Eating to the meter

[bluecurlylegend]

Hi Folks,

I'm sure this has been covered many times before because I've seen the phrase crop up frequently.
But could someone please give me a full explanation of what it means ?
For example, I've noticed that my fasting BG is mostly low 6's but despite having nothing but black coffee for breakfast, about four hours later my BG creeps up to over 6.5.
So at this point should I accept the fact that there is excess Glucose in my bloodstream and that I don't really need to eat anything until my readings are lower, say 5.5 ?
Eating nothing and steady cycling for a couple of hours brings my BG down to mid 5's but if I do nothing at all my BG will still be over 6 in the evening. Should I leave it till next day to retest before eating ?
I'm prediabetic apparently, and trying to minimise it by a LCHF regime. I've not been prescribed any medication.
Many thanks in advance.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Eating to your meter means testing before you eat and again 2 hours after first bite. Any rise from before to after needs to be under 2mmol/l (preferably less). More than that and there are too many carbs in that meal which need reducing in portion size or eliminating. Your meter is telling you this. It is nothing more complicated than a way to learn which are your personal danger foods.

You are experiencing what is known as a liver dump, or dawn phenomenon. In times of fasting, overnight and between meals, our bodies detect our glucose is a bit low (or lower than it is used to). Hormones spring into action to tell our livers to produce glucose from its stores, hence our glucose levels rise. In normal healthy people the pancreas also jumps into action and secretes insulin to push this glucose into the cells for energy. In diabetics with insulin resistance this insulin doesn't work as well as it should so the glucose stays in the bloodstream. That explains why your levels rise when you haven't eaten. One way of preventing this is to eat something fatty for breakfast. You have a black coffee .... if you add some double cream to this, that may work. It does with me. You may be different, but it is worth a try.

Unless you are deliberately fasting as part of your eating plan there is no need to starve yourself and miss meals simply because your level is more than 5.5.

 

[Alison Campbell]

It has been mentioned on the forum by some in the way you have been described as way to check if you are really hungry. But I don't think the intention is to stop people from eating if they want to.

I have always understood it meant to adjust your meals so that you don't go too high over whatever target you choose rather than not eating if you blood glucose is high. People often say test wherever you are at when you start your meal, what you eat should not raise you by more than 2 mmol/l at 2 hours. This makes more sense to me for newly diagnosed type 2 that may start the day in double figures

 

[DCUKMod]

Hi Folks,

I'm sure this has been covered many times before because I've seen the phrase crop up frequently.
But could someone please give me a full explanation of what it means ?
For example, I've noticed that my fasting BG is mostly low 6's but despite having nothing but black coffee for breakfast, about four hours later my BG creeps up to over 6.5.
So at this point should I accept the fact that there is excess Glucose in my bloodstream and that I don't really need to eat anything until my readings are lower, say 5.5 ?
Eating nothing and steady cycling for a couple of hours brings my BG down to mid 5's but if I do nothing at all my BG will still be over 6 in the evening. Should I leave it till next day to retest before eating ?
I'm prediabetic apparently, and trying to minimise it by a LCHF regime. I've not been prescribed any medication.
Many thanks in advance.

Hi there bluecurlylegend.

How long after getting up do you test?

Many people find their bloods start to rise a bit around the time they're waking up. It's often referred to as Dawn Phenomenon. Dr Google could probably help out of a decent explanation of it.

Again, some people find that provided they don't have an overly carby breakfast, nothing too dire happens to their bloods, then they moderate a bit further during the day.

To be honest, you really need to go into a phase of quite extensive testing in the mornings to really get a grasp of it. If you don't already, try testing your bloods immediately you wake.

 

[bluecurlylegend]

Hi there bluecurlylegend.

How long after getting up do you test?

Many people find their bloods start to rise a bit around the time they're waking up. It's often referred to as Dawn Phenomenon. Dr Google could probably help out of a decent explanation of it.

Again, some people find that provided they don't have an overly carby breakfast, nothing too dire happens to their bloods, then they moderate a bit further during the day.

To be honest, you really need to go into a phase of quite extensive testing in the mornings to really get a grasp of it. If you don't already, try testing your bloods immediately you wake.

Thanks for the prompt reply. I always test within 10 minutes of rising and have done for several months now. I've just had a close look at my last months results and see that my Fasting result has always been no more than 1mmol up on my last test the previous evening...apart from the odd blip. A quick look at the previous months results seem to bear that out too.
So what I should be learning from this is that my reading two hours after my evening meal the night before should be as low as possible....which depends on what I eat and the reading I take just before eating. Fair enough !
What seems to work is two hours steady cycling in the afternoon before my evening meal, so in future I'll make sure I don't miss it. And see what happens.
Bluetit1802 also suggested cream in my morning coffee. I might look into Bulletproof Coffee and see if that makes a difference to my BG levels during the day.
Again, many thanks for all your advice, there's a LOT to learn !

 

[Alexandra100]

Thanks for the prompt reply. I always test within 10 minutes of rising and have done for several months now. I've just had a close look at my last months results and see that my Fasting result has always been no more than 1mmol up on my last test the previous evening...apart from the odd blip. A quick look at the previous months results seem to bear that out too.
So what I should be learning from this is that my reading two hours after my evening meal the night before should be as low as possible....which depends on what I eat and the reading I take just before eating. Fair enough !
What seems to work is two hours steady cycling in the afternoon before my evening meal, so in future I'll make sure I don't miss it. And see what happens.
Bluetit1802 also suggested cream in my morning coffee. I might look into Bulletproof Coffee and see if that makes a difference to my BG levels during the day.
Again, many thanks for all your advice, there's a LOT to learn !

I am almost pre-diabetic (A1c 41) and am currently following the advice to exercise for 10 to 20 minutes AFTER meals. I am under the impression it helps to keep my post prandial bg levels down, but it's impossible to be sure. Some research has suggested that while ALL exercise is beneficial for diabetes, exercising AFTER meals is particularly effective. One article said, especially helpful after the evening meal. If you scroll right down this page you will find a section called, "Fitness, Exercise and Sport". We recently discussed this topic there. Some writers say, exercise 15 to 20 minutes after the meal, others straight after. One said that the exercise could be gentle or moderate. In my case, I am a slow eater, so there is not enough time to go for a walk between the end of my meal and my one hour test. So I go straight after that test and am particularly motivated if it seems to me a bit high. I have two post prandial walks, both hilly, a half mile and a mile. Maybe the mile is more effective, but then it takes a lot longer out of my day. Like you, I have more serious exercise to fit in too.

Yes, there is a lot to learn, and also a lot that is as yet unknown, good luck with your exploring!