Will you tell me about your blood glucose meter and whether you like it? I have several meters and my usual meter is the Freedom Lite. I also have a few other meters.

Also, do any of you use a meter for ketones?

Sorry to start two threads in one day. I have trouble following the giant thread and these are two separate topics.

I have used several different meters over time, but the strips are too expensive and because I am type 2 my insurance will only cover testing once a day. I prefer to test more often. So, I tried the Relion Prime meter from Walmart. You don't need an RX for the strips, and they are only $9 for 50. I find the results to be in the ball park, and this is satisfactory to me.

I don't check ketones at all.

Ketone checkng is typically for Type 1 diabetics.

Whatis your purpose in using Ketostix?

Hi, I use ketostix and a Nova Max to test ketones because I am following a LCHF diabetic eating plan.

I am not concerned about nutritional ketosis other than to make it easier to stick to my low carb plan. There is not a danger for nutritional ketosis for a type 2 (that I can find, anyway). In fact, it also helps me with analyzing blips in my blood sugar readings. For example, even though I track every scrap of food I eat, my morning FBG (fasting blood glucose) readings went up for a few days into the 120s. (usually in the 80s for past few weeks). What the heck? I checked my ketostix and my NovaMax and found I was no longer in ketosis. Something is happening - so now I have to figure out what I am eating that has hidden carbs. I am suspecting it is splenda and crystal lite -- but still not sure.

My blood sugar started out quite high just two months ago. It's now dramatically better and am not using medication. I'm just a diabetic eating to her meter.

I am reading and applying the bloodsugar 101 website, and also reading the Diane Kress Diabetes Miracle book (to start in January).

I am fairly recently diagnosed but very obsessive and a voracious reader. Of the dozen books on diabetes I read, BloodSugar 101 and Diane Kress' book were by far the most helpful.

Only diagnosed two months, and have about five meters, only paid for two of them. Freestyle Lite is by far my favorite -- the others seem to want a lot of blood! I am type 2 but believe in testing 5-8 times a day to make sure I am eating to my meter.

I have been low carbng for quite a few years and understand ketosis from that perspective quite well. I have followed Ideal protein and lost/maintained 35 lbs. did Atkns a number of years before.

There are a few things to be sure to understand about using ketostix for the purpose of low carb evaluating. You may be aware but just in case you are not...

-- Their reliability is a bit unpredictable.

-- Don't go for the thinkng that the darker the color the better. ANY color means you are in ketosis, and the darker the color the more dehydrated you are. The FB in that is the mre water you drink, the more diluted they become until you may not register any color yet still be in ketosis.

-- Once you have been low carbing for awhile, your body becomes quite adept at burning ketones. So much so, that eventually they may no longer show up in the urine, leading one to think they are not in ketosis when they very well may be.

My eating plan keeps me under 40-45 carbs per day when I am in weight loss phase 1 so if I am 100% on plan, I know I am in ketosis no matter what the stick says or doesn't say!

I don't use them any more but that info was super helpful to know so I understood them a bit better when I first started my journey!

Sounds like you have a very analytical approach to figuring out your best eating an. Good for you!

Lettingslenderin...

Check your Crystal Light. If it the ne with Aspartame, that can mimic the signs of sugar for the body and cause insulin release. There is one with Sucralose now.

Sucralose/Stevia should not cause blood sugar to rise in and of themselves. However, if you use the powdered kind, one serving/one packet has .9 carbs in it because of the binder it has to be mixed with to serve it (otherwise it is too light and powdery to be useable). If you use a number of servings per day, those carbs can really add up!

Laurie, and Lettingslenderin, you both have a very good grasp on your diabetes! A very good example for me to follow!

Wannabehealthy, you are an inspiration to me with your posts and your encouragement for others. Thank you.

Laurie, I would like to hear about your experience with Ideal Protein.

Both of you, what meters are you using? I'm really curious about this sort of thing, who knows why... I see Wannabehealthy is using Relion.

I'm wondering about the Precision Xtra, either just for ketones or for blood sugar and ketones. Apparently it's the same technology as one of the Relion meters, but the Relion does not have accept ketone strips.

I am leaning towards Diabetes Miracle (which is a lot like Atkins, including an induction period) but would like to read up on the one you used to lose all that weight.

I was definitely in ketosis for a while -- but the stick never got beyond moderate - high color on the strips. I think I was dehydrated. But the NovaMax ketone strips indicated ketosis as well, so I think it was really ketosis. Now the ketostix and NovaMax both say that for several days, the same days my FBG went up -- no ketosis. I see the Nova Max as a backup thing, because the ketone strips are hideously expensive.

Speaking of hydration: that's why I turned to Crystal Lite in an effort to get myself to drink more water. Also, DM requires 64 ounces of liquid a day, and I was drinking about 20.

Darn about the Crystal Lite, I did like the artificial sweet flavor. I guess I will go to homemade non-caffeinated iced tea now, unless you have a better suggestion for me. I did not see the special CL a the store but will look for it.

Thank you.

Lettingslenderin...

As I said above, ANY COLOR on the KETOSTIX means you are in ketosis. It is like being pregnant, you either ARE or you AREN'T! The darker the color the more dehydrated you are!

Also you can be COMPLETELY in ketosis and not register at all, which makes it hard too now if you need to adjust something or not... Unreliable once you low carb for awhile! I would not put too much emphasis on them or the reading.

Not all Crystal Light has Aspartame. Check the label. There are LOTS of other flavorings that use Sucralose, so just check labels. I find it best to use only enough to get a slight flavoring, not full on sweet beverage. Keeps the amount of sweetener down but gives a hint of flavor. Also try adding just a couple squirts of lemon or lime. I also take a tea bag after I use it and let it soak overnight in my water for the next day to get a bit of flavor.

I used the Freestyle Light monitor for the last 3 years. Just a few months ago my nsurance stopped providing the strips for the at a reduced rate. I am now using the One Touch Ultra. I think it actually uses a little less blood and the lances are way thinner so I hardly feel them. However, I do find the readings show about 10 pts higher (I only was able to compare three times before I ran out of freestyle strips). Not sure which is more accurate.

When I had my blood drawn and took the Freestyle to take my blood right after the draw, the meter read 10-12 pts lower than the fasting draw... But the FDA allows a 15% variation in accuracy, so it was certainly within that!)
With the holidays I have been both off my eating plan and have had the flu the last few days so my readings are not my norm. I should be back to my better eating in a day or so and hope to see consistent readings on the new meter!

about meters:
I am still disappointed that there are virtually no published studies comparing meters for accuracy. The range of acceptable values is really wide, and some are really crummy.
It also seems you get what you pay for, cheaper sticks are less accurate.
For type 2s like me, some leeway isn't so bad, but for those on insulin, the difference could affect the amount of insulin injected and the stability of sugar levels so much.
I am tempted to get a few meters and do levels whenever I draw lab samples at work.

Hi, yes, I need to learn about the ketostix. They showed no color for the few days my blood sugars were elevated. The only possible difference were the Crystal Lites, and the box I used did have aspartame. Here is a picture of the product I was using on amazon, that has photos of the nutritional labels.http://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Light-.../dp/B001EQ4DXE

Do you have specific brands you recommend? I'm struggling to drink that much water and tea. The Crystal Lite days were the only days I met my fluids goals!

Also, my weight loss completely stalled... I have been 205 for over a week now. I did lose a lot of weight quickly, so my body may be pausing a bit after losing 27 pounds in two months.

I'm also not counting calories strictly as I did the first month, just concentrating on counting carbs to get ready for my 8 week induction. I'm eating more like 1500 calories a day, and by the way, I keep craving salt. My BP has always been low so I am just letting myself sprinkle salt on my food.

I like ketosis - I found myself way less hungry when in ketosis.

Please tell me more!

I agree, fat mad. The only studies I found were on Consumer Reports, and those rated Freestyle as very accurate.

Well, I am using the Gourmet Girl Cooks website lately. I made delicious zoodles using her method topped with pasta sauce and cheese for lunch today. My kids would not go near it, but I had backup Christmas lunch for them. My husband loved it and asked for seconds, but sadly, I did not make that much. Total carbs for zoodles, pasta sauce, and cheese was minimal because the quantities were so small (first time recipe on Christmas day -- did not rely on it!). Basically, only the sauce had real carbs.

Last December or January, the magazine "Diabetes Forcast" had an issue dedicated to all the various products available, including meters. They did a very good comparison that might be helpful. You could probably find the back issue in your local library.

I have used several meters the last few years and actually found the Walmart Relion brand to be very accurate. As another poster mentioned, it also has very affordable strips. I used to bring my meter to my doctor's office and compare my reading to theirs.

Good luck to you!

Thank you. So far my insurance is handling my strips, but I have a Relion as my backup. I heard the Freestyle Precision Xtra work in one of the Relion models, don't know if it goes the other way.

I just looked up the Ideal Protein diet and I don't think it will work for me. I will do a bit more research on the Diabetes Miracle and follow up.

Thank you, I will look for that meter review article.

Mad, you are right, that people on insulin are at a disadvantage with the variations you can get with a blood glucose meter, but it is much better than back when they had to use urine stix. Because type 2's cannot really do anything significant to lower their blood sugar, the insurance companies don't feel that they need to test more than once a day. I chose Relion so I can test more often. The results are close enough for my purpose. There are many diabetics who don't test at all. They take their Metformin and have no idea of how they are doing until they get their A1c. If a type 2 follows a low carb diet without wavering, and exercises, they may not need to test at all IMO. That is my goal, but I have a hard time keeping up with it.

Lettingslenderin, I love Zoodles! I tried them with a tomato sauce and didn't like the combination, but then I tried them with jarred pesto and I love it! I can only make small portions though because DH will not eat it. He's allergic to vegetables! LOL