Newbie needs low carb advice!

[face990]

Hi Im new to the site and was diagnosed with Diabetes last tuesday although they cant decide what type i am as of yet, although they have put me on Glicazide for the time being,
I have picked up some useful info from reading the posts on this board, but i was wondering what people consider as a low carb diet i.e 30g or say 50 g of carbs a day. as i am considering changing my diet as i have noticed that it is carbs that are constantly pushing up my BG levels.

Im a relativly healthy 27 year old and only way 11 stone very active as i do an active job and go to the gym 5 times a week, but would like to bulk up a little so would appreciate any advice as how this could be achieved on a low carb diet.

even the smallest advice would be very much appreciated.

 

[hanadr]

Low carb is a mattter of your own choice. There is a table on the D -solve website, which you can look up. However, Richard Bernstein recommends 30carbs per day. 6 g for breakfast and 12 each for lunch and dinner.
the Bernstein book " Diabetes Solution" is not cheap, but it's worth having.. My copy is on my desk here at my side now.

 

[sugarless sue]

Would also recommend either Collins gem carb counter or calorie counter both have carbs in them ,calorie has a bit more detail especially as you don't really want to lose weight.I don't go as low as 30gm!!But try to stay around about 50gm per day.

 

[Trinkwasser]

Alan calls what I do a "low spike" diet rather than any specific carb level

http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/d-day.html

I can do a lot more carbs than him for breakfast, he can do a lot more than me in the evening. That's why testing your own response is so important, especially if you're trying to do a lot of exertion which may also affect your numbers differently at different times of day.

 

[Jem]

proteins will help to "bulk up" muscle tone ... perfect for reduced carb types

 

[Trinkwasser]

proteins will help to "bulk up" muscle tone ... perfect for reduced carb types

Protein has two other benefits, firstly it generates some insulin release, although less than carbs. Most imprtantly it can be converted to glucose slowly and without spiking your BG.

Contraindicated if you have kidney disease, though authorities vary on this point.

I favour a high protein breakfast, keeps me going a lot longer than the big bowl of carbs I used to eat and without unacceptable spikes.

 

[fergus]

Agreed, Trinkwasser.
After a high protein breakfast, I find it straightforward not to eat again untill dinner if necessary. No hunger at all despite my previous appetite for a scabby horse by mid-morning after a carby breakfast. The body seems perfectly capable of making its own glucose on demand from protein, with no blood sugar spikes to negotiate.
face990, muscles are little more than protein stores and the best means of replenishing them is surely to eat more protein?

fergus

 

[Trinkwasser]

Agreed, Trinkwasser.
After a high protein breakfast, I find it straightforward not to eat again untill dinner if necessary. No hunger at all despite my previous appetite for a scabby horse by mid-morning after a carby breakfast. The body seems perfectly capable of making its own glucose on demand from protein, with no blood sugar spikes to negotiate.
fergus

It's interesting that a Type 1 also gets the carb cravings generated by carbs, I always thought that was a Type 2 speciality <G>

I do tend to have to "top up" with carbs usually diluted with fats if I'm doing stuff like walking or gardening in the morning due to my funky liver, in fact the main reason I eat any carbs is when I need to manually adjust BG. If I'm not very busy (like today when it was so dark I had to put the light on to see if it was time to get up or time to go back to bed, and so wet I didn't really want to go shopping, and anyway I have a bunch of computer stuff to catch up on) I can easily go hours between meals with not much of a BG change.

I find I have to treat carbs as "instant food" to be taken only when necessary.

 

[VBee]

Ah! I am getting this not being hungry at lunch thing now, and wondered if it was linked to low-carbing. I have kippers and scrambled egg with mushrooms for breakfast (or bacon if I am feeling naughty) and for the last week or so I don't want lunch - just can't manage it. NOT like me at all. I love my food! Then by dinner time when I get home I am ready to eat again.
Still losing the weight too! :wink: My boyfriend tuts at all the fat contents of the things I am eating but the scales speak the truth! :mrgreen:

 

[fergus]

Hi VBee,

I think lots of low-carbers experience this type of thing, I do too. I put it down to relatively low insulin levels.
Insulin is an appetite stimulant of course but it also inhibits glucagon production. So when insulin levels are high (after lots of carbs for example) we can still feel the urge to eat but the body can't get access to its own fat reserves for fuel. When insulin is low, glucagon can metabolise fat so that body cells get access to that fuel and the urge to eat is lessened.
Or something.

fergus

 

[Trinkwasser]

Hi VBee,

I think lots of low-carbers experience this type of thing, I do too. I put it down to relatively low insulin levels.
Insulin is an appetite stimulant of course but it also inhibits glucagon production. So when insulin levels are high (after lots of carbs for example) we can still feel the urge to eat but the body can't get access to its own fat reserves for fuel. When insulin is low, glucagon can metabolise fat so that body cells get access to that fuel and the urge to eat is lessened.
Or something.

fergus

Quite. Also high levels of insulin whether self-produced or injected seem to tie in to leptin resistance. Research into these pathways is still ongoing.

http://mendosa.com/satiety.htm

worth a read

 

[VBee]

So with a greasy fat-filled breakfast every day I am still losting the weight - in fact it is melting off me! So eating fat does not make you fat... education is a wonderful thing isn't it?

 

[IanD]

Hi Im new to the site and was diagnosed with Diabetes last tuesday although they cant decide what type i am as of yet, although they have put me on Glicazide for the time being,
I have picked up some useful info from reading the posts on this board, but i was wondering what people consider as a low carb diet i.e 30g or say 50 g of carbs a day. as i am considering changing my diet as i have noticed that it is carbs that are constantly pushing up my BG levels.

Im a relativly healthy 27 year old and only way 11 stone very active as i do an active job and go to the gym 5 times a week, but would like to bulk up a little so would appreciate any advice as how this could be achieved on a low carb diet.

even the smallest advice would be very much appreciated.

I have what would be considered a "reduced carb diet" of about 100 g carb/day excluding fibre. That has produced very substantial benefits with regard to weight, cholesterol, HBA, and particularly freeing me from muscle pain (peripheral neuropathy) which was disabling me, & is why I came here & started reducing carbs. I think a further reduction would be beneficial.

Regarding proteins, I add soya protein isolate (health food stores) to many mixes, sweet & savoury - trifles, stews, "porridge." At £10 per Kg its price is comparable with protein rich meat & cheese. An excellent food for veggies.

Since posting, I discussed a young friend's allergy problem & was going to recommend starting a controlled diet beginning with soya milk. I checked the internet for "soya allergy symptoms" & soon found a massive allergy problem with soya & its inclusion in all sorts of foods. BEWARE. Perhaps whey protein would be a safer way to go. Or just more unprocessed protein foods.

When people ask me what I do for energy (the sugar-for-energy mantra) I tell them at 69 I still play a good game of tennis with younger people for two hours or more. The last person to ask me is overweight & very non-energetic - & diabetic. She has one big Indian meal in the evenings, & loves her rice. Her husband is disabled by being overweight. They are in their 40s.