Understanding Your True Hunger Signals
Your blood sugar, appetite, and cravings are intimately intertwined.
Most people looking to lose weight or improve their metabolic health have some form of insulin resistance or metabolic dysregulation. Subsequently, their blood sugars are often erratic and unpredictable!
While someone with average to good metabolic health might experience cravings and fatigue when they abstain from food for even a few hours, someone with metabolic syndrome might feel the lowest blood sugar lows when their bodies go without food. These people crack under pressure like a questioned criminal and give in to the array of junk foods in their pantry!
The first fast might be easy. But as you begin to challenge your body as you fast more frequently for longer, it becomes accustomed to self-imposed starvation.
Over time, it might start to believe youre actually starving , making your cravings, appetite, and hunger that much stronger and more challenging to manage when you eat again. This stress response can impede your sleep and recovery, which in the long term can make you fatter!
When the first thing someone on their quest for improved metabolic health reads is about prolonged fasting, its hard to resist the , Reddit threads, and hashtags full of promising before and after pictures.
Many people in ourData-Driven Fasting Community report experiencing dysregulated appetite signals and losing touch with their hunger signals after practising OMAD or extended fasting for a significant period.
When Should I Call The Doctor
Reach out to your provider if you have any questions about how to use a CGM device safely.
Very high or low blood sugar levels can be dangerous when left untreated for too long. In the most severe cases, this can lead to seizures, coma or even death. You can avoid these complications by keeping blood sugar levels in a healthy range. Call your provider if you have any symptoms youre worried about.
Common symptoms of high blood sugar include:
- More frequent urination .
When To Use Glucometer:
When you should consider testing using a glucometer depends on a doctor from whom you take treatment or consultation. Consider discussing how often and at what times of the day you should test.
Let me tell you, there are two types of diabetes and the frequency of testing depends on the diabetes type and the treatment you leverage.
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Type 2 And Gestational Diabetes
In type 2 and gestational diabetes , your body still produces insulin, but it doesn’t use it efficiently. This is called insulin resistance and it makes blood sugar levels rise.
If you one of these conditions, you may only need to test two to four times per day. You may test much more often, though, especially when your diagnosis is new and your levels aren’t yet stable.
You may check:
- First thing in the morning and before bed
- Before each meal and before bed
- Before and two hours after each meal and before bed
In part, this depends on whether you take insulin or use other medications. If you manage your diabetes with non-insulin medication and know your typical patterns, you may not even need to test daily.
Who Can Use A Cgm
Most people who use CGMs have type 1 diabetes. Research is underway to learn how CGMs might help people with type 2 diabetes.
CGMs are approved for use by adults and children with a doctors prescription. Some models may be used for children as young as age 2. Your doctor may recommend a CGM if you or your child:
- are on intensive insulin therapy, also called tight blood sugar control
- have hypoglycemia unawareness
- often have high or low blood glucose
Your doctor may suggest using a CGM system all the time or only for a few days to help adjust your diabetes care plan.
Read Also: Difference Between Diabetes 1 And 2
Can I Stop Doing Fingerstick Checks To Monitor My Blood Sugar If I Have A Cgm Device
No. Fingerstick checks will still be an essential tool for you to manage diabetes.
Because fingerstick checks measure glucose levels in your blood, they provide the best picture of what your glucose level is at the precise moment you take it. CGM measures glucose under your skin, which shows where your glucose levels were five to 10 minutes ago.
With diabetes, certain things can make glucose levels rise or fall quickly. Big or fast changes in blood glucose levels can be dangerous. Doing a fingerstick check can provide important information to help you take action to protect your health. It can also act as a backup tool to confirm CGM results.
The Problem With Counting Calories
The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy is always conserved and cannot be created or destroyed.
This also applies to the energy in your food. So yes, calories always count, but only if you could count all the calories accurately, all the time.
However, most people dont find calorie counting to be helpful over the long term for a range of reasons:
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Touch The Blood Glucose Test Strip To The Blood Drop
Figure 15. Touch the end of the test strip
It is important to look at the number on the screen, not just the color.
What Are The Costs Of Glucose Meters
CGMs require a doctors prescription and are typically covered by private health insurance as well as Medicare. Depending on your plan, you may still have out-of-pocket costs. Keep in mind that insurance companies may be less willing to cover meters that have additional features that arent considered necessities.
If you dont have insurance, you can still obtain a prescription for a CGM. Its estimated that CGMs cost at least $100 per month without insurance.
You may ask the pharmacist or manufacturer about possible coupons and discounts to help offset the costs.
Read Also: Is Keto Good For Type 1 Diabetes
The Problem With Intermittent Fasting
Others try fasting to limit their food intake, thinking, the longer, the better. This can have several implications on short-term and long-term health.
Sadly, one of the most common problems people report is a tendency to lose and regain the same few pounds over and over, with no long-term results to show for their deprivation and restriction.
While some may see weight loss during a fast, lean body mass tends to be one of the first tissues your body turns into usable energy in the absence of food, because it is so metabolically expensive. Your muscle mass is your most metabolically active tissue, so losing it can your metabolic rate and contribute to weight gain over time.
We also tend to make poorer food choices when we forego food for long periods. When it comes to fasting, blood sugar and hunger, our blood glucose tends to fall rather fiercely as our fast trudges on. This triggers the release of cortisol and other stress hormones and pushes us to binge on energy-dense foods, thus worsening our body composition and increasing our cravings from a lack of essential nutrients. The cycle repeats!
There is nothing wrong with going 18, 24, or even 36 hours without food. However, you must still make good food choices when you break your fast.
As you will see, you can use your glucometer as a guide to verify that you are dipping into your fat stores and need to refuel without going so long that you end up bingeing on less optimal foods that will undo all your hard work.
Special Requirements Needed To Use A Cgm
Twice a day, you may need to check the CGM itself. Youll test a drop of blood on a standard glucose meter. The glucose reading should be similar on both devices.
Youll also need to replace the CGM sensor every 3 to 7 days, depending on the model.
For safety its important to take action when a CGM alarm sounds about high or low blood glucose. You should follow your treatment plan to bring your glucose into the target range, or get help.
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Storage Size And Retrieval
Most glucometers store about 50 to 100 readings, but there are others on the market that can store up to 500 readings. The difference can matter for some because more readings allow you to discover patterns in when your blood glucose levels dip and rise. Dr. Goyal recommends purchasing a device with more memory storage, but only if your insurance company covers the glucometer.
What Happens With The Test Results
Your childs health care team can look at the data online when you need them to or at clinic visits. They will review your child’s glucose levels to look for patterns, like high or low sugars at certain times of the day. Patterns can help the doctor adjust medicines and the dietitian make diet changes.
If your childs glucose level is higher or lower than you expect from time to time, try not to get discouraged. Ask your childs care team if there are some changes you should try. Together youll figure out the best way to keep your childs sugar in the healthy range as much as possible.
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How Do Continuous Glucose Monitoring Devices Work
You can choose among a handful of CGM devices available today. Each works pretty much the same way. The main differences are in a devices look, feel and features.
In general, heres how CGM works:
How To Check Accuracy Of Glucose Meter
There is no doubt that it is extremely important that your glucose meters is giving you accurate results. But how to actually check the accuracy of Glucose Meter?
The reason this article is written is because a lot of best glucose meters are also not accurate in their readings and they can cause a huge misconception to the patient
You might have heard people saying that not all the glucose meters offer accurate results. So how you are going to check if your glucose meter is giving you the right results? Well, to help you out with this, I am going to talk about How to check accuracy of glucose meter.
However, the best way to check the accuracy of glucose meter would be to start using it in the first place. So the question is how to use a glucose meter? Well, let me answer this question at first:
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When To Check Blood Sugar Levels
Check your child’s blood sugar level at the following times:
- Before meals and bedtime, a minimum of four times a day.
- If you suspect your child has a low blood sugar level.
- Before and after your child exercises.
- When your child is ill.
- Two hours after the start of a meal, if results from before the meal don’t match HbA1c.
- During the night. This is particularly important if your child had a low blood sugar level during the day, exercised more than usual, made a change in the insulin dose or has been ill.
Glucometers Are An Important Part Of Healthy Living They Are Most Useful To Diabetic Patients To Keep A Constant Check On Their Blood Sugar Levels If You Are Using Glucometers For The First Time Here Is A Guide For You On How To Use Glucometers
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Step 1: Prepare a lancet deviceHow to remove and discard the lancet needle?Also Read:Step 2: Wash your hands thoroughly or use an alcohol swabStep 3: Prepare glucometer and testing stripsStep 4: Blood Sampling and testingHow to discard glucometer testing strips?
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Blood Glucose Monitoring: Devices And How To Use Them
Monitoring your blood sugar is a vital part of diabetes manage. Your diabetes care team will help you decide how often and when to check. Often people are told that they should check their blood sugar via finger stick at least four times if they dont use a continuous glucose monitor before each meal and at bedtime. And then are advised to check if they feel low or high, before exercise or driving, or more often when you are sick or other unusual circumstances that may affect your blood sugar. Often people check over 10 times per day to try to keep their blood sugar in their target range.
However, another blood sugar management tool more people are using is a continuous glucose monitor that measure the bodys glucose levels in real-time by sensing the glucose present in tissue fluid . Heres what you need to know about them:
What Do My Results Mean
When you finish the blood glucose check, write down your results and note what factors may have affected them, such as food, activity, and stress. Take a close look at your blood glucose record to see if your level is too high or too low several days in a row at about the same time. If the same thing keeps happening, it might be time to change your diabetes care plan. Work with your doctor or diabetes educator to learn what your results mean for you. It can take time to make adjustments and get things just right. And do ask your doctor if you should report results out of a certain range right away by phone.
Keep in mind that blood glucose results often trigger strong feelings. Blood glucose numbers can leave you upset, confused, frustrated, angry, or down. It’s easy to use the numbers to judge yourself. Remind yourself that tracking your blood glucose level is simply a way to know how well your diabetes care plan is working, and whether that plan may need to change.
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Beware Of Buying Previously Owned Test Strips
Test strips are part of many tests for home use that allow people to test for or monitor some diseases or health conditions, including diabetes. The FDA is aware that some sellers are marketing pre-owned or secondhand test strips to consumers. These are unused test strips previously owned by someone else.
These pre-owned strips may be sold at lower prices when compared to new strips. For instance, you may see flyers advertising cheap test strips in your neighborhood, or you may see sellers marketing cheap test strips online. But pre-owned strips can give incorrect results and may not be safe for use with devices.
For more detailed information about the risks associated with pre-owned test strips, please see, The FDA Warns Against Use of Previously Owned Test Strips or Test Strips Not Authorized for Sale in the United States.
Heres more information to consider.
The bottom line? When it comes to buying test stripsincluding glucose test strips designed for your meterthe FDA recommends that you buy new, unopened vials and that you do not buy pre-owned test strips.
Talk to your health care provider if you are not sure where to buy test strips for your glucose meter or if you cannot afford to buy the test strips recommended for use with your meter.