Thank you all for the thoughtful responses.
I've read lots and lots and watched videos and downloaded the Freshwell app and absolutely am going to have a go at the low carb lifestyle
Yesterday I went through all the food cupboards and threw out or gave away lots of tins and pastas etc. and then did a big food shop so we are all set.
I'm still testing lots and lots on top of immediately before eating and two hours after and actually beginning to see what might be reasons. For example on Monday I had my usual lunch time tin of soup and two slices of whole meal. Its a staple for me because its only about 300 calories(I have a 20 year history of losing and gaining lots of weight) but when I checked it was about 36 grams of carbs. My monitor was 8.2 before eating and 12.1 two hours later. After another two hours it was 6.6.
Counting carbs is new to me I can add calories (and weight watchers points and slimming world syns) without trying but it feels bizarre that fried eggs with cheese is a better fit than a peach and a mango. I'm sure I'll get used to it.
I moved to low carb at lunch time yesterday and my numbers haven't been over 7.7 since . I know its not even 24hrs but I've tested 8 times in that window and its all been between 6.1 and 7.7 rather than the 9s 10s and 12s of the preceding days so I'm hopeful.
Goodness this turned into a novel, sorry.
Actual questions:- Is there a tinned or easy to make low carb soup that could go to work in a flask?
I know some people say not to count and just eat low carb but counting gives me security so how do I make a target? 20g? 30g? etc.
Do the carbs you do eat have to be spread out evenly across the day or can you save and splurge?
Is it okay to eat something low carb at night if your up late and hungry and how would you test two hours after?
I'll have to stop testing 12 times a day soon because the strips are expensive so before eating and two hours after- does testing when you wake count as before breakfast even if breakfast is a couple of hours away?
So pleased to have found you. I hope all my posts arent this long and annoying.
M
You're not annoying and you're asking good questions. So there.
Is there a tinned or easy to make low carb soup that could go to work in a flask?
Usually if it's tinned it's sugary/salty. I've taken to powdered broth or watered down tomato/veg juice, and heating that up with a pinch of salt and pepper.
I know some people say not to count and just eat low carb but counting gives me security so how do I make a target? 20g? 30g? etc.
20 grams a day is the "usual" keto advice, though some people get into ketosis at 40 grams a day. This is where your meter comes in. That will tell you how many carbs you can handle. It's different for everyone, levels of insulin resistance/sensitivity, over all metabolism, actvity etc... So there's no real one size fits all, and I can't give you definitive numbers. I just kept halving. Went from 80 to 40 to 20 grams a day. See what suits you.
Do the carbs you do eat have to be spread out evenly across the day or can you save and splurge?
Hello, weight watchers point system.
No, it doesn't quite work like that. If you eat a few no carb meals and then splurge on a 100 gram meal, you'll spike. Better to just take it easy on all meals relatively evenly, and not "save up".
Is it okay to eat something low carb at night if your up late and hungry and how would you test two hours after?
Don't. If you know it's low carb, you already know it'll not spike you. If you've tested a certain food two or three times and have seen no spikes, no need to keep testing that food. So if you snack on a bit of cheese for instance, hard cheeses being low to no carbs, or a boiled egg for instance... Don't bother testing. You're going through strips fast enough as it is.
I'll have to stop testing 12 times a day soon because the strips are expensive so before eating and two hours after- does testing when you wake count as before breakfast even if breakfast is a couple of hours away?
The morning numbers aren't that interesting, you can skip those. It's affected by the liver dump, not by what you eat, so it's the last number to come down eventually... Not worth testing more than once every two weeks or so, if at all. And no, the idea is testing right before you tuck in, and 2 hours after. With the liver dumping glucose in the morning, you test.... And it's a certain number. If you eat a few hours later, but have been awake and active, your liver will have
continued to dump glucose to keep you going. It'll be a different starting point, if you want to measure how your body responds to a food. The two hours after the first bite test would be meaningless, because you might've been two points lower of higher, of three, of four... Can't measure if you don't have a trustworthy baseline, you need to be consistent or it's a waste of strips. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this well though, but... Test right before you eat and 2 hours after the first bite. That'll give you numbers that mean something.
And again, if you've tried a meal a few times and it's all good, save your strips for meals you haven't tried yet. By the way, how do you get through 12 strips a day? Are you having 3 meals
and 3 snacks? Because if you feel you need snacks, then your main meals just aren't big enough to sustain you and need rethinking. (If you have three eggs, make it four, for instance). The fewer the times your pancreas has to come into action per day, the better it is. Your body's been flooded with insulin for so long it has become insensitive to it. So... Flood it less and hopefully, regain some insulin sensitivity. That's the idea anyway.
Hope this helps!
Jo
