Blood Sugar Levels After Eating

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #1

So, most of what I’ve read says that in a healthy person blood sugar levels should return to normal 1-2 hours after eating. The past two nights I’ve tested I’m peaking at least 3 hours. I assume this is due to the high-fat nature of my meals. I didn’t want to stay up for further testing since it was late and I wanted to sleep. Has anyone here experience something similar? I’d be curious to see when levels went back to normal for me, but I don’t have a CGM and I don’t want to stay up and keep using test strips. @Brenda, do you have any ideas?

July 2nd
Macros: Carbs: 14g, Fat: 161g, Protein: 51g (did include some SF chocolate chips w/ maltitol)

Time BG BK GKI
T0 73 1.9 2.13
T60 84 1.4 3.33
T120 104 1.1 5.25
T150 111 0.8 7.71

July 3rd
Macros: Carbs: 7g, Fat: 149g, Protein: 48g

Time BG BK GKI
T0 76 0.8 5.2
T120 83 3.1 1.48
T180 97 2.9 1.85
T210 100 2.4 2.31
KetoCancerMom's Look at Numbers
(Bob M) #2

That seems like an odd blood sugar response, both in the amount of blood sugar rise and in the length of time.

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #3

I can’t find the exact website I saw it referenced that fat and protein’ effect on glucose peak at 3-4 hours post-prandial, but did see it here:
https://diabetesaction.org/questions-blood-sugar

Screenshot_20190705-123746
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I’d still love other people’s input.

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #4

My guess would be the slow metabolizing protein. I sometimes get a BG elevation the next day when I start eating strict carnivore. (protein in excess)

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #5

I figured it was something like that, but I wanted some input. I wanted some idea as to if it was something I needed to bring up with my primary care doctor.

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #6

It certainly doesn’t hurt to have a discussion. I’m only guessing why your numbers remain high to the 3-hour mark

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #7

I’ll try to take a few more days worth of readings to see if I can establish some more data points.

Thanks for your input, @Brenda

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #8

Interestingly enough, tonight’s meal yielded different results!
Macros: Carbs: 5g, Fat: 176g, Protein: 51g

July 5th

Time BG BK GKI
T0 77 1.4 3.05
T60 86 1.5 3.18
T120 83 1.7 2.71
T150 82 2.6 1.75
T180 77 2.9 1.47
(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #9

It is interesting to note that my main protein sources on the 2nd and 3rd were chicken, as compared to the chuck roast (steak) I had on the 5th.

(Bob M) #10

You two must be different from me. I’ve eaten MASSIVE amounts of protein per meal and have not seen a blood sugar rise.

On my phone, so I can’t post CGM data, but have never seen a blood sugar rise due to protein.

(Bob M) #11

For instance, here’s a pound of 80/20 ground meat and one can of anchovies after 36 hours fasting and a workout, eating about 1030am (note the starting blood sugar of 5.8, which is 104, after 36 hours fasting) :

image

Here’s another meal, described as “Totals: 839 calories, 18.8 g fat (169.2 calories, 20% by cals), 162 g protein (648 cals, 77% calories)”:

image

Here are several days including this day (which was Tuesday, November 21):

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Note that Thursday, November 23 was Thanksgiving in the US, where I went off low carb the night before and on that day.

I have thousands of pin-prick samples, too, and have not seen a rise due to protein. Unfortunately, the pin-prick meters are terrible, with quite an error, so it’s hard to know exactly what your blood sugar looks like.

(Bob M) #12

As to your point about chicken, here’s another one:

image

It has to be human variability, as I have very little to no blood sugar rise. For chicken, I would think your blood sugar could go down, as chicken is high in PUFAs, which cause your fat cells to be insulin sensitive. Whether that is a delayed response or not, I do not know.

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #13

My meals were all at around 20-26 hours fasted, eaten at night, and no exercise.

(Door Girl) #14

There are some great studies about the blood sugar impacts from carbs, fats and protein. They looked at these inputs as part of the efforts towards an artificial pancreas.

Carbs have a pretty quick response, both up and down. Protein has a longer curve, and fat is much longer.

I have coffee with two scoops of collagen powder in the morning, and then generally don’t eat for a while. I’ll grab the morning overlay showing the small but repeated increase in blood glucose when I have my coffee with 18g of protein.

I’m pregnant so I’m eating more carbs than I was, so I find it interesting that when I add enough fat to a meal I stay below 120 for my blood sugar even when I have something like fries slathered in mayo.

(Door Girl) #15

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First arrow is this morning with my coffee with collagen (18g P). Went from 87 to 96 in 40 minutes, plateaued and then went down again. Not a huge response, but I do see a consistent response like this from my collagen coffee.

Lunch is marked as well. Or brunch I should say. I had scrambled eggs with cheese, sausage links, and fries with a ton of mayo. Blood glucose was 89 when I started eating at 11:30.

  • 15 = 87
  • 30 = 86
  • 45 = 88
  • 60 = 92
  • 75 = 89
  • 90 = 93
  • 105 = 99
  • 120 = 103

I’ll update with my continued track from lunch.

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #16

I don’t have a CGM, but would really like one. I don’t have a reason for it, other than wanting to keep my glucose low through the day.

(Door Girl) #17
  • 0 = 89
  • 15 = 87
  • 30 = 86
  • 45 = 88
  • 60 = 92
  • 75 = 89
  • 90 = 93
  • 105 = 99
  • 120 = 103
  • 135 = 107
  • 150 = 121
  • 165 = 130
  • 180 = 122
  • 195 = 98
  • 210 = 85

I’m updating here as time goes on. We will probably see hypoglycemia because of the fries.

I started getting my high blood sugar alarms 2 and a half hours after brunch. Unless I’m eating naked carbs, it takes longer than “normal” for my levels to rise and they stay up for a while.

When I eat keto, I generally only go up to 100 or 110 with my meals.

I got my CGM because my fasting blood glucose levels were getting into the worry about gestational diabetes level. This data is letting me skip the glucose challenge that nearly all pregnant women are subjected to at 28 weeks. My average blood sugar level is 93 with a standard deviation of 17. And this is with being permissive with carbs, but still well below a standard American diet.

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #18

I was excused from the glucose challenge because I was already testing with the strips, and my OB wasn’t worried :slight_smile:

I’m thinking of asking my primary care doc for a CGM (instead of doing finger sticks for glucose), but not sure what to say to help convince the insurance company. I’m fairly certain he’d give a prescription, but not sure if insurance will go for it.

(Door Girl) #19

I had several attempts to get one before pregnancy. Was very happy I could get it.

If you are paying out of pocket, go for the Libre. I think the Dexcom G6 is far superior, but without insurance coverage it is super pricey.

I’m getting a great deal because of insurance, which I feel kind of bad about, but if this keeps me as a cheap delivery vs an expensive surgical delivery they win. And if I check out the morning after the birth, like my last two, they save a ton of money there too. So I don’t actually feel bad. I spend their money like it’s mine, so it all seems to work out.

I’m updating above because otherwise it gets too ugly and disjointed.

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #20

I took the full two days after my last baby, but had several reasons for doing so. One was that his birth was planned early by 5½ weeks because of my health (cancer treatment related) and it made it easier to see him in the NICU. Another is that with 3 other kids at home it made it easy for me to focus on him.