• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Are these BG rises acceptable?

C

CoastGirl

Well-Known Member
Messages
105
Location
Hampshire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello and thank you to all the vastly knowledgeable people on this site. Your words of wisdom and experience have certainly helped me come to terms with my diabetes diagnosis but I wondered if you can ease my mind a little more! I was diagnosed with Type 2 in December with an HbA1c of 64 and a FBG of 9.4. I found this site pretty much immediately and started LCHF which I have maintained without too much difficulty. I went for my 3 month follow up HbA1c last week which was 40 with a FBG of 6.4 (still can't get this below mid 6's most of the time) - pleased with this. My question is about post prandial readings. Other than breakfast, I am normally in mid to high 5s before a meal, I then test at 1 hour and there is little or no movement, at 2 hours I may have risen to low 6s, at 2.5 to 3 hours I hit a peak anywhere between high 6s and high 7s. By 3.5 hrs I am heading back down in 6s. Everything I have read says that I should be back to pre meal readings by the two hour mark and this never happens for me. Does this mean I am not producing very much insulin? Can I get this checked? Should I be concerned? Thank you for any insight you may be able to give me.
 
CoastGirl said:
Hello and thank you to all the vastly knowledgeable people on this site. Your words of wisdom and experience have certainly helped me come to terms with my diabetes diagnosis but I wondered if you can ease my mind a little more! I was diagnosed with Type 2 in December with an HbA1c of 64 and a FBG of 9.4. I found this site pretty much immediately and started LCHF which I have maintained without too much difficulty. I went for my 3 month follow up HbA1c last week which was 40 with a FBG of 6.4 (still can't get this below mid 6's most of the time) - pleased with this. My question is about post prandial readings. Other than breakfast, I am normally in mid to high 5s before a meal, I then test at 1 hour and there is little or no movement, at 2 hours I may have risen to low 6s, at 2.5 to 3 hours I hit a peak anywhere between high 6s and high 7s. By 3.5 hrs I am heading back down in 6s. Everything I have read says that I should be back to pre meal readings by the two hour mark and this never happens for me. Does this mean I am not producing very much insulin? Can I get this checked? Should I be concerned? Thank you for any insight you may be able to give me.
Click to expand...

Hi CoastGirl. I'm Type 2 and have similar readings - just a little higher on average than yours (having been much higher prior to a very low carb diet (for a few months now). I can be a good bit higher than 5s before my main meal...and very recently (due to a slight bug I think) as high as 8.5 (but more commonly around 6.5- 7mmols). having experimented a lot when I started on the diet, I established pretty clear patterns. Anything up to forty minutes after a meal there is no real change (may even drop slightly) but there's usually a spike around 1 hour to 1.5 hours post meal depending on amount of carbs (and this is very few these days and so the spike is not too bad really). A reading at 2 hours post meal was still showing the spike and I came to the conclusion that my system works a little more slowly probably due to other meds I am on (whereas my metabolism used to be very fast); so i test at least 2.5 - 3 hours post meal now and usually by then it's all settling back to premeal levels or lower. I would not be concerned a tall with your post meal readings..the 2 hours is not a totally rigid medical certainty..and the only real cause for alarm is if readings are maybe more than 2.5-3 mmols higher than premeal levels (and even then it's above 8.5 that would be more of a concern. I can hit spikes of about 8 or 9 these days (depending on carbs during the day...fluid levels...enough sleep etc etc) and I'm not worried as it can be a lot lower, used to be a hell of a lot higher, and always comes down at night to maybe 5.4ish. The stricter I am the lower readings are across the day. others will say the 2 hour reading is a crucial number - to be honest, we all differ and its a guideline. Your levels are relatively normal...your system a little slower than normal. Hopefully others will comment to settle your mind.
 
The two hour mark is often quoted since it is the only official guidance we have. Below 8.5 at the two hour mark is the guidance but I don't know what that is based on and many people find it generous and set their own targets. My opinion is that your figures will make a lot of people jealous since they are good. Carbohydrates are listed on the GI scale according to their rate of absorption and an entire meal could contain foods of different GI values. You would need a calculator to predict the absorption rate of the whole meal and your late "spike" could just be due to that.

Whatever you are doing, keep doing it because it seems to be working for you.

The point about being back to normal at 2 hours is probably someone's personal target since I have seen nothing to support it in any documentation. I am not saying that it is a bad target, just a difficult one to achieve and conflicts with the 8.5 at two hours guidance.
 
Thank you @pleinster and @Squire Fulwood for your quick responses. I feel a little less anxious about this now. I eat minimal carbs, lots of vegetables and a little milk, but other than that it is just protein and fat. I am guessing, that as these digest more slowly that is the reason for the later rise and then fall in BG.
 
CoastGirl said:
Thank you @pleinster and @Squire Fulwood for your quick responses. I feel a little less anxious about this now. I eat minimal carbs, lots of vegetables and a little milk, but other than that it is just protein and fat. I am guessing, that as these digest more slowly that is the reason for the later rise and then fall in BG.
Click to expand...
Hi, you are absolutely right about fat slowing things down, don`t worry too much about the 2hr thing, it`s a general target not an absolute for everyone and anyway your figures come well within the limits. Well done and keep it up!
 
chri5 said:
Hi, you are absolutely right about fat slowing things down, don`t worry too much about the 2hr thing, it`s a general target not an absolute for everyone and anyway your figures come well within the limits. Well done and keep it up!
Click to expand...
Thank you @chri5
 
Back
Top