newbie question about testing bg
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celewis2011
Posts: 243 Member
I was told to test once a day randomly , Does anyone else do this?
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Why has your doctor starting you testing? Most of us test for our fasting BG level first thing in the morning, then usually, at least once more during the course of the day.0
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i am not sure , i am new to all this and doing what they told me . i thought it was odd when i seen all the posts about ppls fastings . my a1c was 6.9 . i have so many questions and i dont see her again until Feb .0
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so with your random testing are you recording the time of day and how close it was to your last meal and things like that?
Fasting for BG levels just means checking it before your first eat of drink (except eater) and it has been at least 8 hours since you last ate.
Your Doctor might just be trying to raise your awareness of how foods are affecting your levels... have they offered access to a diabetes councilor or nurse for education ? you may even want to check with your insurance carrier as many of them sponsor diabetes educational classes, often for free.
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so with your random testing are you recording the time of day and how close it was to your last meal and things like that?
Fasting for BG levels just means checking it before your first eat of drink (except eater) and it has been at least 8 hours since you last ate.
Your Doctor might just be trying to raise your awareness of how foods are affecting your levels... have they offered access to a diabetes councilor or nurse for education ? you may even want to check with your insurance carrier as many of them sponsor diabetes educational classes, often for free.
i see a diabetic educator , my average bg was 118 i think and she said she was impressed with everything i was doing and not to change a thing , i told her i eat 40 to 100 carbs a day no more then that and she was extremely happy !0 -
If you're new to T2D, the ONLY way you can determine how various foods, in various quantities, affect you as an individual is to test frequently and methodically - when you get up, before each meal, 1 and 2 hours after each meal, and before you go to bed.
So 8-12 times daily until you've figured out how to keep your BG as close as possible to non-diabetic levels.
Of course, it's a pain - but it it sure beats the unpleasant alternatives!0 -
There is a world of information online from the American Diabeties Associated, and lots of other places where you can get good information about blood glucose monitoring. I'm surprised you didn't mention getting any pamphlets of reading material on the topic from your doctor ... before you see your doc, check to see if your health insurance covers the cost of diabeties classes and then ask your doc for a referrel to one. You'll learn so much from it.
But ... to answer you your question ... when I first started testing my blood glucose level at home, it was with a random test one time a day also. The reason for it? Doctor told me to do it.
That A1c you mentioned ... 6.9 puts you in the Diabetic range. An A1c below 5.7 is normal, anything from 5.7 to 6.4 signals prediabeties, and a number higher that 6.5 on two separate occasions indicates diabeties. ... He might not decide if you are Diabetic or not until he tests again in February and may just want a random look-see at how a daily reading flows for you ... so do take them at random, different times during the day and make a diary of that information to show your doctor.
There are levels of circulating glucose in your blood plasma that have meanings, which you need to become aware of if you will be testing ....
Normal blood-glucose levels for non-diabetic adults are different than for diabetics. ...
Fasting blood-glucose level of 70-90 for a non diabetic is the normal.
Two hours after a meal for them is 90-140
Five hours after a meal it's 70-90 again
For a Diabetic, the numbers to watch are you fasting blood glucose (worsening numbers could mean more than one thing, from your condition is worsening to you are eating too many carbs late at night ) This number is, in actuallilty, not quite as significant as your blood glucose after meals.
For a Diabetic, the goal is to have a reading of no higher than 180 at 2 hours after the start of a meal, and the closer it is to 140 the better at 2 hours.
So ... any random blood glucose test you make that's between, say 100 and 180 is going to make your doctor happy ... But that said, don't go all worried-nuts if you get a random reading that's much higher ... simply follow the instructions your doc gave you and do that until you see them again in a couple of months.
In the meantime, you can help keep your blood sugar lower by not eating too many carbs at one meal ... since you use MFP, log your food and watch the carb count on the portions you record ... you'll soon see that you can eat a lot more of green peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, salad than you can of yellow peppers, sweet potato and pasta.
Try to keep the carb count unter 60 per meal, 45 is even better.
Get exercise every day ... aim for racking up a total of 150 minutes (2 1/2 hours) during the course of your week. You can break it up into small sessions and it can be anything you like, can do, that keeps you moving for at least 10 minutes at one time ... work up to 30 minutes a day.
If you are overweight, try to drop some pounds. As little as 5% of your current weight will have an effect on bringing down your blood glucose.
Good luck.
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IMHO, you are best off avoiding the ADA like the plague.
The British counterpart is more informative:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk
They actually recommend eating low-carb, whereas the ADA's whopping carb recommendations are a path to a lifetime insulin habit for most T2Ds.
Your goal should be to have glucose levels that are as close as possible to non-diabetic BG levels (not so high that you have to cover excessive carb intake with insulin).0 -
Here's the link the ADA ... if you are in the US, check it out. While the layout of the British one is nicer, the information is the same, except that the Brits have different units of measurement than the US.
http://www.diabetes.org
I use both of them. PS ... but actually, i like the one from Australia even better.
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A good guidebook might be helpful. Dr.Richard K. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution covers a lot of ground, and his YouTube videos (search for "Diabetes University") are worth watching time and again.1
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A good guidebook might be helpful. Dr.Richard K. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution covers a lot of ground, and his YouTube videos (search for "Diabetes University") are worth watching time and again.
I've come across you recommending the Bernstein Diet a couple times now. From what I've seen, this diet is very, very restrictive, leaves out some food groups and had been de-bunked by other doctors and dieticians. Why do you recommend it so much? Just curious.1 -
Well, let's see.
First off, I have read his book several times, and listened to people who agree with his basic approach and to folks who think differently.
I have followed his advice as best I could, and believe it is the best approach for the vast majority - but not all - Type 2 diabetics.
Dr. Bernstein's diet is a carb-limited, calorie-limited high-protein way of eating. He does not count fiber, so he does allow and recommends veggies. From a diabetic's point of view, it is not particulatly restrictive, nor radical, if you accept the idea that carbs and diabetes are not good bedfellows. (The common problem of carb addiction plays a role in his recommendation not to cheat..... )
Rather, because he aims to help you stay off insulin and other expensive drugs and to live a healthy life free of the supposedly "unavoidable" complications of diabetes, Dr. Bernstein's diet is actually rather conservative.
Bernstein himself is a Type 1 diabetic functioning at full speed in his 80s and has treated thousands of T1 and T2 diabetics during his decades as an active diabetes physician. And he is very smart. So he speaks with a wealth of experience and insight.
Unlike the ADA and many others in the medical field, he has no devil's deals with drug companies, sugar producers, or Coca-Cola.
His basic premises are:- If you're a diabetic and therefore most probably carb-intolerant/insulin resistant, you should limit (though not totally eliminate) the one thing that raises your glucose and insulin levels - carbohydrates.
- Diabetics are entitled to the same blood sugar levels as non-diabetics.
In the book, these ideas are exceptionally well-explained and supported, and he clarifies in great detail why the ADA's very high carb and blood sugar "targets" will lead many diabetics to insulin and complications.
His methods of controlling blood glucose levels consist of exercise, a sensible, carb-restricted diet, and if necessary the most benign diabetes medication (Glucophage, which does not tend to cause hypoglycemia).
These methods will not generate millions in profits for industry. They will, however, allow many diabetics to put their disease into remission.
For example, following his recommendations, I was able to lower my A1c from 8 to 5.5 in 3 months, and to 4.9 in one year. My experience appears to be typical for most T2Ds.
Could I live to 100 with an A1c of 8 and an expensive insulin habit? Well, maybe.
But I figure I live once, have one pair of feet, one set of eyeballs, and alas one barely-adequate brain as it is, so I'm not going to roll the dice that failing to aim for non-diabetic blood sugar levels *might* be ok!1 -
I don't take meds for type 2 diabetes and have been off them since April 2016. I eat all food groups, at currently training for 10K run and almost 63. I eat a balanced diet of all food groups...very little processed and my A1C is 5.4. It's obviously not in the 4s but I feel great and my diet certainly is less restrictive and has sustainability.
I am sure the LCHF diet works..I have seen tons of success but so do other approaches. There is no one size fits all for diabetes. Just my opinion.
Diagnosed April 2015.1 -
JaneKnoll1 wrote: »I don't take meds for type 2 diabetes and have been off them since April 2016. I eat all food groups, at currently training for 10K run and almost 63. I eat a balanced diet of all food groups...very little processed and my A1C is 5.4. It's obviously not in the 4s but I feel great and my diet certainly is less restrictive and has sustainability.
I am sure the LCHF diet works..I have seen tons of success but so do other approaches. There is no one size fits all for diabetes. Just my opinion.
Diagnosed April 2015.
That's exactly the key! You have to figure out what works for you as an individual - in a sense, we're all our own science projects.
Chances are, if you are overweight, sedentary, and no longer in your 30s, then if you have T2D, you are carb sensitive/insulin resistant and will at least need to keep a close eye on your carbs if you want to get your BG under control.
I can keep my BG to normal, non-diabetic levels on about 30g net carbs a day, plus 2000g of Glucophage.
Others (like you - congrats!) can get away with more, especially with your amount of exercise.
If you're starting with a pre-diabetic BG/A1c or higher, your odds of finding your "carb sweet-spot" quickly and accurately are better if:- You reduce whatever your carb consumption might be until your glucose levels are wherever you want them, then
- slowly add back small amounts of different types of carbs,
- while frequently and systematically testing your BG.
I know my goals are tighter than others might choose - I already have mild CVD and Alzheimer's in the family. (And, to make matters worse, I only recently got my BG under control, as it took me years of exercise/dietary experiments before I reluctantly broke my pasta habit
and really reduced my carbs - and quickly saw my lipid profile and BG improve. I sure do wish someone - doc, dietitian, ADA, god forbid - had pointed me to LC earlier; but better late than never, I reckon!)
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His diet plan, when you go,to his Clinic, is losing 20 lbs a month, which everyone knows that's far too fast to be healthy. Vitamin B6 and B12 shots twice a week. The cost is anywhere from $800 to $1190 dollars per session, lasting from I to 11 weeks. And, if you read non-diabetic's reviews, after they slowly start re-introducing carbs and increasing 'maintenance' level calories, they start to regain most, if not all their weight back.
Jane, you remember the news anchor here in Ottawa, who did this and lost a ton of weight, then as she began increasing her intake (as advised by the clinic) she gained it all back. Then, sadly, she died at 55 or 56.
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I do remember her and so sad!!!!! It's better approach IMHO to do it slowly and less restrictive. I love my dietician and she helped me get the diet plan that works for me. I think you are doing great Judy and despite your challenges with FBS the doctor must be pleased and you feel great!!!
Personally I would never do that diet but that's me. More moderate and I love to be able to eat less restrictive but healthy!0 -
Ralf, 30 net carbs?!?! I eat about 190-220g carbs a day and consume 35-45g fiber daily...
I couldn't manage on what you do. I wouldn't stick with it....sustained proper eating is a must...I mean Christmas and holidays must be a drag. I do watch but have some treats. I will say I avoid refined carbs on a regular basis and stick to complex ones mostly. I used 1 tsp maple syrup on my oatmeal in the mornings..and yogurt at night.0 -
judyvalentine512 wrote: »His diet plan, when you go,to his Clinic, is losing 20 lbs a month, which everyone knows that's far too fast to be healthy. Vitamin B6 and B12 shots twice a week. The cost is anywhere from $800 to $1190 dollars per session, lasting from I to 11 weeks. And, if you read non-diabetic's reviews, after they slowly start re-introducing carbs and increasing 'maintenance' level calories, they start to regain most, if not all their weight back.
Jane, you remember the news anchor here in Ottawa, who did this and lost a ton of weight, then as she began increasing her intake (as advised by the clinic) she gained it all back. Then, sadly, she died at 55 or 56.
The Bernstein method of exercise and nutrition I am referring to is for life-long maintenance of non-diabetic blood glucose levels (as in his case), not a weight loss tool.
People, especially diabetics, will at some point start to gain weight back if they add more food, especially carbs, and for many of us, our BG control will suffer, too.
When your weight and BG start to creep up, you have to STOP increasing your carbs and go back to what worked. It's simple - but very hard for many of us at the same time.
At some point in the future, I might be able to raise my carbs from 30g to 50g of net carbs per day, but last time, it didn't work. That's not jacking my carbs up anywhere near ADA recommendations, let alone a standard American diet; it's keeping the carbs very limited, because, as a T2D, I have problems with carb metabolism and have to do this to keep my BG within normal levels.0 -
JaneKnoll1 wrote: »Ralf, 30 net carbs?!?! I eat about 190-220g carbs a day and consume 35-45g fiber daily...
I couldn't manage on what you do. I wouldn't stick with it....sustained proper eating is a must...I mean Christmas and holidays must be a drag. I do watch but have some treats. I will say I avoid refined carbs on a regular basis and stick to complex ones mostly. I used 1 tsp maple syrup on my oatmeal in the mornings..and yogurt at night.
It is important not to make LC out to be some sort of insurmountable obstacle. It's not!
First, you not only have to subtract out the fiber, but for fermented products like yogurt, you don't need to count all the carbs because the lactose in the milk/cream it was made from will have been broken down by lactic acid. (I have found that I can eat plain yogurt, kefir, cream cheese, and aged cheese in modest portions without much effect on my BG. Thank goodness.) If you're eating mostly complex carbs and yogurt, etc., and limited amounts of simple carbs (maple syrup) with other foods, I'd guess your net carbs, and the glycemic and insulin loads of your meals are not that high.
Second, you exercise! That reduces insulin resistance, builds muscle, and, unlike many sedentary diabetics, allows you to burn through your glycogen stores. So, basically, you don't need to eat like I do, so there's no reason for you to want to stick with my diet.
Third..... I know that not eating simple carbs sounds like some sort of sentence.
I have to admit, I was not at all wild about the idea of trying LC, due to my love (addiction) for carbs and decades of trying to follow variations of wholesome LF diets. However, my BG kept getting worse, and I really didn't like the picture of the Future Me losing toes, feet, vision, mobility, lucidity. So, with one life to live, there was no rationalization for not trying LC to see if there could be anything to the claim, "Diabetes Need Not Be A Progressive Disease."
To my astonishment, LC worked very well, very quickly. I might not have stuck with it had the results not been so dramatic. My GI issues cleared up (can't test now for celiac disease, since I've stopped eating grains), I sleep better, and I have more energy. Thanks to being able to eat more avocados, coconuts, olives, and other foods I'd previously eaten only in small quantities (along with 100g of protein per day), I have seldom been hungry and my carb cravings have pretty much vanished. (And I never want them back!)
At Xmas, I watch my carbs and calories and have small portions of low-carb desserts I whip up with a few berries, stevia, cream, pure cocoa powder, coconut flour, almond flour, etc. I'm not tempted by the foods that put me at a heightened risk for heart attacks, strokes, autoimmune disease, Alzheimer's.....
Like a sober alcoholic or ex-smoker would put a bottle of booze or a pack of cigarettes in the same bucket as a bottle of Drano, I look at a package of Twinkies or potato chips the same way - If I can walk by my bathroom closet without swigging Drano, I can sit at a table and not drink a glass of Coke. (My wife eats like a hummingbird and has an A1c of 4.6 with no work at all, so I have to resist the carbs around the house every day. Like Mark Twain said, I can smoke no cigars at all, but I can't just smoke a few. Or, as Dr. Bernstein put it, "the human condition does not permit most people to embrace temptation only once.") It's a matter of necessity - and the lack of chance to do life over again.
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Good for you Ralf! I believe there is no one size fits all for diabetes. We are all different...however our commonality is blood sugar issues lol!1
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JaneKnoll1 wrote: »Good for you Ralf! I believe there is no one size fits all for diabetes. We are all different...however our commonality is blood sugar issues lol!
Yes, it's Crazy. I'm guessing there will be at least 8 official types of T2D within the next couple decades, each with its own genetic component, best diet, ideal exercise plan, and personal pharmaceutical regimen and Voilá! we'll be out of the dark ages of tedious self-experimentation and head scratching!0
