Why are my numbers high?

[Loukay1]

Sorry for yet more questions!
I bought my monitor about a week ago, since then my levels have been continuously really high, I've worked really hard to change my diet (cutting out refined carbohydrates & sugar) yet still my levels are high?
I tested at 10am this morning (nothing to eat or drink since last night except water)
I measured a 19.2 mmo/l
Ate brown bread toasted, Ham & lettuce & had 2 x 500mg metformin
Tested again at 12.15pm and got a reading of 25.1 mmo/l. ?
Is this normal? Do I just have to wait for numbers to go down or should I be getting it checked out?
Thanks in advance for your advice

 

[Chook]

I think that you need to be cutting out the bread - the ham and lettuce are okay though.

When you say you are cutting out refined carbs, are you lowering ALL carbs - fruit, porridge, bread - and brown carbs like brown rice, etc. Its not only the refined sort that increase your blood sugars, ALL carbs turn to glucose inside us - even the 'healthy' ones.

 

[Chook]

About your levels and seeking medical attention - try drinking a couple of large glasses of water and go for a walk - that should bring your BG down, if it doesn't then, yes, seek medical attention.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Sorry for yet more questions!
I bought my monitor about a week ago, since then my levels have been continuously really high, I've worked really hard to change my diet (cutting out refined carbohydrates & sugar) yet still my levels are high?
I tested at 10am this morning (nothing to eat or drink since last night except water)
I measured a 19.2 mmo/l
Ate brown bread toasted, Ham & lettuce & had 2 x 500mg metformin
Tested again at 12.15pm and got a reading of 25.1 mmo/l. ?
Is this normal? Do I just have to wait for numbers to go down or should I be getting it checked out?
Thanks in advance for your advice

Are you on any medication?
What was your HbA1c ?

Those numbers are high and need sorting out. Are you testing immediately before you eat and 2 hours after your first bite? This should tell you by how much your levels rise after eating that meal, and should tell you whether you need to change that food.

I think you need to contact your nurse or doctor to discuss this.

 

[Loukay1]

Thank you, I wasn't aware that I couldn't have brown bread either? The nutritionist my gp sent me to, told me not to cut out all carbs but to move on to brown or wholemeal
I'm running out of food I can actually eat

 

[Loukay1]

Are you on any medication?
What was your HbA1c ?

Those numbers are high and need sorting out. Are you testing immediately before you eat and 2 hours after your first bite? This should tell you by how much your levels rise after eating that meal, and should tell you whether you need to change that food.

I think you need to contact your nurse or doctor to discuss this.

I take 2 x 500mg metformin twice a day. I don't know what my HbA1c is, I was never told?
I am testing the way you mentioned, normally I'm going up by 5 or 6 & I believe it should be no more than 2 I think?

 

[Chook]

As @Bluetit1802 says, you should be testing just before eating and again 2 hours after so you know the affect that the various carbs you eat are having on your blood. You can then make an informed choice which, if any, carbs you want to carry on eating.

Some of us, me included, have to eat a very low carb diet so that our blood glucose remains at a steady acceptable level.

The best way to do this is to keep a food / blood glucose diary - and its also worth noting down any mood changes, niggling ailments - all that can be affected by high BG.

There are threads on this forum which can help you with what to eat - have a look in the low carb section - and try to focus on what you can eat rather than what you can't.

 

[Loukay1]

As @Bluetit1802 says, you should be testing just before eating and again 2 hours after so you know the affect that the various carbs you eat are having on your blood. You can then make an informed choice which, if any, carbs you want to carry on eating.

Some of us, me included, have to eat a very low carb diet so that our blood glucose remains at a steady acceptable level.

The best way to do this is to keep a food / blood glucose diary - and its also worth noting down any mood changes, niggling ailments - all that can be affected by high BG.

There are threads on this forum which can help you with what to eat - have a look in the low carb section - and try to focus on what you can eat rather than what you can't.

Thank you, it's just a huge undertaking for me to basically remove carbs from my diet, but I'm feeling rotten all the time & I think my bg is to blame to I'll just have to get on with it

 

[Resurgam]

Thank you, I wasn't aware that I couldn't have brown bread either? The nutritionist my gp sent me to, told me not to cut out all carbs but to move on to brown or wholemeal
I'm running out of food I can actually eat

There are no essential carbs - I cut out all carbs from the moment I was diagnosed to just over 24hours later, when I had a small salad with dinner. I had eaten a pork chop, a lamb chop some scrambled eggs with a little cheese - actually there could have been a smidge of carbs in the cheese, and some shrimps - no shortage at all of things to eat even on an almost no carb diet, but if low carb then there is so much to eat.
I tend to stick to a maximum of 10 percent carbs, as that means there is a lot of choice for everyday foods. I do have small servings of slightly higher foods from time to time, but only now I have got normal results.
I'm afraid that you will see that many people on this forum report that they get the same sort of advice and they smile, nod and ignore completely - low carb has been mocked and derided for about 150 years, but it really works to bring good health to the carb sensitive.
If you have eaten several slices of bread then your high BG is accounted for - but if it doesn't go down soon then it might be as well to contact your doctor and see if there is something else going on.
I find that a protein roll from Lidl is manageable - they are the lowest carb I have found at about 9 gm each.

 

[Loukay1]

There are no essential carbs - I cut out all carbs from the moment I was diagnosed to just over 24hours later, when I had a small salad with dinner. I had eaten a pork chop, a lamb chop some scrambled eggs with a little cheese - actually there could have been a smidge of carbs in the cheese, and some shrimps - no shortage at all of things to eat even on an almost no carb diet, but if low carb then there is so much to eat.
I tend to stick to a maximum of 10 percent carbs, as that means there is a lot of choice for everyday foods. I do have small servings of slightly higher foods from time to time, but only now I have got normal results.
I'm afraid that you will see that many people on this forum report that they get the same sort of advice and they smile, nod and ignore completely - low carb has been mocked and derided for about 150 years, but it really works to bring good health to the carb sensitive.
If you have eaten several slices of bread then your high BG is accounted for - but if it doesn't go down soon then it might be as well to contact your doctor and see if there is something else going on.
I find that a protein roll from Lidl is manageable - they are the lowest carb I have found at about 9 gm each.

Thank you, I do know that I will be able to eat, it's just to be honest I'm addicted to carbs! My main source of food has been sandwiches But I'll just need to get on with it as I'm constantly feeling ill

 

[Mbaker]

Hi @Loukay1 the current advice for Type 2 diabetics is in the main shameful and I would say counter intuitive, it is on a par with telling an alcoholic to alleviate their drinking problem with 4 pints of lager. You have a carb intolerance which is why bread is not good for your condition - do not despair, there is a ton of stuff you can eat.

You have many choices to get your condition under control which I could summarise as:

1. LCHF (low carbohydrate and high fat)
2. Low calorie aka Newcastle Diet
3. Vegan low carbohydrate
4. Vegetarian low carbohydrate
5. Hybrids of the above

One of a mixture of these will help you get your numbers down and into a position where you feel great. I transitioned to number 1. after making mistakes and am at "normal" blood glucose levels having started with numbers similar to yours. The modern way of eating is very different from that of your grand parents and is no doubt a contributory factor to your diabetes, e.g when I was growing up a loaf of bread only lasted around 3 days, compare that to the off the shelf bread now.

My wife his similar (probably more) qualifications than the person who advised you about your diet and used to believe the nonsense. She is now firmly behind option 1. above.

You might want to watch the below. There are many other excellent reference material, but Sarah Halberg has many videos on dietary FAT, cholesterol etc, as you are going to find out that for example the mantra of low fat has been a catastrophe in general:

If you would like ideas on what those of us have implemented to turn around Type 2 just ask, it could save you a lot of trial and error.

 

[Resurgam]

It can be a bit of a shock to lower your carbs as drastically as I did, and it can lead to wobbles, false hypos as your blood glucose drops and everything clamours for sweeties!! Sweeties now!!!! They feel unpleasant but are not actually dangerous.
If you plan your meals and also what you will eat if pushed, you will have the best defence against going off plan.
I used to have two shopping lists which I used alternately and a number of meals which could be made from the various main ingredients, so as to stave off getting bored.

 

[kokhongw]

This what my glucose level looks like when I eat roast pork belly for lunch and pork rib soup for dinner...


This is what 2 slices of low carb/low GI bread with eggs looks like. So brown bread/oats/porridge doesn't work for many of us...that is why many of us find Low Carbs High Fats to be helpful...

 

[Bluetit1802]

I take 2 x 500mg metformin twice a day. I don't know what my HbA1c is, I was never told?
I am testing the way you mentioned, normally I'm going up by 5 or 6 & I believe it should be no more than 2 I think?

Many of us have been in your position at one time or another - wondering how on earth we can reduce those addictive carbs. Realising that they are raising blood sugars and making us feel rotten, and knowing what may happen in the future if we don't do something about it, is good motivation. There are so many delicious foods that we can eat. Take a look here. https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

I agree with all that has been said above. You will notice a pattern in all the various eating plans that help control this disease - and that is low carb. As all carbohydrate converts to glucose once inside the system, and you already have too much glucose in your system, you don't want to add to this problem by eating carbs.

Going up by 5 or 6mmol/l after eating means you are eating the wrong foods and doing yourself harm. Continuing to eat like this means you haven't learnt anything by testing as yet. (except that your levels are very high) Yes, you should go up by no more than 2mmol/l, preferably less. Use your meter alongside a food diary and look at what makes your BS levels rise, then either reduce the portion size or eliminate something. This is called eating to your meter.

As for your HbA1c. You need to find out what it was, and also what else was tested and what levels they were. You can ask for a print out of your results. If you are in England you can also ask if your surgery puts test results on-line as they are supposed to do - and how to register for this. It is really important that you know all your numbers, not just glucose but also cholesterol, lipids, liver & kidney functions and full blood counts. All these are very important for diabetics.

Try not to worry. It is always confusing at first, but it will get easier.

 

[Prem51]

to be honest I'm addicted to carbs! My main source of food has been sandwiches But I'll just need to get on with it as I'm constantly feeling ill

Carbs are addictive and the more you eat the more you will want. It is difficult to cut them out or limit them at first, but your body will adjust and expect less carbs. And you will feel a lot better.

 

[Prem51]

Sorry for yet more questions!

I measured a 19.2 mmo/l
Ate brown bread toasted, Ham & lettuce & had 2 x 500mg metformin
Tested again at 12.15pm and got a reading of 25.1 mmo/l. ?
Is this normal? Do I just have to wait for numbers to go down or should I be getting it checked out?
Thanks in advance for your advice

Don't worry about asking questions, it is how you learn.
25.1 is high, if you can't get it down by drinking water and exercise you do need to talk to your GP. Readings over 20 might need medical treatment.

 

[Loukay1]

Many of us have been in your position at one time or another - wondering how on earth we can reduce those addictive carbs. Realising that they are raising blood sugars and making us feel rotten, and knowing what may happen in the future if we don't do something about it, is good motivation. There are so many delicious foods that we can eat. Take a look here. https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

I agree with all that has been said above. You will notice a pattern in all the various eating plans that help control this disease - and that is low carb. As all carbohydrate converts to glucose once inside the system, and you already have too much glucose in your system, you don't want to add to this problem by eating carbs.

Going up by 5 or 6mmol/l after eating means you are eating the wrong foods and doing yourself harm. Continuing to eat like this means you haven't learnt anything by testing as yet. (except that your levels are very high) Yes, you should go up by no more than 2mmol/l, preferably less. Use your meter alongside a food diary and look at what makes your BS levels rise, then either reduce the portion size or eliminate something. This is called eating to your meter.

As for your HbA1c. You need to find out what it was, and also what else was tested and what levels they were. You can ask for a print out of your results. If you are in England you can also ask if your surgery puts test results on-line as they are supposed to do - and how to register for this. It is really important that you know all your numbers, not just glucose but also cholesterol, lipids, liver & kidney functions and full blood counts. All these are very important for diabetics.

Try not to worry. It is always confusing at first, but it will get easier.

 

[Loukay1]

Thank you for all your help & advice, I have been trying to change my diet (hence testing) however, clearly the changes I've made are wrong or just not enough of a change i will now look more into changing my diet more to no/very low carbohydrate
If you dont mind could anyone give me a rough idea of what you eat in a day?
Can you eat weetabix or is that another nono?
Thank you everyone

 

[Bluetit1802]

Can you eat weetabix or is that another nono?

Have a look on the packet for the total carbohydrate amount per 100g. That will tell you, but the short answer is it is another no-no as it is very high in carbs. As are all cereals plus the milk you pour over them.. Always check the wrappers and packets for this total carb amount (you can ignore the of which sugars bit). From this you can work out how much carbohydrate you are about to eat (depending on portion size). Breakfast cereals along with potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and anything that contains flour are extremely difficult for us. Use your meter to tell you.

Instead of cereal, you could try eggs cooked any which way you like. They make an excellent breakfast. You can even add some bacon, mushrooms and a tomato, or have a cheese/mushroom omelette if that floats your boat.. Also cold meats are good, or cheese, or left overs from the day before. Personally I like a soft boiled egg (no soldiers!) although I now skip breakfast apart from a coffee with cream.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Just to add to the above, on an earlier thread you were directed to the site's low carb programme and said you had logged in. Have you started with it?