Newly diagnosed T2

[Gargoyletaz]

Hi,

I've been pre-diabetic all my adult life but tipped over the edge with a HBA1C of 57mmol in Dec 23.

Although I have a good knowledge of how carbs affect our blood sugars, I have learnt an enormous amount just reading different topics on here.

I am trying to reduce my levels by diet & and exercise alone, so I'm building a food diary with what my body can tolerate.

My question is, how does the exact same meal have a different result 2 hours after eating?

Yesterday at 19:22 I had:
20g bran flakes mixed with 15g of oats, plant based plain yoghurt and a tsp of skinny syrup. Total carbs 24.9g

2 hours later, my levels were 0.2 mmol higher.

Today, I had exactly the same as above but at 16:28. My levels 2 hours later have increased by 2.1 mmol.

Am I assuming it depends on my starting level?

Thank you in advance

 

[MrsA2]

Hi,

I've been pre-diabetic all my adult life but tipped over the edge with a HBA1C of 57mmol in Dec 23.

Although I have a good knowledge of how carbs affect our blood sugars, I have learnt an enormous amount just reading different topics on here.

I am trying to reduce my levels by diet & and exercise alone, so I'm building a food diary with what my body can tolerate.

My question is, how does the exact same meal have a different result 2 hours after eating?

Yesterday at 19:22 I had:
20g bran flakes mixed with 15g of oats, plant based plain yoghurt and a tsp of skinny syrup. Total carbs 24.9g

2 hours later, my levels were 0.2 mmol higher.

Today, I had exactly the same as above but at 16:28. My levels 2 hours later have increased by 2.1 mmol.

Am I assuming it depends on my starting level?

Thank you in advance

Although food is the major player in affecting bg
So too are:
medications
Illness
Exercise , duration and intensity
Sleep, duration and quality
Stress
Adrenaline
Lenght/intensity of fast before eating
Among some 40 odd things identified so far any of which in combination give thousands of permutations.
Some people also reckon they can eat more carbs at certain times of day.

Also you don't mention what your starting bg was which might show if there was already a build up before you started eating.
In my book bran flakes and oats are totally off the scale, as is skinny syrup becuase it affects my gut , and so too is eating anything after 18:00.

Just keep testing and over time you might be lucky to see patterns

 

[catinahat]

What @MrsA2 said
Plus the accuracy of the meters, the meters just give an idea of our levels to +/-15%.
If you get a result of say 5mmol, your actual level could be anywhere between 4.25 & 5.75
It's the main reason we allow ourselves a 2mmol rise after food, our testing methods are just not accurate enough to concern ourselves with small margins.

 

[Gargoyletaz]

@MrsA2

Thank you for your reply.

I knew this T2 wouldn't be easy!

So my eating routine is (normally) I skip breakfast as I'm never hungry then lunch between 11:30am and 12pm.
Then dinner between 4pm and 5pm. No food after 6pm.

My pre lunch (fasting) levels are always between 7 and 8 mmol, so I feel like I'm setting off on the back foot every day.

My bg level at 19:22 was 7.2 mmol and rose to 7.9 mmol 2 hours later.
My bg level at 16:28 today was 7.8 mmol and rose to 9.9 mmol.

I'm using a Tee2+ monitor as recommended here.

Whenever my levels crept up to the top end of pre-diabetic, I managed to reduce it by just cutting back on the carbs, but this time, I'm almost going Keto to stay within range.
I'm only having oats & bran as the statins I've been put on have made me constipated

I'll have a play about with the amount of bran/oats & see if I can find a happy medium. If not, I'll speak to the GP about swapping the statins

 

[ianf0ster]

Personally, I prefer olive oil for bad constipation, I don't like the effect Oats have on my BG and Many brands of bran have added sugar.
For me, a daily level tablespoon of Chia seed (soaked) tends to keep my bowel movements normal (not to firm nor too loose).
As other have mentioned, there are many things including those darned Statin can raise our BG, but time of day is another variable.

We Type2's can be very different, some of us are more carb sensitive at certain times of day.
I'm more carb sensitive in the mornings, but other Type 2's are more carb sensitive in the evenings.
Thus the exact same meal from the exact same starting level can give a different result 2hrs post prandial earlier or later in the day.

 

[MrsA2]

I too recommend seeds for constipation. 1 tablespoon of milled seeds mixed with full fat %10 natural greek yoghurt with 6-8 blackberries or raspberries does it for me.
Also your bran/oats meal is particularly low in everything other than carbs. It's missing both macro nutrients and micronutrients.
You will be and feel full for longer if each meal has protein and green veg and a moderate amount of natural fats . So try a boiled egg or 2 with some lettuce and mayo or cheese. Simple quick and much more nutritious.

Being low carb doesn't mean starvation

 

[Gargoyletaz]

Personally, I prefer olive oil for bad constipation, I don't like the effect Oats have on my BG and Many brands of bran have added sugar.
For me, a daily level tablespoon of Chia seed (soaked) tends to keep my bowel movements normal (not to firm nor too loose).
As other have mentioned, there are many things including those darned Statin can raise our BG, but time of day is another variable.

We Type2's can be very different, some of us are more carb sensitive at certain times of day.
I'm more carb sensitive in the mornings, but other Type 2's are more carb sensitive in the evenings.
Thus the exact same meal from the exact same starting level can give a different result 2hrs post prandial earlier or later in the day.

Do you have your Chia seeds on their own?

I'm not keen having to replace a meal solely for the fibre input, so I'm welcoming any alternatives.

I'm on such a learning curve at the minute!

 

[Gargoyletaz]

I too recommend seeds for constipation. 1 tablespoon of milled seeds mixed with full fat %10 natural greek yoghurt with 6-8 blackberries or raspberries does it for me.
Also your bran/oats meal is particularly low in everything other than carbs. It's missing both macro nutrients and micronutrients.
You will be and feel full for longer if each meal has protein and green veg and a moderate amount of natural fats . So try a boiled egg or 2 with some lettuce and mayo or cheese. Simple quick and much more nutritious.

Being low carb doesn't mean starvation

@MrsA2

I will certainly try your seeds, yoghurt & berry mix instead.

I'm dairy intolerant so I am having eggs, meat and fish with veg or salad for my meals and nuts or pork scratching to snack on.

I think your suggestion having boiled eggs as a snack is a good idea.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Some meds I occasionally take can plug me up for two to three weeks. (Kidneystones aren't bad enough, the oxycodone I take for them throws a wrench in too!). For me, oats are 100% out, due to the spikes those'll give me, and I don't usually respond well to seeds... But a friend from here turned me on to Purition, which is so finely milled I tolerate it just fine. Milk being an issue, I use the vegan stuff with coffee/walnut flavor, and toss that in my coconut yoghurt. Sometimes also add in coconut shavings, nuts, cocoa powder or berries. The fibres make for a happy little home for the bacteria in the yog, making my gut a whole lot more content. If I have to take more than one or two doses of Oxy, I end up adding in some Kombucha as well. Nexba does sugar free ones that'll keep the gut microbiome going. If you're going for eggs, those can potentially cause constipation as well, so maybe add in a little something like mayo, to make the passing-through a little smoother. Just an idea.

Please do correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like you fast for a long time in the morning, and your blood sugars rise as you do...? This could be Dawn Phenomenon. When do you test? If you check your bloods when you're still in bed and haven't gotten up yet, are they up in the sevens already? Because it is very likely your liver dumps glucose to help you start the day, and it doesn't stop doing that until you finally have your first meal of the day. If you have something like a cube of cheese in the morning soon after waking, then yes, you do break your fast, but it is possible your liver takes it as a message it can stop dumping glucose, without you having to sit down for a full meal. Might be worth experimenting with for three days or something, see whether it has a measurable effect.

In any case, your original queston was answered already: lots of things can affect blood glucose, it's not just what we eat, it's everything else as well... After a while you know what meals do, some more than others, so it's worth it to test the same meal a couple of times so you know what its "range" is. I mean, I don't have capucchino's at home anymore, only when I'm out and about and will automatically walk any spike off. You find ways, once you know what does what.

Good luck,
Jo

 

[Outlier]

Ref. the constipation: as well as earlier suggestions you could try vitamin C powder in a glass of water. Start with the tip of a teaspoon only as results can be spectacular if you have too much! But will not do any nutritional harm - quite the reverse. Tastes gently lemony.