Blood sugar readings - what's more important?

[Sunshine_Kisses]

S'cuse the possibly overly simplistic question, but is it most important to keep your blood sugars stable all the time, or is it OK (within reason) to have highs as long as your blood sugars are back in range within 2/3hrs?

I read someone somewhere posted something about an 'arc' - and that it was this that most affected hba1c readings - but didn't know what this meant?

I'm asking as my aim is to get my hba1c down, but sometimes my readings can still be higher than I'd like especially after dinner for some reason - can be in the 9's though it will usually go back to 7's by bedtime (which could be three hrs or more later).

Throughout the day I'm usually in the 5's and 6's, it's just in the evening it goes higher - do I need to be trying to get my after dinner readings lower still or is it OK that they come back into range-ish within a few hrs, and that they're stable in the day? I nearly always have fish and green veggies for dinner so couldn't make it much less carby!


Diagnosed Type 2, 22nd Feb 2013
Hba1c 7.5
Three month trial of managing through diet & exercise - low-ish carb, pescatarian and attempting to become a runner ;-)

 

[Luna21]

Brilliant question - I can't help as I don't know the answer, but I would like to know too! I'm hoping that someone who does will answer you soon.

 

[Sunshine_Kisses]

Haha, sorry, was a bit vague! I always do a reading on waking/before meals then two hrs after meals.

Below is a typical day:
7.4 waking
Breakfast of 2 scrambled eggs and curly kale
6.2 2hrs after breakfast
5.5 before lunch
Lunch of feta cheese salad with generous amounts of baby leaf salad, raw red onion, drizzle olive oil, handful of walnuts
6.4 2hrs after lunch
6.2 before dinner
Dinner of salmon fillet with broccoli and couchette.
9.4 2hrs after dinner
7.9 before bed (another hour or two later)

This is pretty much my daily pattern; 7s on waking, 5s and 6s in the day, 8s and 9s after dinner. I don't think I can make it much carb lighter (my dinner) so wondering do I need to worry about the post dinner 9s if it always eventually drops back and is good in the day?

Hopefully a bit clearer this time


Diagnosed Type 2, 22nd Feb 2013
Hba1c 7.5
Three month trial of managing through diet & exercise - low-ish carb, pescatarian and attempting to become a runner ;-)

 

[Sunshine_Kisses]

Thanks for that - yes, for some reason I'm quite good after breakfast through to mid afternoon ish; then I go up in the evening. I'm not sure why, other than I do see evenings as 'chill time' so tend to eat then either read, read online or watch a film... So yes, pretty much sat down all pm - whereas I exercise in the daytime; usually around lunchtime. I suppose I could add in some exercise in the evening too but then it will feel a little like I'm training for a triathlon with my lunchtime exercise too! ;-)

Oddly, almost the only times I've had better readings 2hrs after dinner (6.5 and 7.2) were times I had puddings after dinner!

I just saw your addition - I *think* my meter is telling me my average is 7.4 (it comes under stats) and if that's correct then that calculator says my hba1c would be 6.3 now... Which is not as good as I hoped :-(

Do you know if its and form of spiking out of range, or how quickly you revert back into range post food that most affects your hba1c?



Diagnosed Type 2, 22nd Feb 2013
Hba1c 7.5
Three month trial of managing through diet & exercise - low-ish carb, pescatarian and attempting to become a runner ;-)

 

[Sunshine_Kisses]

All very helpful and yes, well explained, thank you!


Diagnosed Type 2, 22nd Feb 2013
Hba1c 7.5
Three month trial of managing through diet & exercise - low-ish carb, pescatarian and attempting to become a runner ;-)

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Overall your readings are quite good, so I wouldn't worry or test so much. Your next HBa1C will tell you how much your diet has helped but I suspect it will be a much better result than at diagnosis. We all spike to some extent and you are doing a good job at minimising those spikes so keep up the good work

 

[Sunshine_Kisses]

Thanks nomistheman and Daibell!! For the first time in three months I've finally gotten my after dinner and morning readings down to below 6's the past three days too - soooo happy! Long may they stay

 

[Sunshine_Kisses]

It's tricky to say *specifically* what's helping, as I've been chucking quite a lot at the diabetes for the last three months since diagnosis - but the specific things I've changed in the last month-ish are;

- lowering carbs from probably 2/300g a day, to initially around 120g (which I have to say, seemed to have little difference in readings or weight) to 75g and in the last week around 50g... I think it's the 50g that's really tipped the balance - and because I made the cuts gradually, hasn't been too awful.
- The other possible biggies is that I've started taking an acai berry supplement (it's a liquid shot) thats high in reversatrol - said to be useful for diabetics.
- And I've also been taking 200g of chromium with each meal, which I am certain also helped to some degree - I tried a couple and not all worked for me - I specifically found higher nature true food chromium the best, which is available on Amazon.
- I have started running too; which if my readings have been higher, definitely lowers them.
- I am also careful not too have too much protein for me personally too; as I discovered that it can cause insulin spikes if you're also low carb; which I'm fairy certain is why I was having odd readings of 9's and worse after having dinners of just fish and veggies - so have tried to balance things out with a bit more fat. I posted about it in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=40878

I *think* those are the main things - if I think of anything else I'll post it!

 

[Sunshine_Kisses]

So has all that lowered your Blood Glucose readings overall or have you specifically targeted the higher afternoon / evening readings?

I would say that the running is best for bringing down unusually high readings (if I've been 11, I can go for a run and come back as a 5 or 6) and the chromium has brought down my readings overall by apporox 2 points a time.

The lower, 50g carb and / or the acai berry with reversatrol is what's specifically seems to have made the biggest difference, in that rather than affecting certain times of day / situations or brining my overall down by a point or two, it's kept me a pretty much a flat level of 5.5, regardless of time of day or whether it's before or after I've eaten or what exercise I take. It's obviously early days, but it's been that way since I made the changes on Tuesday. As I added the acai and reduced the carbs on the same day, I can't yet tell if it's one or other or (I suspect) a combo of both. Once I'm certain I'm stable, I'll test by taking out the acai and seeing what happens

The crucial element of low carb diets (as I understand it) is to find the intake of carbs that's low enough for your body to go in to Ketosis, i.e. where the body starts to utilise the fat stores in your body to obtain it's glucose rather than from your blood via carbohydrates. I guess this is an individual thing and you've found your's! :thumbup:

Yep, I think that's what's happened... I am *slightly* worried that I've read ketosis isn't great to stay in for long periods of time (seems 1-3 months is the general consensus) my immediate concern is keeping my blood sugars stable and shifting the belly fat... if, in three months or sooner I'm happy with everything, I may experiment with adding a few more carbs back in to get me out of ketosis but still staying lower carb....

Something I have learned is that the body can move to breaking down proteins for glucose if there is not enough being generated from breaking down other resources. So you highlighting too much protein in your meals fits very well with that! The original low carb diet was a high protein one - I think, from the body building fraternity.
Now it seems Low Carb High Fat is a more sensible approach as, to me any way, it seems quite logical that if your body is using fat resources for it's energy rather than carbohydrates, eating fat for your energy is going to be OK?

Agreed - that's exactly what I've discovered - who knew! My only slight confusion now is how to add in fats without them being high in protein... cos most things I can think of that are high fat, are also high protein... :lol:

You're doing great with those readings. I wish you continued success.

Thank you! And to you! :thumbup: