Can snacking be bad

Guzzler

Master
Messages
10,577
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
Here's a thing to consider, daily reads can't be trusted. Mine are all over the palace and often. But Hba1c can be trusted. Over a 3 month period it typically stays even or reduces. I can 100% guarantee you that if you do that kind of snacking often the chances of your hba1c going up the next time it's tested will be extremely likely. I've tested that theory myself so I know. Not good!

Here's the thing about those sugar / carb pangs your getting though. It's not necessarily about getting the sugar or carb fix, even though your brain might be telling you that. It's about satiating a hunger pang. To prove it do this, the next time you get that need, get a few decent chunks of cheese and snack on that instead. That will have the effect of satiating the appetite and you'll likely not want to sweet stuff afterward. Eat is slow, let it go in, let the brain and body register it. The brain's a bit of a trickster sometimes. So is the body, especially if it's used certain kinds of habits. Give it the good stuff then back off to bed. It'll satisfy you enough to head back off to sleep and your body will thank you for it next time the results come in.

I trust my glucometer more than the A1c. As you say, the A1c is an average but it does not show the spikes that can cause damage over time. A glucometer teaches tolerance values which in my opinion is a more valuable asset than a three or six month average that is in fact a picture of just the last 4-6 weeks glycation rate.
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I trust my glucometer more than the A1c. As you say, the A1c is an average but it does not show the spikes that can cause damage over time. A glucometer teaches tolerance values which in my opinion is a more valuable asset than a three or six month average that is in fact a picture of just the last 4-6 weeks glycation rate.

100% agree.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Guzzler

Ribbet

Member
Messages
16
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I trust my glucometer more than the A1c. As you say, the A1c is an average but it does not show the spikes that can cause damage over time. A glucometer teaches tolerance values which in my opinion is a more valuable asset than a three or six month average that is in fact a picture of just the last 4-6 weeks glycation rate.
My point being in this instance however that the glucose reading indicated by the poster suggested that a late night high carb treat might be acceptable due to the fact that they were not aware of the considerable spike they likely had while sleeping, causing a larger than usual insulin response that resulted in a deceptively lower than usual glucose reading the following morning.

I am not suggesting that glucose readings are unreliable, but that there are a number of factors in how the human body behaves that can cause readings to fluctuate this way or that in the course of a day that can create incorrect perceptions that suggest such a late night high carb treat might well be acceptable.

Having experimented with such increases in carb intake myself in a similar manner with the end result being an increase in my hba1c, I can assure them that such treats on a regular basis while having the appearance of being acceptable according to daily glucose readings, will with certainty result in an increased hba1c. Thus the hba1c is the truer indicator of what his blood glucose readings are over the longer period.

What I am also suggesting is that where one is consistently staying true to a low carb diet, that while there may be fluctuations in glucose readings in the course of a day that suggest things may or may not be well, that over the longer term by staying true to the diet, they will generally see a stabilised and/or improved hba1c and also improvement in general health.

Thus my directive was to steer them towards fats rather than carbs to satiate the appetite they had been experiencing, as such a course of action will help reverse the old habit and introduce one that has a more positive impact on the blood glucose over the longer term. Again, I have tested this on myself, it works!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: T2#Me

Guzzler

Master
Messages
10,577
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
My point being in this instance however that the glucose reading indicated by the poster suggested that a late night high carb treat might be acceptable due to the fact that they were not aware of the considerable spike they likely had while sleeping, causing a larger than usual insulin response that resulted in a deceptively lower than usual glucose reading the following morning.

I am not suggesting that glucose readings are unreliable, but that there are a number of factors in how the human body behaves that can cause readings to fluctuate this way or that in the course of a day that can create incorrect perceptions that suggest such a late night high carb treat might well be acceptable.

Having experimented with such increases in carb intake myself in a similar manner with the end result being an increase in my hba1c, I can assure them that such treats on a regular basis while having the appearance of being acceptable according to daily glucose readings, will with certainty result in an increased hba1c. Thus the hba1c is the truer indicator of what his blood glucose readings are over the longer period.

What I am also suggesting is that where one is consistently staying true to a low carb diet, that while there may be fluctuations in glucose readings in the course of a day that suggest things may or may not be well, that over the longer term by staying true to the diet, they will generally see a stabilised and/or improved hba1c and also improvement in general health.

Thus my directive was to steer them towards fats rather than carbs to satiate the appetite they had been experiencing, as such a course of action will help reverse the old habit and introduce one that has a more positive impact on the blood glucose over the longer term. Again, I have tested this on myself, it works!

Whilst I agree that a fatty/protein snack is always better than a carby snack at any time of the day and agree that an ultimate goal should be one of reducing or cutting out snacks altogether to avoid any insulin response I disagree that a low carb snack taken in the late evening will always affect the following mornings fbg.