, and maybe as long again to get In to remission and to stay there.
Try to be patient. Be aware you may start to feel worse (what is known as keto flu) before you start to feel better but it is temporary and you will get through it if you stay low carb.
Rather than snacking constantly try to eat 3 good filling meals with nothing in between. That give you body time to process the food before you fill it up again.
As things resolve you can change more things later, but be patient now
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply.

I'm definitely under no illusions this is a life time marathon not a sprint, I'm trying not to expect too much too soon, but also just a little worried if I'm on the right track or not. I'm happy I've got a little small win with the levels to have dropped a little, I just didn't know what to expect before vs after a meal in terms of rise, thanks to this post you lovely people have educated what is the target and if it's higher then I need to review what I've eaten.

I've been sticking to 3 good meals and haven't snacked and so trying to stay in that habit. I used to graze all day, bit of fruit here and there, treat myself to a pink wafer and a brew but I have changed all that.

Thanks again for your reply.
 
plantae said:
Is this good advise? The glycogen stored in the liver and skeletal muscle is there for a reason. It's released when the hormone glycogon is produced, which is released when blood sugar drops (assuming the liver is not busy doing other things like processing alcohol) to bring things back into balance (i.e. homeostasis at work). Insulin also suppresses the delivery and/or actions of glycogon. This is a good thing. I know the OP is not type 1 and not on insulin but they are on a medication that can lower blood sugar; I don't know what medication so can't really say anything further, but deliberately depleting glycogen stores is something I'd imagine should be done in consultation with a doctor
Click to expand...
I don’t see any mention of glycogen in the quoted post. The OP’s profile shows metformin, which in itself is not a blood glucose lowering medication. I don’t see any dangerous or misleading advice in the post you quoted.
 
Goonergal said:
I don’t see any mention of glycogen in the quoted post. The OP’s profile shows metformin, which in itself is not a blood glucose lowering medication. I don’t see any dangerous or misleading advice in the post you quoted.
Click to expand...
Glycogen is how glucose is stored in the liver...

Edit: The liver doen't store glucose: the body converts glucose into glycogen. This is what's stored in the liver. When insulin levels fall and glucagon levels rises (a natural process) the liver then converts that glycogen back into glucose
 
Last edited:
plantae said:
Is this good advise? The glycogen stored in the liver and skeletal muscle is there for a reason. It's released when the hormone glycogon is produced, which is released when blood sugar drops (assuming the liver is not busy doing other things like processing alcohol) to bring things back into balance (i.e. homeostasis at work). Insulin also suppresses the delivery and/or actions of glycogon. This is a good thing. I know the OP is not type 1 and not on insulin but they are on a medication that can lower blood sugar; I don't know what medication so can't really say anything further, but deliberately depleting glycogen stores is something I'd imagine should be done in consultation with a doctor
Click to expand...
I'm not entirely sure what the problem is, but basically... The bulk of newly diagnosed T2's have a massive excess (and therefor, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) of glucose in the liver. If the stores are depleted, that solves the possibly present NAFLD, and normalises the blood sugars. The liver gets used to what should be proper glucose levels so it doesn't dump too much, as it is doing now. There is no danger of draining the liver entirely. I'd be in trouble if it was. I still get a morning glucose dump 7 years after starting keto... Nothing wrong with returning to a normal function. ;)
 
plantae said:
Is this good advise? The glycogen stored in the liver and skeletal muscle is there for a reason. It's released when the hormone glycogon is produced, which is released when blood sugar drops (assuming the liver is not busy doing other things like processing alcohol) to bring things back into balance (i.e. homeostasis at work). Insulin also suppresses the delivery and/or actions of glycogon. This is a good thing. I know the OP is not type 1 and not on insulin but they are on a medication that can lower blood sugar; I don't know what medication so can't really say anything further, but deliberately depleting glycogen stores is something I'd imagine should be done in consultation with a doctor

Edit: I see now it's not advice you were giving. I apologise. I still think that liver-stored glycogen is, in general, a good thing.
Click to expand...
Yes, I think it is good advice. It's basically what those of us doing keto or very low carb ways of eating have been doing for years. I didn't bother to consult my doctor and I imagine very few have.
 
JoKalsbeek said:
I'm not entirely sure what the problem is, but basically... The bulk of newly diagnosed T2's have a massive excess (and therefor, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) of glucose in the liver. If the stores are depleted, that solves the possibly present NAFLD, and normalises the blood sugars. The liver gets used to what should be proper glucose levels so it doesn't dump too much, as it is doing now. There is no danger of draining the liver entirely. I'd be in trouble if it was. I still get a morning glucose dump 7 years after starting keto... Nothing wrong with returning to a normal function. ;)
Click to expand...
Yep, I retract my previous statements
 
NorthernPhoenix said:
So I got diagnosed last week with T2.

My result at the Drs was HBa1c of 118. They checked by BG and it was 19.7.

I have started a keto plan.. today I have had roughly 29g of carbs, made up of bits throughout the day, greek yog, mayo etc.

I've got a BG meter to monitor myself this afternoon.

I tested at 3pm BG 13.7

I tested at 6pm BG was 11.9 (before the evening meal)

Had a tomato, red pepper and cheese omelette with salad and 1 TBSP of mayo

I tested again at 8.15pm and my BG is 14.8

I'm still very new and have been following keto for 4 days, still early days I know. My question is... I know my BG is high but the changes before and after meal - does that mean I have eaten something high in sugar and not realised? Is the change in range for what my current levels are. What am I looking for?

Any help appreciated.
Click to expand...

I’ve just been reading through your posts and the great support people have been offering here and all I’d like to say is that I’m really impressed at your attitude and positive stance
Good luck with your journey and if I’ve any advice, it’d be something around manageable goals. Step by step, appreciating that inevitably some of those steps won’t be forwards. Take time to notice how far you’ve come and know that asking for help is crucial to strength.
Right, I’m off to try and be less inspirational
 
plantae said:
I know the OP is not type 1
Click to expand...
Both excessive glycogen storage in the liver (NAFLD) and it’s release as glucose into the blood (“liver dumping”) in a way that is out of kilter with effective homeostasis are common features of type 2. Metformin does not lower blood glucose directly and it’s major action is to moderate the liver dumping to more appropriate amounts.

Type 2 is not the same disease as type 1 or 3c although there are a number of similarities. Sometimes this is the difficulty of crossposting across types or trying to apply knowledge of one type to another. I am not suggesting you or anyone else shouldn’t raise concerns or cross post (I certainly do) but just to be aware of this issue and make sure it’s clear, if need be, which type is being discussed.
 
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