Hi, Robert! Good for you for decreasing your carb intake -- it makes such a difference! Sometimes, though, the difference is hard to recognize.
Are you taking any medications or insulin for your diabetes? If so, eventually you and your doctor may have to talk about reducing the amount you're taking to compensate for the lower amount of carbs you're taking in.
Are you testing your blood glucose regularly? That's where you should see the significant results.
Kinda depends on your body's ability to manage insulin on its own. It may not be as good as it was years ago, so even halving carbs from the "standard" diet may lower BG but not enough to get you below 100 on a routine basis. But you should start seeing lower readings in even a few days.
When are you testing? If random or fasting, those numbers may be slow at making a noticeable change as a downward trend. Your body is accustomed to higher BG level and the liver is probably working hard putting out extra glucose to keep it up at that level when you first reduce your intake. Cutting carbs should show bigger impacts on BG levels in the first couple of hours after eating and eventually as your liver stores less you should see fasting numbers start to come down. As itissteve mentions, there are other factors involved and circumstances may have changed a little bit over the years.
Many thanks. First am test 12 hours fast after evening meal. Then after lunch, at 2, 4, and 6 hours. Of course those vary greatly but the am test is what I consider the most valuable.
I do the > lunch testing to learn what causes the best/worst spikes, but just began this so not much data yet.
You'd do better testing 1 and 2 hrs pp, The 4 and 6 hours may be a waste of expensive strips because the spike, if it occurs, will happen nearer to 1 hr.
I will look at those links. Mind set is to test at 12 hours because that's what my lab directs. For three days in a row, my BG continued to rise at 8, 10, 12, and 14 hours. Yes, testing too much but still surprised my 14 hour reading is 15 pts higher than 12 hours. Of course I'm stressing myself so have to settle on a better schedule
All testing is data. Some more useful than others.
When I first started testing I tested a LOT. I was fascinated about the ups and downs of BG (something I hadn't known about previously) and since I could afford the strips (thanks to insurance) I tested all the time. I would have loved to have had a CGM (continuous glucose monitor). Still would, actually.
But I settled down to a more useful testing method as mentioned above after I ran through the first vial of strips in a week and a half and my frugal nature took over.
15 point difference isn't really that much. Your blood is not homogeneous. There will be different concentrations of glucose throughout the blood. Test just minutes apart will not be the same. (even seconds apart). Plus, the technology of our current meters is not 100% accurate - a deviation of 10-15% is the norm.
Don't get too hung up on the fasting BG (first thing after waking). It's the post meal (1hr pp) that tell you more about how you're metabolizing carbohydrates. When you get your post meal levels down, the fasting will follow (eventually). You really have little control over the fasting level but you have direct control over what's in your meals.
I would suggest reading on www.bloodsugar101.com to expand your knowledge of diabetes. It's well worth the time. Every time I visit it again I learn something new.
Don't get too hung up on the fasting BG (first thing after waking). It's the post meal (1hr pp) that tell you more about how you're metabolizing carbohydrates.
Thanks, I am just now learning and will read the link.
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