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pre/post meal readings and spikes

Well done for catching your peak, and well done on excellent readings!.
As a general rule, the more fat with the meal the longer it takes to reach a peak, and the higher the GI of the carbs the quicker it takes. Once I get a downward reading I stop testing. I can't test at all right now. I ran out of strips and the ones I ordered haven't arrived. They were due to arrive yesterday. They had better come tomorrow, or else! I'm getting withdrawal symptoms!
 

thank you for your previous advice - I wouldn't have known to test more frequently. hope your strips arrive soon. I must order some more soon - 50 don't last long do they?!
 
For my lunch today I had fried tomatoes, egg, tinned mushrooms and a slice of burgen toast with butter. Before lunch my bg was 5.1, after 1 hour it was 5.6 and 2 1/2 hours it was 5.1. I missed the 2 hour test as I was out with the dog but 1 slice of burgen seems OK. I might try 2 next time
 
Well done aqualung, that's brilliant. The walk will have helped too. Noooooooooooooooooooooo don't try two! I can cope with one slice of granary bread at any one meal, but not two. I cut my slice up into soldiers, stab a soldier with my fork then a piece of food and that makes it feel like more!
 
you now test like me. I still test before at 1 hour, 2 hour an after if need be and after exercise. I buy 500 strips at a time and they last me about 1.5 months. Very good numbers by the way - do you know how many grams of carbs you are eating a day?
 


I won't be trying 2 slices for a while as I have 2 test strips left. I have ordered some more but not in time. I am cross with myself that I have wasted so many strips. I struggle to get any blood and I think I have enough but oh no I get an error 2 slices would be good as I could then make a sandwich!
 

I don't know how many carbs I am eating but it is low as opposed to very low. I once put my food into myfitnesspal but I couldn't work out how to change the quantities so just guessed. I think it came out at 120g but either that seems quite high for what I eat or the carbs add up quicker that I think - probably the latter.
 


I ran out of strips on Thursday. I have some on order that were supposed to be arriving on Thursday. Still not here, so maybe Monday. Meanwhile does this mean I can eat what I want this weekend and not be bullied by readings? I make little sandwiches with my soldiers!
 

I think you know the answer to that I had about 2 months without testing as I ran out of strips and whilst I think I was good and didn't eat the main carbs I don't know if what I did eat was OK or not. I will find out on Wednesday when I go for my next HbA1c
 

little sandwiches are a good idea!
 
This is all a bit excessive to me..
Your levels have all been under 7.0 and all under a 3.0 rise, so I peesonally would try relaxing a bit....


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I know, but measuring 1hr, 2hr and 2.5 hr is getting (to my thoughts) excessive....

I totally understand wanting to know about reactions to foods etc, but staying under 7.0 is good after any meal...


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I was only testing before a meal and two hours after and read that people were testing more often than that so asked if that is what I should be doing. Would you just test at two hours and not look for a peak?


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If you are still learning what foods and meals you can cope with I believe it is necessary to test before and then at 1hr, 2hrs, and then again until you start to drop in order to determine your peak for that meal. It won't be long before you can stop testing for that particular meal. I don't test every meal. It is important for Type 2's until they get the hang of things.
 
But don't carry it on forever!! Find out your peak tomes for your goods and then test at those times, but becoming intense on testing 3 times after meals is on a long term basis wasting strips that other type 2's can't even get..

It wasnt having a go, just concern that testing on a long term basis at 1hr, 2hr and more etc will make your diabetes seem like a chore...


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Oh I agree entirely. I have discovered my peaks vary between 1 hour, 2 hours and 2.5 hours, more or less equally between the 3. I have no intention of testing like this long term, and as I tend to repeat meals frequently there will be no need to test so often once I covered them all and sorted out what portions of carbs I can cope with. My strips are expensive, even off the internet (Accu-chek Mobile).
 
Like Aqualung I am prediabetic...have been the last 3 years... and I am still confused about testing no idea what level is considered a spike and do not know why we need to know when the the BS level peaks surely once we have eaten the meal then is nothing we can do about the level our BS reaches at it's peak. As a prediabetic I do not test at every meal just perhaps once or twice a day. I have cut my carbs stopping the obvious starchy ones like rice pasta and root vegetables and all sugar stuff but not going very low as any lower than I do now and I loose weight which I cannot afford to do. Mostly my levels are on average in the 5 to 6 ranges before and after meals How high would my levels have to be to be considered a spike The highest level I recorded was 8.5 2 hours after I had eaten a small bar of dark chocolate
 
Although I have known about the prediabetes for 6 months I only started testing again a week ago - I wouldn't call that long term! The reason I have been testing more than usual is that I am trying certain foods to see if they spike my bg or not, for example the bread yesterday. I certainly don't intend to carry this on long term but these are early days. I don't get my strips on prescription so I am not just testing anything and everything.
 
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