Glad to see you read them. And it's excellent to see good
questions coming as a result.

Answering the last question first. 7.8(140) in the
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045621.php link is based
on data from scientists who, for some inexplicable reason,
rarely test at one hour but only at two.

The advice in
http://alt-support-diabetes.org/NewlyDiagnosed.htm is based
on experience by past posters here as well as other
references - hopefully the author may answer that herself.

My own take is that whether it is at one hour or two is
irrelevant - just try not to exceed it at any time. That's
why, after a period of learning, instead of testing at one
or two hours you will test at the time you have discovered
when your post-meal peak occurs.

Of course that is a goal, not a mandatory threshold. If you
do go over that, don't panic but use the experience to learn
why and try not to repeat it.

Now, back to your menu. Little things that you might check
on once you start testing.

"Breakfast is generally 1 or 2 toast, and/or a boiled egg
(about 4-6 eggs per week, maximum)."
Eggs - no problem. However - many of us have problems with
carbs at breakfast. I doubt that you'll still be eating two
pieces of toast after you start testing. I don't even eat
one. To compensate for the loss of calories (if you need to)
add sauteed veges - onions, mushrooms, capsicum etc or meat
or fish as fillers to an omelette or as a side.

"Lunch is usually a large salad with french dressing 2 times
a week, or a tuna sandwich, or, a smoked meat sandwich."
Again, no problem with the filling. However - the bread and
rolls are a possible difficulty; similarly, the level of
sugars in your brand of french dressing may need
investigation. My lunch sandwiches are double filling, open
no one slice of multigrain. Eat them carefully:-)

"I rarely drink juice,but I eat about 5-8 bananas per week
as well as the same number of oranges."

I haven't eaten bananas, oranges or drunk juice since I
started testing - except to treat hypos.

I do eat fruit, in small portions (usually halves) as snacks
between meals. By testing I have found when, and in what
portion size, I can eat them. Apples, pears, stone fruits
etc or small portions of berries. If in doubt, berries are
better.

"Today, I had chinese noodel stir fry.  At 1 hour post meal,
I hit 8.3mmol per litre.  2 hours later, I dropped to 5.4
mmol per litre."

No surprises there. For US readers 8.3 is 150mg/dl, 5.4 is
just under 100. You also demonstrated why the one-hour test
is a far better indicator for us than the two-hour.

It was almost certainly the noodles, not the ingredients
unless there was sugar or cornflour/starch in the sauce.
Hopefully, you didn't have rice with them.

When I eat noodles or pasta these days, I double the
vege/meat/sauce component and halve the noodles/pasta.

Congratulations - nice to meet a newby who is prepared to
try testing and analysis of the results from day 1. You'll
be back here in six months teaching newbies yourself:-)

Cheers Alan, T2, Australia.
d&e, metformin 2x500mg

I have no medical qualifications beyond my own experience.
Choose your advisers carefully, because experience can be
an expensive teacher.

Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

I'm a newly-diagnosed prediabetic.  I was very confused at first, but
now its been about 2 months and I've been reading a great deal about
Diabetes, so I'm not so confused anymore.  Based upon my own knowledge,
here is what I would advise.

1.  Talk to your doctor about getting all of the relevant blood tests.
Most important seems to be fasting blood glucose, A1C, and fats
(cholesterols).

2.  Bring your test results to a good hospital dietitian and have
him/her design a diet for you.  With all due respect to the people in
this group, I would not base my treatment plan on advice from
strangers.  The diet that you follow is of enormous importance in
determining whether your diabetes will get better or worse.

Sometimes dietary needs are non-obvious.  For example, my BG numbers
are pretty good but my HDL (good cholesterol) is low.  So my dietitian
has focused more on that problem than on the problem of keeping BG low.
There are other factors in diet besides just blood sugar control, and
that can be determined from your blood work and from consulting with
your doctor.

3.  If you are overweight, lose weight!!!  That's virtually priority
one.  A lot of authorities say that in some cases simply losing weight
is enough to stop the progress of the disease.  Losing weight will
almost certainly improve matters.

4.  Body mass index.  A person's body mass index is the ratio of their
height to their weight.  You have probably seen these tables that tell
you whether you are overweight for your height.  If you are, then lose
weight.

5.  Pot bellies.  Another risk factor for developing Diabetes are pot
bellies.  Men should have a waist no bigger than 40 inches and women no
bigger than 35 inches.  If you do, then get rid of it (easier said then
done).

6.  A book that I'm now reading says that prediabetes increases your
probability of heart disease by a factor of 4.  Consequently, it is
very important to control cholesterol.  My dietition put me on a diet
of 12 ounces of very low fat meat per day.  Very low fat means less
than 1 gram of fat per ounce.

7.  I test my blood 3 times a day:  Upon waking up and before and after
one of my meals.  I don't have much problem with spikes, but if you do,
then you need to deal with it as soon as possible.

8.  Exercise is extremely important.  I find that exercise
significantly reduces my BG.  Also, aerobic exercise is good for your
heart and cleans the cholesterol muck out of your arteries.  But if you
haven't exercised for a long time, check with your doctor first.