How do you cope with carbs after remission?

[Cocosilk]

I'm starting this in a new thread so as not to derail the thread where I was reading this:

I can just about cope with a quantity of carbs, but I would never allow myself to reach the size I got to on the 'healthy' 'cholesterol lowering' high carb diet so it is a single indulgence, and then back to low carb again.

This is interesting to me. When you say you can cope with a quantity of carbs now, what kind of readings do you get after eating carbs (and which ones as an example)?

I'm not diagnosed with any kind of diabetes after my HbA1c came back at 34 (5.3%) but I had been eating low carb mostly for 8 or 9 months prior to that reading after having had gestational diabetes so I'm not confident I am dealing with carbs very well. A GTT I had at 2 months postpartum also had a 12.1 mmol spike at the 1h mark. Fast was 4.4 and 2h was 6.5 mmol though so the doctor didn't worry that much.

I go back and forth between very low carb and trying to reintroduce carbs to see what they are doing to me. Today, for example, I made a cake with Ricotta/ 2 cups almond meal /1/2 cup dry polenta/ 1/4 cup sugar / lemon zest & juice/ butter/ rosemary. I intended on only having one slice but carbs are stupidly addictive for me (and I just love this cake...) and I ended up having 2 slices (probably nearly a quarter of the cake about 20 mins apart). Was done eating within the first 30 mins.

My reading before eating was 4.9 mmol.
1 hour was 8.6 mmol.
90 mins was 8.3 mmol
1h55 mins was 8.1 mmol
2h07 mins was 6.8 mmol.

another example was an indulgence I had with the kids when I made baked sweet potato and homemade mayonnaise. I ate as much as I would have eaten before I realised I had gestational diabetes. Probably a whole sweet potato (cut into wedges).

Before 4.8
30 mins 7.9
45 mins 8.1
60 mins 9.4
90 mins 9.3
2 hours 8.5
3 hours 7.2

I waste strips, I know, but I was waiting to see it come down or whether it would stay up in the prediabetic range or not. Being in the 8 and 9s is not great when it goes on for over an hour, is it? I think a normal healthy person's spike wouldn't be in the 8s for a start and would probably only be up there for 15 - 30 mins if it did spike to that, wouldn't it?

I know these spikes are nothing compared to a true diabetic but I keep reading that spikes over 7.8 mmol are already causing cellular damage so I worry when I see that. What do you think? Am I "coping" with those carbs or am I prediabetic but managed to dodge a diagnosis by low carbing for months before my first HbA1c?

Back to salad and sardines tonight in any case...

 

[Member496333]

I get the impression from your posts that you're continually poking the dog to see how it reacts. I don't think that is going to work long term, and will just result in repeated frustration and disappointment. It goes without saying that you are free to choose how you live, but in my opinion, low-carb-try-carb-low-carb-try-carb defeats the purpose of going low-carb in the first place.

All only in my opinion based on personal experience.

 

[bulkbiker]

but carbs are stupidly addictive for me

I think you have hit the nail on the head. They are addictive and they aren't really doing you or your health much good.
Restricting them more than you currently are will likely help you to live longer and be more healthy so what's to lose?

I know these spikes are nothing compared to a true diabetic

I think you may be considered well on the way.. you "failed" the OGTT and are seeing spikes of 4 mmol/l when eating carbs so....that your doctor wasn't concerned is a tad worrying

 

[Cocosilk]

I think you have hit the nail on the head. They are addictive and they aren't really doing you or your health much good.
Restricting them more than you currently are will likely help you to live longer and be more healthy so what's to lose?



I think you may be considered well on the way.. you "failed" the OGTT and are seeing spikes of 4 mmol/l when eating carbs so....that your doctor wasn't concerned is a tad worrying

Good! Thank you. That is what I wanted to hear since I'm not hearing it from the two different doctors I have seen recently...

It is my feeling that I must already be prediabetic so I have to get my **** together and work out a sustainable diet.

I've only been having trouble sticking to low carb because I'm still breastfeeding and I was getting dizzy a lot and still have this idea that I should eat from all the food groups for baby's sake..

I tried supplementing with Lo-Salt for the potassium, and extra salt and magnesium but I haven't quite got the balance right.

But I think I have done enough experimenting with carbs now to know that I'm not handling them very well anymore.

I guess it's time to say goodbye to cake... boo

 

[Deleted member 475901]

I agree with others that swinging between trying carbs and being low carb isn't great - you might have a lowish HbA1c at the end but those spikes do damage.

I gradually increased my carb target, but only after being firmly in remission for a year.
Eating out or on holiday I have the occasional day up to 120g, but in between I stay below 100g and try not to have temptations in the house when I get home. And so far this works but I always retest to make sure.
(I was lucky and got into remission on 85g a day, others may need lower targets).

The couple of times I ate a bit extra for just one day in the first few months my BS rose and wavered for at least two days after so I won't risk that again.
I'm not sure I could ever go back to eating more carbs without coming out of remission.

I avoid sugar, apart from the tiny bit in 5% chocolate, I avoid sweet potatoes as well as ordinary ones (halloumi fries and cauliflower mash?), and I sometimes make nut butter balls or a low carb coconut flour/almond cake.
If you love that polenta cake, can't you find a much lower carb version? For a start try a ground almonds cake with truvia/stevia sweetener?

 

[Cocosilk]

I

I agree with others that swinging between trying carbs and being low carb isn't great - you might have a lowish HbA1c at the end but those spikes do damage.

I gradually increased my carb target, but only after being firmly in remission for a year.
Eating out or on holiday I have the occasional day up to 120g, but in between I stay below 100g and try not to have temptations in the house when I get home. And so far this works but I always retest to make sure.
(I was lucky and got into remission on 85g a day, others may need lower targets).

The couple of times I ate a bit extra for just one day in the first few months my BS rose and wavered for at least two days after so I won't risk that again.
I'm not sure I could ever go back to eating more carbs without coming out of remission.

I avoid sugar, apart from the tiny bit in 5% chocolate, I avoid sweet potatoes as well as ordinary ones (halloumi fries and cauliflower mash?), and I sometimes make nut butter balls or a low carb coconut flour/almond cake.
If you love that polenta cake, can't you find a much lower carb version? For a start try a ground almonds cake with truvia/stevia sweetener?

I was thinking to try coconut flour instead of polenta. I know the polenta is giving me big spikes. My kids love all the carbs and it's hard having to make certain things for them and not join them in eating it but I guess that's everyone's journey here. Self discpline and control. Redefining one's relationship with food. Addressing one's addictions. It's like having to break up with the love of your life but still see them everyday, with their other lovers...

So while you were eating 85g of carbs per day, were you able to keep your levels under 7.8? Is that the aim, or should I be aiming more for 6s?

I love haloumi by the way. Have to put it on the shopping list for tomorrow.

 

[Member496333]

I'm currently zero-carbing and find it far easier than moderation ever was. You could put a chocolate fudge cake under my nose and I wouldn't even flinch. Genuinely lost all interest in carbohydrate. Liberating

 

[Resurgam]

Last year I had Christmas diner on two days consecutively - we have two offspring - I made Yorkshire puddings using bread flour, cream diluted with water instead of milk, lots of eggs, beef dripping in the pans - ate roast carrot and parsnip plus assorted steamed low carb veges, Yorkshire pudding, lots of turkey with ordinary gravy, and then more Yorkshire pudding, and both days my BG was 5.6mm/l two hours later.
When I weighed myself a week later I was slightly heavier, but another week and that had gone.
Normal days are under 40 gm of carbs - but just once in a while seems absolutely fine.

 

[Cocosilk]

I'm currently zero-carbing and find it far easier than moderation ever was. You could put a chocolate fudge cake under my nose and I wouldn't even flinch. Genuinely lost all interest in carbohydrate. Liberating

I was starting to get over my sweet tooth too but it comes back fast with a bite of certain temptations. Not everything will tempt me anymore and somethings are too sweet now. I look forward to the day I can be like you...

 

[bulkbiker]

My kids love all the carbs and it's hard having to make certain things for them and not join them in eating it

Then stop carbing them up too? I'll bet they'll get loads when they visit their friends so why not make your house a low carb zone for all the family.
There are zero "essential carbs" so...putting temptation in your own way isn't a great idea

 

[Flora123]

Then stop carbing them up too? I'll bet they'll get loads when they visit their friends so why not make your house a low carb zone for all the family.
There are zero "essential carbs" so...putting temptation in your own way isn't a great idea

I have done just that in our house! My husband has lost weight and really enjoys his LC food. The kids were very slim to start with but they have changed shape - sort of more athletic looking and behaviour is calmer. They seem much happier.

 

[KK123]

All I would say is regardless of whether your Dr is prepared to call you out as 'diabetic' (!) or not, your testing would appear to show you how YOU are processing carbs. I am no expert but my DN at the start of my unasked for 'journey', said that a person who has NO glucose impairment would always return to around 4.4 no matter what they ate, 2 hours later. I am convinced that although many people are not officially recognised as having diabetes, a great many of them are likely to be glucose intolerant/impaired so would possibly benefit from a reduction in carbs. x

 

[Caprock94]

I have found that I can tolerate more carbs since stabilizing my blood sugars in normal ranges. That being said, I have found that I feel worse after eating more carbs. It appears my body prefers the low carb way of eating. I don't plan to ever go back to the high carb way of eating that I used to do.

 

[Cocosilk]

Then stop carbing them up too? I'll bet they'll get loads when they visit their friends so why not make your house a low carb zone for all the family.
There are zero "essential carbs" so...putting temptation in your own way isn't a great idea

I'm working on it but my husband is a hard sell. He thinks while they are growing they can eat them. Carbs are just convenient really so it's only if I can't manage to prepare something better that I might fall back on them (which is more often than I like, although the only bread they get is my husband's sourdough rye). I talk about what different foods do to our blood sugar and my 5yo even said to me the other day "Mummy, you shouldn't eat that potato." But she loves porridge herself and begs for it. I usually give them eggs for breakfast now though. It'll be an adjustment that will take time and probably tantrums...

 

[CL_in_NZ]

I have found I can eat quite a few carbs and have normal results (usually 5's at two hours sometimes 6s though). I'm still careful though and am probably under 50g 5 days a week. I was away on holiday for my birthday recently and basically went off the wagon for a week and a half. When I got home I went low carb again and had a bit of keto flu I think as I had some brain fog, it went away pretty quick though.

I don't find that I crave carbs and I do eat things like a burger or pizza a couple times a month and chips at the pub when I am there with mates. I think the key for me was losing weight (12kgs) nearly all of which I was carrying around my middle I do weigh myself regularly and I am not prepared to gain anything back!

Its an individual thing so you just have to figure out what works for you and what you can tolerate.

 

[Resurgam]

My children ate a lower carb diet and both are tall and slender - my son is a foot taller then me, my daughter about 6 inches.
One slight problem is that my son only has to grin mischievously at his wife for her to fall pregnant - they are just hatching their fifth child - and as the first three were boys and the last two will be girls, God willing - they might try to get two sets of three....

 

[mouseee]

Perhaps it's also about portion control with the kids to lower carbs (And husband's!) My teenage daughter is carb aware but will still consume bread etc. However she won't over indulge in carby things and usually makes lower carb choices. I'm still working on the husband!

The poor daughter has a high chance of t2 as it's in the family but she's definitely better educated about LC - that didn't even exist when my mum was diagnosed! I want her to be healthy but she also has to find her own balance as it won't be long until she's off into the world looking after herself and I don't want her rebelling by restricting her too much at home.

 

[Listlad]

I'm currently zero-carbing and find it far easier than moderation ever was. You could put a chocolate fudge cake under my nose and I wouldn't even flinch. Genuinely lost all interest in carbohydrate. Liberating

You could put a chocolate fudge cake under my nose and I wouldn’t flinch but that is down to well honed self control. Like the OP I am exposed to carbs within my own household and at work so cannot hide from it too easily. I cannot say I will have none of it in my house as there is loads of it. I have to therefore learn to ignore it.

 

[Listlad]

I'm working on it but my husband is a hard sell. He thinks while they are growing they can eat them. Carbs are just convenient really so it's only if I can't manage to prepare something better that I might fall back on them (which is more often than I like, although the only bread they get is my husband's sourdough rye). I talk about what different foods do to our blood sugar and my 5yo even said to me the other day "Mummy, you shouldn't eat that potato." But she loves porridge herself and begs for it. I usually give them eggs for breakfast now though. It'll be an adjustment that will take time and probably tantrums...

My wife is a hard sell too. And she has her own mind. I had a discussion with my 7 yo and she does not understand of course. So I spend time almost daily trying to dilute down the amount of carbs she eats, to what we know are sensible levels. School and her mum and her peers don’t do a lot to help matters though.

 

[Member496333]

You could put a chocolate fudge cake under my nose and I wouldn’t flinch but that is down to well honed self control. Like the OP I am exposed to carbs within my own household and at work so cannot hide from it too easily. I cannot say I will have none of it in my house as there is loads of it. I have to therefore learn to ignore it.

Sure thing. We're all surrounded by carbohydrate. None of us live in a zero-carb bubble. My point was that I don't need to exercise any self-restraint because it no longer interests me. None of it even resembles food anymore. This wasn't the case when I was attempting to moderate. I'm not gloating or anything. Just lucky I guess, but there you have it