At first I tested at both 1-hour and 2-hour intervals - that's when I was getting a feel for which foods to limit or avoid. The 1-hour definitely gives you the spike, as diabetes86 says. The 2-hour interval is to learn if you're safely on your way back to normal levels, or if something might be causing a "slow burn" and keeping you higher for a longer period of time (pizza is notorious for this, btw!).
Once I got a picture for most of the foods I eat regularly, I don't test at the 1-hour interval unless I've introduced something new to my meal, or perhaps ate more than usual (or if I'm eating someone else's cooking & don't know fer shure what's in it! heheh), but I do still test at the 2-hour interval now & then, just to make sure I've dropped back down where I belong. And sometimes I get a really nice surprise - like eating wedges of raw cabbage this week - dropped me well below my usual postprandial readings. Nice to know those things.
Because test strips are so expensive, I have to resist the temptation to test more often, but I really don't think we can test too much, especially at first, if cost is not a consideration. I don't mean compulsively every hour on the hour, of course - but keeping a weather eye on our levels can't help but improve our understanding of what's happening with our bodies.
And stripes? The only silly questions are the ones we won't ask . . . I've always said there are things in this world that we just don't know unless somebody tells us, and if we're afraid to ask, nobody will know we don't know!
Ask all the questions you want! We're here to help each other!
