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Please help ..How many carbs per meal lchf diet are you eating?

joanne147

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi my name is joanne ..I was diagnosed two years ago and have been in denial..my hba1c is currently 78 and I have been searching on the forum to try and see how many carbs everyone is eating whilst on lchf

Exercise ..how often, ? Before or after meals
Have also been told to eat during 6 hours of the day ..unsure if it is better to eat breakfast or wait until 1pm

But mainly am hoping for advice thought of trying 10 carbs per three meals per day is that ok

Doctor put me on metaformin but I had to come off it as couldn't risk stomach pains and running to loo as setting up charity and doing lots of meetings and presentations etc

Thanks for reading this wishing everyone a lovely weekend joanne x
 
If 10 carbs per meal feels right to you then it's certainly ok. I eat less than 20 per day but none at bf as it shoots me up. Do you have a home meter?

Many of us eat low carb, 50,40,30,20 and even none. So where ever you feel ocmfortable it's ok.

Some members fast, many do not. Some eat bf and dinner, some only eat one meal a day. Whatever works for you to keep your bs steady and you happy is ok.

Your A1C is rather high so make sure the carbs you do eat are nutritious like above ground veggies. Loads of us can't eat starchy carbs or sugar or in very modest portions.
 
Get a blood glucose meter and check which foods raise your blood sugar. I found that porridge raised my blood sugar to over 10, two hours after eating, so I stopped eating it. The goal is to have fasting blood sugars between 4 and 7.

In general, avoid breakfast cereals, bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. Also avoid fruit juice and fruit such as bananas and grapes. See https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb for some ideas.
 
I would go with @NoCrbs4Me suggestion. Stay away from bread, crisp type snacks, biscuits/cakes, rice, pasta, potatoes and high carb fruit and everything else should be okay.
I never really carb counted, just cut out the major starches / carbohydrates and ate what fats I liked and drank/drink a lot of water... though not too late into the evening, otherwise you're up in the night.....
Exercise is good. I try to do 2 20 minutes walks a day, one after lunch and one after dinner, though sometimes not so easy, work and weather can get in the way.
 
joanne147 said:
Have also been told to eat during 6 hours of the day ..unsure if it is better to eat breakfast or wait until 1pm
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Limiting your eating window is a good idea but as to when to do it then whenever fits into your day is the best way .. if you prefer breakfast and lunch then do that. Personally I find it easier to do lunch and dinner.. although mostly I just do dinner.
 

Shocked about the porridge - my DN told me porridge was fine!
 
JackieCarroll said:
Shocked about the porridge - my DN told me porridge was fine!
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Yes, they all seem to say that. Last time I had it 2hr BG reading was over 10 - and the porridge was only a part of a meal, the rest of which was low carb.
 
Hi @joanne147 ..
I agree with what has been said above .. some say 100g of carbs is OK, others recommend zero .. but so long as it's on the low side (say less than 50g ) the amount of carbs that you eat is less important than the type. For me, I try for between 20 and 30g per day, favouring the lower rather than the higher figure .. and I follow 16.8 IF (intermittent fasting) which means that I only eat between 11.00am and 7.00pm

You will come across a lot of confusing and (sometimes) conflicting information around but the key point to take on board is that managing and controlling your diabetes through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. I suggest that you follow up on the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. together with the following Diet Doctor websites, which will give you all the info that you need on what and what not to eat ...
Low Carb Intro and Information and Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

For exercise, again this is individual .. some people go to the gym every day, some run, some walk, some do weights or high cardio. For me, I play golf three times a week, jog 2-3 km followed by a stint on my exercise bike every afternoon and walk everywhere. Anything that raises your heart rate and fits your personal circumstances is good.

Unless you are prescribed a test meter and strips by your doctor (unlikely), it is a top priority that get yourself one and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.

The costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. Make sure that you tick the appropriate box on the on-line order form and you won't pay VAT on your meter or strips.
For the SD Codefree, the strips are £7.69 for a pack of 50 and there are discount codes available for bulk purchases:
5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £29.49
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £58.98
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. but there are no discount codes currently available

I recommend that you test before meals and then again two hours after you started to eat .. some folk also take a fasting blood glucose reading first thing in the morning. This testing pattern will enable you to monitor trends over time and to spot any foods that cause your blood sugar to "spike" or fall ouside the normal ranges. The ranges that you are looking for are ..
# Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
# 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
I'm testing 3-5 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for either of the two packages above but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I can now manage them

Hope this helps
 
Last edited:
AM1874 said:
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £76.90
Click to expand...
Hi not wishing to be picky but with the discount code 10 boxes of strips cost £58.98 once you get to the checkout providing you have ticked the no vat box.
 
You said: "Please help ..How many carbs per meal lchf diet are you eating?"
ANSWER: The answer would be useless to you as EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT.

All I remember about low carb is GPS - Grain, Potato, Sugar. I even own 1 share of a stock with the symbol GPS on the Toronto exchange because GAP INC in the USA keeps going down slowly.

The point is, Don't make a science out of Diabetes and don't let it consume your life. Just aware of GPS foods and keep them low with some effort and enjoy other foods more. I also don't waste money on test strips. I prick myself before a meal to raise awareness but I don't use the strips and measure each day. I measure once a week on Saturday evening before going to bed and measure my weight. If my weight is up then I make efforts to lose 3 pounds the next week. If I lived ok until now then 2 or more short term lbs are not going to make a big difference.
 

As you said (in rather large font) everyone has to find their own way. I test regularly because I want to maintain low blood sugar levels to avoid the complications that often come with Type 2. You don't. Do I consider monitoring my health a waste of money.. no. I also have become rather fond of reading all the science about Type 2.
 
In my opinion the best way is to eat to what your meter tells you. That way you will arrive at the amount of carbs you can safely eat and will see at a glance which foods are your danger ones. We all have different danger foods. Initially it is a good plan to keep a detailed food diary including all you have eaten and the portion sizes. Test before you eat then again about 2 hours after first bite. Record these levels alongside the food and look at the rise from before to after. It is this rise that is important. If it is more than 2mmol/l there were too many carbs in that meal. It is preferable to keep any rise as low as you can, ideally under 1.5mmol/l.

Once you are in the swing of things, you can try testing at other times, maybe an hour after food, or 90 minutes, and/or 2.5 hours or 3 hours after. These levels are informative.
 
Hi. As others have said just keep the carbs down to a level that your meter says is OK. I don't believe there is any good science behind the eat during 6 hours advice; ask the surgery next time where the idea comes from. Everyone thinks porridge is very healthy and it is if you keep the portion size down and are aware it is just another carb. Having the oats cold as in muesli makes it lower-GI.
 
...and I meant to add that you need to ask for Slow Release (SR) Metformin as it is much kinder. Your surgery should have offered you that when the plain version gave you problems. I was lucky as my GP put me on it from the start; it is slightly more expensive.
 
bulkbiker said:
Hi not wishing to be picky but with the discount code 10 boxes of strips cost £58.98 once you get to the checkout providing you have ticked the no vat box.
Click to expand...
I have just ordered some more stripes and couldn't find a discount code on their website. Any ideas please? I ticked the diabetic box, so got the lower figure, but not for buying several pots at a time.

(sorry for the threadjack)
 

You may not be aware that there is more to controlling blood sugar levels than weight loss or gain. And there are thin type 2 diabetics.
 
serenity648 said:
I have just ordered some more stripes and couldn't find a discount code on their website. Any ideas please? I ticked the diabetic box, so got the lower figure, but not for buying several pots at a time.

(sorry for the threadjack)
Click to expand...

the discount code is in AM1874's thread

5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £38.45
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £76.90 but this price would be £58.98 with the code
 
I am interested in the eating window you advocate, what are the benefits? I have never been a creature of habit and mostly eat twice a day (it was the grazing that I was doing before dx that imo led to my problems). I eat mid morning and early/mid evening but never by the clock.
 
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