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What target should I be aiming for?

H

happycat

Well-Known Member
Messages
52
As a T2 I have read that my BG levels should be between 4-7 before meals and under 8.5 two hours afterwards. So is my goal to get as close to 4 before meals as I can or is it OK just to be in that range or should it be 5.5 or what? Someone that I met said that you have to aim for an average during the day and that it is important for it to be around 6.5. Sorry really confused can anyone help please?
 
assuming you are diet and not on drugs that can cause hypo

they are the general diabetic max recommendations for diet, met, insulin dependent, a range of over 4 and under 8.5, with a base reading on not over 7
most try for better numbers Here are what doctors currently believe to be non-diabetic readings and I have the 7.8 or under as the 1 hr max and less than that at my 2 hr, as my main target.: the before meal number has many variables depending on what you ate and your insulin resistance, so I personally don't have that in my goals. my 2 hr is going to be a good BG and the before meal is going to be what it is going to be, but less than my 2hr

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php
Fasting blood sugarunder 100 mg/dl (5.5 mmol/L)
One hour after meals under 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L)
Two hours after meals under 120 mg/dl (6.6 mmol/L)

If you can do better than this, go for it. At a minimum, The American College of Clinical Endocrinologists recommends that people with diabetes keep their blood sugars under 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L) two hours after eating.
 
jack412 said:
assuming you are diet and not on drugs that can cause hypo

they are the general diabetic max recommendations for diet, met, insulin dependent, a range of over 4 and under 8.5, with a base reading on not over 7
most try for better numbers Here are what doctors currently believe to be non-diabetic readings and I have the 7.8 or under as the 1 hr max and less than that at my 2 hr, as my main target.: the before meal number has many variables depending on what you ate and your insulin resistance, so I personally don't have that in my goals. my 2 hr is going to be a good BG and the before meal is going to be what it is going to be, but less than my 2hr

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php
Fasting blood sugarunder 100 mg/dl (5.5 mmol/L)
One hour after meals under 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L)
Two hours after meals under 120 mg/dl (6.6 mmol/L)

If you can do better than this, go for it. At a minimum, The American College of Clinical Endocrinologists recommends that people with diabetes keep their blood sugars under 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L) two hours after eating.
Click to expand...

Jack - Are you saying you're unconcerned about your preprandial score, providing your +2 hr reading is "good"?

I'm not challenging your approach, just trying to understand what you're saying.
 
IMO if we aren't talking about a new meal, then if my lunch 1hr is 8 and 2hrs is 7 then I found my numbers are going to be good for my pre meal reading for dinner. So therefore I don't need to check it all the time. I try to keep my maximum peak at 8 or under and that generally means a lower 2hr. with the odd 'pizza effect' meal throwing it out the window

other than my morning fasting test, I'm not doing hard exercise to get a liver dump and my 'rest of the day' BG is normally just from my diet

IMO if I was taking a drug that made my pancreas produce more or on injectable insulin, then I would check pre-meal, for dose management
 
jack412 said:
IMO if we aren't talking about a new meal, then if my lunch 1hr is 8 and 2hrs is 7 then I found my numbers are going to be good for my pre meal reading for dinner. So therefore I don't need to check it all the time. I try to keep my maximum peak at 8 or under and that generally means a lower 2hr. with the odd 'pizza effect' meal throwing it out the window

other than my morning fasting test, I'm not doing hard exercise to get a liver dump and my 'rest of the day' BG is normally just from my diet

IMO if I was taking a drug that made my pancreas produce more or on injectable insulin, then I would check pre-meal, for dose management
Click to expand...
 
Sorry making a mess of this. Just wanted to say think you for your reply. I am trying to manage with diet and exercise at the moment. Dr thinks I should just take the tablets but I want to try. He's not happy so has left me to get on with it.
 
happycat said:
Sorry making a mess of this. Just wanted to say think you for your reply. I am trying to manage with diet and exercise at the moment. Dr thinks I should just take the tablets but I want to try. He's not happy so has left me to get on with it.
Click to expand...

You mean you have actually seen a Dr. about your D? I've been diagnosed a year now and no input except from a DO at the surgery. The senior is ok but junior is not very knowledgeable. I think I am being too passive around the medics.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
miriamy said:
You mean you have actually seen a Dr. about your D? I've been diagnosed a year now and no input except from a DO at the surgery. The senior is ok but junior is not very knowledgeable. I think I am being too passive around the medics.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Click to expand...

It's a pain, but don't worry - hang around these forums for a while, and I'll bet you soon get a better understanding of diabetes than your GP and DN.
 
Brunneria, I'm beginning to see how right you are. I love this forum. You've all taught me all I know about my health.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
:happy:

Just remember that sometimes you do come across a gem of a healthcare professional - and they are worth their weight in gold. But in the meantime, knowledge is your best friend!
 
It's by firm belief [based only on logic!] that we should aim for Normal non-diabetic blood glucose levels. Finding what that is took me ages. I doubt many healthcare professionals even know. However. I did get a figure a while back and it appears that the BG levels of a non-diabetic are usually around 4.7 and even if it goes up for a little while after a meal, it drops back quickly. It's likely that a healthy HbA1c is less than 5%.
I don't say that we should/could all achieve these levels, but I do AIM for them.
I don't play snooker, but I know that even the best player cannot get 147 every time, but it doesn't stop them trying.
Hana
 
hanadr said:
It's by firm belief [based only on logic!] that we should aim for Normal non-diabetic blood glucose levels. Finding what that is took me ages. I doubt many healthcare professionals even know. However. I did get a figure a while back and it appears that the BG levels of a non-diabetic are usually around 4.7 and even if it goes up for a little while after a meal, it drops back quickly. It's likely that a healthy HbA1c is less than 5%.
I don't say that we should/could all achieve these levels, but I do AIM for them.
I don't play snooker, but I know that even the best player cannot get 147 every time, but it doesn't stop them trying.
Hana
Click to expand...


Someone on this forum posted this a while ago:


Here are what doctors currently believe to be non-diabetic readings:
Fasting blood sugar under 100 mg/dl (5.5 mmol/L)
One hour after meals under 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L)
Two hours after meals under 120 mg/dl (6.6 mmol/L)
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Someone on this forum posted this a while ago:


Here are what doctors currently believe to be non-diabetic readings:
Fasting blood sugar under 100 mg/dl (5.5 mmol/L)
One hour after meals under 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L)
Two hours after meals under 120 mg/dl (6.6 mmol/L)
Click to expand...

Yes, but I don't think those doctors have been keeping up with recent studies
http://www.bloodsugar101.com
 
jack412 said:
I think that agrees with 101
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php
Click to expand...

Is it?
I may be wrong (I often am), but I thought, from recent reading of the 101 site, that normal didn't rise above 6.6, and is almost always down to 5.5 after 2 hours.

Nevertheless, I think we can agree that most doctors do not quote these numbers to their patients in the UK. They are promoting much higher numbers, as standard.

Apologies if I have muddied the water quibbling over minutiae, when the main message is basically the lower, the better!
 
I think normal may hit as high as 7 shortly after a carb heavy meal, but I doubt if 8 is ever a safe level.The only time I let someone play with a BG meter and get an 8, it was just after she'd eaten a pasta bake and she was in a high risk group, being a doctor of South Indian extraction. This was at a BMA meeting a couple of years ago. At the same time, I [not having eaten pasta!] got 6.1. I try to keep below 6, but since my fall reduced my exercise a bit [I am now almost back to where i was] I did have a spell of higher readings hitting at or near 7 . I think I'm back on target now. These are my personal targets and they are quite tight. I know that not everyone feels the need to be "Tight".
I aim for below 5 fasting and below 6 at bedtime.
Hana
 
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