Lowering carbs, aims and results

Numan said:

Hi, T2 for a month, and trying to improve by reducing carbs and exercise. Over the last fortnight of testing I can see a pattern emerging that if I have any more than 50 g of carbs in a meal my bs at 2 hours is 3.5 to 4 higher than starting reading (5.5 to 6). If it’s around 25 g then the reading is within 0.5. Presumably this is my natural level at the moment, and that’s what I need to stay at. Is the idea to keep the bs level as smooth as I can, and how tight a range should I be trying to reach?

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Sounds like you have a good strategy.. I try to keep mine sub 6 at all times.. I can only get very low (sub 4) when extended fasting but still feel ok when reaching that level so I guess my favoured range is 4-6.0. Hope that helps.

I have always found that the amount of carbs I can safely manage at each meal depends on the time of day. My strategy is zero carbs at breakfast other than a dash of milk in my tea, a few more carbs at lunch, and a few more than lunch at tea time. I don't snack between meals, unless you count cups of tea. As I am 5 years down the line on this journey I am no longer testing post meal unless I am curious. I rely on my fasting level, the level before my evening meal and at bedtime to gauge how I am doing. My target range for these times is 4 to low 5's.

Bluetit1802 said:

I have always found that the amount of carbs I can safely manage at each meal depends on the time of day. My strategy is zero carbs at breakfast other than a dash of milk in my tea, a few more carbs at lunch, and a few more than lunch at tea time. I don't snack between meals, unless you count cups of tea. As I am 5 years down the line on this journey I am no longer testing post meal unless I am curious. I rely on my fasting level, the level before my evening meal and at bedtime to gauge how I am doing. My target range for these times is 4 to low 5's.

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Same here although just the one meal. Plus black coffee and water. I am happy with sub 20 for the day but like lower.

Numan said:

Hi, T2 for a month, and trying to improve by reducing carbs and exercise. Over the last fortnight of testing I can see a pattern emerging that if I have any more than 50 g of carbs in a meal my bs at 2 hours is 3.5 to 4 higher than starting reading (5.5 to 6). If it’s around 25 g then the reading is within 0.5. Presumably this is my natural level at the moment, and that’s what I need to stay at. Is the idea to keep the bs level as smooth as I can, and how tight a range should I be trying to reach?

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You're obviously doing well, and understand the idea of using your meter to work out how many carbs you can handle. 3 to 4 higher at +2 hours is too much; 0.5 is great. So those 25 grams of carbs is about your level it seems, although the type of carbs can effect this - low Glycaemic index (low GI) carbs raise your blood sugar levels more slowly and give our tired pancreas time to deal with them.

As a refinement, try testing for the peak levels you reach. This isn't at +2 hours; that's the time at which we should be back to normal. Peak levels occur at about 45mins to 1 hour after eating according to the type of food. Ideally, it's good to restrict this to 7.8mmols, the max level any non-diabetic would ever get to. If you're not there yet, and you are recently on your diet I note, don't worry; levels will continue to improve with time if you keep eating the right things.

By controlling the peaks, as well as ensuring we're back to normal after 2 hours, gives us a great shot at really good HbA1c levels when the surgery tests us.

Numan said:

Is the idea to keep the bs level as smooth as I can

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Yes, that's generally the aim.

Unfortunately it's not always as simple as how many g of carbohydrate you eat. Other factors can influence things, such as time of day as @Bluetit1802 says, plus the type of carb and probably the weather and how many goals Chelsea managed to concede at the weekend

It's a bit of journey, but quite soon you'll get the hang of it and it'll become second nature.