Hi, I am a new comer to healthUnlocked. I had diabetes for three years and I refuse to take medication. I keep my glucose numbers under control by eating less carbs, but lately my numbers are high even though I have been water fasting for over 5 days. Getting glucose numbers of 175
looking forward to reading for other posters who are experiencing similar medical difficulties.
Hi Natalia,
Welcome to DI forum. Your body perhaps releases cortisol hormone which is stress hormone causing blood sugar to rise during water fasting. How long does it remain high? What would you do about it? I often do intermittent fasting but I have never had elevated BS.
Thank you so much for your reply Luckysugar. It is high around nine am , when I get to work and I test it out for the first time, then I would try it again a couple of times after that and although it still stays high, it comes down a bit.
Since you have managed your BSL naturally, what would you do if this number is still very high. The prolonged elevated sugar in your blood would damage your body in many ways. Doing high intensity exercises may bring down BSL but during your fasting would not be easy.
You need energy whether you are fasting or not.When you are not eating any food,the liver comes into play by releasing stored glucose into your blood stream to meet your body energy requirements.In a normal person,insulin is also released by the pancreas ,but that is not adequately done for diabetics.Try a workout before breakfast,same thing happens.More likely, you will have a spike in sugar levels.In my view,fasting is not an option for diabetics.Eat at regular intervals but moderately.
Thank you for your reply Ramana42. If it keeps up I will have to stop the fasting but according to Dr Fung , Fasting should be great if you are overweight and have Diabetes.
If you are overweight,then the perspective changes.Reducing weight certainly helps in managing diabetes,but reducing weight scientifically is very important and for that reason you need expert advise.
Did you talk to your doctor before you started fasting? Not all diets are the same— like Diabetes.
No my doctor like most is a pill pusher, I refuse to take medication, prefer to work on diet and losing weight first
Do you count carbs. for each meal and snack?
I was doing a water fast for five days, so no carbs or anything else.
Everyone needs some carbs. for the brain and the rest of the body to function properly so no one gets sick or worse.
There has been a lot written about intermittent fasting or fasting, there is 5:2 diet. Then there is no breakfast diet. The latter you only eat food from noon to 7 PM, no sugar intake between 7 PM and noon. You can have black tea or black coffee!!
Living on just water in not good for any one.
If you go one a 5:" diet then you can go for regular exercise. Please Google 5:2 diet, you will get a lot of information. If you go for noon to 7 PM diet, you should try to avoid free and hidden sugar in all that goes into your mouth.
Thank you for your reply
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Welcome to the group. Congratulations on the success of your long Water Only Fast. I am sure you will benefit from it assuming you have followed the protocol suggested by Dr Fung and you have assessed your suitability.
High fasting glucose is not very uncommon among T2D. It will ultimately drop lower once you lose weight resulting in improved insulin sensitivity. At one time my fasting BG used to be highest of the day. It took long ( 2 years ) in coming to normal range. Still it varies but does not go very high.
If I were to follow your fasting protocol, I would use Freestyle Libre Sensor to monitor BG so that I have blood glucose readings for 24 hours taken every 10 minutes or so.
You may be aware but as a reminder:
1. Diet in general has no influence on the fasting blood glucose. Effect of diet diminishes to almost to zero after 10 hr fasting.
2. To keep us alive during any fast, liver first releases glucose from its storage of glycogen. When glycogen is used up as in case of long water only fast, liver can make glucose from protein cells and fat cells to supply glucose required for brain. Ketone will be used for all other cells.
3. Due to Dawn Phenomenon in the early morning, liver dumps additional blood sugar which diabetics can not process efficiently due to poor insulin sensitivity or insufficient insulin resulting in high blood sugar.
4. If above problem is due to poor insulin sensitivity and person is overweight, losing weight is likely to improve insulin sensitivity and bring fasting BG lower. But it is a slow process.
I suggest, you should take more readings during the day and before going to bed. I hope it would not be as high as in the morning. Make sure you do not keep BG at an elevated levels for too long. Do not hesitate to consider taking Metformin in consultation with your Doctor in case of persistent high BG. Metformin will inhibit liver dump. You can always come off it once your conditions improve.
Thank you so much for all the information you provided me with.
Please follow the below steps.
1) take readings just before you sleep
2) take readings if you wake up in mid of the night. I would suggest you do this one or two times in a week or a fortnight. Alternatively, keep alarm, take glucometer readings and sleep off.
3) the most probable reason for your issue is dawn phenomenon or somogyi effect. Please read more about these searching this forum.
Per my observation, my FBS increased whenever I had Low Carb food for dinner. I have switched to emmer wheat meal for dinner and my FBS rarely crosses 111 mg/dL
To loose weight it is better to eat less carb say about 50 gms of carb/day and more fat and protein. Fasting may lead to other conditions.
fasting in a diabetic causes only harm.weight control needs dieting not fasting.
Natalia,
What's your HBA1C?
HbA1c is a blood test that analyse the oxygenated blood over 90 days, this is an accurate form for checking diabetic condition. No fasting necessary for blood collection for testing, blood can be taken at any time of the day.
For blood glucose testing they ask you to fast for 12 hours, the problem is that what you ate and drank for the last few days contribute towards the blood glucose blood testing.
May be you need to ask your doctor for a HbA1c blood testing. Drink a lot of cinnamon tea, eat a lot of methi, a lot of green leaf veg, all good for. No sugar in tea or coffee, no Indian sweets.!!!!
Hi Shahzam, I have not tested it since I started the Fasting, but it was 6.1 when I had it checked about four months ago.
Thank you for your reply
HbA1c 6.1 is good control.Do not worry about FBS maintain minimum carb more proteine,& moderate fat.
Good luck.
Thanks for your response. Today I am starting eating one meal a day, and keeping the carbs below 40. See how that will go. This morning my Glucose was 138 at six am after fasting , by the time I got to work its 143 still fasting. I will check it again post dinner, and see what result I get.
I myself having FBS around 150 but PP is 140,I check my HbA1c every three months it is always between 6.1 to 6.5.
I am diabetic type 2 from last 8 years.
Pl take 30 minutes brisk walk every day.
Your diabetes will be always in control.
Ofcourse avoid sweets.
Thanks
I agree with ojha😎
High Fasting Sugar Level
Myth: Insulin is needed for glucose uptake
difference in glucose levels 
