Alcohol

[Birdwoman]

What are your target bgs?

I am at the moment mainly down to 85 later in the day, but would like to be a bit lower at around 80 but don't feel I'm too bad at the moment.

 

[Alexandra100]

I am at the moment mainly down to 85 later in the day, but would like to be a bit lower at around 80 but don't feel I'm too bad at the moment.

No indeed! Myself, I am aiming for the numbers given by Jenny Ruhl as "normal" ie 2 hours post prandial: <100 = 5.55 or 85 = 4.7. Where did you find the numbers you are aiming for? Personally I would be happy with <100 in the evening, when I am usually highest, though of course I prefer a reading in the 4s. By contrast I would be very unhappy with the c.7 you found after the banana experiment. I go by the rule, never over 6.66, and these days I rarely see 6.0. IMO you are lucky enough to have the capacity for really good numbers, it's just a matter of finding that balance between too many carbs and too much deprivation. Don't forget, the aim is to have numbers that are level as well as low.

 

[Birdwoman]

No indeed! Myself, I am aiming for the numbers given by Jenny Ruhl as "normal" ie 2 hours post prandial: <100 = 5.55 or 85 = 4.7. Where did you find the numbers you are aiming for? Personally I would be happy with <100 in the evening, when I am usually highest, though of course I prefer a reading in the 4s. By contrast I would be very unhappy with the c.7 you found after the banana experiment. I go by the rule, never over 6.66, and these days I rarely see 6.0. IMO you are lucky enough to have the capacity for really good numbers, it's just a matter of finding that balance between too many carbs and too much deprivation. Don't forget, the aim is to have numbers that are level as well as low.

I agree, I am still on a bit of a learning cerve and trying to get my head around it all. I have read a few books including the Jenny Ruhl but the more I read the more I get confused. I did have some figures around 75 in the later part of the day, when I am at my lowest figures but they suddenly went up but I'm pleased to say have come down again now, except for my mornings FBGs are still a bit high but in general coming down too. If I keep to 20 grms of carbs a day I am back down again in 2 hours. My biggest problem is the mornings, I start off by being around 106 but they do not drop very quickly and by lunch time are still around a 100.

 

[Alexandra100]

I agree, I am still on a bit of a learning cerve and trying to get my head around it all. I have read a few books including the Jenny Ruhl but the more I read the more I get confused. I did have some figures around 75 in the later part of the day, when I am at my lowest figures but they suddenly went up but I'm pleased to say have come down again now, except for my mornings FBGs are still a bit high but in general coming down too. If I keep to 20 grms of carbs a day I am back down again in 2 hours. My biggest problem is the mornings, I start off by being around 106 but they do not drop very quickly and by lunch time are still around a 100.

Birdwoman, you have come a very long way and learned a huge amount in a very short time. Well done! Diabetes is a vast subject and very confusing. Even the different ways our readings can be presented add to the confusion. IMO it might be a good idea to try and relax, carry on with your 20g carb programme if you can bear it, and give yourself eg 4 weeks for the dust to settle. If then you still feel that your readings are not good enough, given your excellent dietary regime, you might consider doing as I did and persuading your doctor to prescribe Metformin.

NICE now encourages GPs to prescribe this for pre-diabetics, but probably few GPs have noticed yet. Jenny Ruhl, Dr Bernstein and other writers are all for Metformin (and so am I). If you have one of JR's books you could check that out in it, or otherwise on her site. I was in the position of seeing readings which, while not terrible, seemed less than I deserved given my dietary sacrifices. It was very discouraging. However, having gradually worked up from a very low dose that didn't do much if anything to 2g extended release daily, from the 2nd May I have had a fasting bg of 5.0 maximum, and usually in the 4s. In the previous months seeing a fasting reading of 5 or less was a rare treat that happened about 4 times a month, and quite often it was 5.6 or over, with which I was very unhappy.

There is research showing that Metformin works better if taken early, so the usual strategy of seeing if one can manage without it seems unfortunate. Don't be discouraged by people who say Metformin makes little difference. With bg readings as good as yours, just a smallish reduction could get you where you want to be.

 

[Birdwoman]

Birdwoman, you have come a very long way and learned a huge amount in a very short time. Well done! Diabetes is a vast subject and very confusing. Even the different ways our readings can be presented add to the confusion. IMO it might be a good idea to try and relax, carry on with your 20g carb programme if you can bear it, and give yourself eg 4 weeks for the dust to settle. If then you still feel that your readings are not good enough, given your excellent dietary regime, you might consider doing as I did and persuading your doctor to prescribe Metformin.

NICE now encourages GPs to prescribe this for pre-diabetics, but probably few GPs have noticed yet. Jenny Ruhl, Dr Bernstein and other writers are all for Metformin (and so am I). If you have one of JR's books you could check that out in it, or otherwise on her site. I was in the position of seeing readings which, while not terrible, seemed less than I deserved given my dietary sacrifices. It was very discouraging. However, having gradually worked up from a very low dose that didn't do much if anything to 2g extended release daily, from the 2nd May I have had a fasting bg of 5.0 maximum, and usually in the 4s. In the previous months seeing a fasting reading of 5 or less was a rare treat that happened about 4 times a month, and quite often it was 5.6 or over, with which I was very unhappy.

There is research showing that Metformin works better if taken early, so the usual strategy of seeing if one can manage without it seems unfortunate. Don't be discouraged by people who say Metformin makes little difference. With bg readings as good as yours, just a smallish reduction could get you where you want to be.

Thanks for your long reply and help.

We are thinking alike to a great extent. Last night I had a long think about it all and decided that I don't think my body is ready to try a few more carbs at present, so I am going to continue on the 20 grms of carbs a day. I don't dislike that way of eating and I have had results with it, so I will carry on with it now and try again maybe in the autumn.

I do not fancy going onto Metformin but in any case my Dr would not give it to me, she said I was prediabetic to start with because my FBG was 120, which is when I went LCHF and when I saw her a few weeks later with my A1c results, my levels that were slightly out had all gone back to normal and myA1c was well in the normal range, so I told her that was because I was doing LCHF, she decided I was not prediabetic, so what I do, I do by myself now, which is why I need to understand it as much as I can.