Getting started on this low carb thing

[Anonymous]

Ok, I should probably lurk for a bit longer here but I think it's time I started on this low carb thing.
I've been carb counting since early December and trying to match my intake to my Novorapid injections. This has worked reasonably well, but I think it would be better if I now reduced the carbs and my reliance on the Novarapid as a result.

I have ordered a copy of the Collins Gem book - I made up my own carb counting list which I carry around with me but it's a bit restrictive. Whilst I get up to speed on this, can I ask about a few specific foods?

I make a lot of home made bread. In fact, it's almost the only bread I eat. How do I calculate the carbs? From the amount of flour I put in? I realise that wholemeal flour is better than strong white but are there other baking flours I could be using to get a lower carb level?

If I'm looking for breakfast alternatives that are very low or zero carb.. are Greek yoghurt, seeds, nuts all ok?

Finally, what about Banana's - I find them useful after a swim and it's something I can have in the car when I'm working - so how many carbs in your average banana ?

Simon

 

[SparkJack]

Oh dear! You, like me, like bananas and bread. Both of these can be very high in carbohydrates.
I allow myself no more than 30g of banana at any time and it still raises my BS.
Home-made bread can also be high in carbs.
I'm making some for the rest of the family as I type. Again I allow myself no more than 50g at a time if it's a standard recipe.Bananas and bread are treats for me and cannot be eaten on the same day. You might be different. Bodies re-act differently and only testing will identify their effect on you.
There are loads of recipes on the low-carb part of this web-site.
The best book to buy alongside the pocket gem is The Calorie,Carb, Fat Bible. It's well worth the money you initially lay out. This is the only way to get more accurate carb counts + a really good set of kitchen scales.
There are loads of other web-based carb recipe sites.
Happy carb counting. xx

 

[Grazer]

Hi Simon. Just a couple of things. Bananas are a big no-no for me and lots of others. High in carbs AND high GI (glycemic index). Average carbs is 24 per banana on the site I looked at. GI depends on how ripe they are. Ripe is worse, up to GI of 70, although average 52. (glucose is 100). Apples have lower carbs (15 to 20) and average GI of 38.
With bread, wholegrain is better than wholemeal, and Rye flour is apparently lower GI than both, although it comes up a bit heavy and dark. Worth a try? ALL bread is bad though unfortunately. Mind you, I buy sainsbury's / Tescos burgen soya and linseed low GI bread and it doeasn't move my blood sugar hardly at all.
To calculate the carbs in your bread, look at the carbs for the weight of flour you're using. Divide that by the number of slices you get from your loaf. That gives you the carbs per slice.

 

[edan]

Hi Simon. Just a couple of things. Bananas are a big no-no for me and lots of others. High in carbs AND high GI (glycemic index).

Do you eat your banana around swimming though?

Just because it doesnt work for you doesnt mean it wouldnt work for others.

I always have a banana either before/after swimming. Works great for me. This week i've been going for a banana before and a clementine or two after my swim. But varies as to what i fancy when.

For the bread: write out ingredients list and quantities. Then using the packets or the collins gem book work out the carbs in each ingredient. Sum it up.

Then if you weigh the whole loaf once it is cooked, then do (total carbs in ingredients) divided by (total weight of loaf) and write that down, you have the carbs in 1 gram of the bread. When you cut a slice, weigh it, and multiply carbs in 1 gram by the weight of the bread you will eat.

A simpler but less accurate method is to divide the total carbs in the ingredients by the number of slices you will get for the loaf to get a guess at how many carbs in each slice.

For the banana, pick an average sized banana you would eat. Peel and weigh it. The collins gem calorie counter book gives the carbs per 100g as 23.2g. So do on a calculator (weight of banana divided by 100) x 23.2. To get the average carbs in your average banana.

 

[Grazer]

Edan said, "Just because it doesnt work for you doesnt mean it wouldnt work for others. "
Sure, agree, that's why i said they're a no-no for me and lots of others; not a no-no for everyone. they are about the highest in carbs and GI though, which is why lots of people on low carb diets avoid them. But not everyone.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, so just checking that I'm doing this right.

Lunch was
200g of Waitrose Tomato Soup - 9g carbs
2 slices of Burgen bread - 22 carbs
a bit of cheddar cheese and olive oil spread on the bread - no grams added

Total of 31g carbs. Reading before lunch 10 (I know, that'll be the banana I had in the car) so jabbed 6 of Novarapid (based on 4 as a correction to bring me to 6 and 2 for the 31g of carbs).

Reading 2 hrs later ... 4.7

So, either the Novarapid is too effective (and the correction jab was too heavy) or 31g of carbs does not equate to a jab of 2 Novarapid.

This is clearly going to need some practice.

Simon

 

[edan]

Ok, so just checking that I'm doing this right.

Lunch was
200g of Waitrose Tomato Soup - 9g carbs
2 slices of Burgen bread - 22 carbs
a bit of cheddar cheese and olive oil spread on the bread - no grams added

Total of 31g carbs. Reading before lunch 10 (I know, that'll be the banana I had in the car) so jabbed 6 of Novarapid (based on 4 as a correction to bring me to 6 and 2 for the 31g of carbs).

Reading 2 hrs later ... 4.7

So, either the Novarapid is too effective (and the correction jab was too heavy) or 31g of carbs does not equate to a jab of 2 Novarapid.

This is clearly going to need some practice.

Simon

Starting points for insulin dosing are usually: 1unit to 10g carbs and 1unit drops bg around 3 mmol. Experimentation will let you tweak these to your own requirements.

I would be surprised if 1u only drops you 1mmol (so 4u to drop 4mmol that you injected), if you need only 1u:15g carb (same as i do most of the day, perfectly reasonable amount).

Do you know what your ratios are? What ratio do you work off at the moment?

If you don't know how much 1unit drops your bg as a correction then i would go with assuming 1unit drops bg 3mmol, untill you can test to find out otherwise. To test it, wait till bg is high, do a correction based on assuming 1unit drops 3mmol, then test till the bg stops dropping, then you will find out how far it actually drops bg.

Lunch sounds great.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, that makes some sense as I have been injecting 1u for 1mmol and I've been overshooting frequently and going low. I will try the 1:3 ratio and start some more testing.

One point that springs to mind is that it's quite hard to inject just 1u - it feels as if the pens don't always work on the first click. I'll have to make sure I waste some first to make sure it's working.

I appreciate the feedback

Simon

 

[edan]

One point that springs to mind is that it's quite hard to inject just 1u - it feels as if the pens don't always work on the first click. I'll have to make sure I waste some first to make sure it's working.

yes. before every single injection, do some in the air to check it is working - e,g. sometimes i have bent the bit of the needle that goes into the insulin, as i have screwed the needle on. Without doing 2units in the air first, i would never have noticed the pen was not working.

I have a half unit pen and find that to deliver 1unit more accurately. it also means i can correct eg 1.5units etc.

 

[Dannymum]

Hi Simon,

If you are very active you will need less insulin, so this could be the reason for being too low.

Also, I find there's alot to do with the timing of the novorapid insulin Vs the food intake - how fast it goes to glucose in the bloodstream.

The burgen bread is good, also you can make bread from almond flour (6g carb per 100g) or spelt flour - unprocessed flour.

Keep up the low card - it will save your health.