Coffee - To Drink Or Not To Drink...that Is The Question.

[Terrytiddy]

Hi all I always break my fasts with 2/3 slices of cheese (real stuff not that plastic Kraft ) It works for me before I have some other food

 

[Alexandra100]

I think that EVERYTHING I eat seems to impact my levels more first thing in the morning

It is usually said that insulin resistance is higher during the first 2-3 hours after rising. Dr Bernstein, who advocates eating only 30g carbs daily, advises consuming just 6 for breakfast, then 12 each for lunch and dinner for this reason.

 

[Alexandra100]

should I get up earlier and go for a walk? Should I eat something first thing (eggs/bacon etc).

Exercise, even a fairly gentle walk, has been shown to help lower bg in many people. (Sadly I don't seem to be one of them.) However the research studies that found this also showed that exercise after the carb intake was more effective than before it. Are you eating anything before you have that coffee? Personally, I don't think caffeine makes any difference to my bg, but I would not drink coffee on an empty stomach, especially if I was being mean with the milk.

 

[Alexandra100]

should I consider metformin to additional help?

Opinion here is sharply divided as to the value of Metformin. Myself, I have chosen to take the highest dose. In my opinion anything that can help lower my bg even by a little is highly desirable. You could try taking Metformin with your dinner, it might help lower your morning fasting bg. However it is highly advisable to start M with a very low dose and gradually increase over weeks, to try and avoid the digestive upsets which plague many people who try it. I believe it will have little effect until you are taking at least 1500mg daily, so you would have to be patient.

 

[Alexandra100]

if I eat or drink NOTHING, my levels will usually drop to under 5.0 by 10:30 or 11:00am.

What happens if you do eat and drink but not coffee? Would you be comfortable with fasting until your bg comes down? Or have you tried eating food that is totally carb free eg chicken for breakfast? Myself, when my bg is 5.6 I won't eat carbs, or only the smallest amount, and I might not eat at all until I could get a lower reading.
PS Sorry, I see you did try eating first thing recently.

 

[Alexandra100]

I usually wake up to a 5.9 (which I would really like to reduce too!)

Is there any link you can observe between your fasting morning bg and the time and nature of your evening meal? And have you tried checking your bg last thing at night?

 

[lindisfel]

One of the doctors on Virta Health advocates keto but because of T2D takes Metformin, of all drugs Metformin is one of the better ones.
Don't be too influenced by black and white views Alexandra. I have found in my nearly eighty years it's balance that is the hardest thing to achieve.
regards
Derek

Opinion here is sharply divided as to the value of Metformin. Myself, I have chosen to take the highest dose. In my opinion anything that can help lower my bg even by a little is highly desirable. You could try taking Metformin with your dinner, it might help lower your morning fasting bg. However it is highly advisable to start M with a very low dose and gradually increase over weeks, to try and avoid the digestive upsets which plague many people who try it. I believe it will have little effect until you are taking at least 1500mg daily, so you would have to be patient.

 

[Brunneria]

Try different things (while carefully testing):

Don't have coffee
Black caff coffee
Black decaff coffee
Half and half with caff
Half and half with decaff
Proper (real, not mucked about with) single or double cream with caff
Proper (real, not mucked about with) single or double cream with decaff
Tea
Coffee substitutes

and so on.

Lots to try. But personally I would be ditching the Half and Half. Horrible stuff.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cream-vs-half-and-half-vs-coffee-creamer

https://blogs.ext.vt.edu/eatsmart-m...-non-dairy-creamer-whats-the-best-for-coffee/

I wouldn't touch anything other than real milk, or real cream.

 

[Nexus6]

Thanks for all the ideas, thoughts, opinions and suggestions. I've been reading all of them carefully and trying a few things. I'll report back if anything seems repeatable/consistent.

To start, the last couple days, I have gotten up and eaten something fatty and almost zero carbs as possible, and it certainly seems to help. Either the food/fat is stopping the rise (and some suggested) or it is simply "blunting" the coffee impact....or both. I'll keep playing around with different things.

 

[derry60]

Why does cheese stop a rise? I’ve never heard that before? Thanks

It is as Kidoc says below. I also find that cream helps also. After my morning coffee, I check, although my BG levels are not to bad due to low carb for over a year now. My BG levels can be 5.8..I have 3 slices of cheddar and just under 2 hours later my BG level will drop to around 5.4 It also works for me with some walnuts and cheese. Strange because I can have a small apple with cheese and this has no effect on my BG levels, but if I have the apple alone I get a slight spike, not too high, but higher than if I eat cheese with the apple.

 

[derry60]

Thanks for all the ideas, thoughts, opinions and suggestions. I've been reading all of them carefully and trying a few things. I'll report back if anything seems repeatable/consistent.

To start, the last couple days, I have gotten up and eaten something fatty and almost zero carbs as possible, and it certainly seems to help. Either the food/fat is stopping the rise (and some suggested) or it is simply "blunting" the coffee impact....or both. I'll keep playing around with different things.

Yayyyy.. Good to hear. Hope that it continues, it has for me