Does your sugar go higher after 12 hours fasting vs 8 hours? Or is it usually lower ?

[noreversegear]

Usually when I check my blood sugar, it is higher after not eating for 8 hours, but since I haven't checked my fasting sugar for a while, I was a bit confused about the readings after today.

After not eating for 12 hours, my sugar was 5.7 .
Then I ate, and after 2 hours it was 6.4 .

Previously (a few months ago), I was testing in the mornings and it was usually around 7-7.8.

So I am wondering what my readings mean? (diabetes, prediabetes?)
And wondering, are your readings usually lower after 12 hours of fasting vs 8 hours of fasting? Or is it the other way around?

 

[4ratbags]

I was the same a couple of months ago my fasting was around the 7-8 mark and now it is in the 4-5's but I don't think it has anything to do with the amount of time but more that I have better control now and the LCHF way of eating has really kicked in.

 

[noreversegear]

It seems that I didn't explain myself well...
What I was asking is, when you test your blood sugar after 8 hours of fasting, is it usually still high, but the longer you fast, it starts to taper down anyway by itself, without meds or eating something?

Like after 8 hours of fasting, my blood sugar is high, but if I still don't eat for another 4 hours (and take no meds), it lowers itself to the "normal" range. Is this normal? To me, then, it seems that if we eat just once a day, it might help keep our blood sugar down?

 

[4ratbags]

For myself It is the opposite, even if I don't eat anything once I get up in the morning my BS will start to rise. I have to make sure that I always have a snack with me as I am prone to hypos and if I am exercising and I I don't have a snack on hand I still get liver dumps and it will rise into the 7's so I find it a bit of a balancing act. Your numbers are quite low anyway so that is good, are they generally in the 5's and 6's. There are a number of members who do eat only once a day which is great if you are able to do it, personally I wouldn't be able to. Diabetes is a very personal journey and what works for one may not work for another so the definition of 'normal' is a matter of opinion. I personally aim for under 5.5 fasting and under 5.5 2 hrs post meal but it's a good idea for you to set yourself some personal goals in regard to your BS. My first HbA1c result was 100 and through doing LCHF it is now down to 34. Its good you have a meter and you are using it as it is the key to good BS control. Even though I am now in the non-diabetic range I still test my BS and keep a food diary and I always will as it's a lifelong condition.

 

[Indy51]

According to the Diane Kress book, the liver will ''self-feed'' (also known as a liver dump) after around 4-5 hours without eating. It also happens if you exercise or have unusual energy demands. I guess how high you go after it happens depends on how much gylcogen the liver has stored at the time - so the longer the fast, the lower the spike would be? The liver will do this automatically based on the body's need for energy. Some authors (like Kress) advise eating on a regular schedule to try and control it, but I've never quite understood the logic of doing that - then again, it can be tricky if you leave eating for too long and then have a liver dump right before you want to eat.

 

[andcol]

For me unless I am processing the protein I have eaten my levels are pretty flat 5.0+-0.2 mmol/l That is the same for 8 or 12 or evn 24 hours. All that means is that my liver/pancreas is managing my fasting levels correctly. If your BG levels are still high at 8 hours then I would suggest you are still suffering from insulin resistance. The way I found to remove it and return my liver and pancreas to normal function was a very low calorie diet (have a read of my first 3 month journey linked from my signature; it may help you on yours).