Website to count carbs

[MrsGnu]

Hello everyone

I am new to this forum and new to trying to tackle my diabetes using a low carb approach, so far it is going well, and I have found all the info on here really useful.

I noticed on the newbies board a few people asking about a website that lets you count your carbs. I have been using www.weightlossresources.co.uk ( same people who produce the calorie bible which a few of you use) which lets you do just that, it even lets you put your own recipes in so that you can plan ahead. There is a subscription cost, but there is a free 3 day trial, so you can try before you buy. I just thought it might be of interest.

Anyway, just to introduce myself. I was diagnosed in1997 with type 2, was all under control with byetta and metformin until I got pregnant last year. After using shedloads of insulin during pregnancy I am now 3 stones heavier and prior to low carb was using byetta, metformin and gliclazide but still hitting 2 hours post prandial sugars of 19-22!! I have been doing this for a week, using the info on here and am down to 8-9 post prandial using byetta and metformin only. Still some way to go, but early days yet!

I am due to see the dietician next week, so I will let you know if I get my behind kicked or not.....

Nice to meet you all
Jo

 

[squirtsdad]

Hi Jo

Just thought I would say hello as I am quite new to low carbing too.

I am on my 6th day and it is the first day I am struggling a little. That said, my readings have also come down from mid teens to between 8.8-9.2 and that is after being well out of control up to Monday of this week.

I stared by following the Metabolism Miracle diet in the D.Mail but may just go on to long term low carbing as I do not want to go back to eating all the bread etc. This diet totally kills my apetite and when eating bread and carbs I just cant stop.

Got a 4 year old I want to see get old so need to stick with it!!

Hope it carries on going well.


Tony

 

[Ardbeg]

Jo & Tony, welcome.

I'm a newbie to the forum too and as yet have not been formally diagnosed (altho' most likely to be T2) and do not meet the nurse until Thursday to discuss treatment, diet, etc.

In the meantime I'm just trying to eat sensibly and have stopped drinking alcohol.

Tony, I can relate to your comment about carbs. As an ex Atkins Diet follower I now no longer like chips or potatoes that much, but still love bread and pasta. My trouble is, as soon as I try them I could eat them all day. Conversely, I worry about a very low carb diet as I recall all the negative publicity the Atkins Diet had 8 to 10 years ago, which implied a strict regime of low/no carbing was bad for your long term health.

Damned if you do and damned if you don't I guess. :roll:

Jim

 

[sugarless sue]

OK guys, low carbing does not have to be difficult!!

First get carb counter book.

Second choose an amount you think you can stick to,say, for arguments sake 100gm of carbs.There are those on here that eat less than that,myself included but to start with 100gms is a 'do-able' amount.

Next,look through the carb counter book at all the things that YOU like to eat.Check the carbs per 100gm. Get a good set of scales and weigh out 100gm to see what it looks like. This gives you an idea on portion control, another essential of low carbing. Tailor your diet to the things that you like so that you are less likely to fall by the wayside.

Do one meal of the day at a time. This is less daunting than trying to change everything at once.

Keep a food diary listing the food you eat and the readings you get testing before and two hours after that meal. This gives you an idea what those foods are doing to your blood sugar levels. If the foods put up your levels then either cut out that food or try a smaller portion.

You have got to tailor your diet to your needs, others can make suggestions but it is only by experimenting that you will find what works for you.

Try and do without the starchy carbs, bread,potatoes, pasta,rice, and all flour based products. If you can't then keep them to very small portions and above all test a lot!!

Low carbing need not be bad for your health if you get most of your carbs from vegetables and fruit ,if you can tolerate them. There are those that advocate eating more fat but that would be up to you and your own health considerations.

 

[Ardbeg]

Thanks Sue.

I don't wish to put you on the spot here but do you and the other moderators have any opinion about Atkins; good or bad?

 

[arjster]

If you want to count carbs, why don't you try myLifestyle - it's on http://www.diabetes.co.uk/mylife - it's got a complete food diary with carbohydrate counter, weight and BMI, etc... I use it daily and swear by it!

 

[cugila]

Atkins.....wouldn't touch it personally. My choice. I did try it and also low carbed when first came here. I didn't stick with it because Cholesterol rocketed and due to a previous Heart Op I do not eat high fat whatever anybody tells me !

Others obviously have different opinions. That is their choice.

My method is using 'reduced' carbs, the Glycaemic Index and the Glycaemic load. I have tight control of portion sizes by weighing virtually everything I eat. Not for everybody but it is very effective method. I consume between 70 - 90g carbs per day.

 

[sugarless sue]

If you are talking about the Atkins introduction diet, ie no carbs then you could not live on that for a long time. The advanced Atkins does use veg etc so it would be up to you if you could use it.Atkins is a weight loss diet not a diabetic diet so is not always suitable for diabetics.

Do not think of this as a 'diet'. This is a change of lifestyle that you are embarking on, change for life, a change for the better.Therefore it is important to make your own 'diet' so that you can stick to it happily.

I would not expect anyone to live on what i eat and I couldn't eat what some others on here eat.It's all to do with how your body processes the food and affects your blood sugars.

 

[squirtsdad]

Hello all, Tony back.

I find that I need to go the whole hog or I really struggle. I only need a little bit of bread or other carb to find I am then really hungry and it all goes out the window.

That is what happened with Atkins many years ago for me. That said I had the best 3 month HBA1 (or whatever its called) ever for me afterwards and my cholestrol went from an already good 3.2 to 3.oo so everybody is different. That was also done as a veggie so no meat which I do eat now which may make a difference.

Like all things I suppose everybody is a little different with how they react to these things.

Just to change things slightly. Does anybody have any views on the Miracle Metabolism diet the D. Mail has been seialising?

 

[cugila]

Just to change things slightly. Does anybody have any views on the Miracle Metabolism diet the D. Mail has been seialising?

No comment apart from this extract from a review which really isn't very complimentary.

How “The Metabolism Miracle Diet” works I do not want to oversimplify things and diminish the value of the very useful and quality information contained in this book, but at the end of the day, the whole thing pretty much boils down to one thing – carbohydrates.

Specifically, as it has been known for years – if you want to be healthy, feel great, and lose weight – you have to control the quality and the quantity of carbs you consume. Sure – other things such as exercise – for example, matter, a lot, but if you do not eat a good variety of nutritious foods, and if you do not control your carbohydrates intake, no amount of exercise is going to help you lose weight effectively.
End.

This really appears to be another weight loss diet, NOT a Diabetic diet !
However if you find it works for you.......

 

[catherinecherub]

Hi Tony,
I did look at this "miracle diet" but reviews are not very complimentary. Only allowing 5gms of carbs every five hours?
As Ken says, it is a weight loss diet and not specifically aimed at diabetics.

Find something that you can stick to that allows choices of foods as this has to be for the rest of your life. Eating should be a pleasurable experience and not something that you dread.

Catherine.

 

[squirtsdad]

Catherine

Thanks for ken and your Advice but can I then ask what sort of amount of carbs you would rec at the beginning.

To be honest I do need to lose weight along with balancing out my sugars and as mentioned before, cutting out bread etc. seems to knock my apetite on the head so thats good isnt it?

Any help would be much appreciated.


Tony :?

 

[catherinecherub]

Hi Tony,
It is difficult for me to reply to your question on the low carb forum as I am not a low carber and may offend those who are.

Perhaps you could ask a question on the Diabetes Discussions and then you will get everyone answering it. :?:

Catherine.

 

[carbjunky]

Hi
I am posting for the first time after lurking for a while. I too am new to low-carbing - I finally took the plunge to test after specific foods and am really cross that the recommended diet taht I had been following faithfully (high starchy/complex carbs and low fat) really does not do ME any good at all! e.g. 1 hour post 30g porridge - 12.6. 2 hours post (which is when I was advised to test), 6.2 - this had lulled me into a false sense of security! I found similar readings with pasta, potato and bread - I gave up at that point and didn't even test rice etc but moved to a low-carb approach.

I have cut out all bread/pasta/potato/rice/ and am only eating carbs in veg and fruit - with fruit limited at the moment.

My real treat at the moment is frozen raspberries with a couple of tbspns double cream - feels v wicked after years of low-fat eating!

So far, so good. In 6 weeks I have lost 1.5 stone and have normal BS readings - as in normal for a normal person, not the elevated levels my GP thinks is 'alright for a diabetic'!

Glad I have foudn this forum - full of great advice and support

 

[carolynjw]

This forum is FAB and everyone is so friendly and helpful! I too have only just started on low carbs after being given advice on here. I went to clinic this week and have lost 3 pounds (and not put on over Christmas! Didn't start low carb till after Christmas) and my blood sugar readings and insulin have reduced greatly! Had hba1c taken this week, so will see what it is next week!

Good luck all low carbers

Carolyn x