Can't get the fasting glucose under 5.4, if you can, how do you do it?

[icantwaitforsummer]

So I am trying to fast for 16hours as so many websites and studies say it's really beneficial for diabetes.

But despite not eating or drinking anything but water since dinner last night at 6:30pm I cannot get my fasting glucose under 5.4. I can barely get it under 6.

I have tried everything, exercise, green tea, lemon water, plain water, ice water, a piece of ham, a piece of cheese, nothing at all.

I just cannot get my fasting glucose down in the morning or at lunchtime. The only time it goes down is about 4:30pm. And will sometimes be 5.3/5.4. So once a day it's where it should be.

Does anyone have any tips?

Why are you trying to get it under 5.4?

And why is your target range set so narrow? The aim for diabetics is to be 3.9-10.0, 70% of the time, and under 3.9 below 4% of the time

I am pre diabetic so aiming for the non diabetic ranges.

Diabetes is reversible so I am aiming for the normal fasting level and 5.4 is where it should be.

If I made my target range 3-10 I would happily plod along with a reading of 8 or 9 and think I am doing great. When that isn't the case.

The target range is 4-7 before meals, not under 5.4, and under 8.5 at 2hrs after a meal (higher before that is normal), so your goals are set wrong.

A non diabetic would not spend all day in that tiny green range you’ve set. They spike after meals and come down again.

My post is about fasting glucose.

So eating dinner at 6pm and then checking it again the next morning at 8am for example.

OR a later dinner, skipping breakfast and checking glucose at 1pm before lunch.

That would be fasting glucose which should be under 5.4.

Also we should be aiming for under 5.9 before our meals, not 7.

So my target range is correct, it should be under 6 to be ideal.

I think your range is very small and unrealistic. Who suggested it? Are you using a CGM or test strips? I wouldn't be worried at the fasting level if my levels over the day stayed OK and if spikes went down within the 2 hours after eating.

There's an issue known as the dawn phenomenom which might help if you read up on it.

You aren’t “non diabetic” though, you’re prediabetic, so aiming for non diabetic blood sugars is unrealistic. The target for diabetics is 4-7 before meals, so that’s what you should be aiming for.

the problem here is your unrealistic targets

I'm not officially pre diabetic and only once been in the range for pre diabetes. My fasting never goes below 5.7. I fasted for 18 hours missing breakfast and lunch completely and it was still 5.7. It's never been lower and I did feel a bit sick by 18 hours so my body knew I needed fuel

If your fasting never goes below 5.7 you’re probably an undiagnosed prediabetic. You said in your opening post you’re prediabetic too, so the prediabetic range is what you target in those tables. If you get some readings in the non diabetic range great, but it’s not realistic to expect that all the time.

I am diagnosed as pre diabetic. I know what my glucose levels are, as I wear a CGM.

A target is something to aim for, not something to reassure us whilst not striving for better.

I am pre diabetic therefore striving for non diabetic readings.

It's like a student getting a D at A level, that's what they are working at, but their target should be a B and that's what's they strive for. And this is how you get there........

A fixed mindset of I am 'pre-diabetic' this is the range I am now, and I won't strive for better is concerning. If you are diabetic @PotatoFan aren't you trying to reverse it? Aren't you trying to see progress every month? Maybe a slight drop in your levels, but still dropping each month? You should be.

I look forward to your words of wisdom on how I reverse my T1 diabetes 🤣 @icantwaitforsummer

There's no such thing as diabetic reversal at this point in time. There are researchers working on it but it's still a work in progress. Once a diabetic, always a diabetic--if your remission is only working when you follow a low carb diet
it's hardly reversal.

Not every diabetic is striving to get to the non-diabetic levels and there's no 'should' about it. For some diabetics it simply is not going to happen no matter what meds or dietary interventions they use. Some diabetics burn out trying to get there. Diabetes is a lifelong condition and you have to manage it how you can and stay sane.

My hbA1c is in the normal range and has been for a couple of years. I use metformin and ozempic and a low carb diet. I'm lucky though it has been relatively easy for me.

Have you tried cinnamon?😂

I keep mine under 5.3 as i was Trying to conceive and pregnant. it took a long time to get it there even with medication and i still struggle on occasion. it was the last of my readings to come down and took at least a month to get there.

If you're not planning to get pregnant i really wouldn't stress too much. just try and have a balanced snack before bed. i used to have a small green apple and cheese every night

@icantwaitforsummer , are you overweight? Insulin resistance is part of the type 2 diabetes picture - fasting glucose runs a bit high because the tissues aren't responding to insulin in the way they should. Weight loss reduces insulin resistance and, over time, fasting glucose levels drop.
they creep back up again if the pounds go back on again

First off, I’m T1 so I understand acceptable levels are different but there is still a lot you need to learn.

Lots of things affect your BG levels, not just food. Being stressed, tired, ill or in my case simply waking up in the morning will raise you. Whilst you may not feel like it your control is actually really good. I inject 4-5 times a day and still don’t have as tight as control as you do.

I’m assuming you’ve self funding your cgm and have manually adjusted the target window on your libre as mine is set to wider parameters. If you’re going to be wearing it for a while look at the tab for estimated a1c. If you’re staying around 6-6.5mmol you’re probably going to see a number around 5.5% (35) That IS COMPLETELY NORMAL. (42-47) is prediabetic, (48) is diabetic. Whatever you are doing now is fine, stop tormenting yourself

Hi yes self funding the libre and set the parameters myself.

I also find it interesting to see the effects of different foods on my body, it doesn't torment me at all I find it interesting like a science experiment.

I'm not overweight, bmi is bang in the middle of healthy.

It's the dawn phenomenon always starts the day off for me high. So I'm trying different foods as soon as I get up or even before bed to see if I can get those numbers down. If anyone has managed to get the dawn phenomenon down, let me know!

But 5.4 isn't high. I have that as my morning glucose and the doctor and diabetic nurse are thrilled at that number. The dawn phenomenon is much higher than that--mine used to be something ridiculous over 9 until it calmed down with meds and dietary adjustments.

@LovelaceBiggWither that's fine for diabetics generally but for pregnant women they like the number under 5.3 for the fasting reading.

@icantwaitforsummer i hope you're numbers are starting to come down as you get things under control, if not you might need medication to bring it under.

I wouldn't stress too much about premeals either. i wasn't even told to test for these.

630 may be a little early to eat and its too long without food for your body. the snacks before bed are all zero carb. you need a small amount of slow release carb so your body doesn't run out and start dumping it from your liver

Here is last libre summary from Feb
I had gestational diabetes so have an annual HBA1C and I also self fund a libre once a year or so to keep an eye on things
HbA1C done last week and it was 38
Daytime I know eating foods that are high protein/ contain healthy fats offset spikes, and also that going for a Walk after meals does the same, whereas going for a run causes a spike
i also suffer from dawn phenonemen (badly when I was pregnant, started metformin and nearly ended up of insulin) and my morning sugars are never below 5.4 even now
my friend put on one of these ‘running related’ version ones. She is very slim, healthy and exercises a lot. They told her to maintain. Very tight (impossible) BM range, and she just couldn’t, and ended up losing 5 kg or so as she stopped eating in an effort keep her sugars to such a tight range
I never did figure out how to stop the dawn phenonemen, and maybe someone will be able to help with that but FWIW I would focus on the daylight hours reading that are more modifiable with macros and walking etc.
good luck with it.

@icantwaitforsummer I think it might be worth getting some proper doctor's advice on how best to manage it.

When I had GD, my fasting numbers were always worse if I had a long fasting window. Eating 3 meals and 3 snacks (one right before bed) helped keep my blood sugar steady. Fasting numbers are the hardest to control through, and despite all my postprandial numbers being perfect, I did end up on metformin for the last 2 weeks of my pregnancy.

Although I was lucky enough to pass my postpartum and 1 year diabetic checks, I have reintroduced some of the eating principles I followed while I had GD (because like yourself I am at higher risk of T2).

Fasting isn't always the way for everyone, you might do better with regular eating. Your GP should be able to refer you to a dietician or prescribe metformin to see if that helps.

The OP doesn't say anything about being pregnant, just that she is pre-diabetic.

How is your sleep? Better sleep improves my fasting level a lot.

But that’s completely different to type 2 so I’m sure OP wouldn’t suggest that…