After reading through thousands of posts on these forums and seeing people mention a spike in their blood sugar, or being taken wayyyy out of their zone.

I'm curious if people are doing these things based solely on how they feel physically, or if they're coming to these conclusions by actually testing their blood glucose?

It made me wonder because Sue mentioned that the deli flat that I ate this morning would spike my insulin, but at the same time...I felt really great, very energetic, not tired at all, but I suppose it could have spiked it but it didn't have an adverse affect.

I'm just curious what everyone else does because I only know how I feel physically and have never tested my blood glucose...

I agree Jennifer. Not only what tests do they have done but why they have them done. I have other questions as well where do they have them done, at what cost and how frequently. Since moving to Florida finding doctors and hospitals has been difficult for me. I am having many tests done for the end of the year (a lot for my stomach) and going to see if they will include an insulin reading for me just so I will have one reading. I am sure I will have to pay extra for it. Also even though I like my doctor she doesn't feel the same way I do on things. My cholesterol level is 151. I have gotten it down 5 points on the zone and I am hoping to get it down 5 more points using the zone diet and taking the cholesterol pills from the Zone site. She just thinks I am making a terrible decision. It is like if I don't take cholesterol pills I am going to die.

Jennifer, a blood glucose test will not indicate you lefvl do insulin resistance (it won't indicate how much insulin your body produced to eliminate the excess glucose from your bloodstream). Actually what I wrote is that it would spike your blood sugar and that would cause you to produce excess insulin.

The adverse effects of elevated insulin are many. Maintaining low insulin levels is the basis of the Zone diet.

That is the part I am confused by...and always have been.

How does one tell what their insulin level is?

I have found I do better on certain things than others...but I am unsure if there is a way to tell how something affected me vs something else...

Hi,

The way to determine specific insulin levels is with the fasting insulin blood test. You doctor can order it; it is typically covered by insurance. Another easy way to determine how well you're controlling insulin is to divide yor triglycerides by you HDL (trig/HDL). 1 is the ideal, 2 and higher indicates insulin resistance, (not good; not in the Zone).

As for knowing meal by meal, judge how you feel 4 hours later (hunger, focus and energy).

___________________________________________________


sue

Lost 100 lbs 15 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil. ZoneFast 1-2-3 is the best!

Consultant of Zone Labs

Certified Zone Affiliate

View my Zone Fast 1-2-3 meal photos here: http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/...3%20Meals/

View my classic Zone meal photos here: http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/...4/?start=0

Jennifer,

Unless one is diabetic, there would be no good reason to be routinely testing blood sugar. However, a normal blood glucose level is NOT an indication of a stable insulin level.

A normal blood sugar just means that the body is able to produce enough insulin to meet its needs. However, a normal blood sugar does not show how hard the body is working to produce the insulin needed to keep the sugar within the normal parameters.

So, someone who is not diabetic will have normal blood sugars, but could still have highly elevated insulin levels.

I generally test my insulin every 1-2 years. You can ask your doctor to order it during your annual physical. You can also do the test at home for $40-$60 per test.

"someone who is not diabetic will have normal blood sugars, but could still have highly elevated insulin levels" - this makes the most sense to me. I have two type 1 diabetic friends that I have been around my entire life, so this is the most telling statement I've heard about "normal" people.

My HDL/Trig ratio was a 1.98 prior to eating zone-like. I will have to get my
insulin tested when I go to the doctor this year. I assume they will give me an acceptable range, but are there any numbers in particular I should be looking for?

Jennifer,

The higher your HDL the better; the lower your Trig the better. The Trig/HDL will also indicate whether your LDL is the type which causes plaque deposits in the arteries (a ratio of 2 or more) or the benign harmless type (1 or less).

Jennifer,

Without looking in the Zone books, I believe that the acceptable range for fasting insulin is 5-10. That said, I recall seeing a reference range on my last report, and I think it indicated that 8 was the top cut-off. I know a few zoners who have said that under 5 is great for the Zone. But, a low reading isn't always good; once someone is diagnosed with diabetes, it is possible to have a low insulin level because the pancreas is no longer able to produce insulin.

Hope that helps!

Hi - I am an insulin dependent diabetic (Type I).
I have to tell you since starting the zone diet in July my sugars have really stabilized out and most now within my goal range.
Eating the low GI foods instead of all the breads and processed foods has really helped, plus having the protein each meal.
My nutritionist/diabetic educator who is trying to help me lose weight is really impressed - not only with the small amount of weight I have lost so far, plus the 5 inches overall I have lost, but mostly because my glucose line has almost no spikes in them (and those when I forgot to bolus, had issue with insulin pod, etc.).

I love the zone diet!!
Sheryl

That's awesome! My thought is that all diabetics (Type I & II) should incorporate the Zone lifestyle to live a much better life.

I think that is wonderful!

It means a lot to hear that from someone who has the capability to rely on objective information regarding what unfavorable food was doing to your body.

Sure, most people rely on other signals from their body, but I find this to be highly subjective. And, people without diabetes can't rely on measuring blood sugar because the sugars can still be normal even when the insulin levels inside are skyrocketing.

Keep up the good work!