How to work out carbs?

[Brettabob_]

Hi guys, new to this and looking for help. When counting carbs and I look at a label is it the carb as a whole I'm counting or those that are sugars? For example 2 weetabix are 26g of carbs of which 1.7g are sugars

 

[himtoo]

hi there !!

it is the total carbs figure you need to count

so your Weetabix example is indeed 26 carbs for 2 Weetabix biscuits.

 

[Bluetit1802]

If you eat them with milk don't forget that also has carbs!

 

[Brettabob_]

Stupid question time, do you buy back carbs by exercising? E.g. If I'm working to 50g of carbs, I have weetabix at 26g leaving 24g for the rest of the day, if I workout will I be allowed more carbs?

 

[Guzzler]

I may be in error here and havn't gone into too much reading on excercise but the reason for excercise is to use up glucose in the muscles so that it is replaced by glucose in the blood therefore lessening the amount of glucose in the blood and the amount of excess stored in the liver as fat.
No doubt someone will put that comment right or have a better way of explaining it.

 

[Brettabob_]

I may be in error here and havn't gone into too much reading on excercise but the reason for excercise is to use up glucose in the muscles so that it is replaced by glucose in the blood therefore lessening the amount of glucose in the blood and the amount of excess stored in the liver as fat.
No doubt someone will put that comment right or have a better way of explaining it.

That makes sense thanks

 

[SockFiddler]

Stupid question time, do you buy back carbs by exercising? E.g. If I'm working to 50g of carbs, I have weetabix at 26g leaving 24g for the rest of the day, if I workout will I be allowed more carbs?

Don't look at it this way, using words like "allowed" and "buy back" - don't see boundaries and limits. Set a reasonable daily carb total that is something you can easily meet (when you've stripped out the basic high-carb stuff like bread, cereal, potatoes, rice, pasta) and then aim to get close to it. If you're 10g over or 20g under it doesn't matter at first - you're giving yourself a guideline and changing your lifestyle to improve your health and control your illness.

Over time, as you get the hang of things and discover new foods to eat (and, without carbs, your appetite will also lessen), you'll find yourself eating fewer and fewer carbs and your daily total will only need a slight conscious nudge to reduce. Eventually you'll hit a point where you're comfortable with what you're eating and able to control your BG at the same time. But it's a journey, not a single switch and you shouldn't feel in opposition either with your body or with your food.

Take it gently, over time and keep a food diary which will help you understand your eating trends and how they impact your BG.

Good luck!

 

[SockFiddler]

Stupid question time, do you buy back carbs by exercising? E.g. If I'm working to 50g of carbs, I have weetabix at 26g leaving 24g for the rest of the day, if I workout will I be allowed more carbs?

Just for reference, it took me about 8 weeks to get to my daily (intended) total of 50g / day. If you're just starting, I applaud your enthusiasm, but think it's a massively drastic change! Set yourself up to succeed by taking it slower and allowing your body time to adjust - don't forget carbs are super-addictive and your dopamine isn't going to be happy if you take its good stuff away too quickly!

You've got this. I'm sure you're going to do great