How many carbs & LCHF diet.

[Alisonjane10]

Hello folks.
I'm newly diagnosed & still got sooooo much to learn. This forum & website is proving to be invaluable. Makes me feel less scared of this disorder. I'm trying the LCHF eating plan whilst trying to eat 50 carbs max a day. I'm adjusting to a different lifestyle as best I can & so far I'm enjoying the eating plan. Anyway, a couple of questions I'd like answered please:

1. When trying to establish which foods make your blood sugar spike, should you test 1 or 2 hours after eating?

2. If you're eating LCHF, where does the fat you're eating go? I know the science behind carbs & what happens to your body when you eat them, but I'm concerned about the high fat effect.

3. I have seen some members using mathematical calculations to work out how many grams of carbs, protein and fat they personally need daily to lose weight & maintain steady BG. It's calculated using weight & BMI I believe. Is this necessary? It's all getting a tad complicated.

All advice will be most gratefully received. I appreciate many of you have been where I am now & are very experienced. Thanks folks.

Alison. X

 

[Pasha]

1/ the spike may come at 1hour 2 hours or even three hours, it something that you have to test for ,we are all different

2/ If you eat low carbs then your insulin excretion should be less. Insulin is a fat storing hormone so that your fats will, due to the lower insulin response to reduced carbohydrates, be more easily available for oxidation to carbon dioxide and water + ATP of course.

3/ The basic calculations are very simple. Depending on your age, sex, weight etc you can easily find out the recommended calorie intake for you by googling the subject .

Say for example you need 2000calories a day and you are going to use a ketogenic diet ie 5-10 % of calories from carbohydrates, 15-20 % from proteins and 70- 80 % from fats/oils.

This means 2000x 10/100=200 calories from carbohydrates ie 200/4 =50 grams of net carbohydrates ie carbohydrates minus the fiber.

Then 2000x20/100= 400 calories from proteins ie 400/4=100 grams protein

and 2000x70/100=1400 calories from fats ie 1400/9=155.5 grams fats

Of course this is just an example based on 2000 calories a day, but its meant to give you an idea of how to get a start and just how simple it is to plan your diet.

Note . 100 grams of protein from chicken breast would be 100/03= 333 grams for beef about 100/0.25 =400 grams.
So you need to check out the nutritional data of all the foods you use.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Panic not, My Fitness Pal will calculate it all for you!

 

[Alisonjane10]

1/ the spike may come at 1hour 2 hours or even three hours, it something that you have to test for ,we are all different

2/ If you eat low carbs then your insulin excretion should be less. Insulin is a fat storing hormone so that your fats will, due to the lower insulin response to reduced carbohydrates, be more easily available for oxidation to carbon dioxide and water + ATP of course.

3/ The basic calculations are very simple. Depending on your age, sex, weight etc you can easily find out the recommended calorie intake for you by googling the subject .

Say for example you need 2000calories a day and you are going to use a ketogenic diet ie 5-10 % of calories from carbohydrates, 15-20 % from proteins and 70- 80 % from fats/oils.

This means 2000x 10/100=200 calories from carbohydrates ie 200/4 =50 grams of net carbohydrates ie carbohydrates minus the fiber.

Then 2000x20/100= 400 calories from proteins ie 400/4=100 grams protein

and 2000x70/100=1400 calories from fats ie 1400/9=155.5 grams fats

Of course this is just an example based on 2000 calories a day, but its meant to give you an idea of how to get a start and just how simple it is to plan your diet.

Note . 100 grams of protein from chicken breast would be 100/03= 333 grams for beef about 100/0.25 =400 grams.
So you need to check out the nutritional data of all the foods you use.

Hope this helps a bit.

Hi Pasha
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Q1 and Q2 I now understand. Your answer to Q3 is still a muddle to me. I can see where you got the calculation from and I'm presuming you always multiply by 100 then divide by 4 with carbs/protein. So, where does the divide by 9 come from for fats/oils calculations? And, is it necessary for me to know how much protein and fat I have as long as my diet principle is LCHF ensuring my carbs are at 50g. I'm not sure what subject line I should google to find further information either. Could you help me out with that please. I hope I don't sound like an idiot coz I'm certainly feeling like one right now. But hey, thanks Pasha.
Alison

 

[Alisonjane10]

Panic not, My Fitness Pal will calculate it all for you!

Hi Bluetit1802
I have heard of this app. Gonna download it to my iPad and phone right now. I've taken a look at it too & it's gonna be useful for working out what's in the food I'm eating. Still gotta work out exactly HOW I get my personal number of calories per day, or if I even have to. Still confused about that bit. Thanks for taking the time to answer my question.
Alison.

 

[Totto]

Alison, trust your body. Even long before apps people were able to regulate body weight through hunger and satiety. You don't need apps but you do need a BG meter. When hungry, eat. When full, stop eating. Repeat when needed.

 

[Alisonjane10]

Alison, trust your body. Even long before apps people were able to regulate body weight through hunger and satiety. You don't need apps but you do need a BG meter. When hungry, eat. When full, stop eating. Repeat when needed.

Totto,
FAB advice. I can do that. Thanks so much. X

 

[Pasha]

Hi Pasha
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Q1 and Q2 I now understand. Your answer to Q3 is still a muddle to me. I can see where you got the calculation from and I'm presuming you always multiply by 100 then divide by 4 with carbs/protein. So, where does the divide by 9 come from for fats/oils calculations? And, is it necessary for me to know how much protein and fat I have as long as my diet principle is LCHF ensuring my carbs are at 50g. I'm not sure what subject line I should google to find further information either. Could you help me out with that please. I hope I don't sound like an idiot coz I'm certainly feeling like one right now. But hey, thanks Pasha.
Alison

Hi Alisonjane10.

One gram carbohydrate = 4 calories
One gram Protein = 4 calories
One gram fat =9 calories

Dividing the number of calories from fats by 9 will give the number of grams of fat.

In all probability 50 grams of carbs will be your upper limit for good results, ie blood glucose and/or weight loss.

The fats are needed to replace the energy[ calories] lost from reducing the carbohydrate content of your new way of eating.

Proteins need also to be considered because eating too much of them, can through a process called Gluconeogenesis,ie some of the excess protein can be converted into glucose.

Here is a link re protein amounts needed to get you started,

http://exercise.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/protein_2.htm

There is a saying here which says that "there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers'. I am happy to help you if I can.

You will quickly get the hang of it so dont worry. Ask as much as you want and everybody here will do their best to help.

 

[Alisonjane10]

Pasha, thank you sooooo much. You've made this all easier to understand. How kind.

Alison. X

 

[sanguine]

Hi Alison,

1) 2 hours after first bite is the 'standard', but while you are still evaluating what impact foods have on you, you can do 1 hour as well if you wish.

2) All I would add to @Pasha 's explanation is that eating fat doesn't make you fat.

3) I don't personally - originally I worked out roughly what a 50g carb/day diet would consist of, then ate to that, with whatever fats I wanted until I wasn't hungry any more. As @Totto said.

 

[Robbity]

I work on a simple principle that how much fat/protein I eat depends ow whether or not I need to I need to lose weight, maintain it, or gain it. It's a bit more "elaborate" example of what Totto has told you!

On a very low carb diet your body will switch over to burning fats (AKA ketosis). The fat you eat, and/or have stored in your body is used to replace the energy you would have been getting from carbohydrates.

So:

• My meter tells me whether or not I'm eating about the correct number of carbs for my target glucose levels
• If I'm losing weight and need to, then I'm eating correct amount of fat/protein, but if I don't need to lose weight then I need to eat more fat/protein
• If I need to lose weght, and I'm not - I'm eating too much fat/protein to lose more weight, but am eating the correct amount for my weight to remain static
• if I'm gaining weight then I'm (obviously!) eating too much to either lose any or for it to remain static so need to eat less accordingly
• if I'm any of the above but getting hungry, then I may need to eat more fat and less carbs or protein

I have a husband who likes to be in charge of shopping and main meal cooking, so it easiest for me to do the above rather than try to get things weighed and measured and calculated...

As I usually eat (very) low carbs - between 30-50 g a day, I normally test before my meal and 2 hours afterwards, but if I ever eat something I'm doubtful about or am aware may cause a spike, then I'll also test 1 hour after eating. Generally a lower carb meal may show a spike at 2 hours, fast acting carbs such as sugar will spike more quickly (thus the 1 hour test) and slow acting ones, (e.g. pasta??) will react more slowly, so sometimes people may also choose to retest at longer intervals such as 3 hours after a meal. If I'm wrong here someone will correct me!!

Robbity

PS High fat doesn't necessarily mean you need to scoff bucket loads of the stuff, just enough to fill your energy requirements and keep you from being hungry. Mt (and many others) LCHF tends to be Low Carb Higher-Fat-than-previously.

 

[Alisonjane10]

Hi Alison,

1) 2 hours after first bite is the 'standard', but while you are still evaluating what impact foods have on you, you can do 1 hour as well if you wish.

2) All I would add to @Pasha 's explanation is that eating fat doesn't make you fat.

3) I don't personally - originally I worked out roughly what a 50g carb/day diet would consist of, then ate to that, with whatever fats I wanted until I wasn't hungry any more. As @Totto said.

Hi Rod
Thanks for that bit of advice. I've decided it's gonna be best for me not to use the formula described by Pasha at this point in time. I've bought a great book that visually shows me all the nutrional information I need right now to help me with a LCHF eating plan. But it's good to have explained what other members are discussing & how they manage their diabetes. I'm losing weight, my BG has decreased from a high of 22.4 and was 5.8 last time I tested. So I guess that shows I'm on the right track. Still a way to go, but as I educate myself further I'm sure that'll happen. Every pearl of wisdom from members who reply to my questions is helping me get to grips with this disease. I've printed off the beginners guide that you compiled. It's been invaluable I must say. So, many thanks.
Alison.

 

[Alisonjane10]

I work on a simple principle that how much fat/protein I eat depends ow whether or not I need to I need to lose weight, maintain it, or gain it. It's a bit more "elaborate" example of what Totto has told you!

On a very low carb diet your body will switch over to burning fats (AKA ketosis). The fat you eat, and/or have stored in your body is used to replace the energy you would have been getting from carbohydrates.

So:

• My meter tells me whether or not I'm eating about the correct number of carbs for my target glucose levels
• If I'm losing weight and need to, then I'm eating correct amount of fat/protein, but if I don't need to lose weight then I need to eat more fat/protein
• If I need to lose weght, and I'm not - I'm eating too much fat/protein to lose more weight, but am eating the correct amount for my weight to remain static
• if I'm gaining weight then I'm (obviously!) eating too much to either lose any or for it to remain static so need to eat less accordingly
• if I'm any of the above but getting hungry, then I may need to eat more fat and less carbs or protein

I have a husband who likes to be in charge of shopping and main meal cooking, so it easiest for me to do the above rather than try to get things weighed and measured and calculated...

As I usually eat (very) low carbs - between 30-50 g a day, I normally test before my meal and 2 hours afterwards, but if I ever eat something I'm doubtful about or am aware may cause a spike, then I'll also test 1 hour after eating. Generally a lower carb meal may show a spike at 2 hours, fast acting carbs such as sugar will spike more quickly (thus the 1 hour test) and slow acting ones, (e.g. pasta??) will react more slowly, so sometimes people may also choose to retest at longer intervals such as 3 hours after a meal. If I'm wrong here someone will correct me!!

Robbity

PS High fat doesn't necessarily mean you need to scoff bucket loads of the stuff, just enough to fill your energy requirements and keep you from being hungry. Mt (and many others) LCHF tends to be Low Carb Higher-Fat-than-previously.

Hi @Robbity


Thanks for explaining how you manage your diabetes. It's good advice & is probably how I'm going to go for now too. Wish my hubby was the chief shopper & cook. I'm well jealous. Lol. Best wishes.

Alison.

 

[daddys1]

Hi @Alisonjane10 & welcome,

It was just to say I have lost weight got the numbers down on the LCHF and never done one calculation while doing it since October 2014. So I wouldn't get too hung up on all the calculations unless that is something you really want to do.

I did happen to other day, decided to check roughly what I was having in carbs, from the CARBs & CALs book, but it was only an estimate which put me about the 50 carbs a day.

I'm sure it will all come together for you and get easier.

Neil

 

[Robbity]

Hi @Robbity


Thanks for explaining how you manage your diabetes. It's good advice & is probably how I'm going to go for now too. Wish my hubby was the chief shopper & cook. I'm well jealous. Lol. Best wishes.

Alison.

Don't necessarily be jealous: if you don't have charge of what you buy, you could equally well end up with a poor diet. It's taking diabetes to get my diet back to what it should be.

Robbity

 

[Alisonjane10]

Hi @Alisonjane10 & welcome,

It was just to say I have lost weight got the numbers down on the LCHF and never done one calculation while doing it since October 2014. So I wouldn't get too hung up on all the calculations unless that is something you really want to do.

I did happen to other day, decided to check roughly what I was having in carbs, from the CARBs & CALs book, but it was only an estimate which put me about the 50 carbs a day.

I'm sure it will all come together for you and get easier.

Neil

Hi Neil

Hey, that's the book I'm using too. It's been a good buy & the format is proving to be a fab visual aid? Good to know I don't need to do calculations to be successful on the LCHF eating plan. And Great to hear you're doing well with weight loss & lower BG. It's heartening to know this diet is working for you & many others...so there's no reason it can't work for me too. Thanks very much for posting a reply. Best wishes.

Alison.

 

[daddys1]

Hi @Alisonjane10

It was just to say it can be hard getting you head around eating fat as we have been programmed not to eat it for the best part of 20 years.

I started the diet in Oct 14 where I know my last Cholesterol was 2012 at 5.9 and was pout on 1 x 20mg statin by January this year my cholesterol
was near perfect and I had lost weight.

I used to take all the fat off all my meat, had used spreads for years, cut down on my cheese, rarely had eggs and bacon. Now I eat it all the fat on meat and have changed back to butter. Have full fat Yogurt. Have bacon and eggs 2/3 times a week. Have cheese when ever I want to and have lots of eggs.
It may be worth you looking at Trudi Deakins book EAT FAT, she is a respected Dietitian (contracted to the NHS) who has now been converted to the LCHF lifestyle for diabetics and others.

http://www.xperthealth.org.uk/shop/details/p/handbook-lowcarb-highfat-lifestyle

Neil

 

[Robbity]

I think I've been luckyish in a way as I've always stuck to eating most full fat things - I only ever gave in over milk and I ended up with skimmed. But my evil food habits had tended to end up as being too many bought sauces, generally stodgy food, sugary stuff, and a rather limited selection of vegetables. My excuse - not being chief shopper and cook. But going low carb for me was in part amuch more natural way of life, though I still don't manage to eat all the fat on my meat!

Robbity

 

[JTL]

I'm T2 and LCHF and I count nothing.
I weigh nothing.
Me and numbers don't get on.
I do measure BS with my meter so yes I measure something.
I read labels.
I've gotten very good at deciding what's risky what's safe.
Recent fasting bloods show my cholesterol is down.
My BS are under pretty good control average in the fives.
My blood pressure is down.
My weight is down.
I'm quite happy with the weight I am.
All in all I've kept it quite simple but wouldn't have known where to start without this place.
LCHF sounded very strange when I first came across it but it's working for me.
I'm not too happy with the term high fat.
I don't sit eating fat.
I don't eat the fat on bacon ... the meat itself contains plenty.
I mostly trim meats not eat the fat.
Theres fat in the meat if it's good natural meat.
I like to think I eat normal .... old fashioned if you like.
Normal old fashioned in my book is pre industrialised food.
Like full fat dairy products .... no skimming off my cream thank you.
I have oily fish I use olive oil I use coconut oil.
I snack on nuts and pork scratchings.
I reckon it's only referred to as high fat post skimmed no fat low fat brain washing.
It's not high it's normal.
So low carb normal fats.

 

[Alisonjane10]

Hi @Alisonjane10

It was just to say it can be hard getting you head around eating fat as we have been programmed not to eat it for the best part of 20 years.

I started the diet in Oct 14 where I know my last Cholesterol was 2012 at 5.9 and was pout on 1 x 20mg statin by January this year my cholesterol
was near perfect and I had lost weight.

I used to take all the fat off all my meat, had used spreads for years, cut down on my cheese, rarely had eggs and bacon. Now I eat it all the fat on meat and have changed back to butter. Have full fat Yogurt. Have bacon and eggs 2/3 times a week. Have cheese when ever I want to and have lots of eggs.
It may be worth you looking at Trudi Deakins book EAT FAT, she is a respected Dietitian (contracted to the NHS) who has now been converted to the LCHF lifestyle for diabetics and others.

http://www.xperthealth.org.uk/shop/details/p/handbook-lowcarb-highfat-lifestyle

Neil

Hi Neil

Thanks for the link. I've sent off for the book. It's small enough to carry with me so that's going to be useful. It's quite scary to think that someone diagnosed with Diabetes is pretty much left to get on with it. I've yet to see a nurse specialist & to be honest I'm not sure what/who/how often I should be reviewed. Perhaps you'd be kind enough to give me a clue on that if you don't mind. Once again, thanks for the helpful post.

Alison.