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Meter has arrived... Understanding readings and what next.

ViolaterUK

Member
Messages
17
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Good evening everyone.

Today my new cook book arrived and appears packed with information and follows the low-carb diet which I've been advised on my welcome post. I've had a quick read through today and it looks really promising. There are a few other books I'll be looking to order too.

My meter finally arrived today (Tee2+) - I tested my bloods when it arrived today. It had been 15-hrs since I last ate and it arrived a few hours of when I woke up today. I hadn't had breakfast or anything as yet.

My first reading at 12.30pm 10.8! Which I thought was a little high considering I've not eaten for 15-hrs or so. I tested again a couple hours later and it was 7.7 at 2.50pm. At this point I made myself a drink. A cup of coffee with 2-sweetners (I haven't used sugar in my brew for about 4-yrs) and a litre of no sugar apple & blackcurrent cordial (weakish as I don't like it too strong) as I was thirsty and I was hungry also at this point but I thought I'd may as well wait till my tea.

One thing led to another, I had my tea later than planned but before my tea I tested again and I was 5.7 at 8.20pm So it's now approx 22-hrs since I last ate anything and my bloods were "normal"

I should add, I haven't started the low-carb as yet. That starts tomorrow (already planned some meals) . Dinner was simple, due to the time I was able to begin making it so I had a fish finger butty. I had a little ice cream afterwards (I don't normally touch ice-cream).

10.25pm and I tested my result was 13.2.

So the bread and ice-cream well over double my results! - bit of an eye-opener to be honest!

I have a few questions, if anyone can help answer or point me to the resource?

1) - Should my resting bloods be 5-7 and ideally after a meal only increase by approx 2?
2) - Low-Carb diet - is there a rough guide to how many carbs you can take? (are height/weight a factor?) - or is it a case of trial and error through testing?

I'm going to try my bloods again before I go bed to see if they've levelled out or still increasing and I will update here.

I need to get my head around this.

*Edit - reading before bed 00:30, 11.9 so appear to be dropping.

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any help and advice.
 
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Fasting bloods are typically the last to come into line. Look up dawn phenomenon for info to explain why. But yes long term those are good goals. The before and after meals levels should respond much quicker to a change in diet.

Low carb is anything under about 130 a day. If I ate that many I’d have sky high levels. For others it’s ok. I need to be under 50 and ideally lower than that. Many aim for 20g. There’s no magic ratio. No proven formula. That’s why a meter is needed. It will show you what’s too much for you. Pick a point you think you can achieve and see how you respond. If readings aren’t low enough go lower. If they are great then you’ve guessed well. Of course you can eat lower than you need to by this method to further relieve stress on your system if you choose to. After a while doing so it’s common to get negligible rises at the 2 hrs point.
 
I tested like crazy the first month or so. I tried to be consistent with timing of pretty much everything, kind of a snapshot of my daily routine. Now I only measure when I do something different, I.e. add a new meal.

I was a bit traumatized by the diagnosis, I cut out all carbs, except for trace amounts in green leafy veggies, my beloved spoon full of peanut butter lol. I was probably in the 20 range, I’ve relaxed a bit, now I’m probably in the 30 range : )
 
Hi @ViolaterUK

Agree with @LaoDan to get the best from your meter you need to be consistent with when you take your readings so you can track progress.

Personally I wouldn’t worry about a morning ‘fasting’ blood glucose test. That’s usually the last one to come down and can be very variable due to dawn phenomenon, sleep patterns etc. When starting out it’s far more important to understand the impact of foods on your blood sugars, so testing immediately before eating and then two hours after the first bite will be helpful. As you say, the ideal is not to rise by more than 2 mmols at that point and adjust the meal if you do.

As you’re just starting out you’ll likely get some inconsistencies - I remember getting very frustrated that my levels would seem to be dropping and then would go up again before evening back out. And try not to compare yourself to others - easy to say, not so easy to stick to!

I did go pretty cold turkey on the major carbs as I find moderation difficult, but how you approach this is up to you.

Good luck and keep us posted!
 
Thanks everyone.

Still testing and I'm getting there I think.

My bloods this morning were 11.1, I had porridge oats for breakfasts (sachet with semi skimmed milk) couple of coffees (instant) during the day. My reading before my tea was 6.3 (I didn't have any lunch) . I had chicken casserole for tea which had a few potatoes in it but my reading this evening was 9.4.

I'm slowing reducing my carbs and even found a keto bread recipe I'm going to try.

Once I've used my sachets of porridge, we will be having different breakfasts daily avoiding breads/milk/cereals.

The more I read the better I am understanding. It wont change over night, I don't think I could cut out all carbs but I can reduce them significantly.
 
ViolaterUK said:
I don't think I could cut out all carbs but I can reduce them significantly.
Click to expand...
Well progress good. Almost no one cuts all carbs out (carnivores maybe) but many are surprised how many they can cut once they get used to it and when they see the results it achieves.
 
Almost a year ago since this thread.

I started so well, followed low carb diet of approx 20g a day (wasn't too fussed if I was under/slightly over) as I wasn't going crazy. I lost almost 3 stone in about 8 weeks (I'm a big chap so my initial losses are usually high) and I was doing great.

Then I started struggling with lockdown/work and life in general. So we went away for a week around October. This is where I really went wrong.

I thought, okay, I'm away for a week. I wont go crazy but I wont test throughout the day and I'll enjoy my holiday. Which I did.

Then when I came back I intended to jump back on the horse, but wait, it's a family members big birthday coming up, there may be a meal/gathering, I'll start then.......... Then Christmas is almost here, it was difficult to start the low carb life so with Christmas happening it's going to be too much. New year new start I reckon.

Then lockdown started affecting me. Couldn't always be bothered cooking the healthy option. Stopped testing. Eating pretty much what I wanted. Felt **** all the time, wanted to change but just coulnd't find the drive in myself. I wanted to do better, just couldn't kick start it.

I've avoided this forum and other support places as found it upsetting to see people progressing and me being stuck in a rut and drowing in a bit of self pity and "I'll do it tomorrow" syndrome.

Enough is enough, I'm a grown bloody man, with a loving and caring wife and a child (disabilities - a lot diagnosed over this past year) who really needs his Dad to be around a long time.

Sunday just gone, I picked up my son from my Mums, she made us a bacon and egg butty. I do not know why, maybe it was the struggle to get up of her low sofa (I have a trapped nerve in my leg too), but decided enough was enough.

Told my wife, I'm struggling with this. I don't want to lose my sight. I don't want to die young (extreme but lets face it neglecting can lead to a host of issues). I'm starting right now, I'm doing a 24-hour fast (was more like 36) but I'm doing it.

Did the fast, I did sneak a biscuit around 12am, I was disgusted by my lack of will power, then immediately proud that I threw them all in the bin, out of the packet so there was no temptation to get them out again!

On Sunday afternoon, my blood sugar was 16.5. I've just tested now and it's at 9! With all the **** I've eaten recently, I can only imagine it will take a few days/week to get to normal ranges, but I'm happy with that. I don't think it's been below 12 in a long long time.

I'm determined now. I need to lose the weight in general, so this is all part of my plan. I did it before (albeit briefly) and I seen great results. My dinners were a bit boring and samey (due to work etc) but I was fine with that. I was having to eat nuts to keep my protein up and I was usually having one main meal a day and occasional lunch and I drive diluted juice a lot. (no added sugar)

It's taken a lot for me to post this above, I'm kind of throwing myself in at the deep end and I truly intend to stick to it and will post weekly in the group - it will be me being honest, I hope that being accountable and recieving help, support feedback will give me what I need to keep pushing.

I'm sorry for the long post, I just needed to get this out.

For all those who are doing amazing, I truly admire you and I hope to follow in your footsteps! For all those struggling, or like me fell off somewhere and don't know where to start, please feel free to join me, we can do this together, we can support each other, where one falls down the other can pick them up.

Current Data:
Weight - 197kg (never told anyone my true weight )
Blood Sugar - Current 9.

Thank you for reading and thank you for being such an amazing community.
 

Hi,

Inhale recently been where you are, I had great control for almost 18 months and last summer slipped. When I realised what was happening my readings were in the 20’s and like you I don’t want it to get to the point where you lose a limb or worse.

Trying to go cold turkey is really hard but we tend to find using online shopping to plan meals ahead works well, one benefit of lockdown.
Porridge and cereals for me are lethal so I don’t bother, I try and get an egg instead and now sometimes boil them the night before.

I still have some carbs but try to make sure I keep an eye on them and if I know I have had something with a particularly high carb content I take the dogs for a walk and that helps.

Unfortunately there is no cure so the changes you make need to be sustainable and that is the hardest part.

Good look but you will get it under control and always here if you need support
 
Well done getting back on it all, and posting again.
 
Thanks all.

It's been an excellent few days. My sugars have been dropping, a little elevated in the morning (not high) but I know that that is usually the last to get sorted. But today before my team my sugars were 5.5, it's been so long since they been this low!!!

It's made me feel elated and more confident. I've also lost a few pounds already this week, trying not to worry about weighing myself, I know if I cut carbs a lot and no sugars etc, the weight will drop off anyway.

thank again
 
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