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How many carbs?

Losing weight as a diabetic is the same as non diabetic. I'm a martial arts instructor and it's as simple as this- Eat less carbs and exercise more. The less body fat you have and the more you exercise the less insulin you'll need too. Oatcakes, walnuts, wheatgrass, apples, eggs, fish, FULL fat milk, butter not marg etc. I eat between 150-250g carbs per day and can afford to this many because I exercise a lot.


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robert72 said:
I get most of my carbs from vegetables

Breakfast is usually Yogurt and Nuts (5g carbs)
Lunch usually scrambled eggs and salad (3-5g carbs)
Dinner might be Chicken/Fish/Meat with cauliflower/cabbage/broccoli (usually up to 15g carbs)
Snacks are nuts or cheese or sometimes 90% chocolate
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There's no carbs in eggs no chicken no veg and salad I'm on the pump an if I have bacon mushroom omelet I do not need insulin


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Louiserogers said:
There's no carbs in eggs no chicken no veg and salad I'm on the pump an if I have bacon mushroom omelet I do not need insulin


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Protein breaks down to carbs at around 50% - I normally take 5u NovoRapid at Breakfast (bit of dawn phenomenon there), 2u mid afternoon to cover lunch and 5u in the evening for evening meal
 
robert72 said:
Protein breaks down to carbs at around 50% - I normally take 5u NovoRapid at Breakfast (bit of dawn phenomenon there), 2u mid afternoon to cover lunch and 5u in the evening for evening meal
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I'm the same as you Rob, I nearly need as much insulin for a protein breakfast (eggs & bacon) than I do for my normal breakfast of porridge.
 
This protein/carb malarkey really confuses me!!!

Indiana x


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noblehead said:
I'm the same as you Rob, I nearly need as much insulin for a protein breakfast (eggs & bacon) than I do for my normal breakfast of porridge.
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I need 3 units just because I got out of bed. If I stay horizontal my BGs stay level. ;)
 
Indiana91 said:
This protein/carb malarkey really confuses me!!!

Indiana x


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This is the first time I have ever heard tha\t protein needs bolusing for!!! Does anyone have any more info?
 
tomvonc said:
This is the first time I have ever heard tha\t protein needs bolusing for!!! Does anyone have any more info?
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I only bolus for protein in the absence of carbs, so say I were to have bacon & eggs or a cheese omelette I would still need to bolus, if I were having say bacon & eggs with beans & toast then I would just bolus for the beans & toast, as Rob said before in the absence of carbs protein converts to glucose by around 50%.
 
I would like to know why no healthcare professional has never told me about this :(

Indiana x


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So it's only in the absence of carbs? Yes Indiana, no hcp has told me either!
 
Topher said:
How do you know how much to bolus
For when eating protein


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It seems to be more relevant in the absence of carbs, as Nigel pointed out. So you'd need to know how many grams of protein you were eating and count 50% of those as carbs. Also the breakdown to glucose (gluconeogenesis) takes longer than carbs, so you might need to take that into account too.
 
I only count the carbs and inject accordingly. I understand the 50% protein thing but fortunately, it doesn't seem to apply to me. If I just eat an omelette or similar, I don't inject. As with everything diabetic related, there are many guidelines but no rules.
 
I'm the same as Robert, on around 30g per day. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Yep, protein needs blousing. Most HCPs won't tell you because most of them don't have a clue what they're talking about!

The process if protein->glucose is called glucneogenesis. The body will usually only resort to this process in the absence of carbs, because carbs are obviously easier to convert to glucose than protein.

As a great experiment, go to a pub, order a massive mixed grill, omit any carbs and watch your BG rise!

Low carb diets are effective for weight loss because insulin, as well as transporting glucose into cells, is used to by fat cells to synthesise fat. So, if you reduce your insulin dose, you reduce your body's ability to synthesise fat.
 
Personally I know if i have a load of protein I'll spike by about 1-2mmol and then return to base so I dont bolus. I stick under 100g of carbs a day and try mostly under 80g. I find when I'm working any less is a real struggle. Its hard at fisrt because like most of you i have had carbs every meal forever (23years). My family still really struggle especially my grandparents but when I can show them massive improvements in HBa1c they just listen when I say no pots and more veg!
 
That's what I'm going to have to do I think. Thanks for your reply :)

Indiana x


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protein doesn't seem to effect me, even in the absence of carbs..............and by that I mean I could fluctuate between 1-2mmol, but this is an acceptable movement for me as its acceptable for my basal insulin working alone....


everyone is different though and also everyone has different targets they wish to achieve....
 
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