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Readings Better After Sugar - V Confused?!

Sunshine_Kisses

Well-Known Member
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Hey all - OK, so yesterday I went to London to a fancy schmants restaurant - was v nervous as it's the first time I've really eaten out since diagnosis, plus I knew it would be an extravegant meal and didn't want to be the rude/difficult one by saying "I can't have x/y/z" etc... so I decided before the meal that I would just put my diabetes to one side, take things in moderation and just enjoy the meal.

I should say that prior to this meal I have had absolutely no refined sugar / normal sugar of any form whatsoever since my diagnosis, almost three months ago. The only sugar that has been in my diet at all is through a small amount of carbs (a slice of rye bread every other day or so) or through berries (again, only maybe a handful, every other day or so). Other than that, my diet has been completely sugar free.

So, back to the meal - for the main I had a pretty harmless piece of smoked haddock on spinach with a poached egg on top. It had a very, very creamy sauce which was delicious - but dairy can cause me to spike so I was mindful of that - but figured the fats and proteins from the egg and fish should keep that meal 'safe'.

But then.... everyone chose puddings... Again, in the spirit of just enjoying the day, I chose one too - praline ice cream (again, I was thinking the fat from the cream and nuts might help) - but then everyone was sharing their puddings, so I also had a good helping of my companions which was a sort of thick cream gateux with strawberrys. And then, to top it all off, we had coffee liquors; and I managed to pick one which was like a complete dessert all by itself! It was more like a coffee sundae with masses of cream and amerotto biscuit interlaced all the way through - very sweet.

It was delicious, and I totally enjoyed it, but about two hours later I braced myself of the train home to check my blood sugar readings - having literally not eaten any desserts/sugar for three months, and only getting my meter a month ago and realising porridge makes me spike to 15, I was honestly thinking it could be in the twenties... so nearly fell off my train seat when it was 7.2! I was so shocked, I thought 'my machine's gotten confused - it means 17.2 - so tested again on a different finger - this time 7.3. So then I thought "it's all the cream, my body's taking ages to digest it - it'll be high in a couple of hours more", so tested it again just before bed another couple of hours later: still 7.2. So *then* I thought - OK, lets see what your morning readings are - it might creep up on you overnight - but nope; this mornings readings are 6.5.

I fully appreciate that these readings might look a little high to some of you, but I really, really struggle to get my pm readings below 8, and morning readings are rarely below 7 - so what happened yesterday/this morning??? Have so diligently been cutting out carbs and sugars, and whilst I know **** well that I can't scoff my face with them, could a little bit be useful in some way??? I was talking to my mum about it this morning and she has a theory that by not eating any sugars at all, it could be sending my pancreas 'to sleep', and that by having some sugar yesterday it 'woke up' a bit - is this at all possible?? I promise I'm not looking for an excuse to eat puddings every day ;-) just genuinely trying to figure out this confusing connudrum we all have, and trying to unlock what will keep my blood sugars happy :)

Grateful for any insights! :thumbup:
 
Which restaurant was it again? I'll have what you had and would be perfectly happy with the result!
 
Ambersilver - lol!! I know, me too if I get readings like that each time!! It was Colbert on Sloane Square in London... If you can afford to eat there everyday can I become your new best friend please?! :D


Diagnosed Type 2, 22nd Feb 2013
Hba1c 7.5
Three month trial of managing through diet & exercise.
Low carb, pescatarian
Trying various supplements!
 
Sunshine_Kisses said:
If you can afford to eat there everyday can I become your new best friend please?! :D

Certainly! If they accept Tastecards or 2 for 1 vouchers.
 
I have had similar experience and my (daughter who's diabetes disappeared after having a baby confused the drs .)we think perhaps it kicks the pancreas into action also get away with chocolate sometimes but sends bg low weird other times a cup ot tea can send it up
 
I don't understand why when I tried Lucozade glucose tolerance test my blood sugar went barely up then down into the normal range when it wasnt there to start with yet a proper meal with chicken and rice etc it will go up to double figures (mmol) Drinking alcohol seems to put me in normal range for ages too, when juice screws everything up.


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LittleWolf said:
I don't understand why when I tried Lucozade glucose tolerance test my blood sugar went barely up then down into the normal range when it wasnt there to start with yet a proper meal with chicken and rice etc it will go up to double figures (mmol)

IIRC an OGTT uses 75g of glucose and involves fasting beforehand.
How much rice, specifically rice starch? (Remember starch is 111.1% glucose...)
Presumably the meal in question isn't breakfast.
 
I wonder if it is grains / starch that affect more than sugar??? I haven't had any more since tues, but might try another small, creamy dessert over the weekend to see again what it does... Cos I got my best evening and morning readings of the week after the last one?!
Maybe a little bit of something sweet does make the pancreas remember to do what it should be....?


Diagnosed Type 2, 22nd Feb 2013
Hba1c 7.5
Three month trial of managing through diet & exercise.
Low carb, pescatarian
Trying various supplements!
 
I had fasted 19 hours beforehand (don't have the most regular meals)

Lucozade is used for OGTT if a glucose solution or Maltodextrin isn't available as far as I know. There are enough practises doing it and publishing guidelines... Of course I had to measure it... I only did this because my post meal readings are beginning to scare me and thought a more controlled experiment would be better than trying to guess what was going on with my food.

Rice? Fist sized portion, Chicken Kiev about two thirds that size because I cut a piece off for my little brother.

After just under half a 9 inch pizza my two hour reading was 12.6.

But no idea what was going on with the lucozade. After the cider I /felt/ low but probably because I'm not used to being low 5s.


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OK, now I'm *really* confused - second time I've tried a pudding, and second time I've ended up with better readings than usual for two hours after my evening meal... this time had a chocolate ganache / mouse type thing and two hrs later my reading is 7.9... Yet most evenings I just have fish and veggies (green veg - no potatoes or starchy veg and certainly no potatoes etc) and quite often my evening readings can be 8s or 9s... I don't get it?! Can anyone make any sense of what's going on...?
 
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