Your definition of low carb diet.

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Alzebra

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604
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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When I was diagnosed with T2 seventeen years ago, the usual advice was to have meals consisting of one third carbs, one third protein and one third vegetables and this worked well with me while I took plenty of exercise. Now elderly and taking less exercise, though I try to keep up to some extent, I'm finding it more difficult to keep within acceptable numbers. However, if I reduce carbs I get SO hungry and prowl around asking myself what I can eat. No other forum members seem to mention hunger. Why is this? Also, I am on one Gliclazide and three Metformin a day now. What do you do to decrease medication? Do you stop one and see what effects there are?
I must add how funny it is to read of members' longings for praise for thei efforts. I am just the same and still thrill to remember a d.nurse saying to me "I wish all my patients were like you!" Sadly, that was in a previous practice and what I get now is "Who's in charge, me or your old practice?" I should have said that, ultimately, the patient must take charge.

When reducing carbs you need to replace the calories with something else, most people choose fat rather than protein as this is better for your kidneys and also your bg. Eating fat will help A LOT with hunger!
 
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Amandamc2711

Active Member
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41
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Right now I am zero carb, but I would consider less than 50 g per day to be low carb for me.
What do you eat every day to stay zero carb I'm intrigued ? Only been diagnosed a couple of weeks and got carbs down between 60 and 100 g each .
 

Chook

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I stay under 30g as far as possible. Actually around 15g to 20g suits my meter better but I find going that low every day is quite difficult.

It's interesting reading the posts at the beginning of this five and a half year old thread - how things have changed!
 

KayeStevenson

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92
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
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Diet only
I average 30g a day. It's working for me and I am enjoying my food more e.g. scrambled eggs and smoked salmon for breakfast is the business!
 

Finsky

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, I'm finding it more difficult to keep within acceptable numbers. However, if I reduce carbs I get SO hungry and prowl around asking myself what I can eat. No other forum members seem to mention hunger. Why is this? .
When you do reduce your carbs....do you eat more fats? Fats are the key to keep your body feeling sated. Butter....cream...cheese...not-so-lean-meats. At first it does feel odd to enjoy food with those extra 'sin full' additions...we are so brain washed to eat 'lean low fat food that is supposed to be good for you'.. but what a difference it does to your body!! No more cravings, no need for constant nibbling, once you eaten your meal...you feel like you have eaten and that's that. :D
 

JohnEGreen

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Since I realised I was diabetic I did change my diet. After being on such high dosages of Prednisolone for such a long time my weight had ballooned to over 17 stone had the moon face and all that. What I did was less organised than what the low carbers here tend to do I cut back drastically on carbs and sugar though as I had at various times medical types telling me no your not diabetic I did have times when I kind of rebelled and said to hell with it if they say I'm OK then I'll eat what I like but I got over that and started to take carbs a lot more seriously and cut back on them again I don't particularly count carbs but do avoid very high carb foods have very little bread, potato, rice, pasta and cakes and biscuits for the most part I do not touch.

Since then I have lost about 4 1/2 stone come down 3 sizes in clothes and now I have a meter I can say my blood sugar is almost back in normal levels.

So generally I would say yes I am a lowish or reduced carber.

Oh bye the way I did try and follow the advise on here and Eat My Meter but it was indigestible and tasted awful though I think it was low in carbs.
 

Lamont D

Oracle
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15,793
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
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I do not have diabetes
I personally do what I would call 's very low carb' lifestyle!

Semantics, labels!

I don't intentionally eat any carbs!

But you can't always get away from them.

I mainly eat protein, meat, salad veg, Greek full fat yoghurt, berries, a slice of Bergen, some nuts, eggs, mushrooms, a slice of black pudding!
Other bits and low carb bobs!

My meals are never that big to disrupt my flat line blood glucose levels.

I feel great!
 
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NoCrbs4Me

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Hi, What do u eat. R u losing weight all the time? Type 1/2, what reading u get. How u manage to control hunger please.
I eat bacon, eggs, and ribeye mostly, plus occasional seafood and dairy. I am not losing weight. I am almost never hungry. If I'm hungry, I eat. If I'm not hungry and it's not a meal time, I don't eat. I don't count calories. Type 2. Blood glucose almost always between 4.5 and 5.5. There's more info in my signature.
 
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Totto

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@catherinecherub I'd say 25E% of carbs is low carb while LCHF is generally 5E% carbs and 80E% fat. As definitions, that is.
 

the_anticarb

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I don't count carbs I just avoid all obviously carby foods including bread, rice, pasta, pastry, cereal and milk and try to base my meals around meat/veg/cheese. I do eat a bit of dark chocolate or an atkins bar in the evening though.
 
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NoCrbs4Me

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I've tried to reduce my carb intake. I've been diagnosed for just under 2 months so everything is still very new and emotional for me. And because I'm an emotional mess at times I need carbs. Carbs make me happy!! I have changed from regular fizzy drinks to diet. Although I now drink them less often because diet drinks are usually vile!!

Not helpful at all, but those Cadbury "Pots of Joy" are only 19g of carbs per pot. :p
I've found carbs no longer make me happy, but ribeye steaks do.
 
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JohnEGreen

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As they say one man's meat is another man's poison, so I say. each to his own. Hope you are doing better now mahola and that your daughter will be OK.
 
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Robbity

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Type of diabetes
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I consider my diet to be a ketogenic/very low carb high(er) fat diet. I started off low carbing with around 20g carbs a day for a few weeks, but now eat more - probably between 30 and 50g. I try to avoid most carbs where possible and definitely shun all high carb foods (sweets, jams, cakes, sugary drinks, potatoes, bread, flour, cereals, pasta, rice, most processed foods, etc), and the only ones I generally eat are in foods that I consider beneficial in other ways, and not because I actually need or want them; for the most part the fat in my diet is my preferred fuel now. So my carbs come mainly from above ground vegetables, berries and other low carb fruit, and nuts, and a bar of Lindt 85% dark chocolate a week. Where possible I bake my own low carb alternatives, e.g. cakes, muffins, bread.

Once I learned what I could happily eat, I've not normally needed to count carbs at all, and my meter (which unlike @JohnEGreen I've never heard of any one actually eating :eek: in my whole 2+ years on the forum!) keeps me on track on the glucose levels front.

Robbity
 

Hiitsme

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2,987
Type of diabetes
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Interesting what people call low carb. I only restrict carbs that my meter shows me. While I was aiming to lose weight I did count carbs and calories. Mostly my carbs were between 50 and 100. I didn't know if this would count as low carb so quite confused. Now I probably can eat about 100 carbs a day but no longer count. I still restrict carbs but find I can eat more of them without spiking. I've even tried small quantities of rice and pasta without problems as I now mustn't lose any more weight. BMI now 19.6 and doctor concerned that I might be malnourished as my trigs are very low. I was pleased with low trigs but I gather it can also be a sign of malnutrition.
 

Stallen

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I don't set a number for my daily carbs, I choose foods that are mostly 4g per 100g but I do eat a small amount of higher carb fruits blended with green veg.
Most meals it would be under 10g of carbs and a fruit green smoothie 20g carbs.

Interestingly I just found a letter earlier this evening from Dec 2014 from a specialist diabetes dietician I saw, it had an action plan recommending 50g of carbs at meal times and 20g at snack times and no skipping meals
A few lines From the report,
we discussed how dietary advice is not to adjust eating habits to optimise blood glucose control, but to continue to eat well with regular carbohydrate intake, the letter goes on to say that a low carbohydrate diet is unlikely to be sustainable in the long term leading to an increased risk of nutritional deficiencies.

I obviously followed the advice, for awhile which lead to a number of problems, weight gain and more medication including being offered insulin as an option, as others have said eat to the meter find your level of safe carbs, despite my dieticians views I think it is sustainable long term if you find your right level of intake.