Just checking bg pre and post meal parameters.....

[Lucylemonpip]

Am I right in thinking the following:

Before meals, T2 diabetics want to aim at a bg reading of 4.0 - 7.0 and that 2 hours after meals, T2 diabetics want to aim for <8.5 on bg testing?

 

[Andy HB]

Yep, those are the general ranges to aim for (although when I was diagnosed, I was given a little more latitude 2hrs after. That is between 7 and 9mmol/L at worst). 🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I don’t think the current NICE guidelines include specific BG targets for self monitoring (frustratingly they don’t offer much support for self monitoring as a focussed way to improve self management on diet and exercise, but that’s a long story).

I believe the figures you quoted were part of the previous guidance for T2. I’m not sure if they are still listed on the Diabetes UK website.

 

[Eddy Edson]

I’m not sure if they are still listed on the Diabetes UK website.

Looks like they are: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/testing

f you have Type 2 diabetes

• before meals: 4 to 7mmol/l
• two hours after meals: less than 8.5mmol/l

 

[Lucylemonpip]

Fab! Thank you Andy, Mike, Eddy and Martin. I didn’t want to be following the wrong numbers! Lol.

 

[Drummer]

You can't really aim for pre meal numbers - they are a Schroedinger's cat experience - they are what they are when you look at them.
The after meal numbers, you can learn to move those to within the number you decide upon by eating or not eating various foods.
I set my limit at 8 and worked towards that, test and adjust or remove from my menu.
Once I got to a situation where I was seeing under 8 most of the time I stuck to those meals and saw my numbers fall to below 7 with no further effort.

 

[Lucylemonpip]

Thank you Drummer. My bg readings are mostly within the parameters and I’ve been logging my foods and the bg readings for a month or so now. Because I am dieting to lose weight, I’ve not been eating potatoes, rice etc, even very small portions, so I don’t actually know what my numbers would be for those foods. It will be interesting to see. I have a big birthday coming up in August, so have a good reason to lose weight, including, of course, that I want to ward off those dreaded “complications” in the future for as long as I can. 🙂

 

[Drummer]

I avoid high carb foods solely to control my diabetes - weight loss happened when I reduced my blood glucose levels as weight gain is a feature of eating too many carbs - at least for me, and always has been.
the complications of diabetes are usually from it being uncontrolled - though some are unlucky and develop them anyway. I aim for low after meal readings and hope for the best.