Low Carb management of T1

[Stod]

Speaking as T1 for 30 years I am very interested in what I read about the LC management programme, noting that some members have lost a lot of weight. I am 50 and need to lose about 3stone!! How does this low carb thingy work - surely taking loads of protein means an Atkins type diet, with loads of cholesterol??

Can someone please help as I really want to get back to the weight I always was (prior to a 40s period of 3-4 holidays a year with the usual food type thing!), or maybe even just a lower one... I would be grateful to know more as I will be sitting in front of a consultant Diabetic doctor and metabologist at the beginning of April.

Please help...

 

[sugarless sue]

Hi Stod,have a read in the low carb forum to get some idea of low carbing.We eat plenty veg.which is where most of our carbs come from.However because you are on insulin the monitoring of the dosage has to be considered which is where you need a type 1 advisor.

 

[totsy]

hya stod,
basically i started going lower carb when on just lantus as i was having to feed my insulin,i then carried on with mdi, i have lost 5 stones, i dont eat lots of protein or fats really just an healthy diet but with not as many carbs,
its just trial and error really but since lowering the carb im a lot thinner and have a lower hba1c, also my insulin requirements have dropped, i now have 12 units of lantus a day, and between 0 and 3 units of novorapid with meals, i dont eat pasta anymore or rice and hardly any potato, i eat plenty of vegetables and salads, i tend to have 2 slices of small wholemeal bread a day and do eat cereal, you need to try and test and see what works for you, we are all different but do remember to carb count as you wont be needing as much insulin

 

[Stod]

Totsy,

Thanks for responding. Could you give me an idea of what your food intake on a typical LC day would be like? What do you have for breakfast, lunch, dinner etc?I currently eat loads of carbs - breakfast, lunch, mid afternoon, dinner, before bed.

I need to get back to being a slim(mer) person and appreciate learning of the experience of others. I would like to hear from any T1 who uses / manages a LC diet.

Thanks again Totsy...

Stod

 

[totsy]

it depends what u call low carb though as highest i would have is about 100g carbs, lowest i would have is 70g a day, some have a lot less but this is what works for me,
if u still want to know what i eat im willing to tell u ,if u want to pm me too thats fine

 

[Katharine]

The Atkins diet is one of the healthiest eating plans you could choose for managing your diabetes. Most of the dietary advice taught in mainstream diabetic clinics is not scientifically based, is not evidence based, and promotes complications rather than preventing or reversing them.

Restricted carb diets are so effective in managing meal blood sugars that you need to take special care to reduce your insulin doses so that you avoid hypos.

The course at www.dsolve.com will help you get to grips with information that may not have been supplied to you at an NHS clinic.

 

[mrsorange]

Hi all, I am new to this site and have been reading the low carb threads with interest.

I have been type 1 for 12 years and have winged my way through it with the attitude as long as I feel ok then thats fine. But I now want to change all that and I realise that I know very little about my condition.
I research things to death like holidays and if I want to buy a hoover but when it comes to diabetes I am an ostrich – well no more – hence joining this site.

I recently got carb counting advice ( suggested 3units per 10g carb but have reduced to 2units as had a few mild hypos at work)

What I want to know is does this still apply when low carbing, would I still use 2 units per 10g and what is low carb? ( on pasta days I can be well over 100g )

I'd appreciate a bit of advice as I am quite apprehensive :? about such a change as I have spent most of my life eating pasta rice and potatoes along with bread and cereal( not to mention cakes biscuits and chocolate!)

Thanks . Hayley

 

[chocoholic]

Hiya Hayley,
Welcome aboard. Toddytwo has joined us on here too and I believe Edwina might, as she was asking me about this site too. It'll be nice to have some fellow diabetic compers here.
With regard to the low-carbing, well have a good look round the forum. There is a lot to take in but almost anything you want to know has been written about at some time or another on here.
There is a special recipe bit for the low-carbers...there are some very inventive cooks on this site and my biggest piece of advice, if you decide to reduce the carbs.......take it slowly and watch your medication as you do so. It's amazing how quickly you can reduce your insulin but you need to be sure you do it carefully as we don't want you ending up going hypo all the time.
Basically, you won't go far wrong if you reduce your intake of bread, cereals, pasta, potatoes,rice and pastry. Eat plenty of vegetables with meat, cheeses, eggs, dairy foods and nuts.(Not too many peanuts or cashews as they are higher in carbs.)
The level you reduce your carbs by will be personal to you. Some folk can eat a bit of bread,for instance, with little effect on B.G. others cannot but find they can eat a little porridge with no problem. We are all different and you will only know what works for you by testing your B.G. levels as often as possible.
Good luck with it and if you have any questions there are lots of folk more knowledgeable than me to guide you.
All the best, choccie.