Hi johnp1,
GREAT job on the weight loss and reducing your A1C.
My doc says that 180 should be top of spike after meals. Just ONE cup of unsweetened coffee will spike me into the 200’s.
I met with several different dieticians and nutritionists over the years, given handouts of what to avoid, etc. NO help whatsoever. I have bought diabetes cookbooks. I have read diabetes meal planning guides. I write down EVERYTHING I eat and drink every day.
If I attempted to eat just part of the stuff listed as a good meal plan for a diabetic, I would spike into the 300’s easily even with bolus insulin on board.
The ONLY thing I have found that works for me as far as what I should or should NOT eat is what my meter says. For example, I can not eat one spoon of rice without spiking very high. Rice is out completely, not even one taste.
I made a pot of homemade vegetable soup and my meter said it was not a good choice. I made the exact same soup with two turnips instead of the ONE potato I had used in the first soup. HUGE difference on my meter. In the soup, I could not tell the difference between the potato or the turnip. Was just as good or maybe even better tasting with the turnips. Who would have thought that just ONE potato in a huge pot of soup could be so detrimental on my meter!
When I hear some things that other diabetics eat and still have good numbers, I can’t understand why I can’t eat those items without huge spikes.
Everyone is different. What you eat is best guided by your meter. Lots of trial and error is how I discovered what I can and can’t eat.
My doc says post meal reading should be done 2 hours after eating. He doesn’t want to hear about anything other than 2 hour post prandial. Not an hour, not 3 hours. He is a stickler for the 2 hour standard.
For ME, (not my doc), I like to see the rise and fall. How high did it get and when. How long did it take to come down to a baseline level not influenced by food or beverage. That is where my Libre comes in handy. The actual values may not be accurate but it tells me how much I went up, where I topped off, and how long it took to come back to a resting point.
I am a “picky” eater. Lots of foods I don’t like. I love veggies so I eat lots of them, undoctored up. Yes, just plain. Don’t like fruits so they are just not part of my diet, even before diabetes. Don’t like cereals. Never did and never will.
Tailor your food to your likes and your meter. Best wishes.