New to testing - questions

[Shannonsnail]

I bought a meter over the weekend and am beginning to test. I have read a recommendation on another diabetes website to eat normally for a week, testing regularly, and then use that information to make changes, testing regularly, and then use that informaton to make changes...etc. So, I'm in my 'eat like you normally do' phase.

I am doing a fasting baseline and then testing after meals at the one hour and two hour marks. What is considered 'normal' or 'ok' at these timepoints? Also, I am noticing that my 2 hour tests are lower than my first morning fasting. Is that due to the dawn phenomenen or does that mean something else?

Thanks for your help!

[Cluck]

I bought a meter over the weekend and am beginning to test. I have read a recommendation on another diabetes website to eat normally for a week, testing regularly, and then use that information to make changes, testing regularly, and then use that informaton to make changes...etc. So, I'm in my 'eat like you normally do' phase.

I am doing a fasting baseline and then testing after meals at the one hour and two hour marks. What is considered 'normal' or 'ok' at these timepoints? Also, I am noticing that my 2 hour tests are lower than my first morning fasting. Is that due to the dawn phenomenen or does that mean something else?

Thanks for your help!

You should probably be testing throughout the day as BG will vary with metabolic/hormonal changes through the day as well. I'd suggest something like 7am (or whenever you get up), 1 hr and 2hrs after breakfast, before lunch, 1 hr and 2 hrs after lunch, before dinner, 1hr and 2hrs after dinner, before bed. That's 10*/day which seems alot, but it will give you alot of information on which to base your dietary changes.

Insulin resistance (IR) is often higher in the morning and/or the liver has dumped glucose into your system overnight so fasting BGs can be higher than you'd like.

What people/doctors/dieticians/endos/other diabetics think are ideal BGs will vary ALOT. As a rough rule of thumb any BG over 140 is not good. I like to be between 80-120 as much as possible.

Good luck in making changes to your diet. There are some really great threads about lower carb diets on this forum.