3 hours after eating Glucose level

[Jenny65]

Hi Everyone

I have only 2 lancets left so used one tonight 3 hours after eating, its reading was 8.3ml/mol I have googled and it says a non-diabetic should be 5.3 or less after 3 hours, but as I am a diabetic person I was wondering if that result is within the acceptable limits? My highest reading which caused me to be diagnosed was 19.4 in June so its a lot lower than that one. I wonder if I am expecting too much from the weight loss, exercise etc.

How do Glucose levels work, I mean I am assuming its not like weight that you start at a point and each day it gets gradually lower with the correct diet etc. In my head blood sugar relates to immediate input so each day the possibility to eat low carb.sugar could mean you have the same chance of reducing your level as you would if you were on day 5 or day 500, if that makes sense, I mean your glucose level doesnt just sit there at say in my example 19,. and gradually get lower , surely it would drop if someone fasts for a couple of days and reset itself, I am only guessing. Another way of putting it, could I eat exactly what I have eaten today in 500 days time and get a much lower result as its accumulative or is each day a fresh chance to take control as you dont retain sugar like you do weight.

 

[Leadinglights]

The general guidance for Type 2 diabetics, are to be aiming at 4-7mmol/l before meals or fasting (morning) and an increase of no more than 2-3mmol/l 2 hours after meals. But once your levels start to come down and they will if you keep the meal rises to those suggested you aim for no more than 8-8.5mmol/l 2 hours after meals.

 

[Jenny65]

The general guidance for Type 2 diabetics, are to be aiming at 4-7mmol/l before meals or fasting (morning) and an increase of no more than 2-3mmol/l 2 hours after meals. But once your levels start to come down and they will if you keep the meal rises to those suggested you aim for no more than 8-8.5mmol/l 2 hours after meals.

Thank you for this response, I understand what you are saying here. So if I regularly make sure I eat only when my pre meal levels are between 4-7, then check they increase by no more than 3 2 hours after eating, eventually they will get lower over time. I guess that answers my question, its a long term thing I wont get low levels tomorrow just because i have a very good eating day, it is a build up over time of sugar that will take time to reduce 🙂

I am going to have to order more lancets now and strips 🙂

 

[Bruce Stephens]

or is each day a fresh chance to take control as you dont retain sugar like you do weight.

Pretty much (for people with Type 2), yes, in that you (like people without diabetes) have these homeostasis mechanisms which should regulate blood glucose. It's just that the insulin part isn't quite good enough to handle an unrestricted diet (whether that's insulin production or insulin resistance), so each time you eat something heavy in carbs there's a chance your BG will go too high and then it'll take a while to lower. But give it enough time (with fasting or just eating a low carb diet) and your BG ought to return to the normal (4-7) level.

 

[Jenny65]

7.4 today! so happy and also under 13 stone (12 stone 13!) so a double celebration. I feel things are moving in the right direction at last, thank you for your support. I have ordered more strips and lancets but cant test until they arrive, but will carefully follow my low carb diet and exercise plan until then.

Have a good day everyone

 

[Jenny65]

Noticed this today, its about pre-diabetes but I had a baby weighing 10 pounds 7 oz in 1993 and had no idea that made me a more likely candidate for diabetes. So I am obese, I was fairly inactive since pandemic, Not sure about blood pressure as not had it taken but I was always low apart from when I was pregnant with pre-elampsia, My cholesterol is off the scale, no other people in my family have diabetes, but the last one yep. so I have 4 of the risks and another one not included is I am an apple shape all fat in the middle.

"Any of these risk factors can increase your chances of developing prediabetes:

• being overweight or obese
• being inactive
• having high blood pressure
• having high cholesterol
• having a close family member with type 2 diabetes
• giving birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds"

 

[harbottle]

Hi Everyone

I have only 2 lancets left so used one tonight 3 hours after eating, its reading was 8.3ml/mol I have googled and it says a non-diabetic should be 5.3 or less after 3 hours, but as I am a diabetic person I was wondering if that result is within the acceptable limits? My highest reading which caused me to be diagnosed was 19.4 in June so its a lot lower than that one. I wonder if I am expecting too much from the weight loss, exercise etc.

How do Glucose levels work, I mean I am assuming its not like weight that you start at a point and each day it gets gradually lower with the correct diet etc. In my head blood sugar relates to immediate input so each day the possibility to eat low carb.sugar could mean you have the same chance of reducing your level as you would if you were on day 5 or day 500, if that makes sense, I mean your glucose level doesnt just sit there at say in my example 19,. and gradually get lower , surely it would drop if someone fasts for a couple of days and reset itself, I am only guessing. Another way of putting it, could I eat exactly what I have eaten today in 500 days time and get a much lower result as its accumulative or is each day a fresh chance to take control as you dont retain sugar like you do weight.

I've never read anything about 5.3 three hours after eating. This from the Mayo Clinic:

• Random blood sugar test. A blood sample will be taken at a random time. Regardless of when you last ate, a blood sugar level of 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) — 11.1 millimoles per liter (mmol/L) — or higher suggests diabetes.
• Fasting blood sugar test. A blood sample will be taken after an overnight fast. A fasting blood sugar level less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) is normal. A fasting blood sugar level from 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L) is considered prediabetes. If it's 126 mg/dL (7 mmol/L) or higher on two separate tests, you have diabetes.

A blood sugar level less than 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L) is normal. A reading of more than 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) after two hours indicates diabetes. A reading between 140 and 199 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L and 11.0 mmol/L) indicates prediabete

It's not the going up that's the problem (It's natural, even in non-diabetics) but the not coming down - and if there's insufficient insulin to overcome insulin resistance then it's not going to come down quickly.

 

[Nayshiftin]

I’ve read that you should not come down too quickly. Also the 4 to 7 is a guide . It might not be possible for you. Mine goes up and down more than that all the time without eating . Sometimes I have to eat to bring it down. We don’t all fit the tick boxes.

 

[harbottle]

The liver will release glucose into the blood stream under certain conditions (Like a trickle, when sleeping, to keep things ticking over, and also to for energy, the cause of the 'dawn phenomenon' that some people get leading to high levels in the morning) The consequence of insulin resistance/lack of insulin equates to the same thing - rising levels - and if the signalling isn't working properly (A problem with some T2s) the liver produces glucose when it doesn't need to.

 

[Nayshiftin]

The liver will release glucose into the blood stream under certain conditions (Like a trickle, when sleeping, to keep things ticking over, and also to for energy, the cause of the 'dawn phenomenon' that some people get leading to high levels in the morning) The consequence of insulin resistance/lack of insulin equates to the same thing - rising levels - and if the signalling isn't working properly (A problem with some T2s) the liver produces glucose when it doesn't need to.

I think this is my problem . Need to research more into insulin resistance

 

[Eddy Edson]

7.4 today! so happy and also under 13 stone (12 stone 13!) so a double celebration. I feel things are moving in the right direction at last, thank you for your support. I have ordered more strips and lancets but cant test until they arrive, but will carefully follow my low carb diet and exercise plan until then.

Have a good day everyone

Brilliant!

Likely enough it will continue to fall over time, but day to day things can be erratic. So focus on the trend.

This was me, starting about 3 months after diagnosis:


At diagnosis my waking BG levels and daily avg were both in the teens, so when this chart started they'd already started to fall quite a lot, via a combination of weight loss, metformin and cutting out obvious rubbish food. After another three months I'd lost ~10kg which for me was enough to pretty much "normalise" my BG regulation. But day to day things could jump around a lot.


Re lancets: I know it says you're supposed to only use them once or something, but that's just c**p. I think you'd find that most people around here only change lancets very very infrequently - once a year on St Swithin's day, as the little house joke puts it.

 

[harbottle]

I think this is my problem . Need to research more into insulin resistance

I believe it's linked to 'metabolic syndrome' and in particular high triglycerides (Apparently they block the receptors that take in the insulin.) High TG is associated with being overweight. Mine came down when I lost weight to low levels.

It's also normal to be insulin resistant in the morning due to the hormones that get released - even non-diabetics may see slightly raised levels in the morning (I think)

 

[Nayshiftin]

I looked briefly and have a lot except the high BP . Family had diabetes, pcos, obesity , high cholesterol and if I recall the bad one so that’s most of the list. I am trying to lose weight but the hunger makes it too hard . Tbh some days I get so to x with it that life is not worth it. I cannot see me ever coping now. I can’t take metformin snd apart from diet thee is little hope . Insulin would make me worse reading this so this really is bad news.

 

[harbottle]

I looked briefly and have a lot except the high BP . Family had diabetes, pcos, obesity , high cholesterol and if I recall the bad one so that’s most of the list. I am trying to lose weight but the hunger makes it too hard . Tbh some days I get so to x with it that life is not worth it. I cannot see me ever coping now. I can’t take metformin snd apart from diet thee is little hope . Insulin would make me worse reading this so this really is bad news.

I had the lot - high BP, low HDL, high TG, High LDL (The so-called bad one) and sky high BG.

Don't give up - diet/weight loss sorted it out after 3 months for me and I was told last month I could stop Metformin (My hba1c was higher than yours.)

I don't get hungry, though. Are your meals made up of some good fats and protein? I find that a small portion of yoghurt, peanut butter and a handful of berries keeps me full for hours.

 

[Nayshiftin]

I had the lot - high BP, low HDL, high TG, High LDL (The so-called bad one) and sky high BG.

Don't give up - diet/weight loss sorted it out after 3 months for me and I was told last month I could stop Metformin (My hba1c was higher than yours.)

I don't get hungry, though. Are your meals made up of some good fats and protein? I find that a small portion of yoghurt, peanut butter and a handful of berries keeps me full for hours.

Yes, Metformin might be your helper there.it does decrease one’s appetite.

 

[Jenny65]

Brilliant!

Likely enough it will continue to fall over time, but day to day things can be erratic. So focus on the trend.

This was me, starting about 3 months after diagnosis:

View attachment 21733
At diagnosis my waking BG levels and daily avg were both in the teens, so when this chart started they'd already started to fall quite a lot, via a combination of weight loss, metformin and cutting out obvious rubbish food. After another three months I'd lost ~10kg which for me was enough to pretty much "normalise" my BG regulation. But day to day things could jump around a lot.


Re lancets: I know it says you're supposed to only use them once or something, but that's just c**p. I think you'd find that most people around here only change lancets very very infrequently - once a year on St Swithin's day, as the little house joke puts it.

re-used a lancet just now, 2 hours after breakfast and my glucose has gone up to 10.4

 

[Nayshiftin]

re-used a lancet just now, 2 hours after breakfast and my glucose has gone up to 10.4

On ftf this morning I had bg of 9.2 that was at 5:47. Breakfast was. 7.58!am and that was 8.8! Now just before lunch it’s 9.6 so I need to weight until it drops a lot ? Before I eat . I will possibly find it will come down even more once I eat and go up before next meal . It all depends . Yesterday at 1400 I was 6.5 but 8.4 on ftf at 6.59 . Yes I am all over the place. I have a cat ridge supposed to be six uses I change it when it feels blunt about once a month I say . I do have lenders but I cannot get used to the applicator. Prefer fast clix so much simpler.

 

[Jenny65]

On ftf this morning I had bg of 9.2 that was at 5:47. Breakfast was. 7.58!am and that was 8.8! Now just before lunch it’s 9.6 so I need to weight until it drops a lot ? Before I eat . I will possibly find it will come down even more once I eat and go up before next meal . It all depends . Yesterday at 1400 I was 6.5 but 8.4 on ftf at 6.59 . Yes I am all over the place. I have a cat ridge supposed to be six uses I change it when it feels blunt about once a month I say . I do have lenders but I cannot get used to the applicator. Prefer fast clix so much simpler.

Ahhh, that is a lot of fluctuations, I basically just forced the needle into the skin as the lancent device said no....

I am happy with it really though I wont eat unless im in the 7's pre eating, so will waith for my 10.4 to come down by 3 points and then have lunch, I was stupid to have such a late breakfast, I had one scrambled egg on a wholemeal slice of toast (with benecol) and cherry tomatos grilled. For lunch I am having just yoghurt and berries as very hot and bothered but as I say it wont be until much later, possibly 3pm

Dinner will be lots of veg and some fish and then loads of water, and a small handful of nuts and seeds as a snack

 

[Nayshiftin]

Ahhh, that is a lot of fluctuations, I basically just forced the needle into the skin as the lancent device said no....

I am happy with it really though I wont eat unless im in the 7's pre eating, so will waith for my 10.4 to come down by 3 points and then have lunch, I was stupid to have such a late breakfast, I had one scrambled egg on a wholemeal slice of toast (with benecol) and cherry tomatos grilled. For lunch I am having just yoghurt and berries as very hot and bothered but as I say it wont be until much later, possibly 3pm

Dinner will be lots of veg and some fish and then loads of water, and a small handful of nuts and seeds as a snack

Sounds like a good plan

 

[gll]

@Jenny65
Be very careful when simply not eating to wait for levels to come down. You don't have injected insulin to help and sometimes just having something to eat will trigger your own insulin response 😉
I would often go all day without eating waiting for the "magic drop" because I was so fixated on being low enough to eat the next meal.
All that did was bring guilt when eating the food I needed to sustain myself and the potential for overeating at the next mealtime or the knock on effect of eating late pushed the next meal back again which effected that meals reading or waking reading etc.

Stay low carb but eat when you need to and stop trying to skip ahead to perfection, that will come in time. Celebrate your victories when they come but don't try and force them.

You are doing fabby but give yourself some room to breathe