Whats the best way to reduce BG levels

[Speedbird]

The coleslaw might have been a low fat version, there could have been a starch 'stabiliser' in the ham - the celeriac could have been mashed with milk, I always need to limit green beans, and if it was milk in your coffee rather than cream there would be more sugar there.
If you do not prepare the meal you can never be sure that you are eating low carb foods. Even then you need to check the packet ingredients and nutritional information.

You are probably right Resurgam. It's trying to choose what is best low carb to eat from the menu. Better tonight though. 7.5. Still on hols so reliant on restaurant menu. Work in progress.

 

[heli2010]

This may be where the problem lies. It is possible to have post meal glucose reading in the 5-6...when the meal has little to no carbs...

what should the pre meal reading be I know it says range 4 to 7 in the guidlines so should I use 4 as an absolute minimum or on lchf can it go lower I ask as I have dropped my carbs to under 80g since my first post and the readings have dropped to circa 5.3 4 hrs after meal which actually made me nervous going to bed

 

[Bluetit1802]

There is no need to feel nervous going to bed, even with a 4. You are not on any meds so your liver will look after you. If it thinks you are dropping too low it will dump extra glucose in your system to bring you back up to where your body wants you to be. That is one of its jobs, and a job it does all too well. You are no more likely to have a hypo than you were before you were diagnosed. Only certain diabetic medications can be a hypo risk.

A 4 pre-meal is great. The lower you start, the lower your rise will be. Never worry about seeing 4s.

 

[heli2010]

the problem is for a few years now from time to time I would be working and all of a sudden my energy would drop like instantly I then would get tingling in my fingers feel dizzy and have muzzy head, I eat a mars bar then 20 mins later all is well I mentioned it to my GP and he said a few patients with diabetes had a similar thing happen but he didnt enlighten me any further but on reading about diabetes it sounds very similar to a hypo or am I missing something

 

[SWUSA_]

Well I thought I had a low carb meal when we went out last night. Parma ham with coleslaw, sea bream with creamy celeriac and green beans. Full fat milky coffee to finish off with. Two hours after 8.7! I suppose I could stop eating altogether, that would certainly bring it down. But fed up today. So not going to check this morning.

Ham can have a lot of sugar. Don't give up-we all have occasional miscalculations-with type 2 it's more the average of how well you are doing than how we do at each meal. Try again when you feel rested.

 

[SWUSA_]

A super huge thankyou for all the help peeps I found a link on this forum for some rather tasty looking lchf meals so going to try some of them the one I cooked last night only raised by 1.7 and I even had a go at baking fat bombs
the mince pie was a one off point of weakness/experiment
the apple cider vinegar didnt work too well but thats probably because I have always suffered with heartburn so could be too acidic

I can't do the apple cider trick either due to acid reflux. The 16/8 fast brought my blood glucose down about 50 mg/dl (about 3.2 mmol) and helped to control the heartburn as well. I do have 4 ounces of 2% milk if I am having acid stomach while fasting to settle it. I would also try reducing the carbs-which it sounds like you already are. I would go to 80 to 100 carbs a day next with no more than 40 at one time. It sounds like you are already sorting it out though.

 

[Resurgam]

the problem is for a few years now from time to time I would be working and all of a sudden my energy would drop like instantly I then would get tingling in my fingers feel dizzy and have muzzy head, I eat a mars bar then 20 mins later all is well I mentioned it to my GP and he said a few patients with diabetes had a similar thing happen but he didnt enlighten me any further but on reading about diabetes it sounds very similar to a hypo or am I missing something

That used to happen to me when I was in my twenties - I'm 65 now, and if I couldn't find something to eat I would get into serious trouble, but I learned to always carry an apple with me as a chocolate bar would be too cloying for my taste.

 

[jonniey]

Exercise, exercise, exercise..ride a bike run its better for you than lifting weights...cut carbs out totally. Aerobic exercise.....i would exercise the whole day if I was type2 and I wouldnt take meds

 

[heli2010]

Exercise, exercise, exercise..ride a bike run its better for you than lifting weights...cut carbs out totally. Aerobic exercise.....i would exercise the whole day if I was type2 and I wouldnt take meds

surely that would just lead to body meltdown, no point in chucking more coal on the fire just to see how warm you can make the room

 

[Bluetit1802]

Exercise, exercise, exercise..ride a bike run its better for you than lifting weights...cut carbs out totally. Aerobic exercise.....i would exercise the whole day if I was type2 and I wouldnt take meds

Not everyone can exercise to that degree, and not everyone needs to. I have controlled my Type 2 to non-diabetic levels without meds by eating low carb and doing no more exercise than 2 x 20 minute dog walks a day. I tried the running up and down stairs malarky and all it did was raise my levels and wear me out!

 

[ickihun]

Exercise, exercise, exercise..ride a bike run its better for you than lifting weights...cut carbs out totally. Aerobic exercise.....i would exercise the whole day if I was type2 and I wouldnt take meds

I tried that and now I cannot walk without huge pain. I too thought like you. Now I'm on more meds and awaiting another heart scan.

 

[Mbaker]

Exercise, exercise, exercise..ride a bike run its better for you than lifting weights...cut carbs out totally. Aerobic exercise.....i would exercise the whole day if I was type2 and I wouldnt take meds

Not being contrary, but I believe it depends on your muscularity or maybe physiology. I now bias my workouts towards 14, 16 and 18 kg dumbbells and have dropped FBG to between 3.6 and 4.4 during this re-focused period; prior to this I was closer to late 4's on more aerobic. I still do the aerobic, but know for sure that biasing towards weights has transformed my blood sugar and blood pressure. I have tested different aerobic exercises from 2 mile HiiT walks at 11.45 pace (145 heart rate), to recently 11 - 13 mile long walks at 120 heart rate. A small but maybe significant caveat is that other variables such as putting cinnamon / ginger in almost every herbal tea might have coincidently assisted my improvement. I am just suggesting that our differences might mean that weights have a better impact for the individual, and as in my case the only way to know is to try all that is available.

 

[heli2010]

weights is the way to go for me, in theory more muscle mass requires more glucogen even when not doing excercise, my situation is pre diagnosis I was having a lot of sugar and carbs and in getting rid of it my body through the baby out with the bath water and then started to break down muscle mass for energy

 

[ickihun]

Yes I think muscle mass as a lot to do with where the glucose is burnt. Bigger muscles, bigger energy so the higher the need for food. Our only source of imput energy. You starve that muscle its needs, it can become damaged. The heart is a muscle. Once its damaged its near on impossible to fix.
Extreme diet changes completed too quickly may put pressure on the heart and other muscles.

 

[zacthedog]

The exercise thing is my next goal... anyway, try looking at what you eat in the G.I. load book, might help? Also have yoy found any foods yet that actually lower your B.G. wait for the knifes to come my way, but if i have a glass of red wine this seems to help my control. Not saying drink everyday or use it as excuse ti drink, that would be crazy, but we all have foods that will have a negative or nuetralising effect on what we eat. Look into it, it may help.

 

[heli2010]

I may try a glass or two of red wine and in the summer time it will be palinka

 

[Kristin251]

Distilled alcohol lowers me more than wine. I have a rink before my dinner. Keeps fasting lower too but test yourself.

Avocado doesn't lower me but it keeps bs rise low and slow. Keeps me very steady. Without it I could go low or spike. The fat and fiber make a magic combination.

 

[heli2010]

avocado is on my list of things to try

 

[Kristin251]

I eat some with every meal or I nver know what I'm going to get. So one a day is medicinal for me. I am vlc so I can get a rapid rise from protein without it.
There are so many ways to eat it too!!

 

[nemiabonny]

ok T2 on no meds have been hitting 5.8 in the mornings and early evening but now seem to be hitting constant 7s with no change in diet, which is moderate carb 120g per day, Excerise consists of 2 20 to 30 min fast walks per day on top of the usual shopping trips etc.
I dont really want to go lchf at the moment so what would be the most effective way to get down to low 5s
I read drink more water, 16/8 fasting, lose weight, trouble with the last one my bmi is 26 and weight nearly ideal
my 2hr post prandials are 9.2 to 11s
any help would be appreciated

heli2010,

I think that you are doing OK. The numbers you have been getting are the same as mine. Fasting and postprandial blood sugar readings for me have consistently been high since my diagnosis in July 1991 Amazingly, they have never bothered me Why? Maybe because I run the stairs a total of 1 hour per day. I am not suggesting that you do as much exercise as I have been doing. What I wish to suggest is for you to experiment with your food and exercise, and strictly watch out for their quality and quantity.

In addition to exercising every day, I have been eating only 2 meals per day, no snacks. Only water between meals. I have been on HCLF diet.

The food I eat must be heart-healthy, natural, fresh (raw or cooked), unprocessed, and whole.

Bonny Damocles
Male, 81 years old, 137 lbs., 5'7"
First untreated 25-year T2D without diabetes complications
I am not on any pharma drugs for any health problem