Top up anyone?

[ladyfingers]

I'm slowly coming to terms with my new low carb diet with lots of post meal testing going on (my poor finger tips are like a brickies )

One area I haven't ventured into yet is alcohol.

From what I've read my favourite real ales are going to have to take a back seat in favour of wine. Which is ok, I don't mind a glass or three of red, white or rose.

I've read through a couple of alcohol related posts on here and moderation is stated to be the key but there is no mention of what is a moderate amount.

I know the correct answer to this is going to be found by trial and testing on my part but I wondered what others had found to work for them?

Jen

 

[JUSTFOCUS]

Hi jen
you could try having a short with diet coke/lemonade i too have given up the pints and i personally enjoy a wee dram on a night time. This does'nt effect my bloods at all ( be carefull with the different wines Test them with your meter .Hope this helps JF

 

[angieG]

Maybe try one drink and see what happens. I can drink a glass of wine with a meal no problem but tend to get headaches the next day more than before. Others say they have no problems so as usual it is trial and error as we are all diferent.
HTH
Regards
Angie

 

[viviennem]

Hi Jen

I'm a red wine girl and can (could!) drink far too much in my pre-diabetic days. I still drink, but not as regularly as before - I had 3 bottles in total from Jan 3rd to Jan 31st.

There are all the usual health reasons for limiting your consumption, but in addition to those I'm trying to keep off it for 5 reasons: 1) carb content; 2) calorie content; 3) if you very-low-carb as I do, for weight loss as well as blood glucose control, if you drink alcohol your body happily switches from burning fat to burning alcohol for fuel, and effectively stops your weight loss.

reason 4) is the diabetes reason - alcohol affects your liver, which will deal with the alcohol before processing the glucose from the carbs you eat. This can lower your blood sugar, which sounds like a good thing, except that it can lower it too much and you end up having an alcoholic hypo. (There's more to it than that - somene else may know more detail).

Once I was diagnosed with diabetes and read up on things, I realised I'd been having occasional nocturnal hypos - heavy sweats and pounding heart - caused by too much alcohol for years, well before I was diabetic. Anyone can have hypos, not just us diabetic folk! Fortunately my liver dumps some glucose and wakes me up, but I'm trying not to cause them any more 'cos I don't want to go into a coma. Not likely, but . . .! I have one Type 2 friend who can have no more than one glass before she does have a hypo (I'm worried about her!)

reason 5 - self-control. Alcohol 'inhibits the inhibitions'; in my case that means once I start drinking I drink too much, and then I start eating - anything that comes to hand! Fortunately there's not much in the house that's too bad for me, but 6 buttered crispbreads with cheese and then 'picking' at a roast chicken doesn't do my diet any good!

I'm drinking this week-end, trying to be good and make the bottle last two nights, but I shall make sure I have a carby snack before bed so I don't wake up with a hypo.

On the 'good' side, if there is one - I've never been anaemic in my life. Red wine is a good source of iron. :lol:

Experiment, and keep testing. I try to alternate hands - use only one hand each day. That means each set of fingers gets a day's rest! Funny how I always seem to find a place I've pricked before, no matter how hard I try! :roll:

Viv

 

[dib]

I regularly have a glass or two of dry white which has no effect on my blood sugars at all. I have tested at one, two, four hours after and the morning after all with no effect showing up. Red wine is the same as is gin and diet tonic. Beer (IPA and cold Peroni in the summer used to be my faves)unfortunately have to be limited and I rarely drink the stuff nowadays, that is something I would have found hard to believe a few years ago!!
I think the beneficial aspects in destressing outweigh or at least balance the possible negative health effects. Just keep consumption moderate for you.

 

[ladyfingers]

I tried a couple of large dry martinis with diet lemonade the other night and my BG dropped a little before returning to what it was before the drinks.

Think I'll stick with these for now as they are low cal, low carb and lowish in alcohol too. Hopefully they will keep me out of trouble for a while

Thanks for all the advice people

 

[Eiche]

I used to enjoy my rose too but sadly I can not drink anything alcoholic now as I am on medication... DON'T MEDICATE AND DRINK! It's dangerous even if once nothing happened!

 

[dib]

I used to enjoy my rose too but sadly I can not drink anything alcoholic now as I am on medication... DON'T MEDICATE AND DRINK! It's dangerous even if once nothing happened!

Thats not strictly true Eiche, there are many medications that are ok to take while keeping within safe alcohol limits. As usual it is a case of reading the directions that come with the meds.

 

[Bluenosesol]

Hi Jen,

I used to love a pint of real ale and then I made an incredible discovery! If I go to Wetherspoons, I have two pints of their strongest real ale accompanied with a double cheese and bacon burger, extra salad in place of the chips and dump the bun. I test my bg and am ALWAYS in the 4's after 2 hours. If I drink more than 2 pints, I begin to see a rise and if I have about 4 pints then my bg spikes at 8+!! I used to like a few pints, but have found now that as my alcohol consumption is a fraction of what it used to be, then I can get quite a buzz from a couple of strong pints, so as us brummies say, after 2 pints, I am now in my oil tot!!

All the best - Steve

 

[ladyfingers]

Hi Jen,

I used to love a pint of real ale and then I made an incredible discovery! If I go to Wetherspoons, I have two pints of their strongest real ale accompanied with a double cheese and bacon burger, extra salad in place of the chips and dump the bun. I test my bg and am ALWAYS in the 4's after 2 hours. If I drink more than 2 pints, I begin to see a rise and if I have about 4 pints then my bg spikes at 8+!! I used to like a few pints, but have found now that as my alcohol consumption is a fraction of what it used to be, then I can get quite a buzz from a couple of strong pints, so as us brummies say, after 2 pints, I am now in my oil tot!!

All the best - Steve

Bostin' Steve, I ent erd oil tot for sum tyme :lol: