Hi there

[rebrascora]

I suspect your meter may not be reliable. 4.2 after jam on 2 slices of toasted tiger bread seems a lot lower than I would expect unless you have done some exercise since eating it. What was your premeal reading?
There is still the sugar from fruit in your jam and bread is a high carb food and white bread like tiger bread is pretty refined so will likely release it's glucose quite fast.

I would test that again now with another test strip and test the same meal another day and see if you get a similarly good result, but I don't have a lot of faith in your BG meter from the previous very low results you have had. Which BG meter is it you are using?

 

[Martin.A]

Hi again just took it after lunch (sure free jam on tiger bread medium sliced toast, two slices at 12pm) it was 4.2

That seems quite low for a lunch that must have been between 40-50g carbohydrate. I'd be more than happy with that post-prandial. Did you also test just before eating, as @Leadinglights suggested?

 

[Lucyr]

I suspect your meter may not be reliable. 4.2 after jam on 2 slices of toasted tiger bread seems a lot lower than I would expect unless you have done some exercise since eating it. What was your premeal reading?
There is still the sugar from fruit in your jam and bread is a high carb food and white bread like tiger bread is pretty refined so will likely release it's glucose quite fast.

4.2 could also indicate something like reactive hypoglycaemia

 

[Peekaboo63]

That seems quite low for a lunch that must have been between 40-50g carbohydrate. I'd be more than happy with that post-prandial. Did you also test just before eating, as @Leadinglights suggested?

No Martin I didn’t, I will have to I am finding it interesting and I am amazed at how my diet is going to have to have a major overhaul lol.
I just had a meal and waited 2 hours before testing, but I will do a before and after.
I normally have 50/50 bread but really fancied some tiger bread this time around but I only eat 2 slices bread a day, but looks like I am going to have to knock the bread on the head?

 

[Peekaboo63]

I suspect your meter may not be reliable. 4.2 after jam on 2 slices of toasted tiger bread seems a lot lower than I would expect unless you have done some exercise since eating it. What was your premeal reading?
There is still the sugar from fruit in your jam and bread is a high carb food and white bread like tiger bread is pretty refined so will likely release it's glucose quite fast.

I would test that again now with another test strip and test the same meal another day and see if you get a similarly good result, but I don't have a lot of faith in your BG meter from the previous very low results you have had. Which BG meter is it you are using?

It’s a meter by Yuwell … the jam I use is Stute jam sugar free for diabetics.
Normally I eat 50/50 bread.
I had malties for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk.
Thank you so much for your advice, I am taking it all onboard

 

[Martin.A]

No Martin I didn’t, I will have to I am finding it interesting and I am amazed at how my diet is going to have to have a major overhaul lol.
I just had a meal and waited 2 hours before testing, but I will do a before and after.
I normally have 50/50 bread but really fancied some tiger bread this time around but I only eat 2 slices bread a day, but looks like I am going to have to knock the bread on the head?

Nobody's going to tell you you can't have bread but as the idea is to reduce the amount of carbohydrate in your diet you will need to be aware of how much is in what you eat and also, by testing before eating and then 2 hours later, with nothing in between, what effect it had on your BG. That's how we sort out our diets - reducing portion sizes or cutting things out altogether.

 

[Drummer]

It’s a meter by Yuwell … the jam I use is Stute jam sugar free for diabetics.
Normally I eat 50/50 bread.
I had malties for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk.
Thank you so much for your advice, I am taking it all onboard

The Stute Strawberry jam seems to be almost 60% carbohydrate - I can't see that being something I'd ever try - I usually restrict my foods to under 11%, plus I don't eat grain, so 'ordinary' breads are not on my menu.
By eating proteins and fats I have been able to keep control of my blood glucose levels, but I am a very ordinary type 2 and find that lower carb intake results in lower blood glucose as a given. I can cope with small amounts of carbs, but after so many years now I find I can still stick to the same meals quite happily.

 

[Leadinglights]

It’s a meter by Yuwell … the jam I use is Stute jam sugar free for diabetics.
Normally I eat 50/50 bread.
I had malties for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk.
Thank you so much for your advice, I am taking it all onboard

Just be careful of products that are advertised as being sugar free as they may not be particularly low carbohydrate which is the important factor.
There are some low carb breads around, look for the seeded ones as they can be lower carb.
Breakfast cereals are high carb even a small bowl will be 30g plus of carbs, cereals are very deceptive as to portion size so very well weighting them to give you an idea of the carbs. 42g of Malties will be 33g carbs even though they may be low sugar. My clasic example is puffed wheat which are 0.6 g per 100g sugar but a whopping 69g carbs.
I don't think I have heard mention by anyone of that monitor so can't speak for its reliability.

 

[Peekaboo63]

Very sound advice around cereal, going to really have to check on carb amounts. Shall have to start reading labels, is oats any better do you think? It’s just habit really, weekdays cereals has always been the norm or toast, I will check out seeded bread.
I can checkout a more expensive moniter in January sales

 

[Peekaboo63]

The Stute Strawberry jam seems to be almost 60% carbohydrate - I can't see that being something I'd ever try - I usually restrict my foods to under 11%, plus I don't eat grain, so 'ordinary' breads are not on my menu.
By eating proteins and fats I have been able to keep control of my blood glucose levels, but I am a very ordinary type 2 and find that lower carb intake results in lower blood glucose as a given. I can cope with small amounts of carbs, but after so many years now I find I can still stick to the same meals quite happily.

Thank you that’s encouraging… I really want to try, my dad bless his heart had diabetes when he was alive and used to say to me you are young enough to do something about it.
I really think if I can control the sugar craving I might stand a chance of loosing weight for once

 

[Mark72]

Very sound advice around cereal, going to really have to check on carb amounts. Shall have to start reading labels, is oats any better do you think? It’s just habit really, weekdays cereals has always been the norm or toast, I will check out seeded bread.
I can checkout a more expensive moniter in January sales

Welcome to the forum. Oats apparently seems to be very individual, for some I think it causes blood sugar to rocket and for others makes little difference. Definitely read labels, I find some things I wouldn't expect work out pretty good on sugar/carbs and others much worse.

 

[Leadinglights]

Very sound advice around cereal, going to really have to check on carb amounts. Shall have to start reading labels, is oats any better do you think? It’s just habit really, weekdays cereals has always been the norm or toast, I will check out seeded bread.
I can checkout a more expensive moniter in January sales

Having something like full fat Greek yoghurt with berries and seeds or nuts is a breakfast many choose. I have that but with a small portion of a keto granola which is only about 9g carbs per 100g. Having eggs is also good, having protein and healthy fats with a small slice of toast works for some.
I don't think the cost of the monitor is a factor as they all have to conform to a standard. More expensive isn't always better.

 

[Mark72]

Having something like full fat Greek yoghurt with berries and seeds or nuts is a breakfast many choose. I have that but with a small portion of a keto granola which is only about 9g carbs per 100g. Having eggs is also good, having protein and healthy fats with a small slice of toast works for some.
I don't think the cost of the monitor is a factor as they all have to conform to a standard. More expensive isn't always better.

I tend to do a slice of seeded wholemeal bread with spread by The Flower Farm (about 1/3 the fat of my wife's Anchor Spreadable and no palm oil in it and pretty nice) but am planning to try yogurt, berries and maybe some toasted almonds over the Christmas break when I have more time for sorting out food, dogs and children.

 

[Leadinglights]

You may both benefit on looking at this link if you haven't already. Good explanation and some menu plans and recipes. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

 

[Peekaboo63]

Hi and welcome.

Sorry to hear that you are having such disturbed sleep with having to visit the bathroom through the night so often. This is unlikely to be caused by your diabetes with levels under 10mmols. Could you perhaps have a UTI developing? Definitely mention it when you are at the doctors for your blood test.

Which meter do you have for testing your blood? Some of the cheaper ones give a false low reading if you don't get enough blood in the test strip. You do have to hold the meter and strip quite steady when you introduce the test strip to the blood spot because if you lose contact with the blood whilst the test strip is drawing the blood up by capillary action, it causes an air lock in the test strip channel which means it cannot function properly. Most meters give an error code, but there are one or two which just give a false low reading which can really worry some people. As @Martin.A says, if 1.6 was correct, you would feel incredibly unwell, if you were even conscious, so I am very confident that was an erroneous reading. It does take a while to develop a good testing regime, both in terms of pricking your finger and applying the test strip to the blood. Do persevere though, as testing can be incredibly helpful is showing you which foods cause you a problem and which ones you can get away with and it can be quite surprising and very individual from one person to another. For instance some people can get away with porridge for breakfast and it lives up to it's slow release reputation and others of us find that it is like rocket fuel and sends our Blood Glucose (BG) into orbit.

Anyway, I very much hope that you will find being a member of the forum as helpful and supportive and informative as I have and that it enables you to manage your diabetes well. Good luck with your blood test and do let us know when you get your result. I suspect from the BG readings you have got that you may have moved into the diabetes zone from prediabetes but with the right information and support, it should be possible to push it back again.

Hi thank you so much for taking the time and effort to help me on my journey .
Today I have taken better readings I feel : am) before breakfast was 6.7 two hours later it was 6.4…. Lunch time before eating it was 7 then two hours later it was 7.2… tonight before tea was 6.9 I havn’t done my after tea reading yet as I ate tea late but sounding more realistic, and happy with my food choices not craving sugary things inbetween like normal, so fingers crossed it continues

 

[Peekaboo63]

I tend to do a slice of seeded wholemeal bread with spread by The Flower Farm (about 1/3 the fat of my wife's Anchor Spreadable and no palm oil in it and pretty nice) but am planning to try yogurt, berries and maybe some toasted almonds over the Christmas break when I have more time for sorting out food, dogs and children.

That all sounds lovely where do you buy flower farm spread please?
I feel I made good food choices today had porridge this morning, then for lunch I had ham omelette and baked beans then yoghurt, this evening I had savoury mince cooked from scratch with steam fresh veg and yoghurt blueberries and banana .
Readings were 6.7,6.4 then lunch 7, 7.2 then 6.9 not took after tea reading yet as I was late eating

 

[Peekaboo63]

You may both benefit on looking at this link if you haven't already. Good explanation and some menu plans and recipes. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

Oh thank you I just notice this and I have downloaded the app , that is so kind of you, I will enjoy going on it .

 

[Jodee]

As suggested request a HbA1C blood test, to know your real blood glucose levels over past 3 months, your symptoms are classic of high blood glucose a urine sample test alone is not a real guideline.

 

[Peekaboo63]

As suggested request a HbA1C blood test, to know your real blood glucose levels over past 3 months, your symptoms are classic of high blood glucose a urine sample test alone is not a real guideline.

Thank you this will be helpful

 

[rebrascora]

That all sounds lovely where do you buy flower farm spread please?
I feel I made good food choices today had porridge this morning, then for lunch I had ham omelette and baked beans then yoghurt, this evening I had savoury mince cooked from scratch with steam fresh veg and yoghurt blueberries and banana .
Readings were 6.7,6.4 then lunch 7, 7.2 then 6.9 not took after tea reading yet as I was late eating

Many of us who follow a low carb way of eating to help manage our diabetes use real butter and real cream and full fat milk and cheese.
Most of the spreads are heavily processed and not necessarily better for us and don't taste as good as butter in my opinion. If I am giving up a lot of the things I used to enjoy, then I want to enjoy the foods I have left to me in order to make it sustainable, so I have real double cream in my coffee on a morning (never Elmlea) and it is one of my little daily luxuries and a knob of real butter on my cabbage and courgettes and mushrooms etc. and a chunk of really nice cheese for lunch with half a good British apple like a Braeburn or a Coxes if I can get some, or one off my own trees, cut into slices instead of biscuits or grapes with my cheese.

Good to hear you are getting more consistent readings from your meter. As mentioned, a replacement doesn't have to be more expensive but just one that is known to be reliable. There are 3 on the forum which are all much the same price as the one you bought and have reasonably priced test strips, but are tried and tested by members here over the years without issue. Those are the Gluco Navii, the Spirit Healthcare Tee2 and I think the Contour Plus Next. Hopefully someone will correct me about that last one, but the first 2 have been used by members here for many, many years without issue.