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Why 2 Hours?

P

Petal50

Active Member
Messages
43
Location
Fife, Scotland
hi all,
only dx T2 a month ago so stillgetting to grips with all the diabetic lifestyle stuff... i am trying very hard to get bg levels down and stable, i test on waking and before bed. this last week i have tested b4 and after eating to try and pin point the good and bad foods for me... my big question is Why is it 2 hours after eating that testing is done, surely not everyone's metabolism is not the same so timings would vary???? so any one here that can clarify please. by the way i've been sticking to a low carb diet but don't really know how many grams per day i should aim at. i try to keep at approx 50g as got to loose some weight! hey have already lost half a stone in 3 weeks not bad for me. :)
 
I would say 1 hour AND 2 hour post meal readings are important (yes, I know this costs a fortune in test strips).

This is because taking solely 2 hour readings may hide spikes. Apparently sugar levels peak at about 45 mins after a meal, so your 1 hour reading will be closer to most of these peaks. By two hours you can see how well your body has adjusted to the food.

However some food delays the spike and you could have a higher reading at 2 hours.
 
Two hours is the medically accepted time that your blood sugar levels should be back to pre meal levels. However......as usual it is not quite as simple as that ! :?

If you test at one hour you may catch any 'spikes' from quick acting carbs.

If you are eating a lot of fat with a meal then testing at three or even four hours is sometimes necessary as fat slows down the absorption of carbs hence the 'pizza effect' where blood sugars can rise several hours after a high fat meal.

As you eat and test for different foods you will find the foods that affect your Bg levels.

As for the amount of carbs to eat....The answer is the amount that keeps you blood sugar levels under control and also helps you lose weight. We are all different in this amount so it is very much an individual thing and again can only be determined by testing and adjusting portion sizes.

In the beginning you will use a lot of test strips but after a while you will get to know how the foods you eat affect you and will not have to test so much. It is worth the out lay as it teaches you control and helps keep your diabetes in check.
 
Petal50,

As already mentioned the 2 hour bg test should show that your blood glucose has fallen back to your pre-meal level. People who are not diabetic have fluctuations in their blood glucose just as we do, and will see a rise in their bg on the 1 hour mark depending upon the foods they have eaten previously, so as much as it is important to keep post-meal spikes to a minimum, the 2 hour test and the following pre-meal bg reading is more important in my mind.

I try and keep my 1 hour post-meal spike below 9 at all times, I mostly keep them below 8mmol and as long as my bg is back to pre-meal levels on the 2 hour mark I know that I have calculated my carb and insulin ratio correct. As you are type 2, dietary restrictions as in reducing carbs would be more suitable should your post-meal bg's be out of range.

Nigel
 
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