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Type 2 How many carbs is low enough.

Roxanna5

Roxanna5

Member
Messages
19
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi my name is roxanna and I've been on a low fat and low carb diet. But now I want to do lchf. I don't know how many carbs I should eat. And what fruits can I have?

All answers greatly appreciated
 
I am a bit confused. You have already been on a "low fat and low carb diet". Shouldn't you be asking what HF means?
 
Hi @Roxanna5 .. and welcome
I see that @NoCrbs4Me has already tagged @ daisy1 for you and I would suggest, as others have above, that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the valuable information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following websites ...
Low Carbs in 60 Seconds
Low Carb 10-week Programme

Managing and controlling your diabetes through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day, seems to be working .. I have lost a stone and a half since my diagnosis and my BG levels are down from 12.5 to around 6. There is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum .. so ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need ..
Hope this helps
 
From responses I have read on here from people eating low carb, different people respond in different ways to different foods.
I ate as low carb as I could until I saw my blood glucose numbers dropping to safe levels - I did not bother much about the protein and fat content as it was pretty obvious very quickly that eating fewer carbs is the key.
Having a meter so I could check that I was not going high after meals helped enormously.
I am really sensitive to carbs, so just a little bread or potato would raise my BG to double figures and it would stay there for hours. After a while I could eat a bit more and still see my numbers going down.
I started off eating only meat or fish for a day or so, then small amounts of salad and low carb veges, tiny amounts of fruit (frozen berries), until I was going dizzy from dropping blood glucose. That was only because I was getting down to normal levels, not going hypo, but that is what it felt like - as I was staggering about I ate just a few grapes to get rid of it, and had to do that several times, until I got used to having a BG level in single figures.
If you can measure your BG levels before eating and then two hours after, and see a rise of less than two whole numbers then that should be OK - as long as you are in single figures to start with.
Do eat fats - you don't want to train your body to break down proteins, as you have some essential parts which are made from protein, such as your heart, which really need to be safeguarded
 
Welcome to the forum @Roxanna5

I'm hoping you have a meter? If you don't, then get one. It will help you gauge the day to day managment.

Are you on any meds for your diabetes..?

There's a helpful knowledgable friendly bunch on here, just ask away! :)
 
how low one must go in carbs will differ from one person to the other..., but go so low that yout blood glucose gets into a normal nondiabetic level would be my avice... and share your carbs over the day over more meals as the high spikes should be avoided, the very fluctuating blood glucose going very high and then low is very unhealthy for the body, for the blood wessels and for ones eyes.. and seems to maybe also damage the the nerves in ones body... as many with a ever raised bood glucose or very unstable blood glucose mostly to the higher side seems to get neuropathy..

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045678.php

many go lower with 100 grams of carbs a day and also many going much lower...
 
Oh - I forgot - some people find that they can cope with more carbs later in the day, as their insulin resistance reduces, but I find that if I don't eat at least some carbs early-ish (I wake at the crack of noon these days) I go all cold and feeble by late afternoon, with low BG. I much prefer to maintain a fairly steady state, so my first meal is often Dr Atkins revenge - bacon eggs mushrooms tomatoes and sweet peppers. I boil the bacon for a minute to remove the salt and other soluble preservatives, sieve it out then add it back into the frying pan to get crispy.
 
Hi. You don't actually need any carbs as long as you have enough proteins, fats and fibrous veg and fruit. Many stay below 100g/day which implies low-carb. I aim for 150gm/day but on insulin. Anything above 200gm/day would be too much for most of us. I'm generalising so the meter is the measure. BTW avoid tropical fruit.
 
I eat less than 20 a day and have been for years. Long before diabetes reared its ugly head. All of mine come from above ground veggies, a few nuts and avocado.

I do eat a high percentage of fat compared to protein or carb in a calorie sense. 80% fat but mostLy in avocado, nuts, mayo and olive oil. Olives too. I don't gob it but it is my energy source so I make sure to eat enough. I eat so,e avocado with all three meals as the fat and fiber help keep bs lower and slower.

You must have been starving being low carb AND low fat!!
 
Kristin251 said:
I eat less than 20 a day and have been for years. Long before diabetes reared its ugly head. All of mine come from above ground veggies, a few nuts and avocado.

I do eat a high percentage of fat compared to protein or carb in a calorie sense. 80% fat but mostLy in avocado, nuts, mayo and olive oil. Olives too. I don't gob it but it is my energy source so I make sure to eat enough. I eat so,e avocado with all three meals as the fat and fiber help keep bs lower and slower.

You must have been starving being low carb AND low fat!!
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Hi kristin251
Thanks for the help. Actually I didn't feel much hunger. But I used to feel so cold all of the time. My family felt normal and I felt as though I was in a freezer.
 
Daibell said:
Hi. You don't actually need any carbs as long as you have enough proteins, fats and fibrous veg and fruit. Many stay below 100g/day which implies low-carb. I aim for 150gm/day but on insulin. Anything above 200gm/day would be too much for most of us. I'm generalising so the meter is the measure. BTW avoid tropical fruit.
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Hi there daibell.
I had stayed around 50 carbs. And only 800 calories a day. But recently I tried lchf. But lost nothing. And that demotivated me and I fell off the wagon. ☹️
 
Roxanna5 said:
Hi kristin251
Thanks for the help. Actually I didn't feel much hunger. But I used to feel so cold all of the time. My family felt normal and I felt as though I was in a freezer.
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Protein is the hardest thing to burn as fuel. Protein is your ground wire and should remain fairly consistent. Then you get to choose a fuel source. Carbs or fat. As a diabetic we need to choose fat. You didn't have a fuel source. Time to get some fat into you! And to be clear IN THE ABSENSE OF CARBS FAT DOES NOT MAKE US FAT. This can be hard to wrap your head around.
Although fat and carbs CAN make us fat.

Do you know how much protein you eat ? How many carbs you currently eat? Are you eating any fat?

Low carb high fat does not mean high protein. We need just enough for maintenance and repair.
 
Hi jaylee I do have a meter and I check every morning. I sometimes check before and 2 hours after meals. And I have good control on the levels. Today I had a 4.8 mmol before dinner and two hours later I had 5.1. It's just that I still need to lose weight as I am obese.
 
Your levels are very good so you must be eating the right amount of carbs for your body, but quite honestly, 800 calories isn't really enough over a prolonged period. How long have you been on 800 calories? Do you do any exercise?

I would suggest you try to up your fats to increase your calories. This may well give your weight loss a kick start as it could be your body has gone in starvation mode and is clinging on to your fat stores for protection. This is just a suggestion, but worth a try.
 
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