Daily Intake

[Lottie46]

Thank you for allowing me to join the Diabetes Forum.
I have had Type II Diabetes for a while now. Ten days ago I started the low carb diet and have enjoyed the fact that many of the foods I have always thought to be 'bad' are included in what I can eat. I have ditched my zero fat yoghurt for full fat/low carb (ff/lc) yoghurt and am enjoying the fact that I am able to eat a small amount of cheese. When looking at groceries I am generally choosing those with carbs of 15g per 100g or lower. But, I am looking for your help. The weight is reducing really slowly and it occurs to me that I may not be actually eating enough! My typical breakfast would be either scrambled egg or ff/lc yoghurt and fruit Lunch is usually something like a small piece of cheese and some low carb fruit e.g. melon, nectarine, tangerine, plum and, maybe, a yoghurt. Dinner would be meat or tinned fish of some sort with salad or cauliflower rice. Am I eating enough? Could someone please show me a typical day's food or give me some advice as to what I might be doing wrong. Many thanks for your help.

 

[catinahat]

Hello @Lottie46 welcome to the forum
Looks like you have made a pretty good start, the fruit could be causing higher glucose levels.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/how-to-lose-weight#7
Have a read here it might give you some ideas https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/page-1561#post-2131096

 

[xfieldok]

Definitely lose the fruit! A few berries with your yoghurt should be fine. Are you using a glucose meter?

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Thank you for allowing me to join the Diabetes Forum.
I have had Type II Diabetes for a while now. Ten days ago I started the low carb diet and have enjoyed the fact that many of the foods I have always thought to be 'bad' are included in what I can eat. I have ditched my zero fat yoghurt for full fat/low carb (ff/lc) yoghurt and am enjoying the fact that I am able to eat a small amount of cheese. When looking at groceries I am generally choosing those with carbs of 15g per 100g or lower. But, I am looking for your help. The weight is reducing really slowly and it occurs to me that I may not be actually eating enough! My typical breakfast would be either scrambled egg or ff/lc yoghurt and fruit Lunch is usually something like a small piece of cheese and some low carb fruit e.g. melon, nectarine, tangerine, plum and, maybe, a yoghurt. Dinner would be meat or tinned fish of some sort with salad or cauliflower rice. Am I eating enough? Could someone please show me a typical day's food or give me some advice as to what I might be doing wrong. Many thanks for your help.

....That's not low carb fruit. https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/fruits might help?

 

[Lottie46]

Definitely lose the fruit! A few berries with your yoghurt should be fine. Are you using a glucose meter?

No, no glucose meter. Was under the impression that stone fruits were ok. I think the rest of my carb intake is low, less than 40g, so I thought the nectarines would be ok. I will switch to berries and see how that fares with the scales. Thanks for your help. This is all very new and slightly confusing to say the least.

 

[xfieldok]

A glucose meter will be your best friend.

 

[ianf0ster]

No, no glucose meter. Was under the impression that stone fruits were ok. I think the rest of my carb intake is low, less than 40g, so I thought the nectarines would be ok. I will switch to berries and see how that fares with the scales. Thanks for your help. This is all very new and slightly confusing to say the least.

Hi Lottie,
I wonder if you have any other misconceptions about the content of different foods. There are so very many things which are not actually as they seem for a Type 2 Diabetic - such as the Glycemic Index - unless and until a Blood Glucose meter tells you different all Type 2 Diabetics should treat Low GI foods exactly like High GI foods - because they all ultimately convert into Blood Glucose. And thus for most/many Type 2's they need to be avoided/cut down.

In my opinion there ere are only 3 things that a Type 2 really needs:

1. These Forums
2. A Blood Glucose meter with cheap testing strips (because you need to test a lot at first).
3. Dr Google - to look up the Carb, Protein and Fat content of the ingredients In your food.

 

[Norfolkmell]

Lottie welcome, you are in the right place. I totally agree, a meter is essential if you don't know what food does to you personally how can you know what you can eat? What affects me might well cause you no spikes in BG. Test before and two hours after eating, keep a record of what did what then you'll know.
I don't go very low carb, around 50 g a day but I do now only eat when I'm hungry. I've also always got quick snacks in the refrigerator, eg cheese and cold sliced beef for the odd moment I need a nibble outside of meals.
Are you eating enough? Only you and a meter can tell, do you want to lose weight only you can answer those questions. Do you feel well on the carbs you are eating, if so you probably are eating enough, are you hungry always a good guide. Ten days on LCHF isn't long it took me a couple of months to work out what worked for me, but others might find what works for them quicker. Every t2 is different the same as every person is different.
Let us know how you are getting on, the forums are the place to be.

 

[rolypolypudding]

Thank you for allowing me to join the Diabetes Forum.
I have had Type II Diabetes for a while now. Ten days ago I started the low carb diet and have enjoyed the fact that many of the foods I have always thought to be 'bad' are included in what I can eat. I have ditched my zero fat yoghurt for full fat/low carb (ff/lc) yoghurt and am enjoying the fact that I am able to eat a small amount of cheese. When looking at groceries I am generally choosing those with carbs of 15g per 100g or lower. But, I am looking for your help. The weight is reducing really slowly and it occurs to me that I may not be actually eating enough! My typical breakfast would be either scrambled egg or ff/lc yoghurt and fruit Lunch is usually something like a small piece of cheese and some low carb fruit e.g. melon, nectarine, tangerine, plum and, maybe, a yoghurt. Dinner would be meat or tinned fish of some sort with salad or cauliflower rice. Am I eating enough? Could someone please show me a typical day's food or give me some advice as to what I might be doing wrong. Many thanks for your help.

A couple of tips as follows:- 1] Buy a book that gives the carb values of most types of food 2] Count carb intake on a daily basis 3] Keep a food diary. 4] check the carb content of any food that comes in a can or a packet. Be aware that most carbs are quoted in 100gms whereas the can or packet could weigh a whole lot more.This should help you to identify if you are having any slip ups along the way. I'm eating more than you and losing on average 2lbs per week. I've cut down my fruit intake drastically and only have some berries with my breakfast low carb porridge.It's best to eat more green veg instead.
I also avoid yoghourt like the plague a] because I hate it and b] because some contain hidden sugar in quite large amounts. I have cream instead.
All the above tips are what I use myself, and that have helped me to keep on the straight and narrow.
It also may be that you don't have much weight to lose, hence your slow weight loss. I have around 5 stone to lose which may account for my faster weight loss.
Good luck!

 

[Daphne917]

No, no glucose meter. Was under the impression that stone fruits were ok. I think the rest of my carb intake is low, less than 40g, so I thought the nectarines would be ok. I will switch to berries and see how that fares with the scales. Thanks for your help. This is all very new and slightly confusing to say the least.

@Lottie46 contrary to many on this forum I can eat fruit such as plums and nectarines and have them with my Greek yoghurt for breakfast if I have no berries available. However the only way I know this is through testing.

 

[agwagw]

Drop all fruit! IMHO (at least for the first 6 months of the new regime and then very circumspectly afterwards). I used to love fruit smoothies and was encouraged by the hospital diabetes dietician - just led to mad BG swings. I also love cheese and oily fish which was great help in making the change. I found an increase in simple exercise (walking and swimming) at the same time made an enormous difference to BG control and I lost two stone over about a year - which led to me coming off blood pressure medication. I still have challenges in keeping stable BGs - a Freestyle Libre helps enormously, but pricey and hard to get at the moment alas.

 

[Daphne917]

Drop all fruit! IMHO (at least for the first 6 months of the new regime and then very circumspectly afterwards). I used to love fruit smoothies and was encouraged by the hospital diabetes dietician - just led to mad BG swings. I also love cheese and oily fish which was great help in making the change. I found an increase in simple exercise (walking and swimming) at the same time made an enormous difference to BG control and I lost two stone over about a year - which led to me coming off blood pressure medication. I still have challenges in keeping stable BGs - a Freestyle Libre helps enormously, but pricey and hard to get at the moment alas.

Not all fruit has to be ‘dropped’. Many T2s eat berries and some, such as myself, can also eat apples and stone fruit like peaches, nectarines and plums.

 

[ianf0ster]

Not all fruit has to be ‘dropped’. Many T2s eat berries and some, such as myself, can also eat apples and stone fruit like peaches, nectarines and plums.

The fact that we are all so different in our tolerance of carbs in different forms and quantities makes it all the more important to have and to use a BG Meter - otherwise we are all groping in the dark, many of us based upon advice which recent research has shown to be dangerous and at best is based upon some theoretical average Type 2 person !