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First use of the meter

Mike d

Mike d

Expert
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Australia
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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idiots who will not learn
Morning guys :) ... at least it is here in sunny Melbourne :)

OK, I'm retiring next week so i decided to start using my freestyle meter this morning and will continue with the regime religiously and keep records.

Had breakfast 1.5 hours ago (didn't test when I first got up) and the first reading when using my little toy was 6.5. Is that OK?

Thanks Mike
 
yes that is pretty good for 1.5 hours
 
Thanks Andrew

What would be an ideal number? Any ideas?

Cheers Mike
 
under 6.8 is a great goal but don't beat yourself up too much if you do not always manage it
 
That was a bit of a short answer on my way out so here is a longer version.

Some studies have shown it is best to stay under 6.8 at all times. However, even normal people do not do this so although that is ideal it is not necessarily drastic if you do not manage it. What is important is the amount of time that you remain high. Now you took one reading at 1.5 hours after eating so what were you before you ate and were you on your way down or still going up? It is hard to tell the story with a single reading.

Different foods cause your blood sugars to rise at different rates and unfortunately even one particular food will not always have the same impact on you. If you find you have a high number [what is high is different for different people - for me that is above 8 (personal threshold)] you can generally bring it down by going for a walk or walking up and down the stairs for 250 steps.
 
Gidday Andrew

No i didn't test first thing so no comparison as yet with my first reading 1.5 hours later after breakfast.

I'll try that tomorrow morning and let you know. Should be interesting as I intend (with impending retirement) to walk every morning) to a consistent schedule rather than what is demanded by work with some movement / no movement / other movement across the working day.

Question please mate .... should I test after waking up, then walk and eat breakfast and test again or do I have that the wrong way around where I should wait for exercise and do that immediately after breakfast?

Love the patience mate :)

Mike
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Mike D said:
Gidday Andrew

No i didn't test first thing so no comparison as yet with my first reading 1.5 hours later after breakfast.

I'll try that tomorrow morning and let you know. Should be interesting as I intend (with impending retirement) to walk every morning) to a consistent schedule rather than what is demanded by work with some movement / no movement / other movement across the working day.

Question please mate .... should I test after waking up, then walk and eat breakfast and test again or do I have that the wrong way around where I should wait for exercise and do that immediately after breakfast?

Love the patience mate :)

Mike
Click to expand...
Mike, as I understand it and what I do generally is, test on waking gives a baseline for the day, test again before breakfast test 2 hrs after , do the same with lunch and dinner before and 2 hrs after. This should give you guidelines and to where you are.

If you also keep a record of what you are eating you will get an indication of what different foods do in your system.

It sound difficult but it's habit forming and doesn't take long to get to grips.

If you have any questions just post and someone will always give you and answer.

Good luck and enjoy your retirement.
 
exercising before eating is best for fat reduction. However, depending on how much insulin resistance you have you may find this increases your blood glucose levels. I like to exercise before breakfast - for one it helps on the scales ;) but others prefer not to. All I can say is try it and see.

Exercising after breakfast allows you to target blood glucose levels directly.
 
JohnD54 said:
Mike, as I understand it and what I do generally is, test on waking gives a baseline for the day, test again before breakfast test 2 hrs after , do the same with lunch and dinner before and 2 hrs after. This should give you guidelines and to where you are.

If you also keep a record of what you are eating you will get an indication of what different foods do in your system.

It sound difficult but it's habit forming and doesn't take long to get to grips.

If you have any questions just post and someone will always give you and answer.

Good luck and enjoy your retirement.
Click to expand...

Thanks John

I intend to :)

I agree with your suggestions so i took a reading firt thing before breakfast and it was 5.8. It'll be interesting to see what it is in 2 hours time

mike
 
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