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Type 1 Carb counting

SarahEldib

SarahEldib

Member
Messages
22
Location
Cairo, Egypt
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi there,
was diagnosed type 1 last January. I spent the two months after diagnosis carefully balancing my meals till realized I was miserable. Going out to eat was a chore as there was nothing on the menu that was both appetizing and "diabetic friendly". I've pretty much figured out how to eat what I like to a big extent, and match it with insulin. My BG hasn't gone above 140 except once or twice even after a very carby meal. Is there anything actually wrong with doing this, in terms of diabetic complications? Can't find much about it online.

thanks :)
 
Hi Sarah,

I'm sure a T1 will be along soon to help with your levels and such.

I'm type 2, but I count carbs. Basically eat meat, beefburgers, bacon, eggs without a thought. I avoid bread when we're out so the only real problem is potatoes or rice. When we're out I carry a small Samsung camera with me and take a snap of the meal. Then I can decide afterwards that I really shouldn't have had it. I suppose someone younger would use their mobile phone.

I get some funny looks when I pull the camera out :-)


J.
 
I'm surprised you get funny looks for photographing your meal as people are postings snaps of their meals out every 5 minutes online now :) Good that you've found something that works for you! My levels are usually below 110, but only go up to 140 or so if I'm a bit off mark with the insulin. So I'm not worried about the levels at all thankfully, I'm worried there's a catch to eating what I like with no rise in levels.
 
Thank you Jack, I'm not having trouble with the carb counting I'm just wondering if it's ok to eat as if I weren't diabetic and match what I eat with insulin. I got confused because there are so many diabetic recipes online and such. Why don't all diabetics just eat what they like ( unless they're trying to lose weight) and match it with insulin, am I missing something?
 
You can eat what you like and match your insulin to the carb in the meal as best you can.

There is no such thing as diabetic food. There is only food and a diabetic needs to judge how many carbs are in it to bolus and then correct at the next meal or before bed

I think the reason you are doing it easy could be because your pancreas is still working a bit and doing the fine adjustment for you
 
Ps, anything labeled no sugar, diabetic etc shouldn't be eaten without checking for all the artificial sugars that normally fill such junk
 
I to a degree eat what I please and bolus for the carb load that will be the result - I was never told I can't eat anything that I choose to eat, just that what ever I eat I need to bolus for doing so. But unfortunately thanks to allergies and celiac there are a host of foods I can't eat and since I'm also strict vegetarian I don't eat anything from an animal.

Don't find it hard to eat out in general do to diabetes but hard in regards to celiac and the misconception around gluten free
 
Provided you keep your bg levels within range there's no more risk of diabetic complications than someone who avoids eating carbohydrates, provided your diet is healthy. It would make sense to limit the amount of Simple carbs in your diet and eat more Complex carbs, but by how much depends on your pre/postprandial bg readings, weight and activity levels.

I'm type 1 and eat a varied healthy diet and don't exclude carbs from my diet, on average I eat around 180g a day so it's not a low-carb diet but I'm still eating below the RDA.

As you've been diagnosed for over 6 months now you are eligible to go on a carb counting course such as DAFNE, if you speak with your DSN they will put your name down for the next available course, the following is an on-line version of DAFNE which by all accounts it's very good:

http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/
 
thanks for your post, cause I do the same lol. Diet no different to before diagnosis. At diagnosis I too wasn't sure what exactly I should be eating. Quickly learned anything labelled diabetic or diabetic friendly meant it had a little less sugar and cost more as well as having too much artificial **** in it. As above complex carbs better and I only have anything high in sugar to treat hypos. If you don't need to loose weight, having a balanced diet, getting good numbers why change it.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Hello Sarah,

As a Type 1 you can eat what you want. The essential part, as you know, is to check with your meter that the glucose component in your blood from the food you have eaten is enabled with the correct bolus of insulin to enter your cells for energy instead of staying in your blood. If T1s consistently have higher than recommended blood sugar levels the blood becomes thick and sticky thus contributing to high HbA1c numbers. Some of us, when treated in hospital at diagnosis may have had an injection to 'thin' the blood.
 
The problem with eating too many carbs and matching the insulin will be weight gain. So, just ensure that what you are doing isn't causing your weight to rise; I suspect it will be increasing?
 
Daibell said:
The problem with eating too many carbs and matching the insulin will be weight gain. So, just ensure that what you are doing isn't causing your weight to rise; I suspect it will be increasing?
Click to expand...
Daibell said:
The problem with eating too many carbs and matching the insulin will be weight gain. So, just ensure that what you are doing isn't causing your weight to rise; I suspect it will be increasing?
Click to expand...

So far so good on the weight front, but then again I haven't been eating differently to how I've been eating for years before diagnosis. Also the medication I'm on for Rheumatoid might have something to do with it (causes weight loss)
 
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