• Guest, the forum is undergoing some upgrades and so the usual themes will be unavailable for a few days. In the meantime, you can use the forum like normal. We'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Second nature!!

W

wobblyme

Well-Known Member
So much to learn...Am failry newly dx...Have attended a 6 week xpert course in diabetese and have to say it was very informative and hepful...However, I soooo wish the carb counting would become second nature...I do kind of fumble through and do my best...Enjoy my food (too much)...Enjoy healthy eating actually but it doesnt take much for me to sway and then the wrong things have gone in...Want to get to grips with this life style change but find it quite difficult carb couniting (a lot of which is guess work) as not always sure of what carbs are in what...I will crack it...Just wish it would become second nature (NOW)....Yhanks for reading :)

wobblyme :)
 
Just keep plugging away, it does get easier with practise ( true of everything of course! ) I think reading this forum regularly helps, watching others go through the same thing helps us learn from everyone's mistakes and celebrating the little victories helps the confidence :)
 
Thank you...Looks like you were dx just a month before me...I also have T2...Have eaten hurrendously over xmas for a normal (what ever that is) person let alone someone with diabetes...Today was my first day back to counting my carbs...My guideline is to keep under the 200 per day...Today I had 235 (failed) again...Even 200 seems a lot to me but I find it hard to balance everything out...How many carbs do you aim to have per day and do you manage to keep within the guideline :)

Wobbly me :)
 
Hello Wobbly me and welcome to the forum. :) I am also type 2 and was diagnosed nearly 2 years ago. I eat about 80 g carbs per day but allow myself an occasional treat to give me the willpower to stick to the diet on the other days. I manage carb counting quite well especially as I tend to eat similar things all the time so know what they contain. You will soon get the hang of it. Don't worry about Christmas - it's only a few days and you can get back on track now. Most of us have a few days off at Christmas! :)
 
Hi wobblyme , don't worry too much it does get easier and clearer as you start to get your head around it all, I would just advise that you read everything you can about diabetes that way as you re read all the physiology stuff about how your pancreas works and what insulin resistance is all about and all the diet/carb stuff it will start to become clear.

And it will all become second nature before you know it, look on it as a new healthier lifestyle :D
 
I agree Sid...I attended a 6 week course (2 hrs per week) which explains everything so well...I have a basic understanding and am learning allthe time...

Wow Daisy 80 carbs per day...Are you not hungry?...Would love to know what a typical days menu is for you...Fore me...I generally have cereal in the morning...sandwhich (brown grainy bread) for lunch and dinner varies from bolognaise, stir fry and even a low fat roast...I snack on fruit and youghurts...I struggle to keep under the 200....I guess I'm getting it half right...Anty tips would be gratefully received...

:)
 
200 a day ! :shock:

See how our advice compares with the EXPERT course. I tend to eat 50 or under but how many carbs you eat depends on your meter and keeping your levels under control. Some can do this with more carbs than others. It is all trial and error and a lot of inital testing.



Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, Diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy Carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of Insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause Insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting Carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total Carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a Diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the Nurse/Doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own Diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try !!

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l........(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals....... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Sue/Ken.
Click to expand...
 
The xpert course was very informative and highly recommends this site for tips and ongoing information...I'm not embarrassed for aiming at 200 carbs per day...I would happily aim for 50 if I thought it realistic for me...I am here for guidance to be able to achieve a low carb intake...Any tips and meal ideas are very welcome and would be most appreciated...Am just getting to grips with the idea (early days) for me...What would be a typical days menu for you Sue?

Thanks in advance

wobble me :)
 
Good for you, I like the positive attitude !

Try changing one meal at a time to a lower carb intake, say breakfast for instance. You could have bacon and eggs,very low carb and filling !

I like an apple and cheese in the morning, doesn't sound much but it keeps me going till lunch time.

Once you slowly reduce the carbs you do find that you are not as hungry as you used to be. Works for me anyway.
 
Sue isn't the only one......I am at present on less than 50g carbs per day, about 40g.

Breakfasts are always very low carb, Bacon, Egg, Mushrooms, Cheese, cold meats, the odd slice of toast if Bg really low beforehand. Not all at the same time !!!

Lunch........low fat yoghurt, cheeses, cold meats

Main meal......home made, steak, chops, curry (portion control) casseroles, small portion of potato.

I actually have a much more varied list of foods it's just they are what I like and am able to tolerate without affecting Bg levels too badly.

Like Sue I never feel hungry and I do not eat loads of fat either.......low GI/GL, low carbs/low fat. Works well. Never felt fitter or healthier in my life. :D

As Sue says, reduce one meal at a time till you get used to it all.
 
Hi again - 80 grams is quite generous as many people eat less than this as you have now seen. No I'm not hungry on this. Here is a copy of my diet:

This is what I do. No guarantee of accuracy of calculations though :) I lost 5 stone doing this. The weight loss was helped by Metformin. It's all down to portion size. My husband doles out the food so I don't need to use willpower.

1 multivitamin tab
Breakfast : full fat Total Greek yoghurt with sweetner. coffee with very little cream
Lunch: meat or fish, veg (not always don't eat my 5 a day - naughty!), carby food from list below, 2%fat Total Greek yoghurt:. Coffee
Supper: meat (nearly always cold) , usually brown bread roll, another 2% Total Greek yoghurt.
Very occasional treat of raspberries or strawberries and I cheat and don't count the carbs! Apparently anything ending in 'berry' is OK for BG.
No snacks!
No alcohol. Except for the very occasional small glass of red wine which is good for BG.
Drink light lemonade and label says it contains no carbs.
I trim fat off meat as I don't like it.

Dieticians say you should eat more carbs than this but there are some people on the Forum who hardly eat any at all.

Here are the portion sizes and calculations of numbers of carbs. Carb numbers are taken from what is marked on the packet.

Full fat Joghurt 5.4g carg
2% fat joghurt 6.5g carb
Brown bread roll (62g) 30 g carb
Rice (30g) 23g carb
Rosti potatoes(65g) 11 gm carb
Gratin potatoes one round 15g carb
Chips (60g) 16g carb
Pasta(60g) 36g carb
Polenta(20g) 23g carb
Ravioli(90g includes filling) 29g carb
Roast potatoes(50g) 12g carbs
Cordon bleu(slice veal with breadcrumbs)13.5g carbs
Flageolet beans (65g) 5g carbs.

Once again, no guarantees:)
Hope this is useful.
 
I forgot to say

1. The full fat joghurts have less carbs than the low fat ones and are more satisfying.
2. My last HbA1c was 5.2 so I must be doing something right :)
 
I very much appreciate all advice given...I guess it's all trial and error and am sure I will get there in the end...5 stone good going Daisy (need the same here) and with that result yes you are most def doing something right...I applaud you*....Thank you for the little carb guid you posted...I posted a couple of other replies and they aren't showing...Don't know why, they were to this post...Oh well not to worry!!...Skin removed roast chicken, sprouts and carrots for my dinner, would love a roast pot or 2 but shall resist...tho having said that bet the carrots and sprouts are full of carbs too!! Happy carb counting!!

wobbly me :)
 
Just a little update...I have drastically reduced my carb intake...Not down terribly low (yet)...Am basing it on any reduction is better than non....Day one I had 109, day 2 108 today is day 3 and I managed 80...Am really going for it, even braved the scales (got lods to lose)...The proof of cutting back on the carbs willbe when I brave the scales agin after 7 days of doing this...Wish me luck!!

wobblyme :)
 
Can I ask how much excercise everyone does on the < 100g carb diet?

Really curious because I'm about 120-200g per day but I do tend to exercise and I'll be honest there are times when I think I may not be carbing up enough on the days I do exercise.

I've found by going up to 200g I feel a lot more energised and my fitness routines have been much better enhanced.
 
I run about 10 miles a week on <40g of carbs (and @ 260lbs I'm quite a big unit).

I usually run first thing in the morning before eating, and I don't have any problem with energy levels during the running, but I sometimes flag a bit in the afternoons with false hypos when my BG < 5.5 ish
 
I can't exercise much at the moment, but the first time I was on Atkins, around the 25g carb per day mark, I was walking about 25 miles a week with the wolfhound - about 3 miles daily (2 x 1.5 mile walks) and the extra on Sat & Sun.

I was also gardening, and doing the occasional bit of housework :oops:

This diet just makes me feel energised and full of well-being. David Cameron would approve :shock: :lol:

Viv 8)
 
Back
Top