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Alcohol


I have no idea about alcohol and blood pressure, but whether it improves your results or not I think that medicating with alcohol is a pretty bad idea. (If there are beneficial side effects of a occaisional drink, that's a different matter, of course).

On the carbs thing you'll just have to make your own mind up. All of us agree you need to manage your carb intake somehow (by reducing the amount of carbohydrate, decreasing GI or eating smaller portion sizes), but the method you choose and the degree to which you reduce them depends on you and your consitution.

You almost certainly don't have to get down to Atkins levels (<30g). Lots of people do well on 100-150g. A good way of working out how much you can tolerate is to pick a daily carb amount and testing your BG levels before you eat and two hours after.

Having said that, the "Atkins" type Very Low Carb diet can have benefits, both in terms of BG control and weight loss (and is the path that I've chosen), but you need to decide whether the potential benefits are worth the sacrifice in your case.
 


I agree about medicating with alcohol. As far as I'm aware sticking to the recommended limits or below does not raise bp, it's when you go over and above that bp starts to rise.
 
viviennem said:
In my experience I not only lose weight on A, but my blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol all come down too. I came off my BP medication in January, with the doctor's approval.
Click to expand...

Yes. Big +1.

My experience is similar (on <30g)- I've lost 4st in a year, and reduced my HbA1c from 10.2% to 5.2% (I'm due another test about now which I hope will put me in the 4s). I have great blood tryglicerides, low cholesterol and an unfatty liver. I've cured my sleep apnea, and I feel better than I've ever felt in my whole life.

However, I did do 4 months on around 80g a day and did just fine too. You might be able to handle even more than that, you just need to experiement and find out what works for you.
 

Too much alcohol, or drinking too often, can raise blood pressure, particularly if you're susceptible to it. It also causes inflammation across all the vital organs (including the pancreas and liver). I agree with Noblehead - try to stick to the limits.

Don't do as I do, all too often (but not every day. :angel: - sometimes! :lol: )

Viv 8)
 
Hang on back to the party invites, I need a drink badly! Come on name the day!
 
I'll name the day soon, just need to get some smelling salts for Mrs Grazer :!:
 
Or get her a large bottle so she'll agree to anything after drinking that!
 
How about a bottle of my home made TNT :evil: :?:
CAROL
 
Oh it is, my husband says it could be used to fuel weapons of mass destruction that is why the last batch I made has not been moved from the garage for years .No one dares to awaken it from its slumbers :lol: .It is only my home made fruit wine in case anyone is thinking of sending the local community police man on his bike. :roll:
CAROL
 
by xyzzy » April 6th, 2012, 8:58 pm

Bad news the pint of gin worked last night but have been very high for me all day. Had fasting levels in the low 6's all day. Looks to me like there is a gin hot cross bun reaction still going on.
-----------------

This is my big question with alcohol. On the night, things seem to be ok. A few glasses of wine or whisky, even a beer or 2 and the BG will be fine. Next morning, slightly elevated levels but still in normal range. If i had porridge for breakfast the BG reading would literally sky rocket from say 5.8 to 12+ before returning to slightly elevated after 2 hours. Scary stuff. Does anyone else experience this 'day after' effect? I would love to know.
 

I thought that your liver "buffered" the carbs by turning them into fat in your liver for later processing. This is why alcoholics often suffer from liver cirrhosis.
 
So you think that any carbs eaten whilst drinking effectively get released the next day?

For me, a few drinks seem to lead to an issue dealing with food the next day. Maybe i should stick to just protein i i have had a few drinks at the weekend.....
 
I don't think its the alcohol that slightly elevates BG's after a carb fest but the car fest itself. If I have a higher than normal carbs day with or without alcohol I tend to see levels gets slightly elevated for a couple of days. I can consistently see a pattern where I'll have an Indian takeaway or some other higher carb meal over a weekend then see slightly elevated readings for a couple of days. At some point one fasting reading will drop back really low and then all readings from that point will be back to normal until I have the curry again!. The only difference with alcohol is I could have rice with the curry or chips with the steak and not worry too much.
 
Its a good point about eating chips, rice and such whilst drinking!

I'd just love to hear that SOMEONE out there suffers from this crazy spike thing that to me, seems related to the previous nights alcohol intake.

Or maybe xyzzy you are saying that the combo of alcohol with some high carb snack/meal is to blame.
 
Actually really can't help you with the big next day spike. I know the high carb / alcohol things works on the day you consume them as I tested at 1, 2 and 4 hours on each occasion to confirm it worked. On all 3 occasions I tried it out I really went for it, chocolate birthday cake, multiple doorsteps of freshly baked white bread and hot cross buns. Next time I'll do a one hour reading after breakfast and see if I see any similar thing.
 

I am exactly the same drew - I only drink about once a month 2 glasses of wine when out - I don't eat any more carbs than usual when drinking alcohol - next day my numbers are always raised and can never get them below 6 no matter how hard I try - usally through an ordinary day I see a good few mid to high 4's on my meter. After the same meal without the alcohol I see an ordinary days numbers the next day - so I can't blame a carb fest - the only difference for me is alcohol

I have a an occasional drink because I enjoy a glass of wine with my meal - but it has to be a regarded as a treat for me and not something that lowers my numbers - it just doesn't work for me - I knew I couldn't be alone in this even though everyone else finds different! glad it's not just me - though sorry for you that you are finding the same
 
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