Importance of testing BG after meals

nvmomketo

I found this article interesting. It highlights the benefit of testing your bg after meals so you know which foods affect you most.
https://healthhacking.wordpress.com/2019/03/08/we-dont-know-what-to-eat-our-blood-glucose-will-show-us/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

2t9nty

This is really true. Having the continuous monitor would make it a lot easier to sort out the details. For me having some flour used to thicken gravy makes my BG shoot up. You would not think such a small amount would have that impact, but my meter says otherwise.

nvmomketo

I would love to try a continuous BG monitor for a week or two. It would be such useful information! I tested after many foods but it does not show stress, fatigue or exercise effects, nor how long spikes can last.

lklimowicz

You know, it makes total sense - so why did my doc give me just enough strips to test BG in the AM. Especially when I was just diagnosed.

rheddmobile

lklimowicz wrote: »

You know, it makes total sense - so why did my doc give me just enough strips to test BG in the AM. Especially when I was just diagnosed.

Consider yourself lucky - mine didn’t even give me a meter. And I was taking meds which can dangerously drop bg !

You have to be your own advocate because physicians are all over the map on how much they know about treating diabetes. Most assume you are a typical lazy and uncomplient patient who will not do anything right and that your disease will progress no matter what you do. Many physicians know little about diabetes. And even the ADA has outdated and bad recommendations taken from a population of people treated wrongly so they get sicker and sicker.

I strongly recommend you buy your own meter with inexpensive strips which you can afford to use several times a day. My Bayer Contour Next has strips which cost about twenty cents apiece when bought on Amazon. Test after every meal at first, then after new meals.

2t9nty

lklimowicz wrote: »

You know, it makes total sense - so why did my doc give me just enough strips to test BG in the AM. Especially when I was just diagnosed.

Doctors operate from an assumption of non-compliance on your part. Their experience is that you are not going to change diet or behavior. The best they are going to be able to do is adjust meds based on A1C every 3 months/whatever. So they make a feeble attempt to get you to test, but they are pretty sure you won't, and their experience (and probably training) is that it won't make a difference if you do.

nvmomketo

I agree. Most diabetic patients dont change their lifestyle. Some are stubborn, some dont want to try, and then many are just not told how to do it beyond "eat more fruits, veggies, whole grains, and leaner meats. We'll monitor it." .... that's what I was told and it turned out to be all wrong for me.

I bought my own metre and strips. I used them a LOT in the first few months until I got a good handle on what I could eat without raising BG much. It was quite an inconvenience for a while, but letting the disease advance would be more inconvenient in the long run.

chelny

I was going to start my own post, but I'll add to this one instead, because it is relevant. I read the above referenced article, as well as some other articles about blood sugar and eating low carb-moderate protein-high fat. I agree the continuous monitor would be very helpful. Would love to try it.

Also, I am SO overwhelmed. I have target amounts of grams of each macronutrient (for low carb-high fat), but I have no idea what I can eat that will get me to those targets. And particularly what can I eat that is palatable and won't make me want to die from having to eat food-that-is-gross-I'd-rather-just-go-hungry. Tonight, I literally only ate 321 of 593 calories that I could have for dinner, because I just don't know what to eat. I could have had more vegetables, but they're low calorie, so that would be a lot of vegetables. I don't want to hurt myself by consistently eating too few calories. I need to figure something out. Just kinda freaking out tonight, I guess.

I want to get a hold of this and not let the disease progress. But I can totally understand how people like my mother lose hope in things ever getting any better -- pretty much give up and take the insulin and eat what they want.

Thank you all for your comments about testing after every meal to see what is working and what isn't. I have a meter & accessories that were prescribed with a minimal co-pay, but might get the Walmart version off the shelf as well so that I can test more often.

rheddmobile

@chelny I find eggs super useful when I’m hungry but don’t want to spike my blood sugar. They can be prepared so many different ways and are quick. In time you will figure out what works with your way of eating. What sort of snacks and meals do you usually eat? Maybe some more experienced diabetics can make suggestions for alternatives.

2t9nty

chelny wrote: »

I was going to start my own post, but I'll add to this one instead, because it is relevant. I read the above referenced article, as well as some other articles about blood sugar and eating low carb-moderate protein-high fat. I agree the continuous monitor would be very helpful. Would love to try it.

Also, I am SO overwhelmed. I have target amounts of grams of each macronutrient (for low carb-high fat), but I have no idea what I can eat that will get me to those targets. And particularly what can I eat that is palatable and won't make me want to die from having to eat food-that-is-gross-I'd-rather-just-go-hungry. Tonight, I literally only ate 321 of 593 calories that I could have for dinner, because I just don't know what to eat. I could have had more vegetables, but they're low calorie, so that would be a lot of vegetables. I don't want to hurt myself by consistently eating too few calories. I need to figure something out. Just kinda freaking out tonight, I guess.

Take a look at some diaries to get an idea of what other people are eating.

nvmomketo

chelny wrote: »

I was going to start my own post, but I'll add to this one instead, because it is relevant. I read the above referenced article, as well as some other articles about blood sugar and eating low carb-moderate protein-high fat. I agree the continuous monitor would be very helpful. Would love to try it.

Also, I am SO overwhelmed. I have target amounts of grams of each macronutrient (for low carb-high fat), but I have no idea what I can eat that will get me to those targets. And particularly what can I eat that is palatable and won't make me want to die from having to eat food-that-is-gross-I'd-rather-just-go-hungry. Tonight, I literally only ate 321 of 593 calories that I could have for dinner, because I just don't know what to eat. I could have had more vegetables, but they're low calorie, so that would be a lot of vegetables. I don't want to hurt myself by consistently eating too few calories. I need to figure something out. Just kinda freaking out tonight, I guess.

I want to get a hold of this and not let the disease progress. But I can totally understand how people like my mother lose hope in things ever getting any better -- pretty much give up and take the insulin and eat what they want.

Thank you all for your comments about testing after every meal to see what is working and what isn't. I have a meter & accessories that were prescribed with a minimal co-pay, but might get the Walmart version off the shelf as well so that I can test more often.

I found that i ended up eating more nuts, cheese, sour cream, dips, seafood, and meat. Moderate protein is often 0.8 to 1 X your healthy body weight. Often 60-200g. I would try to hit your protein, stay under your carb limit and eat fat within reason.

Dr Bernstein a decade ago when he was about 70
https://youtu.be/3PZno7Nkuuw

And hallberg
https://youtu.be/da1vvigy5tQ