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Confused

nuttybeaver

nuttybeaver

Well-Known Member
Messages
524
Location
Bedfordshire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Selfish people
If you want to start a low carb diet how do you know where to start?

How do I work out how many carbs I'm taking in before I start?

T2, BMI 30, on metformin ( 1 x 850mg twice a day)

I've read the beginners section but am getting so confused.

Thanks in advance for any help received.

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hi, you start by making a food diary, by far the easiest way to do this is to download on a smart phone myfitnesspal app (also computer version available online) and have a look at the carbs you are eating, then you have to decide how low you would like to go, personally i looked at the magic 30g and thought it looked impossible so i set about getting my carbs down 1g at a time, i looked at my most carby meal of the day and looked at a less carby alternative, once id conquered that meal id move onto the next carby meal, even if it meant turning a 50g meal into a 45g meal, that was a step in the right direction, it became a self motivating game, i would try things that didnt work so ditched that idea and tried something else, before i knew it i could play with the numbers, ie. if i had a highish meal i could balance it with a zero carb fry up at the next meal, 30g got closer and all the sudden one day i counted my carbs to find id 22g that day, amazing! havent looked back since, you get to know what foods you can have, it becomes second nature only buying and eating low carb, i never count carbs anymore, and my bg numbers are always so good testing isnt needed anymore unless im testing a new food,

this was the way i did it, its not the only way, i know folks cold turkey carbs and go straight down but this was just the way i did it :)

good luck


edit: now the thought of eating a roast potatoe with my sunday roast is ridiculous, i dont look at the spuds on my families plate and think i wish i could eat them, it just dosent come into my head, last night spagehetti bolognaise was home made spaghetti sauce with the mince and and leeks (boiled till soft then fried with a level teaspoon of chinses 5 spice) its so much nicer than the pasta, it so easy in the end, i enjoy what im eating so much more than i ever did before, which its the whole thing about it being sustainable, now its like why the hell would i not be eating low carb? something so easy isnt hard to sustain (maybe im lucky i dont know, im sure its easy for me to say and not so easy for everyone) but worth a try :)
 
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Hi

I got rid of the most obvious carbs out of my diet first - the bread, pasta and rice that I used to eat regularly. I then started to cut out fruit juice (I didn't drink much of it anyway) and fruit that spikes my sugar levels (which is most fruit, so I only have small amounts).

I looked for alternative ideas such as cauliflower fried instead of rice, courgette strands instead of spaghetti and peanut butter bread and linseed crackers instead of toast in the morning.

I also looked at the internet for inspiration as to what to eat which was really very useful.

I also started adding in more fat (instead of more protein) which keeps me full up and I only eat 3 meals a day.

At first it was hard work, but now it is second nature. I gradually improved my diet as I got more and more used to low carb.

I totally agree with Andy that I don't look at anyone else's plate and feel deprived. I don't miss all the sweets and carbs as I feel so much better than I did before I took the plunge.

I eat about 30g a day too, but like Andy it took a little while to get to it.

I work out my carbs by using a set of nutritional scales by Salter - they tell me the carbs, protein, fat, salt and calories in the food I am eating and there is also a memory function so when I have weighed everything I can find out the total carbs, etc in the meal I have made. I find them very useful.
Also there is the 'Carbs and Cals' app which you can get on an iphone which is quite useful.
 
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