Blood Glucose Meter or Ketone Meter..Worth Buying

collegefbfan

Just curious if either or both of these are worth buying? If any of you have one or had many, which brand is best? Also, was curious for you serious low carbers, what is you blood glucose when you check it?

Thanks again.

baconslave

I was keto for 2 years. Never checked my ketones.
I had an old glucose meter from my bout with gestational diabetes that I use from time to time to keep an eye on my glucose responses and fasting values. I'm genetically predisposed to diabetes on both sides. And I was probably pre-diabetic or even full-on when I went LC. I mostly check out of curiosity since I had to up my carbs a bit to deal with a stupid autoimmune condition that cropped up. I'm always going to be paranoid about it since my concern of ending up diabetic and in devastating health like my mother is what drove me to LC in the first place.

collegefbfan

So, what is a number that a very low carber should be around when checking blood glucose? The nurse at my work place said 70 - 120. If we are eating super low carb would it be lower than 70?

baconslave

collegefbfan wrote: »

So, what is a number that a very low carber should be around when checking blood glucose? The nurse at my work place said 70 - 120. If we are eating super low carb would it be lower than 70?

When I was keto (<20-50g), my 2hr-pp (2 hours postprandial- after the meal) glucose readings were always between 78 and 88. Fasting is usually the same. Now I'm at 100gish of carbs daily. And my glucose readings are still about the same. I'll go as high as 94 after having a piece of fruit sometimes. Especially those dumb bananas.

Ideal blood glucose values generally stay the same. Because your body is doing it's job regulating it's blood sugar levels properly like it is supposed to. Some people may dip below 70 sometimes, but don't usually experience the same "low blood sugar" side effects, as drastic dips are what causes a crisis state in the body, not consistently low readings. LCers with blood glucose in the ideal range generally have good insulin response as well. Those ideal glucose numbers are indicative of good insulin response/sensitivity. Which is the sign of a healthy system.

RowdysLady

ETA:Presuming you are not within the diabetic family....DM I, DMII, Prediabetic, hypoglycemic, etc.

A typical glucose is 70 to 120 or a very close variable. 50 is not typical. 180 is not typical. But someone may say the range is 72 - 118 (or whatever) and that's fairly acceptable parameters too. I don't use the word "normal" because your normal is not my normal but generally speaking we are typical as somewhat healthy humans.

You do not want to try and aim for lower. When glucose gets too low it gets dangerous. Anyone who is not a diabetic, prediabetic, etc. should not have to worry about this. If you are not diabetic or in the family of such and you feel the S/S of hypoglycemia then get checked out. I would never tailor my foods to reach a certain glucose level or dip to a certain as someone with a perfectly healthy insulin level and pancreas. Find another lab value to worry over, is my advice.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypoglycemia/basics/symptoms/con-20021103

collegefbfan

Oh I understand. I was just curious. I do have another lab to worry over lol. Cholesterol. Triglycerides. In June the doctor said lower them or meds will be in your future. Thanks a million peeps.

baconslave

RowdysLady wrote: »

ETA:Presuming you are not within the diabetic family....DM I, DMII, Prediabetic, hypoglycemic, etc.

A typical glucose is 70 to 120 or a very close variable. 50 is not typical. 180 is not typical. But someone may say the range is 72 - 118 (or whatever) and that's fairly acceptable parameters too. I don't use the word "normal" because your normal is not my normal but generally speaking we are typical as somewhat healthy humans.

You do not want to try and aim for lower. When glucose gets too low it gets dangerous. Anyone who is not a diabetic, prediabetic, etc. should not have to worry about this. If you are not diabetic or in the family of such and you feel the S/S of hypoglycemia then get checked out. I would never tailor my foods to reach a certain glucose level or dip to a certain as someone with a perfectly healthy insulin level and pancreas. Find another lab value to worry over, is my advice.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypoglycemia/basics/symptoms/con-20021103

Yeah. By dip I meant, slide under 70 for a short bit. I've been as low as 68 when fasting for 16hrs. Hypo dips suck. I had one of those when I had gestational diabetes. I was lower carb but on a med, when I first started taking it and was adapting, I tanked to mid 40s. Ugh that was miserable. I almost passed out. Hypoglycemic episodes are no bueno.

So OP, barring a medical issue that crops up, keto dieters glucose numbers should eventually stabilize to the "normal" range.

Phrick

huh,, i had BG reading of 60 this morning right before my breakfast chai tea. thought it was kind of on the low side. It went up to 85 within 10 min of finishing the tea and then settled down to 78 at 1hp-pp and 74 by 2h-pp. I'm not in the diabetic family of folks at all, I just have BG test strips that expire next month and so i thought I'd play around haha