Blood Sugar Level Control - 3 Strategies For Once A Day Checking Of Your Blood Sugars

I have shared some of the lows and highs of living with type 2 diabetes. Namely hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.

Ultimately as a person living with diabetes, the goal is to have blood sugar levels within the target range of 70-130 mg/dL.

A lot of times this may require frequent monitoring of blood sugars. This is where I usually encounter a lot of resistance from my patients. They complain that testing their sugars several times a day is painful. Also that the test strips cost a lot of money. Or that because of their work schedule they just don't have the time.

I found that the more I argued with them about this, the more resistant some patients became. In fact some even stopped coming in as scheduled. They would stretch out their appointments. So instead of coming in every three months, they made it twice a year.

Now that can be harmful as it is a surefire way to develop complications related to diabetes!

So I had to get creative with that segment of my patients that just were not going to check their blood sugars consistently.

Well here are three strategies that I came up with. For the most part they ended up being about compromise. Which I think is something that is very important if you are committed to living powerfully.

STRATEGY NUMBER ONE - ALTERNATE FASTING BLOOD SUGARS LEVELS WITH POST-PRANDIAL LEVELS

This is by far my favorite strategy.

This is how it works:

On a calendar, divide the month into odd-numbered and even-numbered days.

On odd-numbered days of the month, check your fasting blood sugar level.

On even-numbered days, check your post-prandial sugar levels. Try to vary the times that you check your post-prandial levels. For instance on one day check the levels after breakfast. The next time after lunch. At another time after dinner.

This is a great way to get a general view of how your sugars run during different times of the day. And not test more than once a day.

Remember to label the times that you check your sugars so that your doctor can understand the trend. I find that certain machines, like the Accucheck One Touch Ultra has a feature that allows labeling the blood sugars also. Check your machine to see whether you can do this.

STRATEGY NUMBER TWO - CHECK POST-PRANDIAL BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS OVER THE WEEKEND

Here is when I would recommend this strategy:

For the most part there are two types of blood sugar levels that determine how well controlled a type 2 diabetic is.

The fasting blood sugar level - the blood sugar level first thing in the morning. The target range for the fasting blood sugar is 70-130 mg/dL.

The second level is the post-prandial blood sugar level. This is the blood sugar level that is taken 2 hours after a meal. The level should be less than 140 mg/dL.

Diabetes type 2, is well controlled when both the fasting blood sugars levels and the post-prandial levels are within the target range.

Let's say I have a person who cannot check their post-prandial levels during the week due to their work schedule. I then encourage them to check the fasting levels during the week. And then over the weekend, focus only on checking their post-prandial levels.

They can do this by alternating post-prandial levels between breakfast, lunch and dinner over the 3 days.

STRATEGY NUMBER THREE - CHECK YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS FOR TWO WEEKS BEFORE YOUR SCHEDULED DOCTOR VISIT

I only bring out this strategy when I am pushed to the wall. Literally I am begging a patient to work with me.

There is nothing more frustrating than not having an idea about how the blood sugars are running in between visits. It is like shooting in the dark. You get a blood test result that is high, but you have no idea how to go about correcting it.

As I tell my type 2 diabetes patients, on average they get to see their primary care physician between three to four times per year for routine diabetes care. What happens the remaining 361 days is left in their hands.

If you take blood sugars consistently for even two weeks before an office visit. And when combined with the hemoglobin A1C. Most times it is much easier to spot the problem.

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO CHECK BOTH THE FASTING AND POST-PRANDIAL BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS:

In an earlier article I shared some important numbers that a person living with diabetes needs to know. One of those numbers is the A1C. This is also known as the glycosylated hemoglobin. The target range for the A1c is less than 6.5- 7%. In order to achieve that goal, the fasting blood sugars are within the target range of 70-130 mg/dL. The post-prandial levels also have to be consistently less than 140 mg/dL two hours after a meal.

If your A1C is high, then by keeping a log of the blood sugars, you will be able to pinpoint the problem.

For instance, if the fasting blood sugars levels are within normal range. But the post-prandial levels are high. Then perhaps you need to adjust portion sizes.

Are your fasting levels are running high? It may be that the evening medications need to be adjusted. Or that a late night needs to be cut out. Sometimes this may even mean that the nighttime medications may need to be cut down. But your physician needs to see your glucose log. So that they can target the problem. And create a customized plan for you.

START TODAY TO CHECK YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS

Perhaps you are a newly diagnosed diabetic. Or even if you have had diabetes for some time. But just never thought it important to check your blood sugars. Let's start out fresh.

Review the instructions of your glucometer. If you do not understand how to use it then check to see whether your local pharmacist can help you. If not call your doctor's office. And schedule a visit with the nurse. Most times they can help you. Most times the machines work the same way. A few have extra 'bells and whistles' attached to them.

Just as I share in my upcoming e- book, two of the hallmarks of living a powerful life with type 2 diabetes is being committed and persistent. If you do, you will go a long way to living free of diabetes complications.

Type 2 Diabetes - Strategies For Weight Loss Success!

How does a newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic know what to do? One book says do this, another book says do that. Then you listen to your doctor, or even the news, and you hear something completely different. Managing your weight is one of the best things a person diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes can do to control their disease But what are the best ways to do that?

Here are a few suggestions:

Create a mini-support group: Talk to someone who has diabetes already if you want an empathetic ear. Maybe you would prefer to join a support group, or log onto a blog site. This will help you to fight the feelings of isolation that sometimes occurs when you first receive your diabetes diagnosis.

Ask your family to support you, not to act as the "food police." Ask them to give you positive feedback during your transition.

Plan out your meals: Getting caught without the healthy foods you need, when you need them, is the surest path to failure. With so many fast food establishments littering the roads it's far too easy to jump in the car and grab your lunch from a window.

Why not dedicate one day, preferably on the weekend, to make meals ahead of time and freeze them in individual servings. That way, it's just a matter of warming your meal up... that takes less time and is much easier than hitting the drive-thru; and considerably healthier!

Fortunately you do not need to start from scratch when developing your diabetes meal plan. There are several types of diabetes meal plans to choose from. The American Diabetes Association does not endorse one meal plan over another. Many Type 2 diabetics have successfully used the following popular meal plan methods:

the Plate MethodExchange/Choice ListsCarbohydrate countingFood PyramidCalorie counting

Each of these methods help you to learn how to make healthy food choices and eat healthy portions.

Why not call your new diabetes meal plan just that? The word diet makes people feel they are doing without their favorite foods. Experiment with new foods and recipes to make changes more appealing.

Schedule snacks: These can be as equally important as your main meals. This is crucial for avoiding those dips in blood sugar between meals. When that happens, it's an invitation to "pig" out at your upcoming meal, which negates the idea of eating right. Keep healthy (key word here) snacks on hand and with you while you are out and about.

White stuff, bad... colors, good: Anything you can consume that is white is a "no-no" for a diabetic. That goes for sugar, bread, flour, shortening, pasta, rice and even potatoes. If it is white it means it has been stripped of most, if not all, of its nutritional value when it was "processed."

The more colored foods you can eat at a meal, the better off you will be. No, M&M's do not count! Colored fruits and vegetables are loaded with vital nutrients, minerals, and all the good stuff our bodies need, and crave. Many of these items are so healthy that you can load up on them, satisfy your hunger and still lose weight. Not bad, huh?

Food is a personal choice, and the choice is up to you.

Get moving: You have to get up and exercise in order to maximize the level of health you can achieve. Aerobics is, by far, the best kind of workout to start with because it is low impact, but burns a great number of calories (or kilojoules), at a time. Plus, it works the heart and gets the blood pumping, which increases circulation. That not only keeps arteries moving precious blood, but also much-needed oxygen.

When you start to lose weight through following a healthy eating plan, the odds are you will lose muscle mass... this is when many diabetics realize they need to start exercising. Resistance training and weight training could be added to your exercise program as you become stronger.

TV off... treadmill on: Sitting in front of the television is a recipe for disaster. If you are watching TV, chances are you aren't moving and you are eating or even drinking. Get up and go walking. Jump on the treadmill. Limited movement? Take a water aerobics class. Take Tai Chi, yoga, or step aerobics. Just get moving!

The time you put into caring for your body will be rewarded with a longer, healthier life.

To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes Treatments