Type 2 First meal of the day spike

[andi2508]

I am 51, female and t2 for the past 5 years. I take jardiance and metformin. My last HBA1C was 61. I'm trying really hard to get my numbers down and stay in range by exercise and eating better (mostly low carb max 80g per day).
It seems that no matter what my first meal causes a 5 point spike. Today I had a breakfast of 17g of carb and it spiked me from 6 to 12. I know the rest of the day I can eat 20g of carb per meal and it will be fine (goes up around 2) How can I avoid the first spike? Should I time medication to 30 mins before? If I have a very low carb breakfast I will then have a large spike at lunch with a small amount of carbs. Should I try ACV before meals?

 

[EBe66]

It is somewhat of a known fact that insulin resistance is worse in the morning. If I eat my kefir in the morning it gives at least a 3 point "spike" if I eat the same amount of kefir in the afternoon it hardly shows.
Low carb is also relative btw, 17 grams of carbs in the morning would send me through the roof and up to the next planet...
I was on a carb restricted diet a year or 2 back with a max of 20 grams a day, they don't even call that low carb over here.

 

[catinahat]

Today I had a breakfast of 17g of carb and it spiked me from 6 to 12.

Did you measure your level immediately before starting your breakfast, or was that 6 your fasting level, sometime before your breakfast. It would also help people to make some useful suggestions if you could let us know exactly what your breakfast was, 17g of carbs is not much information to go on.

 

[andi2508]

It is somewhat of a known fact that insulin resistance is worse in the morning. If I eat my kefir in the morning it gives at least a 3 point "spike" if I eat the same amount of kefir in the afternoon it hardly shows.
Low carb is also relative btw, 17 grams of carbs in the morning would send me through the roof and up to the next planet...
I was on a carb restricted diet a year or 2 back with a max of 20 grams a day, they don't even call that low carb over here.

Thanks So would you recommend a very low carb breakfast and then I can eat more carbs as the day goes on? I know I should be as low carb as possible but I find that utterly depressing. I'm willing to take medication to eat a bit more normally, I know some people on here will think that's mad but it's how I'm coping. I just want to avoid the crazy spike at the first meal.

 

[Resurgam]

Thanks So would you recommend a very low carb breakfast and then I can eat more carbs as the day goes on? I know I should be as low carb as possible but I find that utterly depressing. I'm willing to take medication to eat a bit more normally, I know some people on here will think that's mad but it's how I'm coping. I just want to avoid the crazy spike at the first meal.

Using my meter gave me the insight that my first meal needed to be only 10gm of carbs - but no zero carb as that did not have the same effect at all. The 10 gm seemed to be the amount required to stop the continued rise in levels and keep me stable for the next 12 hours until I ate no more than 30gm of carbs for dinner.

 

[andi2508]

Did you measure your level immediately before starting your breakfast, or was that 6 your fasting level, sometime before your breakfast. It would also help people to make some useful suggestions if you could let us know exactly what your breakfast was, 17g of carbs is not much information to go on.

Hi, my waking BG was 6. I had all bran and yogurt with blueberries. I seen a massive spike, if I had that at lunch it would have not spiked more than 2. It seems I will have to try 10g carb and see how that goes. Thanks

 

[andi2508]

Using my meter gave me the insight that my first meal needed to be only 10gm of carbs - but no zero carb as that did not have the same effect at all. The 10 gm seemed to be the amount required to stop the continued rise in levels and keep me stable for the next 12 hours until I ate no more than 30gm of carbs for dinner.

Thanks for your reply. I will try 10g carb and see how that goes.

 

[catinahat]

Hi, my waking BG was 6. I had all bran and yogurt with blueberries. I seen a massive spike, if I had that at lunch it would have not spiked more than 2. It seems I will have to try 10g carb and see how that goes. Thanks

If there was some time between taking your waking level and eating your breakfast, it's possible that the spike was not quite as bad as it seems.
Our blood sugar levels are not static, they are moving up and down all day, there are many reason's why your level just before breakfast could have actually been higher than 6.
Housework, talking a shower, or your liver could have decided you needed a little energy and released some of its stored glucose.
That's why if we want to know how a meal has affected us, it's important that we test immediately before eating. Only then can we be relatively sure that any rise has been caused by that meal.
The only other thing I can think of is the blueberries, for some reason they seem to affect me far more than their carb content would suggest. Maybe they do the same to you? Perhaps try raspberries instead.

 

[Lamont D]

Hi, my waking BG was 6. I had all bran and yogurt with blueberries. I seen a massive spike, if I had that at lunch it would have not spiked more than 2. It seems I will have to try 10g carb and see how that goes. Thanks

Do not test when first rising wait until half an hour or even better pre meal.
If you are seeing big spikes from the meal, then obviously you have to find out which part of the meal is causing the high spikes. My opinion is the all bran, did you have milk with this or the all bran with the yoghurt?
The problem with spikes, is that this will last for the rest of the day and probably will not come down again until through the night. It is keeping your bg levels artificially high. Also, the rollercoaster effect of spikes and drops will make your symptoms worse.
I would leave any carbs till evening meal. Keeping your bg levels near normal will be best in the long run.

 

[EBe66]

Thanks So would you recommend a very low carb breakfast and then I can eat more carbs as the day goes on? I know I should be as low carb as possible but I find that utterly depressing. I'm willing to take medication to eat a bit more normally, I know some people on here will think that's mad but it's how I'm coping. I just want to avoid the crazy spike at the first meal.

My personal idea would be to go as low carb as you can (or can stand ) The lower you keep your glucose levels the better of you generally are in the long run.
Few point, there is something called dawn phenomenon which with a fasting level of 6 you may not have (yet?) That would be a possible reason for high(er) fasting levels even when not eating breakfast at all. Shifting your remaining carbs from breakfast to diner sounds like a good idea, works for me, but also be aware that more carbs for dinner might mean a higher fasting level.
Lastly measuring your BS before a meal and two hours after is a good practice but keep in mind you might miss the spike. It does not provide a full picture. (but is a good indicator)
Maybe you already know but foods like chips, pizza and egg roll which are high in carbs but also fat will spike your BS hours after you eat them.