LOW CARB DIET

[Lizzeeee]

Hi, I have been Type 2 Diabetic for 21 years. I have only ever been told to have a balanced diet from my Doctor or Dietician. I used to manage on this but my bloods have shot up. I had a 12 week period where I had a very balanced diet without any cakes/sweets etc and my levels did not drop too much. I am now considering really cutting back on carbs but I don't even know where to start - don't know how many carbs a day is appropriate. My doctors refused to re-fill my prescription for blood glucose strips so I can't test my levels at all at the moment. I have ordered a free monitor so I will have to buy my own strips.

Any advice on how much carbs/sugar I should be aiming at would be much appreciated.

 

[Goonergal]

Hi @Lizzeeee

That’s a very difficult one to answer as it’s quite personal. Low carb officially starts at <130g a day, but most type 2s here eat fewer than that. Personally I eat as few as possible, but I love meat, fish and so on. Perhaps if you said a bit about what you like and what you currently eat, it’d be easier for people to make suggestions.

This website- https://www.dietdoctor.com/ - has lots of recipes and meal plans and would be a good starting point.

 

[Lizzeeee]

Hi @Lizzeeee

That’s a very difficult one to answer as it’s quite personal. Low carb officially starts at <130g a day, but most type 2s here eat fewer than that. Personally I eat as few as possible, but I love meat, fish and so on. Perhaps if you said a bit about what you like and what you currently eat, it’d be easier for people to make suggestions.

This website- https://www.dietdoctor.com/ - has lots of recipes and meal plans and would be a good starting point.

Thank you so much - I told you I was clueless! I normally ate porridge for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and something pasta based for tea. I have started using nutracheck so i can see how much carbs and sugar i am eating. I have started having steak or chicken with stir fried peppers, onions and mushrooms and a salad for my evening meal. I still love porridge to start the day though. At lunch I am struggling a bit as i am so used to having sandwiches and i dont have much of an imagination. I am snacking on small apples or bags of pea snacks. I am not sure whether to count cards on carbs that sugar

 

[lucylocket61]

Hi, I have been Type 2 Diabetic for 21 years. I have only ever been told to have a balanced diet from my Doctor or Dietician. I used to manage on this but my bloods have shot up. I had a 12 week period where I had a very balanced diet without any cakes/sweets etc and my levels did not drop too much. I am now considering really cutting back on carbs but I don't even know where to start - don't know how many carbs a day is appropriate. My doctors refused to re-fill my prescription for blood glucose strips so I can't test my levels at all at the moment. I have ordered a free monitor so I will have to buy my own strips.

Any advice on how much carbs/sugar I should be aiming at would be much appreciated.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.26870/ has lots of basic information. What was your latest HbA1c and are you on any medication for your diabetes?

 

[Goonergal]

I am not sure whether to count cards on carbs that sugar

It’s the total carbs, not just the ‘of which sugars’ number.

Your dinners sound good.

For lunch, you could try just having more of what would have gone into a sandwich and just ditching the bread. Or some members have found lower carb breads that they get on with. Or how about cold chicken wings, or leftovers from the night before if you have access to a microwave at work.

Porridge is a tricky one - it’s likely to be spiking your blood glucose, especially in the morning when many people are at their most insulin resistant. Once you get your meter, it’ll be important to test that. Or find an alternative @Rachox makes a low carb porridge.

For snacks you’d be better off in the long-term without them, but while you adjust to a new way of eating, nuts, a small piece of cheese, some raw carrots/celery or a plain Greek yoghurt would be better choices than apples and pea snacks.

You’ll find your way, it’s just a case of seeing what works for you.

 

[Lizzeeee]

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.26870/ has lots of basic information. What was your latest HbA1c and are you on any medication for your diabetes?

Hi, my last two HbA1C were 119 and 103. I am on Metformin SR and Glimiperide. I was really gutted on my last reading as i genuinely cut out 95% of the sugar from my diet. My weight, blood pressure and cholesterol all improved so it must be the carbs causing the problems.

Thanks for your advice on the snack in particular. I will be gutted if i have to miss out on my porridge though!

I am just looking at your BG levels and weight loss so definitely happy taking advice from you. You have done brilliantly.

 

[Goonergal]

Hi, my last two HbA1C were 119 and 103. I am on Metformin SR and Glimiperide.

Be careful with cutting carbs and Glimiperide as you may be in danger of triggering a hypo. Frankly, I’m surprised that your doc has removed the prescription for a meter and strips as it’d be important to test when taking a blood glucose lowering medication like that.

Those HbA1c numbers are high, but not insurmountable. I started at 108 and there are a number on here who started higher who are also now at non-diabetic numbers using either diet alone or diet plus Metformin, so hang in there.

I was really gutted on my last reading as i genuinely cut out 95% of the sugar from my diet.

All carbs turn to sugar in the blood, which is why it’s important to take note of the total carb content of foods. You might find these infographics useful. They were produced by Dr David Unwin, a GP in Southport, to illustrate the sugar equivalents of common foods: https://phcuk.org/sugar/

 

[Lizzeeee]

Be careful with cutting carbs and Glimiperide as you may be in danger of triggering a hypo. Frankly, I’m surprised that your doc has removed the prescription for a meter and strips as it’d be important to test when taking a blood glucose lowering medication like that.

Those HbA1c numbers are high, but not insurmountable. I started at 108 and there are a number on here who started higher who are also now at non-diabetic numbers using either diet alone or diet plus Metformin, so hang in there.



All carbs turn to sugar in the blood, which is why it’s important to take note of the total carb content of foods. You might find these infographics useful. They were produced by Dr David Unwin, a GP in Southport, to illustrate the sugar equivalents of common foods: https://phcuk.org/sugar/

Thank you. They have actually upped my glimiperide this time round but still refusing my testing strips. I don't feel great if i cut out snacks so i am trying to cut down on the portions of my main meals to try and balance things out. Thanks again for your advice, it really is appreciated

 

[HSSS]

Thank you. They have actually upped my glimiperide this time round but still refusing my testing strips. I don't feel great if i cut out snacks so i am trying to cut down on the portions of my main meals to try and balance things out. Thanks again for your advice, it really is appreciated

Do you drive? As a driver you must test on this medication to avoid driving with a low (unlikely right now but with a change in diet it could happen) and your dr must prescribe them.

 

[Resurgam]

Thank you. They have actually upped my glimiperide this time round but still refusing my testing strips. I don't feel great if i cut out snacks so i am trying to cut down on the portions of my main meals to try and balance things out. Thanks again for your advice, it really is appreciated

If you drive and are not testing your blood glucose you could be doing so illegally - I suggest contacting the surgery - maybe writing a letter in these strange times, asking if you need to report hypos and what to do if you have one when away from home and need to drive back.
You don't, of course, actually need to have been in that situation, but it really is not right that you could be - and if you have been, you might have ended up dead, or others might have, due to a lack of testing equipment.

 

[ianf0ster]

Thank you. They have actually upped my glimiperide this time round but still refusing my testing strips. I don't feel great if i cut out snacks so i am trying to cut down on the portions of my main meals to try and balance things out. Thanks again for your advice, it really is appreciated

Glimepiride doses aside, in general it is best to eat as few times per day as possible, with each meal being substantial enough to get you through to the next one without needing a snack. Because every time you eat some carbs (even just a few) you will be raising your Insulin, potentially storing fat and certainly preventing your body form burning fat as energy for a while.
I cut down hard on carbs even though my HbA1C wasn't that high) because my Blood Glucose meter showed how few carbs I could deal with.
I ate eggs for breakfast for 3 months and by then was fat adapted so I was then able to burn my own excess body fat as energy and so no longer needed to eat more then 2 meals per day.

But we are all different, so my advice is always 'eat to your meter'!

 

[Lizzeeee]

Do you drive? As a driver you must test on this medication to avoid driving with a low (unlikely right now but with a change in diet it could happen) and your dr must prescribe them.

~Thank you. I applied for a free Contour Next meter and i bought some strips myself. I have a phone consult with my diabetic doctor on monday so i will ask for strips again.

 

[Lizzeeee]

Glimepiride doses aside, in general it is best to eat as few times per day as possible, with each meal being substantial enough to get you through to the next one without needing a snack. Because every time you eat some carbs (even just a few) you will be raising your Insulin, potentially storing fat and certainly preventing your body form burning fat as energy for a while.
I cut down hard on carbs even though my HbA1C wasn't that high) because my Blood Glucose meter showed how few carbs I could deal with.
I ate eggs for breakfast for 3 months and by then was fat adapted so I was then able to burn my own excess body fat as energy and so no longer needed to eat more then 2 meals per day.

But we are all different, so my advice is always 'eat to your meter'!

Thank you very much. I was only ever told eat a balanced diet. I was also told to have 6 small meals a day! I now have online access to my results for the last 20 years and it is obvious that this approach hasn't worked. I must need to seriously cut my carbs. I think it is more of a psychological hurdle than anything else as I love porridge and pasta (not together). I bought my own strips and my sugars are still very high on a 1200 calorie a day diet. Thanks for your advice.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. The advice you were given to have a Balanced Diet was stupid; the same advice my ignorant diabetes GP gave me. Isn't the NHS great. Yes, do keep the carbs down. 150gm/day is a good start target. If you are slim it's always possible you are a T1 and not T2. If so do ask the GP for the two tests for that - GAD and C-Peptide.

 

[Resurgam]

Your GP is really not working - you should be provided with the means to test due to the medication you are taking - and you have had the wrong advice about what and when to eat for decades.

 

[Lizzeeee]

Hi. The advice you were given to have a Balanced Diet was stupid; the same advice my ignorant diabetes GP gave me. Isn't the NHS great. Yes, do keep the carbs down. 150gm/day is a good start target. If you are slim it's always possible you are a T1 and not T2. If so do ask the GP for the two tests for that - GAD and C-Peptide.

LOL - slim would be an absolute push! The more I read on this forum, the more I understand that that I haven't had the best advice. Daft question, but would a mis-diagnosed Type 2 not be very ill?

 

[Lizzeeee]

Your GP is really not working - you should be provided with the means to test due to the medication you are taking - and you have had the wrong advice about what and when to eat for decades.

Thank you - that is definitely what i am beginning to think! I had lunch with a friend who has a 21 year old Type 1 Diabetic son. I could see the look of amazement on her face when i said i didn't count carbs etc. All making sense now!

 

[HSSS]

LOL - slim would be an absolute push! The more I read on this forum, the more I understand that that I haven't had the best advice. Daft question, but would a mis-diagnosed Type 2 not be very ill?

Do you mean someone who was actually type 1? Well yes they would eventually. Ultimately without treatment it would be fatal. But in adults type 1 can be very slow to onset, unlike in younger people when it can be very sudden. It is now typically labelled type 1.5 or LADA and it can be a good few years, particularly on a low carb diet, before the undeniable symptoms shout out loud. The longer you are type 2 without major issues of type 1 the less likely it becomes.

If you’ve been diagnosed 20 yrs I’d say by now it’s pretty close to impossible that you were misdiagnosed originally.

 

[jst008]

Try a book called "Carb & Calorie Counter" isbn; 978-1-908261-15-1
No recipes just nutritional information about every food you can think of, including cakes, treats & take-aways. It also has photos of three different portion sizes for most of the foods as well to make it easier to understand what a portion looks like compared to what you may think a portion is.
If you want a good plan try Michael Mosley's The Fast 800

 

[Lizzeeee]

Do you mean someone who was actually type 1? Well yes they would eventually. Ultimately without treatment it would be fatal. But in adults type 1 can be very slow to onset, unlike in younger people when it can be very sudden. It is now typically labelled type 1.5 or LADA and it can be a good few years, particularly on a low carb diet, before the undeniable symptoms shout out loud. The longer you are type 2 without major issues of type 1 the less likely it becomes.

If you’ve been diagnosed 20 yrs I’d say by now it’s pretty close to impossible that you were misdiagnosed originally.

Thank you. I am getting GAD test on Tuesday. I am only slightly overweight with good BP, cholesterol etc so I think they are just double checking. I think I would rather be a bad Type 2 instead of Type 1. At least I can do something about it. This forum has completely changed my ideas about food and I am in the right frame of mind to change my habits.