anyone use a glucometer?

tmdalton849

just wondering if anyone measures blood glucose levels regularly, and what they tend to be.

i have been eating keto for about a month now; (was pretty low carb paleo before that), and i am showing moderate ketones with the sticks.

i was pondering getting a blood ketone meter but those strips are so costly! found a really cheap glucometer/strips so i figured i would try it out of curiosity. i have read that some people in ketosis can have fasting bg readings on the high side of normal.

thanks in advance if anyone can share info!

ChoiceNotChance

Every now and then I'll check my bg if I'm testing for ketones. Mine have always been normal or even low. I don't test often because, as you've seen, the ketone strips are pretty spendy.

saraphim41

Yes. I check twice daily, and the reading is higher in the morning. This is standard for diabetics It's called "dawn phenomenon" and just means that your liver releases some carbs just to get your day started. Keto brings the readings down! (Hoping to get off the meds altogether within 6 months or so.) Just don't get upset about higher readings in the morning (fasting reading). It will be lower in the evening after eating LC all day.

msmi1970

I was a raging uncontrolled diabetic.

Test my blood sugar regularly. A few months after starting LCHF my levels returned to normal. I have now had non-diabetic readings for about 5 months.

I am still diabetic BUT no longer raging & uncontrolled.

I also test blood ketones regularly to optimize my LCHF. I used to get readings of 4-5 and during that period lost a lot of weight. When i started snacking (mainly nuts) a couple of months ago, my blood sugars went up and ketones came way down. Weight plateaued.

Recently, I inadvertently went on a VLCD for about a week. My blood sugars are now under tight control & my ketones are back at around 3. By no coincidence, I have started to lose weight again.

Some people do show higher FBG on keto but for diabetics, apart from Inflammation markers, the A1C provides a snapshot of blood sugars over 3 months & throughout LCHF, my A1C has by and large been lower than my daily FBG.

tmdalton849

thanks for all the info you guys.

interesting about the nuts causing a plateau. i don't eat a lot of nuts, but am contemplating eliminating those and cheese (will likely keep cream, cultured cream and butter for a bit).

i have read about potential inflammatory responses to these that can cause stalls.