meter

One of my big problems was snacking, I used to want something about 2 and a half to 3 hours after a meal. After I got the meter one of the big things it showed was that I wasn't letting my levels fall before eating again which just kept pushing it up further. It has been hard to stop and if my meter shows me that it is low enough (in the 5s or 6s) then I let myself have a small snack, if it still 7+ then I have to do without.

I know your levels are much higher than that but they are coming down, once you know more about what is happening and how you react your meter will tell you when you can have a small treat.

I don't think I am ever hungry. Maybe occasionally, but hardly ever. However, I do seriously get the munchy cravings in the evening. I think it's to do with that being when I stop, sit down and watch TV. I eat at about 7:30 p.m., but then just want to eat and eat all evening, no matter how full I feel. I'm OK if I'm doing something, like some sewing, but when the light dims I can't see so well (even with the lights on) so have to stop that.

Anyway, since I don't seem to be stopping this bad habit, I try to save enough calories to allow me to nibble through the evening. I have a couple of nuts, a thin slice of cheese - things like that. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, or whether it would be better to break the habit though.

Ruth B said:

One of my big problems was snacking, I used to want something about 2 and a half to 3 hours after a meal. After I got the meter one of the big things it showed was that I wasn't letting my levels fall before eating again which just kept pushing it up further. It has been hard to stop and if my meter shows me that it is low enough (in the 5s or 6s) then I let myself have a small snack, if it still 7+ then I have to do without.

I know your levels are much higher than that but they are coming down, once you know more about what is happening and how you react your meter will tell you when you can have a small treat.

Click to expand...

Now that's a good idea. The trouble is I only get enough strips to test once a day really, and that's only 'cos the DN was being nice - I should only test twice a week.

I bought my own meter and I am now buying strips by the hundred. I think all the money I save from reduced snacking is going on buying the test strips.

it is the before meal levels that need to be worked on because obviously the higher you start the higher you finish, and spacing out meals evenly is just as important so your levels have chance to come down properly before you eat again. I struggled with my before lunch levels for ages, but solved the problem by getting up an hour earlier in the mornings and having breakfast soon after, leaving a longer gap between brekkie and lunch. It was a shock at first to get up an hour earlier (8 instead of 9) but it has worked and is now part of my daily routine. My pre-lunch levels dropped immediately.

I'm never hungry and have never snacked, even before diabetes. This may be because I am surgically attached to a glass of water all day.

ally1 said:

thank you all. my eating is all over the place
i must try harder, i do get bored in the evenings and think about food

Click to expand...

What was on the menu, including snacks, over the past 24 hours? What were your one-hour post-meal test results?

If you have cut your carbs, you shouldn't be starving hungry
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/Food-Cravings.htm