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Still afraid of eating

M

mrtn.pllr

Active Member
Messages
33
Location
Hungary
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi all!
I'm a newby T1. Having a really rough time to adjust to my new 165g carb/day diet. I'm really bad at carb counting, I learned like 5 foods carb values. I know that rice, potatoes and grains usually have about the same amount of carb, around 60-70g/100g. I still make mistakes. Usually I get really hungry after dinner. I have to eat 15g of carbs at 20:00. Sometimes I eat a littlebit more. I don't know what to do to battle hunger. It happens a lot that I eat something with carb amounts I'm not sure about and I panic a little. Usually my BG is around 6-7 after eating, but I had a few 10+ readings, like 10.5. 11.8 was my highest since I got out of the hospital. What to do about food and panic? When is it really time to panic? Any advice would be appreciated!
 
I downloaded the carbs&cals app on my phone. It's really handy especially when out and about.
 
Everyone is bad a carb counting until you have been doing it a while. Do not beat yourself up about it. You will find carb contents on 90% of food packaging now. Also as @sjm1308 has suggested download the carbs & cals app onto your phone....it is brilliant, even I use it. Also try and find low carb things to munch on....there are a LOT of zero carb foods out there.
 
Personally my solution to the pain of counting carbs is to avoid or minimise then fill up on non starchy veg, meat, fish and eggs, nuts, cheese. All much more filling than carbs and do not need a bolus.
However you'd need to reduce bolus doses so if you're nervous about that please just use this advice for snacking!
As you come out of the honeymoon period you may find that your own insulin production is dropping off or that you are being a bit less strict with your intake either way the levels you are talking about are not sky high so don't panic but do carry on tweaking as its a constant learning curve.

Edited my a moderator for language.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I tried several apps, but none of those seemed to work for me. I just simply find them confusing and from a developers point of view, they lack a certain originality. For carb counting I still rely on good ol' google. The problem is, that when I eat out, it's really hard to separate the food components. The meat has a sauce on it, which may or may not contain carbs, maybe a ton, maybe 0. It's hard to tell how much rice I'm eating as a side dish by looking at it, etc.
 
@mrtn.pllr when I eat out it is a total guesstimate on carbs....sometimes I get it right and sometimes I am so far out it is unbelievable. And thats coming from a 49 year type1. But you will learn to correct based on your BG levels a few hours after eating
 
Totally agree with that, whilst I haven't yet hit 49 years as a T1, I'm not too far behind at 42 years, and yes sometimes my guesstimation is a long long way out as well, @mrtn.pllr you just have to accept that this can happen and will sometimes even after you've been doing it for years, as has already been said do not beat yourself up, as humans we get stuff wrong, it just happens
 
21 years a T1 and I'm still learning how to carb count. You'll also find different carbs impact BG differently. You'll figure it out but perfection is impossible and there's no need to panic about 10s and 12s. One off high or low readings aren't of major concern, it's patterns over days or weeks you need to look into.
 

Well it also depends where you go when you eat out.

Big chains (like Maccy D's, Pizza* and KFC etc) often have all their nutrition information on their website so you can look it up if you have as smart-phone. Sauces can be a bit tricky so I tend to try and not put too much of it in my mouth unless I know what's in it.

As others have said above, it is a bit of a minefield at first but carb guessing becomes a honed skill, so be patient and keep practicing.
 
This sounds a bit obsessive, but when I got T1 ten months ago I started weighing everything I ate and logging it in MyFitnessPal. It was tedious, but it quickly taught me how to count carbs, fat and protein. I also got good at estimating weight, so it was worth the time.

Counting carbs is not an accurate science. In the EU the nutritional labels can be out by 20 percent, and this is even worse for vegetables. https://ec.europa.eu/food/sites/foo...idance_tolerances_summary_table_012013_en.pdf

I love carrots, but some are sweeter than others so I only eat small amounts. Cooking them alters their structure by turning starch to sugar so you'll be more likely to spike.

Hang in there, things will get better. You seem to be doing well. If you eat out, just be that weirdo who asks for the sauce on the side (that's me by the way ).
 

Mrtn - to be clear, I'm T2, and I eat low carb, but in thinking about your statement about how to judge how many carbs there might be in sides, like rice or potato, I think in our shoes, I'd do a bit of general prep.

I'm not talking about getting into a book every time you go out to judge it (although if that works, crack on). I'm thinking that bearing in mind both rice and potatoes are cheap, I might go for preparing some rice, then putting an amount you might eat, or that I might usually serve to myself, or see on a plate when visiting a favourite eatery. I'd then weigh it, and make a note (on paper, on phone, or wherever suited). The same with potato.

I'd then know steamed/boiled white rice = xgr carbs, per 100gr, cooked, and know how much it weighs (with a bit of tolerance), and thereby be able to take a stab at the carb count.

Of course, I'd expect successes and failures, but I think I might learn some real basics.
 
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