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BG monitoring
- Thread starter Juliecov
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Docb
Moderator
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi @Juliecov. Good to hear you are making progress.
I'm going to change your question! Instead of asking whether monitoring is useful it is better to ask whether it can be useful. The answer to the second question is a resounding yes. Used well, wisely and systematically, daily testing will help you to sort out just how your system reacts to different food stuffs and allow you to tailor your diet to suit you. Random bodging and then fretting about individual results does not get you very far.
Essentially, what you are looking for is the rise you get in BG after eating. You do this by testing before you eat and a fixed time afterwards. Most suggest 2 hours. Then you start looking for patterns by keeping a food diary alongside the results you get. Then you can start experimenting with what you eat to see if the patterns change. You end up by adjusting your diet to cut back on things that give the bigger rises. It takes a bit of time and application of good old common sense but in the end it works a treat.
One of the things I found early on was that one of the carbs my system seemed to efficiently turn into blood glucose was wheat flour. A change in bread, forgoing cakes and finding out how to thicken sauces without using a roux sorted that and it was the rapid feed back from systematic testing which made it happen. My favourite muesli had to go when I quickly found that it was the dried fruit and not the oats which were giving me double figures mid morning. Just had to find something that did not have the dried fruit.
So, daily testing is not a magic answer to all problems but used thoughtfully with and understanding of what you are after it is a brilliant way of getting your diet adjusted to suit your system. I use the word adjusted rather than changed quite deliberately. I reckon that adjustments are easier to implement and more likely to be maintained than wholesale changes.
I'm going to change your question! Instead of asking whether monitoring is useful it is better to ask whether it can be useful. The answer to the second question is a resounding yes. Used well, wisely and systematically, daily testing will help you to sort out just how your system reacts to different food stuffs and allow you to tailor your diet to suit you. Random bodging and then fretting about individual results does not get you very far.
Essentially, what you are looking for is the rise you get in BG after eating. You do this by testing before you eat and a fixed time afterwards. Most suggest 2 hours. Then you start looking for patterns by keeping a food diary alongside the results you get. Then you can start experimenting with what you eat to see if the patterns change. You end up by adjusting your diet to cut back on things that give the bigger rises. It takes a bit of time and application of good old common sense but in the end it works a treat.
One of the things I found early on was that one of the carbs my system seemed to efficiently turn into blood glucose was wheat flour. A change in bread, forgoing cakes and finding out how to thicken sauces without using a roux sorted that and it was the rapid feed back from systematic testing which made it happen. My favourite muesli had to go when I quickly found that it was the dried fruit and not the oats which were giving me double figures mid morning. Just had to find something that did not have the dried fruit.
So, daily testing is not a magic answer to all problems but used thoughtfully with and understanding of what you are after it is a brilliant way of getting your diet adjusted to suit your system. I use the word adjusted rather than changed quite deliberately. I reckon that adjustments are easier to implement and more likely to be maintained than wholesale changes.
trophywench
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Well - as the regime is supposed to be to test, then review and adjust whatever you ate (the actual food substance or the amount of it if the post meal level is not within the parameters you are trying to achieve) if you are not actually doing that after every single meal you test before and after, then no, not every single meal.
After a while doing it and getting very acceptable results, you wouldn't have to test that amount of that food at that time of day, except occasionally to ensure it's still OK - because you've already proved it normally is!
After a while doing it and getting very acceptable results, you wouldn't have to test that amount of that food at that time of day, except occasionally to ensure it's still OK - because you've already proved it normally is!
Hi Juliecov, It's fantastic that you've made such a great change without measuring daily!
I would say it's important as you can see whether you're on the right track and whether something you may not have expected to spike your sugar, has.
Once you've consistently tested for a few weeks you might want to reduce the amount of times you test as you'll have had a feel for what works best for you.
I would say it's important as you can see whether you're on the right track and whether something you may not have expected to spike your sugar, has.
Once you've consistently tested for a few weeks you might want to reduce the amount of times you test as you'll have had a feel for what works best for you.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I often liken trying to manage blood glucose levels without a monitor, to driving your car without a speedometer and it really came home to me today when out driving as I was constantly checking the speedometer reading as the speed limit changed so frequently. I know not being able to do that I would have been driving more than limit at least 50% of the time.
So very definitely testing the effect of foods is very worthwhile as long as you use that information wisely.
So very definitely testing the effect of foods is very worthwhile as long as you use that information wisely.
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