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I found the 2 hour course very confusing, talking about things I have no knowledge of like glycemic index. Apart from a potato I didn't know what else contained carbs. I just don't think it's for me.
 
Gosh Sarah, how on earth are you surviving without wanting to follow anything (it appears) that you should be caring about with your diabetes.

I guess carb counting can be a bit daunting initially, but most people fall in line with being able to understand it. Also, there are som many people wanting to go on dafne courses to give them some information, I think it is such a shame that you appear not to want to accept the advice..

What foods do you eat??

I am just so wondering what your levels normally run at, and just how high they are now?

I wish you could see the future possibilitys of what could happen if you don't take any advice on how to eat healthy and inject healthily too.
 
I think also, if you really looked at and understood the impact of carbohydrates on the insulin etc then you would find yourself actually having a lot more enjoyable food. If you know and understand, then there are ways to live and eat very happily. Especially as type 1's have injections that actually enable less restrictions that type 2 and diet diabetics.
 
Hi Sarah69,
It's a shame the course wasn't presented to you in a way that was helpful to you and you found it overwhelming. You are never going to get any control of your BGs unless you pay attention to the carbohydrate content in the food you are eating. That doesn't mean depriving yourself of anything, just be sensible and take the right amount of insulin for what you are eating.
I've never been a strict carb counter, but know how particular foods, eg rice & potatoes affect my BG and how much insulin I need to take for a particular amount. It would be gr8 to get up in a morning and not thing about it, and all of us get fed up with it, but you and I both know what the consequences of ignoring it would be :(
You might find it helpful to have a book giving carbohydrate values for particular foods, and maybe someone else on the forum can provide a title of a good one.
How long have you been type-1 and what insulins were you on prior to the ones you take now?
Was there ever a time that you had good control of it?
Jus
 
Sarah that course sounds like it was really useless, no wonder you were put off!

janabelle mentions books, Collins Gem does one about carbohydrates, iirc it says things like eg how many carbs in an average apple etc. You do have to guess sometimes, but at least it will be an educated guess after getting used to carb counting.

Don't worry about not getting things exactly right straight away, any improvement in blood sugar levels is helpful even if they are not perfect.
 
sarah

the best carb counting book we have is carbs and cals by chris cheyette it has pictures of everything so makes it clear and easy to understand and things that u may have more of for example a custard cream has the amount written down for 1,2,3 and 4 so no adding involved then, it also has plated up complete meals so if eating out u can go by the pictures to work out which portion size ur about to eat.

worth a look if ur finding things confusing

anna marie
 
I bought this book before I went on the course but after the confusing course I just put it away in a draw. I know it tells you how many carbs but I've no idea how u work out how much insulin to have. I am under some stress at the moment and don't feel the time is right to start this yet.
 
you prob feel like we r all ramming carb counting down ur throat but it does show that it works if u work at it and altho it sounds confusing once u get into it its easy honestly. when we started out we were told 1u of insulin to cover 10g and then work up or down from there but i dont know if they start adult ratios off differently

it has meant dylan isnt restricted to foods and if he wants a packet of maltesers for a treat he can i just count it, we also feel less like the diabetes rules our lives we can get on more normally and dylan doesnt feel so different to everyone else.

anna marie
 
donnellysdogs said:
Gosh Sarah, how on earth are you surviving without wanting to follow anything (it appears) that you should be caring about with your diabetes.

I guess carb counting can be a bit daunting initially, but most people fall in line with being able to understand it. Also, there are som many people wanting to go on dafne courses to give them some information, I think it is such a shame that you appear not to want to accept the advice..

What foods do you eat??

I am just so wondering what your levels normally run at, and just how high they are now?

I wish you could see the future possibilitys of what could happen if you don't take any advice on how to eat healthy and inject healthily too.
Click to expand...

I do care about my diabetes up, until August last year I didnt, I took insulin but never tested my bs, I used to eat chocolate big bars every day I had such a sweet tooth. Then I had DKA and completely cut out chocolate. Before then all my HBA1c used to be about 12 now its down to 7.7 which im told is really good.

I 1st started on novorapid and levemir then changed to novomix because I found so many injections painfull. Im now on novorapid and lantus because I couldnt skip meals on novomix and HAD to eat 3 times a day.

The kind of things I eat are, homemade curry, Jacket potatoes with a filling, a lot of pasta meals, roasts, burgers in a bun with chips, omlettes with wedges etc.
 
7.7 is far too high, but it's a great improvement from 12, so as long as you continue to improve it's OK.

Mixed insulins eg novomix would be too inflexible for me too, eg not being able to skip meals, I couldn't cope with having to eat set things at set times, separate insulins are much better I think.

It is the right time to start carb counting, you will feel much better with lower blood sugars. There isn't anything to work out, it is simple - for every 10g of carbs you eat, you inject a certain amount of insulin. Ask you diabetes team what ratio you should start at eg I was told to start with 1 unit insulin per 10g carbs, you may be advised to use a different ratio. That means for me, if I eat 10g carbs I inject 1 unit novorapid, if I eat 40g carbs I inject 4 units. Your diabetes nurse should be able to go over all this with you, just ask.
 
I have not been told I need to lower my hbac1 as she said it was good. I think I will give them a ring cos also my reading in morning has gone up from the night before's.
 
Sarah

I know that some of my messages have seemed harsh, but really in reality if you are finding things tough to get through at the moment, now is probably the best time to start towards making things better for you, and 7.7 is a great improvement, but it is really a tad too high still.

Personally, I find that the less carbs I have (under 100g per day) the less insulin I have and the less extremes of highs and lows I have (generally) because one my body is used to having less carbs on a long term basis now, and it doesn't have to cope with the higher lots of carbs, and then higher lots of insulin, and then higher lots of swings in readings that is possible from it all. I have just found that the lower the carbs for each meal, the lower insulin I have and therefore my swings in blood levels can only go up or down a limited amount.

For example, I love spagetti bolognese with a hint of chilli, but it sounds daft, but I don't have the spaghetti with it. I just steam some asaparagus, broccoloi, sugar snaps and leeks and I love it, and the taste of the veg and the bolgnese is all so much the better without the additional pasta, and sour cream and cheese and garlic bread that used to go with it!!! Then for afters, I will have 1/2 a kiwi, 1/2 and apple and 1/2 an orange with some low fat onken strawberry yogurt, and then after that I have a few nuts (walnuts, brazil nuts, cashew nuts-(unroasted and plain of course). This simple meal takes no more than 20 minutes to make and gives me a good balance of vitamins and omegas etc and I find it delicious, and no slaving away over roast potatos etc. My veg varies, but always includes asparagus and sugar snaps if I can get them. Yes, more expensive but no wastage.

Occasionally I vary meals and have a few chips,I also have omlette, I too like you used to have jacket potatos and roasts, but now I don't very often, and I am feeling much better for having less swings from highs and lows on a daily basis.

I was brought up initially with my type 1 diabetes of being told that I had to have lots of carbs, i.e a digestive biscuit inbetween main meals and before I went to bed etc, but from reading this forum and buying the book 'the diabetes revolution' i realised that it isn't necessary or more importantly it has made my diabetes easier to handle by having less carbs, less insulin, and now less swings in my bg levels.

I don't have any forbidden foods, if I want them, I will have them, but just less of them and with the right amount of insulin to go with them.

Once you have worked out how many carbs in a meal, you don't have to work them out the next time, as you will know how many you had the first count and whether it worked, or whether you need to up or down the insulin etc. Generally you will only have to work out these carbs and foods a couple of times and you will know what works for you.

Sarah, everybody on here is giving you good advice. Only you can decide if and when you take it. When you do decide the time is right for you, you will get some great support from people here. Don't give up girl, you actually sound that you are a good, positive person and I personally think that you have the will in you to make things better for yourself. Best wishes....
 
Hi Donnellysdogs,
I love that recipe, gonna give it a go later!
I too think it's sensible to have less carbs than follow the dietitian's advice of injecting just to eat a load of carbs.
Sometimes when I've eaten a high carb meal I can feel pretty lousy after even if though my BGs fine and I don't really understand why, do you ever suffer that? I check my blood and expect it to be high and it's below 7, wierd :?
Jus :)
 
Thank you I really appreciate all the advice I've been given. I'm hoping that once I have an epidural (next Tuesday) for the pain I'm in, I will then look again at the carb book again and see how I get on. I will also have to do some form of exercise as well. I know I don't eat healthy but they are the foods I enjoy. I don't really eat veg (usually only with a roast) and never eat fruit.
 
Jus-me too, and now I really do veer away from having the high carb meals. Although over christmas I seriously did over indulge witht he christmas pud, and being on a pump it made me realise that it wasn't just my bolus's that I had to up, it was my basals as well. I have also found this with lowering the carbs, it is not just my bolus's I have had to alter but my basals as well.

I love my food more than ever with the less carbs. Last weekend a huge drop constantly in my levels all day, but I have definitely seen that this is a changeover in my medicines and not my foods. It is because I have less carbs that I can see such things as my sets not working, or my medicines affecting me.

I love the chilli bolgnese with the steamed veg, it is one of my most favourite meals, and so quick to make. I have the fruit and nuts every day now, sometimes as a pud, or sometimes as my lunchtime snack, preferring the fruit and yogurt to any other pud nowadays. Gives me some carbs but not a lot.

I hope that Sarah will be able to find some foods that she loves without all the extra carbs in them. Actually I can't wait until the weather warms up a little bit more to start having a few more salads....
 
Sarah, there will be other things that you will find you like that aren't so high in carbs, other people will come along that don't like the fruit and veg I am sure that can offer lower carb alternatives...
 
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