Please explain low carb to newbee...

Hi Ursula and welcome to the Dark Side!

Ok...now my questions is how many carbs do I need per day for each meal?

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Without wishing to provoke an argument, the simple answer is that you don't need carbhydrates with a meal. We all eat them to varying degrees to get a variety of nutrients, but these can all be derived from foods other than carbohydrates if necessary. It's how our ancestors lived after all. If you turn the question around and ask how many carbohydrates can you eat while maintaining a normal blood sugar, then the answer is different for all of us. As a 6'4'' 180lb male the answer for me is ~30g per day.

For eg: I know we have 4 different carb groups: Rice, pasta, potatoes, bread OR is there a 5th?

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Here I think you're referring to the 5 sources of starchy carbohydrates which many people restrict or avoid because they effectively contain a lot of glucose. They're not different groups as such, but different sources of the same ultimate outcome - raised blood sugar levels. Sugar itself is the 5th one in your list and that's something all diabetics know to restrict. Confusion arises from the fact that the other 4 can have just as big an impact on blood sugar levels, yet conventional wisdom still convinces some people that they should be the basis of all our meals. Daft, I know.

Does that help at all?

fergus

Hi Ursula,
Firstly, you need to be confident that your insulin dosages are set correctly. If they are not, that could lead you to much difficulty matching food to insulin. Have you had proper guidance on this? I know this doesnt always happen and if you are not sure, I'd recommend you read "Think Like a Pancreas" by Gary Scheiner. This details exactly how to work out insulin ratios etc. and I myself found this very useful. For any of us to advise you on personal dosages would not be a good idea because we may get it wrong and that could be dangerous.
Once you are confident your background insulin is correct, then you can work out your correct fast-acting insulin dosages and ratio. This is the stage I am at right at this moment and it's not easy but I'm confident I'm nearly there. I think some people find it easier than others but it has taken me some months.
When it comes to reducing the carbs. don't forget to add cakes and pastries into the equation and fruits have some carbs too. There is nothing to stop you reducing the carbs straightaway but do be watchful with those readings. Reduced carbs. means reduced insulin but we don't want you going hypo, so do take your time, bit by bit and test all the time ,as you you reduce both insulin and carbs.
I can tell you are keen as mustard to get started and I love that enthusiasm. Do let us know how you get on and good luck.
All the best, Chocoholic.

AS fergus has already said, You don't NEED any carb rich foods at all. You can live healthily for an indeffinite time on nothing but fatty meat. It's beeen done under medical supervision as long ago as the 1920s. You can look up sites which will help you to work out how many calories you need. Of course it varies from day to day.
Incidentally 55Kg is 8 1/2 stones. It's about 6.5kg to a stone. This doesn't matter, but you are not overweight.

Interesting take on carbohydrate recommendations

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-prim ... continuum/

Good site for matching insulin to reduced carbs

http://www.dsolve.com/

Go carefully! Always keep some glucose or orange juice within reach in case you overdo it and hypo

bubbles247 said:

Have you baked fergus famous low card bread??

Take care
Ursula

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Not yet! I eat a few oatcakes, and later in the day sometimes ryebread, and only in the evening perhaps some wholewheat bread (for fairly small values of *some*), strangely I don't miss it much. I'll probably try it sometime and also see if mother likes it. Most of my carbs come from vegetables along with lashings of nutrition and fibre.

One of the things I discovered is that when I no longer eat things the cravings disappear.