Managing the Bernstein eating plan

[LucySW]

@Ian DP and anyone else who's doing the strictish Bernstein eating plan, can I ask how you break up your carb targets thro the day? I'm having to redistribute the 6 + 12+ 12 structure, with a small snack first thing on waking up

 

[robert72]

Today I have done 4+2+20 although I am not fastidious about it. It also depends how much protein I eat and to some degree, the 'Chinese Restaurant effect', based on the volume of food.

 

[robert72]

Sorry @LucySW just noticed you are LADA on oral meds. Maybe better to try 10+10+10 to even things out?

There are no rules, only what works for you

 

[LucySW]

Here's the full post!

@IanDP and anyone else who's doing the strictish Bernstein eating plan, can I ask how you allocate your carb targets thro the day? I'm having to redistribute the 6 + 12+ 12, with a small snack first thing on waking and a fairly substantial snack around 4.30 so that I can hold out till we eat in the evening 9.30/10. (We've tried to eat earlier but very rarely manage it.)

So after that first snack of about 3g (I'm trying chopped up almonds in a bit of Greek yogurt), I have another 3g to play with for breakfast, which is usually eggs of some description and some vegetables.

Lunch is fine: chicken/smoked fish/some kind of meat plus a huge salad including an avocado, usually. That makes 12g.

So today I broke up the remaining 12g into 9g at 4.30, and the remaining 3g (except it was 6g) at supper, which tends to be a meat/fish dish and vegetables.

Anyone else tried this? I wish I cd keep just to three meals, but I DIE of hunger by 6pm and I can't get the evening meal ready by then.

All levels of detail welcomed - in fact the detail seems to help the most.

I feel that getting my BS down is really quite urgent. I am stuck at around 6.2 most mornings and for much of the day - not low enough to prevent damage, let alone spare beta-cells.

Lucy
(Sans signature, which has disappeared ... )
I'm LADA, not on any meds, just LCHF and exercise, but with the go-ahead to try 1 or 2 units of Insulatard (intermediate insulin AKA NPH) Insulin at night.

 

[Ian DP]

I am more like 12-12-6 (with my breakfast 4-8 (nut-seed snack then 2x 1g carb sausages , bacon, 2egg courgette and tom omelet with cheese)

I have tried a near zero carb dinner (mushrooms fried in butter with cream) but it seemed to make no difference to my pre breakfast BG reading so now have a cheese salad with coleslaw and one cherry tomatoe.

 

[Ian DP]

Also, I try not to have to much protein. 10g protein = 5g carbs.
Which leads to lots of fat!!!! Butter cream, fatty cuts of meat... All the 'bad' foods that I have been bought up with over the last 30 years, but now beginning to appear not so unhealthy.... Even healthy!!!!

 

[robert72]

Maybe try some cheese or coffee+cream at 6pm to curb hunger. Do you keep track of fat intake?

 

[LucySW]

Maybe try some cheese or coffee+cream at 6pm to curb hunger. Do you keep track of fat intake?

@robert72, No, I don't track fat, except I try to have quite a bit of it. It does make me feel full, but veg and salad do that better. The last two days I've tried Greek yogurt and some almonds because that's so easy to do at work. If I wait till 6 it's too late - then I end up eating a full 12g of cheese, lettuce etc from the fridge.

@IanDP, I don't quite understand the protein:carb thing. What do you limit your protein to?

Lucy

 

[Ian DP]

I find it difficult to calculate protein. I have tried calculating it a couple of times (my fitness app said 97g, carb & calls said 127g - same meals!). I often eat out a lunch (main meal of the day), if I have a large mixed grill or a large steak or 1/2 chicken I find my BG levels rise (high protein) so I am now on med size meat portions and occasional fish and hoping not to loose weight.

 

[robert72]

Recommended daily amount of protein is 0.8g per kilo of body weight.

When you are on a very low carb diet, protein will break down into glucose at about 50% (but much more slowly than carbs do) in a process called gluconeogenesis. So if you had 100g of protein that would eventually give you 50g glucose.

 

[LucySW]

But Robert, 0.8 x 73 (my body weight) is 2 oz a day. To satisfy we have to eat more than that, and Doc B okays having 8 oz a day at least.

I don't want to OD on protein, but I'm trying to work out an eating pattern that I can sustain. Moderate not huge amounts of protein.

 

[jack412]

I think it's 0.8-1g lean body mass, that's your bmi minus the fat %

RDA of 0.8 g/kg. But it’s also important to identify what is meant by “body weight.” In regards to grams/kilograms per body weight, lean body weight is the correct weight to use. For example, you may be 180 lb but have a lean body weight of 130 lb, with 50 lb that’s fat, bone and fluid. In that case, 130 lb would be used when considering your adequate protein intake, not the total 180 lb.

 

[Ian DP]

I am eating much more than the recommended 0.8 /kg, nearly double. If I ate the recommended amount I would lose weight (as I was a few months back).

I think you have to eat protein to your meter, but I found a reduction or increase in protein can take 3 days to show on my meter, so make any change consistent for 3 days before coming to any conclusion.

I wonder if your late evening eating may not be helping your pre breakfast readings, but understand how you have to juggle around family life.

From what I have read on these forums getting the correct insulin doses and type takes time, so I guess this is what you need to concentrate on most, which probably will be much easier with stable carb and protein quantities..... Probably not good to Change protein quantities and insulin at the same time.... That's my thinking, but others taking insulin may be better to advise.

 

[Ian DP]

I wonder if the 0.8 / kg protein amount is an NHS guideline.... The same guideline that says we should have 1/3 of our plate full of carbs!!!!

 

[LucySW]

I wonder if your late evening eating may not be helping your pre breakfast readings, but understand how you have to juggle around family life.

Yes I think that's extremely probable. it's a priority to change it.

I like the possibility that the 0.8g figure might be an NHS guideline !

 

[jack412]

It wasn't NHS, it was a bodybuilding site
http://www.muscleandbodymag.com/powered-by-protein/

An Olympic weight lifter who spends all day in the gym is on 1.5-1.7g
http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/factsheets/basics/protein_-_how_much
You need really good kidneys to handle those proteins, eGFR >90

If you cut carbs you add fat and the RDA of protein is the safer way
Or put carbs back and take more bolus is better than OD on protein

 

[robert72]

This is supposed to be 0.8g of protein rather than 0.8g meat

For example, an 8oz Ribeye steak would contain perhaps 35g of protein.

Sorry for any confusion about this

 

[LucySW]

That makes a lot more sense.

 

[LucySW]

This is supposed to be 0.8g of protein rather than 0.8g meat

For example, an 8oz Ribeye steak would contain perhaps 35g of protein.

Sorry for any confusion about this

Doesn't Bernstein refute the point about high protein harming your kidneys somewhere in his bk?

 

[robert72]

Doesn't Bernstein refute the point about high protein harming your kidneys somewhere in his bk?

I think high protein is only an issue if you have kidney damage to start with