The second part of optimal post-meal blood sugar.

Controlling the peak of post-meal blood sugar is the first part of my goal. And that is to keep the peak below 140 mg/dl. Just like in the case of non-diabetics. Big question then is: how does one determine the peak?

Here is how I figured out the peak. Medical literature states that post-meal blood sugar in Type 2 diabetics peak somewhere in between the first and second hour after the meal. So that is a good starting point. Over many meals I collected sugar readings at the 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours and 2.5 hours after the first bite. Another key point is to count the time from the first bite not when the meal is finished.

Based on those many post-meal measurements, I found that in my case 1.5 hours after the first bite is when the peak occurs. For me, this is quite consistent. So whenever I have a meal whose carb content I am unsure of, I will test the post-meal blood sugar at 1, 1,5 and 2 hour points to determine the peak. Generally, a single reading at the 90 minute mark gives me an excellent measure of my peak. And this is the number I try to keep below 140. This is the first part.

The second part has to do with when the blood sugar returns to the pre-meal level. This is the hard part. Non-diabetics go back to their pre-meal levels within 2 hours of their first bite. For a Type 2 controlling with diet and exercise, this 2-hour goal can be quite challenging. There is even debate about the 2 hour normalizing observation. Some diabetes doctors I have spoken with consider a 3 to 3.5 hour clearing time.

Also the 2-hour clearing goal is difficult for Type 2s because of the delayed insulin response from the pancreas. Which is why we have this condition in the first place.

Normally, the pancreas releases insulin in response to food in two phases. Phase 1 insulin response is based on how much insulin the pancreas already has stored and Phase 2 response has to do with what it needs to make to handle the food load it faces.

For me, I have set my goal as follows: I must reach my pre-meal blood sugar within 3 hours or sooner. And that number has been consistently below 95 with my present diet and exercise routines.