| I'm new to this too. It is best to check 2 hours after your first bite on a meal. If you do that every day and eat 3 times a day then that would be 6 times. You may need to do this at first to see what / how your body responds to certain foods.
After you have figured that out, you can just pick one different meal a week to check. For example on Monday you might want to check how you do after breakfast. Tuesday before / after Lunch. Wednesday before / after dinner.
It is really up to you and how many strips you can get through prescription and what you can afford. No one is going to not tell you to not test 10 times / day if your fingers can handle it. Really up to you and what you are comfortable with.
2 small snacks is a good idea. Like a handful of nuts / almonds. Helps to balance out your sugar levels through the day. I'm still working on that too.
285 is too big of a spike. Most people shoot for 140 two hours after a meal. Besides watching carbs you also need to watch your portion size.
Hope this helps some and take care.
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low carb diet / exercise / Metformin ER 1000 mg/day / HbA1C 6.3% | 
