[jeanie]

I've been diabetic for a few years but have been only testing my BG regularly for the last 3-4 months. Fasting BG is usually in the 110-130 range. I've never experienced low BG, probably because I don't take insulin. I do take 1000 mg of metformin/day. Because my testing strips are running out I haven't been able to test as often as I'd like. However, when I visit my doc in mid Dec I'm sure he will authorize more/month so that I can test more often. (FYI - I've probably used 150 strips in the last 3 months).

I've stayed very motivated to watch my diet and keep my BG below 140 as much as possible. I've lost 30 lbs and try to keep carbs to as much below 50 grams/day as I can manage. My problem is that I can't seem to get a handle on how certain things control my sugar. I can eat the same thing at two different times of day and it has a much different effect. It seems if I test my BG before I eat something regardless of how high or low my BG, it should still raise my BG by the same "number of points". I know my BG is higher in the morning so I've tried to refrain from eating my favorite yogurt smoothy in the morning. The other day I had a half sandwich for breakfast and soup with a few crackers at lunch. I came home from work and didn't get a chance to eat since I was hosting a neighborhood cookie exchange. Unfortunately, I didn't test my BG beforehand but 2 hours after eating about 5 cookies(!) my BG was only 137. My BG has NEVER been under 85 at any time I've tested so I was surprised it was only 137. If I eat a few carbs at lunch and then test 4 hours later because I'm ready to eat starchy veggies for dinner, I notice my BG tends to be low. Does what you eat for one meal in some way carry over 4-5 hours later? How long does insulin stay in your bloodstream? If anyone has insight into this from their experience, please respond. I don't care how elementary it is. Assume I don't know more than the basics. I'm willing to offer more information if anyone feels it will help. Maybe I'm being impatient, but I'm hoping there might be an easy answer from someone out there.

 

[Shanny]

Boy, Jeanie, you have a gift for hitting the nail square on the head! And congrats on the big weight loss.

Many of us are more carb-sensitive at certain times of day - often it's morning when the exact same meal shoots us to the moon which would cause only a ripple later in the day. And also depending on the amount of fat/protein consumed with the meal, the effects can also be delayed several hours.

Any time I eat any carbs at all, I make sure I have a little fat in the mix . . . butter on my hot veggies, full-fat sour cream dip with my raw veggies, full-fat mayonnaise on my little sandwiches, etc. For years I bought only the low-fat versions of these products, but quickly switched to the full-fat version after diabetes came along. Moderate use of fats is the saving grace for many of us, because it can reduce/delay the effect of the carbs.

There are others here who can explain this far better than I, but I hope you get the gist of it.

 

[jeanie]

Thanks Shanny. I do tend to eat fat but from prior conditioning, sometimes opt for smaller amounts. I always felt that eating carbs later in the day were worse than earlier but you seem to be confirming that earlier in the day is probably the worst time to eat carbs.

 

[Shanny]

Thanks Shanny. I do tend to eat fat but from prior conditioning, sometimes opt for smaller amounts. I always felt that eating carbs later in the day were worse than earlier but you seem to be confirming that earlier in the day is probably the worst time to eat carbs.

It is for a lot of people . . . it's just one of those things each of us finds out for ourselves. Even when we get it figured out, we can't count on it being permanent . . . this cussed disease pretty well does whatever it pleases, with us a half step behind making the necessary adjustments!

 

[jojeti]

Upon first being diagnosed and the months to follow, morning was definitely the worst time to eat carbs. If I ate more than 10 grams in the morning, my BGL would skyrocket...then a funny thing happened, it all changed...now, I can eat more carbs in the morning and my BGL no longer skyrockets and stays within acceptable limits, whereas, my evening numbers now are very sensitve to carbs and I need to be real strict with what I put in my mouth.

 

[jeanie]

Upon first being diagnosed and the months to follow, morning was definitely the worst time to eat carbs. If I ate more than 10 grams in the morning, my BGL would skyrocket...then a funny thing happened, it all changed...now, I can eat more carbs in the morning and my BGL no longer skyrockets and stays within acceptable limits, whereas, my evening numbers now are very sensitve to carbs and I need to be real strict with what I put in my mouth.

Did anything change? Your weight or something that you can pinpoint? I am staying with my locarb approach and just holding off until later in the day. I'm glad to hear someone else had the same results because I thought I was changing something without being aware of it. Maybe taking meds at a different time. Thanks for the input.

 

[jojeti]

Did anything change? Your weight or something that you can pinpoint? I am staying with my locarb approach and just holding off until later in the day. I'm glad to hear someone else had the same results because I thought I was changing something without being aware of it. Maybe taking meds at a different time. Thanks for the input.

During this time, I did lose 80 lbs. I lost that over a 5 month period with low carbing so maybe that is the reason. Somedays are just naturally higher for me, then I will go through a short period of time when I get low. Whatever the reason, I do find that I feel so much better if I stick to a very low carb breakfast even if a couple of servings of carbs don't spike me too much. I seem to have more energy and I don't get hungry or feel like I need to snack. Boy, I can certainly tell the days I eat more than 15 gms of carbs at breakfast, I am hungry all day.

 

[jeanie]

Thanks for your help. I plan to lose more weight so we'll see how things progress.

 

[jwags]

For a long time I could not handle any carbs in the morning without spiking. Even then sometime I would spike later in the morning. A few months ago I switched to an all organic diet that recommended sprouted Eziekel bread. I hadn't had bread in so long so I thought what the heck. They also recommended using Coconut Oil at each meal. All of a sudden my bgs are behaving, even after eating bread. For the first time I am seeing bgs under 100. So I'm not sure if it is the bread or the fat, but it works for me.