Blood glucose higher when fasting

Donna D M

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
Hi I wonder if any one has had experience of, or knows why my blood glucose levels have started to go up when fasting. I'm type 2 on metformin 500mg daily I started low carb eating approx 3 weeks ago and have been feeling good and seen some weight loss since starting. The first couple of weeks my blood sugar levels were around the 5 mmmol reading all the time. Although I'm sticking to the low carb and not doing anything different, my blood glucose has started to creep up a little but what puzzles me most is the readings of 7 to 8 I'm getting while fasting? I fasted for approx 14 hrs and checked, my reading was 7.8 yet they are never this high after I have eaten? Any ideas anyone? Is this a known thing or am I just "odd"?
 

zeeeee

Well-Known Member
Messages
65
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Diet only
If you are getting the high reading in the morning this could be down to the dawn phenomenon which basically means your liver is dumping glucoses to get you going, its a strange thing to understand at first and nothing to worry about or anything you are doing wrong
 

Donna D M

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Thanks Zeeeee. No its not morning times, is usually around 2 or 3pm when I stop fasting. I was aware of the dawn phenomenon and my blood glucose does tend to be a bit higher in the morning.
 

JoKalsbeek

Expert
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5,937
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I reversed my Type 2
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Thanks Zeeeee. No its not morning times, is usually around 2 or 3pm when I stop fasting. I was aware of the dawn phenomenon and my blood glucose does tend to be a bit higher in the morning.
The dawn phenomenon can keep going until you eat/break your fast. It's just called that because in the morning/when you wake is when it starts... Not when it stops, per se. I fasted for a few years now, and my fasting could hit a 7 by 1 pm while on keto. Some of us just have a liver that is a bit over-eager to help. (With carnivore I have less carbs, and it remains lower now, no more sevens.)
 
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Donna D M

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
The dawn phenomenon can keep going until you eat/break your fast. It's just called that because in the morning/when you wake is when it starts... Not when it stops, per se. I fasted for a few years now, and my fasting could hit a 7 by 1 pm while on keto. Some of us just have a liver that is a bit over-eager to help. (With carnivore I have less carbs, and it remains lower now, no more sevens.)
Oh I see. That's good to know, thank you for that.
 

ianf0ster

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To add to what Jo says above, unless your fasting BG levels get too high (over 8 or 9 say), then it is OK to continue to fast into the afternoon as you are currently doing - since this is how you are using up your fat stores and becoming less Insulin resistant.

However if you find that your fasting BG does get too high, you could try just having a morning tea or coffee with just some cream in it (obviously no sugar). Several people find that this helps their liver know that it can stop helping boost energy levels for you to hunt/gather your breakfast!
 

Donna D M

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
To add to what Jo says above, unless your fasting BG levels get too high (over 8 or 9 say), then it is OK to continue to fast into the afternoon as you are currently doing - since this is how you are using up your fat stores and becoming less Insulin resistant.

However if you find that your fasting BG does get too high, you could try just having a morning tea or coffee with just some cream in it (obviously no sugar). Several people find that this helps their liver know that it can stop helping boost energy levels for you to hunt/gather your breakfast!
Thank you for this information, it's really helpfull. I'll try the morning coffee and see what happens with the BG reading's.
 

Donna D M

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Thank you for this information, it's really helpfull. I'll try the morning coffee and see what happens with the BG reading's.
Sorry, meant to say I will try the coffee tip if they do continue to raise.
 

Donna D M

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
@Donna D M

I have a similar reaction, my levels seem to creep up until I eat something. If I wasn't going to have breakfast early, I found even just having one or two walnuts would greatly reduce that spike.

When I have tried any kind of fasting I found that I actually do better fasting from the afternoon so that I can have breakfast early the next morning - I just felt better, and my blood sugar levels were more stable for it.

Good luck :cat:
Thank you very much for your advice, I read more and more of the benifits of fasting but there isnt always a lot of information, that I can find anyway, to tell if this is really benificial for someone like myself who will experience sugar spikes during that period, as ultimately that is what we are aiming to avoid. But I enjoy having periods of fasting as I just feel it helps me in other ways, so these tips for managing the spikes are super helpful. Plus I luv walnuts