Carb Counting

[Mep]

I can understand why T1's would weigh their food because they need to know the amount of carbs for their insulin but T2's not on insulin surely just go on what carbs they need to avoid to keep their BG under control and their meter tells them that.

OP is on insulin

 

[azure]

I can understand why T1's would weigh their food because they need to know the amount of carbs for their insulin but T2's not on insulin surely just go on what carbs they need to avoid to keep their BG under control and their meter tells them that.

Absolutely

The OP is a Type 2 on Insulin though, so needs to be accurate as far as possible.

 

[Pinkorchid]

Yes each to their own we do what we think is best for us. I can see why T1's need to measure and weigh to work out the insulin they need but for non insulin dependant T2's we can go by our BG meters and I am sure we all become experts at knowing the portion amounts we can eat. As for milk it has never entered my head to measure that it is so little just a dash in the two or three cups I have a day .
I know if I weighed and measured everything I would become much to obsessive about it and would be frightened to put anything in my mouth without weighing or measuring it first and it would stop me ever eating out which we do twice a week sometimes more Many people have busy lives with their jobs and bringing up a family etc I am sure they would have problems finding the time to measure and weigh everything they ate
.

 

[bulkbiker]

I am sure they would have problems finding the time to measure and weigh everything they ate

Sorry but as I said before.. my health is far more important to me than being "busy"
Also I would far rather measure before I eat something rather than get a spike and then discover why afterwards..
Once it has registered on my meter it's a bit late don't you think?

 

[serenity648]

Yes each to their own we do what we think is best for us. I can see why T1's need to measure and weigh to work out the insulin they need but for non insulin dependant T2's we can go by our BG meters and I am sure we all become experts at knowing the portion amounts we can eat. As for milk it has never entered my head to measure that it is so little just a dash in the two or three cups I have a day .
I know if I weighed and measured everything I would become much to obsessive about it and would be frightened to put anything in my mouth without weighing or measuring it first and it would stop me ever eating out which we do twice a week sometimes more Many people have busy lives with their jobs and bringing up a family etc I am sure they would have problems finding the time to measure and weigh everything they ate
.

to answer the bolded bits:

1) I become expert in knowing the portion amount I can eat by weighing the portion amount first, so i know how big that portion is. Not all portion sizes are equal. And I have a benchmark amount to aim for, rather than unreliable eyeballing stuff and hoping.

2) As a working mother, who also has heath issues which affect my daily life, then no, I dont find problems finding this time, as the benefit of knowing what I am eating and how much, and how if affects me, in order to be able to regulate my blood sugar levels, is the most important health consideration i can take on board to maximize my limited energy levels. So far, the effort is paying off and I have more energy than before I made this effort to weigh and measure and maintain tight control. And if i end up on insulin, I would have to do that anyway.

Your milage may vary.

 

[azure]

@akindrat18 If the whole Carb Counting thing is too much at the moment, you can always do a simple version of it by measuring how many carbs you eat and see if it works for your blood sugar

Do ask or give examples of what you've eaten and the results you've got, and people can respond

 

[skiggy]

Yes each to their own we do what we think is best for us. I can see why T1's need to measure and weigh to work out the insulin they need but for non insulin dependant T2's we can go by our BG meters and I am sure we all become experts at knowing the portion amounts we can eat. As for milk it has never entered my head to measure that it is so little just a dash in the two or three cups I have a day .
I know if I weighed and measured everything I would become much to obsessive about it and would be frightened to put anything in my mouth without weighing or measuring it first and it would stop me ever eating out which we do twice a week sometimes more Many people have busy lives with their jobs and bringing up a family etc I am sure they would have problems finding the time to measure and weigh everything they ate
.

I not only weigh everything I consume, I keep a record of carbs, protein, fat, fibre and calories of everything I consume. People who say they can guess the wieght of a portion are only fooling themselves. It doesn't take much extra time and can be interesting and shows you what you are doing. Because of my diligence I can tell you that in the 40 weeks I have been on LCHF, I have an average daily calorie intake over 40 weeks of 1184 calories and over the same period a daily carb intake of 26 grams. I have lost 26kg in weight, lost 10" from my waist, brought my HbA1c from a high of 55 to a low of 38 a 30% reduction and now normal. My glucose levels from 10s to mid to low 5s. I have reversed my T2. Now here is the bonus, since 1978 I have been on Celectol & Lisinopril, one a beta blocker the other an ace inhibitor for Hypertension with a systolic reading around 170s, occasionaly over 200. On September 18th 2016 my blood pressure read 124/66 and it has stayed between 107 to 137 ever since and I no longer take medication. So not only have I reversed T2 but my Hypertension too. So I must be doing something right. I put the weight loss down to calorie restriction and the return to good health down to LCHF diet. During that period no exercise was taken at all, I have recently started weightliftng as my weight has stalled and needs a kickstart again, another 8lbs to lose is my target. But hey, at the end of the day you can only do what you think is right. Each to their own. An obsession, noooo, once a month I fill my big plate with as many chips as I can, 350 to 400 grams and I enjoy them, in a short while I'm back to normal. I believe in 'cheat days' as long as they are few and far between.

 

[derry60]

Wow how many people here actually weigh their food. Surely the fact that we count carbs is enough and if we eat normal amounts of food and not massive portions then we should not need to weigh it. Quite a few people already struggle with doing LC if think they have to weigh the food it just makes the whole thing too complicated so they may stop bothering with low carb altogether

Have to agree, some it can become borderline obsessive. Yes eat the right foods and do not overload your plate should be enough, otherwise, we will be doing nothing but thinking about food continuously. Stress can actually up your sugar levels also.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I don't weight anything these days, but I have been doing this a long time. (since early 2014) I know what my plate should look like and I know from my meter if I have overdone things. However, I weighed or measured everything - and I mean everything - when I started, and wrote it all down with carb, calorie, fat, protein and fibre content. This was in my view essential until I had this mysterious game of what to eat conquered, had lost all my excess weight and brought my BS levels down. That took about 9 months or so. After that I was more relaxed about it. For people starting out it is, in my view a necessary thing to do.

 

[Pinkorchid]

Have to agree, some it can become borderline obsessive. Yes eat the right foods and do not overload your plate should be enough, otherwise, we will be doing nothing but thinking about food continuously. Stress can actually up your sugar levels also.

Yes I agree I totally agree

 

[azure]

How are things going @akindrat18 ? Were you able to get some input from your DSN about how many carbs to eat?