Type 1 advice on low carb

There are some Type 1s that have gone ketogenic. Personally, I low carb but make sure my daily carb intake is above the 50g mark. I feel better this way and the choice of food is more varied than when ketogenic.

In your case, why would you want to go from one extreme to another? Let your body adapt gradually. I would also recommend to pick a specific daily carb intake and stick to it consistently every day more or less. Regularity makes the overall management easier.

I agree that there is no need to be quite so radical in mkaing changes. Having said that, if in fact your body is switching into using ketones it is quite normal to feel rough for a few days. google Keto Flue.

I'll tag @robert72 who is a T1 that follows a keto diet.

In my opinion, moderate carb is better/easier than ultra low carb. I got fed up of the limited food options and lack of ingredients to utilise when cooking. I'm a keen cook, so this proved quite frustrating. Just now I'm eating around 130g carbs per day, I like to stay between 130g-200g as that works for me. I just did a week of eating 60g carbs per day, but that was just to drop some weight quickly and sort out my basal dose.

Bolusing for protein is something you will likely need to account for if you decide to go head first into the keto way of life. I personally found it extremely difficult to bolus for protein as sometimes my body would need insulin, other times it would not. The end result was unanticipated hypos which were annoying for obvious reasons.

I'm not knocking the ULC way of life by the way, I'm just saying that it does not agree with me. You may be completely different though

What I will say, and I can't stress this enough, is that you'll read on our forum that consuming chronic amounts of fat is acceptable and absolutely healthy. I whole heartedly disagree with this. It is possible to "low carb" and not consume huge amounts of fat. Do what you think is best though, and I do hope that whatever route you chose gives you the results that you want

Also, as a T1 - your dietary requirements are very different to that of a T2, due to the different nature of the conditions. Keep that in mind when taking advice

Personally, I like to keep my carbs around 100g a day, and have some with every meal - otherwise you get into the realm of having to bolus for protein, and having large amounts of fat affecting the rate of absorption, and it doesn't really simplify anything. As a T1, I think a *lower* carbohydrate approach has a lot to be said for it, but low carb, particularly very low carb, brings with it its own set of complications.

You may also like to think about how you respond to carbohydrates at different times of the day - for me, for example, I tend to only have about 15g of carb at breakfast, because I really struggle in the mornings. The type of carb can be just as important as the amount - many people find bread, pasta, rice etc. problematic.

hi @lcarter

Maybe try not going too low carb to start with - it can take a few weeks to become fully keto-adapted. I remember trying to do it a couple of times before and it felt as if I had flu. In the end I stepped it down over a period of months. Find a level that works for you and find a way to replace the high carb foods with something else. I agree that you don't need to eat huge amounts of fat.

I've been keto for 25 years and type 1 for three years. I eat 20 c ( usually less) per day and all come from avocado, above ground veggies and some nuts and seeds. As stated, I do bolus for half my protein.

I eat 4 small higher fat ( macro percentage wise ) and bolus 1/2-1 unit per meal. The smaller meals help keep my insulin needs low as well. I donthis for bs as well as my nasty digestion. It HATES carbs. Even too many veg. Lucky for me I love avocado, pumpkin seeds, mayo with a moderate amount of protein.

re: fat - it really depends on your energy needs. I found I was having too much dairy and gaining weight so I cut back.

I would let appetite and weight gain/loss guide you for fat intake.
There is certainly no need to stuff fat when you cut carbs, but if you are losing weight that you want to keep, or you are finding hunger a problem, then increasing fat intake will help.

If you want to lose fat then you need not eat lots. However most of us find carbs are what inhibits weight loss. Also carbs plus fat equals body fat.

It can be complicated.

Carbs can create craving salad even if insulin dose are right. I save most for my evening meal.

lcarter said:

If I do go for moderate carbs- ie 100-200 a day for example- would I not need to go high fat? Would I include rice and pasta at that amount? This is where I get confused. I wouldn't eat 200g of carbs based on veg etc.

I'm interested in people who have actually got type 1 and lived lchf. It's a case of trial and error for me- but I have managed to massively reduce all my insulin and have great levels once again that are consistent throughout the day pretty much.. providing I eat salads, and eliminate most obvious carbs.

I have cream in my coffee, cook my omelettes in butter and eat cheese and oils where I can.

Mornings I can't tolerate carbs- I get dawn phenomenon so no carbs in the morning. Anyway thanks so much guys, really appreciate your advice.

Click to expand...

The sensible approach would be to find your max permissable carb amount and then, if you're finding that you're losing weight (providing you don't want to) you should increase your proteins and fats accordingly. It's about macronutrient balance, not drinking olive oil from a glass

As a T1 you're free to include any carbs in your low carb diet, even refined ones! When I'm wanting to drop weight, I do 18/6 intermittent fasting and usually eat 100-120g carbs. And that includes chips, rice, potatoes, etc. Because my 18/6 fast permits two meals per day - that's a decent amount of carbs in both meals. So, is it low carb? Technically yes - does it feel like low carb or limit my choices? Not at all

Remember you can take your insulin in advance in order to minimise/entirely eliminate post prandial highs. I have found this the best weapon overall for successful BG management. For the sake of a little pre-planning and initial trial and error, the results can be incredible.

Also, watch your fat intake as it has the potential to send your BG's high gradually but over a prolonged period. It's to do with temporary insulin resistance caused by a rise in triglycerides - it's a nightmare...

By the way, have you done a basal rate test?

lcarter said:

Interesting to hear that I don't need as much fats. How come? All I've read about on diet doctor etc and on forums is how much I need fat.. it's rather confusing!

I've really cut out the obvious carbs.. bread, pasta, rice and cous cous. I'm really missing rice out of all of them.

If I do go for moderate carbs- ie 100-200 a day for example- would I not need to go high fat? Would I include rice and pasta at that amount? This is where I get confused. I wouldn't eat 200g of carbs based on veg etc.

I'm interested in people who have actually got type 1 and lived lchf. It's a case of trial and error for me- but I have managed to massively reduce all my insulin and have great levels once again that are consistent throughout the day pretty much.. providing I eat salads, and eliminate most obvious carbs.

I have cream in my coffee, cook my omelettes in butter and eat cheese and oils where I can.

Mornings I can't tolerate carbs- I get dawn phenomenon so no carbs in the morning. Anyway thanks so much guys, really appreciate your advice.

Click to expand...

It will take some tweaking with different foods because of the change in your diet, also the amount of food and your Insulin dose, you find what is right for you, as we are all so different. Good luck and I hope it works out well for you

If you miss rice try finely chopped cauliflower or broccoli as a substitute. Some supermarkets sell it ready chopped and it can be added into food to cook or gently baked separately for a dryer slightly nutty effect.

Thanks for all the tips, I'm definitely going to try low carbs and do a lot of research on what to eat and what not to eat.