• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

How low should low carb be.

lely

lely

Well-Known Member
Messages
208
Hi all, i'm type one. My last Hb1c was 10.8 has never been below 9 in 7 years. Part due to lack of willingness to try on my part and part due to worry about potential hypos should I start to get things in better control. However the last 12 months I have really put in the effort to reduce my carb intake and have been attending a gym (running, weight, rowing etc) and learning to swim so having 2 45 min sessions in pool every week. But struggle to lose weight I'm 11 stone so not too big but have that chubby belly thing (muffin tops) going on that I can't get rid of. I'd say I average around 200g-250g of carbs a day. Is this too much.
Due to get a pump in coming months will this help?



Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
It sounds like quite a lot of carbs to me. Remember it just turns into sugar hence the high blood glucose level. Have you read any books on diabetes - in particular blood sugar 101, dr bernsteins book or think like a pancreas? The last two are I think well suited to type 1 diabetics. Try a week of very little or no carb and see what happens. You have to experiment, use you meter a lot and see what happens. Blood sugar 101 has a web site which contains all the info in the book.
oops beaten to it :)
 
Oh my, that's a massive reduction and I am a slave to the old toast and potatoes, I know I shouldn't be but cannot help myself. Time for change now. Will look up the books suggested and try reduce my carb intake, however 30g a day may be a step to far at this time. Working out what foods to replace the ones I have is gonna be a challenge.
I've only just got involved with this forum, since being told I can have the pump. Should have done it years ago.
Thanks for now.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
I eat between 60 and 120g of carbs a day. I found it quite easy to reduce down to this amount and am amazed at how much less I crave food in general. Much less tempted to "take a night off" and binge than when I used to eat higher carbs.
I don't consider myself a "low carber", but the reduction I have made has certainly helped.
Baby steps. You don't have to cut huge amounts all at once.
 
I don't eat 250 grams of carbs in a week let alone a day. If you haven't already, have a read of Dr Bernstein Diabetic solution book. It really explains everything about the benefits of lowering your carb intake.
 
I am reading Bernstein at the moment, preparing to go to my annual check tomorrow, armed with information. I average 200-250g too, (quite easy to do on a 'normal' person's diet). I want to cut down to 100-150g initially. See how that goes and then see if I want to go lower.

I have warned my nurse that I'm coming with this intention... and she agreed I should see a difference in my blood tests in 6 months' time if I'm serious about it... I reckon certain NHS departments are becoming a little more enlightened, but it never harms to help them along.
 
Another low carber here.

Cut down the toast and roast potatoes gradually. Have half the usual amount for a few days then halve that and so on.

I sometimes have one slice of Hi-Lo Seeded Wholemeal toast for breakfast. Other days I have a late breakfast (in a cafe) with fried bacon egg and mushroom. Lunch and dinner will consist of fish, chicken, beef steak, gammon or egg with a selection of veg and salad leaves. If things have a covering of pastry, batter or breadcumbs, I just eat the filling. I rarely get hungry between meals. I don't crave carbohydrates either because I know I don't need them. Avoiding the high carbohydrate stuff means that I don't need to inject much insulin to cover the meal.
 
Ask 10 different people what is low-carb and you'll get 10 different answers, some say it's below 30g and others below 130g.

Many of us type 1's on the forum eat carbs in moderation (say around 130-180g a day) which is around half of the RDA, however if you feel you can go as low as 30g a day then go for a Bernstein style diet, I'm sure you will see benefits in your Hba1c whatever level you drop down to.
 
Back
Top