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Type 1: Low carb
- Thread starter aimeeo
- Start Date
Indy51
Expert
Quite a few of the Type 1's on the forum follow varieties of a low carb diet. Hopefully some of them will be along to give you more advice. I'll tag a few like @Kristin251, @robert72, @tim2000s
The comment above is not wholly correct. A few Type 1s low carb, most eat moderate carbs.
How many carbs a day are you eating? If you choose to reduce yoyr carbs, you'll also have to make appropriate adjustments to your insulin. Check with your DSN if in any doubt.
CapnGrumpy
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 299
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
Type 1s can low carb and I dropped a fair amount of (excess) weight in the first few months - about two and a half stone. You'll cut back quite a bit on your insulin requirement and will need to bolus more for protein.
The big thing for me was that my margin for error in working out my boluses was much easier to live with. Instead of 'do I need 10 or 12 units for this meal?' it's now 'do I need 2.2 or 2.4 units?' and if I get it wrong then 0.2 units drops my bs by 0.4 mmol instead of 2 units dropping me 4 mmol.
You need to test a lot to see what's happening to your blood sugar and most people advise you to reduce your carb intake gradually, but at the moment it seems to be working for me.
The big thing for me was that my margin for error in working out my boluses was much easier to live with. Instead of 'do I need 10 or 12 units for this meal?' it's now 'do I need 2.2 or 2.4 units?' and if I get it wrong then 0.2 units drops my bs by 0.4 mmol instead of 2 units dropping me 4 mmol.
You need to test a lot to see what's happening to your blood sugar and most people advise you to reduce your carb intake gradually, but at the moment it seems to be working for me.
Hi and welcome!
Yes, T1s can follow a low carb diet.
You may find this recent thread on the same subject interesting:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/lchf-for-t1.109991/#post-1283427
And also this video. It is from the Public Health Collaboration conference in June this year.
The speaker is both a Type 1 diabetic and a doctor in the UK. Worth remembering that low carbing covers a fairly wide range of carb intake
from say 20g carbs a day right up to 130g or even more. So we can all tailor our carb intake to what suits us best, whether we are T1 or T2.
This is a link to the thread about the rest of the conference, and all the other videos of the speakers, if you would like to see more.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/phcuk-conference-videos.103686/
Yes, T1s can follow a low carb diet.
You may find this recent thread on the same subject interesting:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/lchf-for-t1.109991/#post-1283427
And also this video. It is from the Public Health Collaboration conference in June this year.
The speaker is both a Type 1 diabetic and a doctor in the UK. Worth remembering that low carbing covers a fairly wide range of carb intake
from say 20g carbs a day right up to 130g or even more. So we can all tailor our carb intake to what suits us best, whether we are T1 or T2.This is a link to the thread about the rest of the conference, and all the other videos of the speakers, if you would like to see more.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/phcuk-conference-videos.103686/
catapillar
Well-Known Member
What insulin regime are you on @aimeeo ?
Are you on basal/bolus insulin? Do you carb count? Are you confident making adjustments to your insulin to reflect your carb intake?
If you answer no to any of those question, you should seek further advice from your DSN (and maybe ask to go on a DAFNE course) before making drastic changes to your carb intake.
But if you answer yes, you should be able to tackle reducing carbs without an adverse effect on blood sugar. Things to be aware of if you reduce carbs would be:
- be cautious of rounding up your doses - have you got a half unit pen or a pump?
- you might notice protein having an impact on your blood sugar if you are eating minimal carbs
- test test test - consider if you need to make basal adjustments (especially if you are losing weight)
I'm on lantus of novorapid, I completed the daphne course so yeah I carb count and I'm quite confident making adjustments.. that explains the protein bit I've been having salads with chicken and lunch quite a bit and don't inject for it but my blood sugar goes up and I was wondering why that was. Clearly it must be the protein making it go up then
catapillar
Well-Known Member
Here's a recent thread exploring what to do about protein with a low carb meal - http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/t1-and-high-protein-diet.109699/#post-1281458
GrantGam
Well-Known Member
Low carbing is a good way to lose weight, although simply reducing your portion size or increasing activity levels works just as well.
Bear in mind that if you do go down the low carb path, that your insulin requirements may drastically reduce. You'll need to keep a very close eye on your BG in order to limit hypos. For instance, when I'm at work (2 week trips at sea) I eat 130g carbs per day and require 18u basal insulin and 13u bolus (1:10 ICR). When I go home and increase my carb consumption to anywhere between 200-300g, I require a greater amount of basal insulin - somewhere in the region of 20-24u and 20-30u of bolus insulin (again with a 1:10 ICR).
I know the above quantities of insulin work well for me, so there is no drastic "wobbles" in my BG when I'm adjusting my insulin quantities for either home or work. If you're not familiar with making changes like this, then you may notice some irregular BG readings until you get it spot on.
I must admit, my general BG control is generally better at work from eating less carbs. Less carbs, means less insulin required, which means less variance in BG. But I absolutely love carbs; everything in moderation I guess
Bear in mind that if you do go down the low carb path, that your insulin requirements may drastically reduce. You'll need to keep a very close eye on your BG in order to limit hypos. For instance, when I'm at work (2 week trips at sea) I eat 130g carbs per day and require 18u basal insulin and 13u bolus (1:10 ICR). When I go home and increase my carb consumption to anywhere between 200-300g, I require a greater amount of basal insulin - somewhere in the region of 20-24u and 20-30u of bolus insulin (again with a 1:10 ICR).
I know the above quantities of insulin work well for me, so there is no drastic "wobbles" in my BG when I'm adjusting my insulin quantities for either home or work. If you're not familiar with making changes like this, then you may notice some irregular BG readings until you get it spot on.
I must admit, my general BG control is generally better at work from eating less carbs. Less carbs, means less insulin required, which means less variance in BG. But I absolutely love carbs; everything in moderation I guess
Thanks for the help
Kristin251
Expert
I eat vlc, 20 carbs or less a day. I do need to bolus for half my protein. And I also need to consider the fat. If I eat more than 3 oz of protein I need to split boluses or I will drop first then rise.
Example: I eat 1/4 avocado at all meals. This seems to bridge the gap between bs and insulin. Keeps things low and slow. I eat 1.5-2 oz protein and bolus 1/2 unit. Then there a few salad greens but salads actually raise me quite a bit. I generally go for a lettuce wrap with my protein and chunky avocado on it.
I follow bernsteins laws of small numbers. Low carb, small meals equals lower insulin doses and less chance of error. But again I am VERY low carb and many don't like to be that low. I need to stay under 20 to stay in ketosis and maintain my weight.
Test test test. Timing your insulin is important as well. I usually wait 10 min before eating but we are all very different. I have learned to eat the same macros at each meal and know my dose. Very few bs surprises but again many like more variety. I don't eat the same food, just the same fat protein carb content and I do weigh my protein. Small meals and small doses works best for me. I agree with capngrumpy, working out my boluses for each meal was a pain. I prefer to just make my meal and eat without figuring things out and hoping for the best.
So yes, you can low carb and how low is up to you. But you will most likely require less insulin and need to bolus for protein.
Example: I eat 1/4 avocado at all meals. This seems to bridge the gap between bs and insulin. Keeps things low and slow. I eat 1.5-2 oz protein and bolus 1/2 unit. Then there a few salad greens but salads actually raise me quite a bit. I generally go for a lettuce wrap with my protein and chunky avocado on it.
I follow bernsteins laws of small numbers. Low carb, small meals equals lower insulin doses and less chance of error. But again I am VERY low carb and many don't like to be that low. I need to stay under 20 to stay in ketosis and maintain my weight.
Test test test. Timing your insulin is important as well. I usually wait 10 min before eating but we are all very different. I have learned to eat the same macros at each meal and know my dose. Very few bs surprises but again many like more variety. I don't eat the same food, just the same fat protein carb content and I do weigh my protein. Small meals and small doses works best for me. I agree with capngrumpy, working out my boluses for each meal was a pain. I prefer to just make my meal and eat without figuring things out and hoping for the best.
So yes, you can low carb and how low is up to you. But you will most likely require less insulin and need to bolus for protein.
GrantGam
Well-Known Member
Oz protein! Is that a special form of meat reserved for you and Kansas's own Dorothy Gale?
Oz protein! Is that a special form of meat reserved for you and Kansas's own Dorothy Gale?
You're not that young that you don't remember Imperial ounces @GrantGam1337
GrantGam
Well-Known Member
Still weigh myself in stones and pounds too!You're not that young that you don't remember Imperial ounces @GrantGam1337
Daibell
Master
Yes, T1s can low-carb but you must adjust your insulins accordingly. To avoid weight gain T1s must keep the carbs low enough to avoid any weight gain and that will vary from person to person. I keep my carbs below around 150gm/day otherwise I gain weight
I'm type 1 (diagnosed aged 11) and have been on a low carb diet for over 6 years now. Before low carb my HbA1c was consistently 75 mmol/mol (9%) or over, for the last 4 or so years, it's been 42 mmol/mol (6%) or under.
I've always been a healthy weight but I did lose about 4 kg after starting low carb and my weights been just on the border of underweight.
Low carb is a great way to improve eating habits in general. Most of us that have switched onto low carb have found we're eating healthier all-round -more vegetables, less processed food and the aversion to sugary foods we develop, to some extent, can only be a good thing.
If you do go low carb, keep an eye on after meal readings on a low carb diet as some of us get sugar levels creeping up 3-5 hours after meals as a result of the protein component in meals. This is more likely if you were diagnosed many years ago.
Some of us choose to give a small injection after meals to cope with this but only do this once you've figured out when and why it happens and proceed with caution.
I recommend investing in a FreeStyle Libre (or a CGM if you can afford it) as these are close invaluable in showing how different foods and activities affect sugar levels.
Ed
I've always been a healthy weight but I did lose about 4 kg after starting low carb and my weights been just on the border of underweight.
Low carb is a great way to improve eating habits in general. Most of us that have switched onto low carb have found we're eating healthier all-round -more vegetables, less processed food and the aversion to sugary foods we develop, to some extent, can only be a good thing.
If you do go low carb, keep an eye on after meal readings on a low carb diet as some of us get sugar levels creeping up 3-5 hours after meals as a result of the protein component in meals. This is more likely if you were diagnosed many years ago.
Some of us choose to give a small injection after meals to cope with this but only do this once you've figured out when and why it happens and proceed with caution.
I recommend investing in a FreeStyle Libre (or a CGM if you can afford it) as these are close invaluable in showing how different foods and activities affect sugar levels.
Ed
