testing, again and again

[numan43]

I wonder if anyone can answer this question for me.

Once I have tested BG on one item of food is that it set in stone ? or does the body change and i have to keep testing that same food

 

[Squire Fulwood]

More like set in putty. You shouldn't have to keep testing the same food since it may always have a similar effect. Things that could change that are how much of it you eat since you are not likely to have the same amount each time and what you have with it. Having fat in a meal will lower the GI of the whole meal for example.

Despite all of that you should aim to get a fair idea of the effect of your favourite meals, to write it down and not test too much unless you think something is going wrong.

 

[Mike d]

Yes you do ..... to varying degrees admittedly .....your BGs will fluctuate no matter what you consume. If you eat to your meter and find foods that are good for you, then don't ever think they will ever stay constant. They (annoyling) don't

They can be influenced by liver dumps overnite, other meds, colds, stress and other issues.

In general though, if you get good readings after you've settled into a diet that agrees with you, then (speaking personally) I would stick with it but you have to expect poor numbers from time to time. Fact of life

Mike

 

[numan43]

thanks guys....beginning to think here is it worth testing when there are so many variables...really gets me down sometimes

 

[Gezzabelle]

I thought once I had tested a meal or a food item I could ''trust it'' to be constant but have found out differently. Therefore, I test religiously before and 2 hours after every meal plus Fasting BG and bedtime bg....that way I have peace of mind. I did try to not test quite so much due to sore fingers but couldn't settle to it. A plus for testing every time before and after a meal sometimes shows that my body becomes more tolerant of a food that previously had a bad effect so that can only be a good thing

 

[numan43]

I thought once I had tested a meal or a food item I could ''trust it'' to be constant but have found out differently. Therefore, I test religiously before and 2 hours after every meal plus Fasting BG and bedtime bg....that way I have peace of mind. I did try to not test quite so much due to sore fingers but couldn't settle to it. A plus for testing every time before and after a meal sometimes shows that my body becomes more tolerant of a food that previously had a bad effect so that can only be a good thing

But Gezzabelle if your results on testing a certain food are not constant then what is the point of testing at all as it tells you nothing

 

[Gezzabelle]

But Gezzabelle if your results on testing a certain food are not constant then what is the point of testing at all as it tells you nothing

I get what you're saying but it tells me to not get complacent and sneak a little bit more on the plate thinking it's okay to...It's never written in stone that a food will remain constant or not drop on future use....also reminds me of the unstable nature of diabetes and that I can never take anything for granted. I test a new food to see it's reaction and if it is too high a spike I don't have it again as it is very obvious my body won't tolerate it. My numbers give me a good baseline to work from and often dictate what I will eat at a next meal depending on how high my previous one was. It gets frustrating at times when numbers throw up silly amounts on previously eaten ''okay food''... but that is the unstable nature of the beast and I prefer to know about any changes rather than just accept a meal was ''okay last time so will be this time''

 

[Gezzabelle]

Personally, I find that it's good to look at the overall picture. I look at the general trend and also patterns of responses.

I kept a diary of:

Pre meal reading
What I ate, how much (portion size) and in what proportions of protein, Carbohydrate and fat
Post meal reading
How I was feeling - calm, anxious, tired, stressed, upset, happy, excited, etc
If I was well, under the weather or ill.
Medication taken.

This enabled me to build up the big picture and be able to see what goes on and have historical information to reference to spot trends and inform corrective action or show I'm doing the right things and motivate myself to continue!

I do the same...complete records of all food eaten, exercise, mood, stress etc....it all helps to build a complete picture

 

[catherinecherub]

I wonder if anyone can answer this question for me.

Once I have tested BG on one item of food is that it set in stone ? or does the body change and i have to keep testing that same food

You could eat the same menu every day for a month and the readings would not be identical.
You have to accept that there are factors that upset BG numbers but if you get a consistently good reading with a food then you know that it is suitable.
Egg on toast after a sleepless night will give a different reading than egg on toast after a good sleep. A two mile walk before or after lunch will give a different reading than being sedentary. The same meal whilst nursing a cold will be different as will the same meal after a load of personal stress.

You have to lighten up, do your best and accept that we are human and many things affect us.
If your testing regime becomes an obsession then the stress you are creating will also affect your readings.

 

[AndBreathe]

But Gezzabelle if your results on testing a certain food are not constant then what is the point of testing at all as it tells you nothing

Numan - Most of us, if we tested every morsel we ate or drank, would find we have a range for each thing we consume, impacted by exercise, wellbeing, stress, weather and so on.

What testing definitely does do is help identify the big no-nos, which give us rises that aren't acceptable. It also helps reassure us of a core range of foods we can almost eat in limitless quantities. On that beasis the core of your day-to-day diet/foods can be established.

Once we have a range of fairly "safe " meals we can relax into our eating and testing routines, and begin to know what to expect in given circumstances. That can then inform how to deal with the high days and holidays, meaning if we knw we're going to be facing some challenging food choices (maybe eating out, birthdays, Christmas etc.), we can learn that we can have a treat provided we have x, y or z for breakfast and have a decent walk during the day.

It's a bit like building up a jigsaw style image of your blood patterns. With recording and testing you will begin to understand what's going on, and that all helps with acceptance and getting settled into things.

From time to time, something will happen to throw a spanner in the works; whether it be an infection, and meal out which clearly had hidden sugars/carbs or stress, but once we have a sketch handle on things it is so much easier to identify what's going on and why.

Stick with it. It's worth it!

 

[numan43]

You have to accept that there are factors that upset BG numbers but if you get a consistently good reading with a food then you know that it is suitable

i think that was really my question catherine , how many times should we test a certain food and what BG rise is acceptable for us to decide to go with that food

 

[numan43]

thank you AndBreathe...pity i'm blooming hopeless at jigsaw puzzes

 

[AndBreathe]

i think that was really my question catherine , how many times should we test a certain food and what BG rise is acceptable for us to decide to go with that food

I think it's accepting that eating x, y or z is likely to give a consistent result, but not always the same score; hence my suggestion of a range. There's little with Diabetes that's exact!

 

[June_C]

I think it's accepting that eating x, y or z is likely to give a consistent result, but not always the same score; hence my suggestion of a range. There's little with Diabetes that's exact!

A forum member once said that Diabetes is not a science, more like a black art. I totally agree

 

[tim2000s]

A forum member once said that Diabetes is not a science, more like a black art. I totally agree

I like to think of it as an ongoing experiment that often generates interesting results and allows you to create and determine a whole universe of hypotheses.

 

[Daphne917]

I think I must be lazy because I only tend to test the same meal for the first three or four times that I have it then, if i get similar results, I only test it periodically.

 

[Gezzabelle]

I think I must be lazy because I only tend to test the same meal for the first three or four times that I have it then, if i get similar results, I only test it periodically.

Nah...not lazy....comfortable maybe I test so much cos it's all new to me and I need what I call the reassurance knowing I am getting things right. It's a big shock to have to change so many things to eat and takes a little bit of getting used to...maybe in time I will get confident enough to ease off a little

 

[Lamont D]

Nah...not lazy....comfortable maybe I test so much cos it's all new to me and I need what I call the reassurance knowing I am getting things right. It's a big shock to have to change so many things to eat and takes a little bit of getting used to...maybe in time I will get confident enough to ease off a little

I have become so use to testing, that, it would be unusual for me not to know what is happening. It's part of how I can cope! Not knowing would be awful.

I've been testing for over 2 years now! Since being in ketosis I have become more predictable in my results.
I do get a day off now because I have a fasting day every week.
My blood glucose levels never vary on those days, always between 4-5mmols.unless I'm ill!

 

[Daphne917]

I still test first thing in the morning and in the afternoon just to see what my BS is up to. I also test when I have something I haven't eaten before or eaten something that in the past has made my BS go higher than I liked just to see if there had been any change.