Here's a good article to get you started.

http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/test-review-adjust.html

I started by determining my peak - testing before a meal and then every 15 minutes after meals to determine at what time my BG was highest. I peak about 45 minutes after meals. I strive to have a peak of no more than 20-30 points, which takes me to about 120.

At first, I also tested 2 hours after meals to make sure I had started to come back down and then before the next meal to ensure I was back into "normal range"

The American Diabetes Association recommends an A1c of 7% or less, before meal blood glucose of 70–130 mg/dl and 2 hour post meal of less than 180 mg/dl. When my doctor took me off insulin, he wanted be to keep my A1c under 6 and blood glucose under 130 before breakfast and under 160, 2 hr. post dinner. I personally am trying to keep under 100 before breakfast and 140 post dinner. My last A1c was 5.9 but I’m shooting for less than 5.5.

I check my sugar levels twice a day, once in the morning before I eat and once after dinner. The levels I was told to shoot for are under 100 for fasting blood sugar and under 180 for after a meal. I was told to test 2 hours after beginning eating but sometimes it's a little longer before I test. I just began using insulin about 5 months ago and finally have my A1C under 7% but in the past few weeks my numbers have been creeping up again. I find that my numbers after eating are fine but then my numbers in the morning after fasting are above 100. My doctor had me change when I take my insulin to in the morning rather than in the evening because I was waking up with the a headache just about everyday. The headaches are gone but my numbers are rising.

Your BS reading after any meal should be about 30mg/dl higher than what it measured before you eat. If its higher, that might indicate a certain food that raises your sugar level too high and which you might want to avoid.

However, you might want to test 2 hours after you started eating instead of one hour, depending on what you Dr. recommends.

I only test once a day, first thing in the morning. I have only got under 100 twice

I talked to my Dr and she said, that it was fine, but as I want perfection (I'm like that) to try a late snack or exercise.

I know when its high without testing by the way my head feels..

I check my sugar levels when I first wake up before I eat breakfest. Then 2 hours after I eat my dinner.

I might need to review when i test after food. I usually test 2 hrs after i finish eating. What if one has a leisurely lunch or dinner? if you say spread your food over an hour...whatever food you ate last is going to effect you later than the food you ate an hour earlier?...not sure if this all makes sense!!

Good question and one that makes perfect sense to me. Having a leisurely meal is ok, however as a diabetic, I myself wouldn't want to finish my mealtimes beyond and hour as it lends to a "grazing" effect, promoting potentially unhealthy elevated blood sugar levels between meals depending upon the foods (carbs) I ate. ETA; it's equally important to note; if on a bolus/mealtime insulin or other blood sugar lowering therapies anything beyond an hour would create an issue with "crossover" medicating.

Continue to test 2hrs after finishing as you're currently doing, and enjoy your leisurely meal imo.

Hope this helps.

It is really up to you as long as you are testing. When you first start off I think you will want to test a lot more to see how foods affect you.

For meals if you test
1 hour after that is to see how high you spike (everyone always says 1 hour after you start eating)
2 hours is to make sure you are coming back down

Some days I will test several times in the day and I will record my readings, my meals (and what times I ate), and also my exercise. It gives me a good idea of my daily ups and downs.

Other days I will only test in the morning. I try to test more if I am sick or on other meds to make sure I'm not going to high. If I just don't feel good for any reason I will check.

You want to be able to spot spikes and trends and then take corrective behavior. You always spike when you eat a certain foods? Try smaller portions or cut it out entirely. Things like that. I have already had times where I checked my sugar and didn't expect the # to be so high or so low so it's always a learning experience.