• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Vegetable intake when trying to move from low carb to even lower carb (as a vegetarian)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted member 573395
  • Start Date Start Date
D

Deleted member 573395

Guest
I’m experimenting and today I’ve weighed and calculated the carbs in everything I’ve had to eat and drink. The total being 25g.

My diet is naturally vegetable orientated. Out of the 25g, 13g came from above ground vegetables. Should I really be restricting these as they don’t have a great impact on my bg, are low in calories and don’t make me feel unwell? It feels quite wrong.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sunny B said:
I’m experimenting and today I’ve weighed and calculated the carbs in everything I’ve had to eat and drink. The total being 25g.

As a vegetarian my diet is fairly vegetable orientated. Out of the 25g, 13g came from above ground vegetables. Should I really be restricting these as they don’t have a great impact on my bg, are low in calories and don’t make me feel unwell? It feels quite wrong.
Click to expand...
If your meter says you're doing well on them when testing before and after eating, I'd believe your meter.
 
Sunny B said:
I’m experimenting and today I’ve weighed and calculated the carbs in everything I’ve had to eat and drink. The total being 25g.

My diet is naturally vegetable orientated. Out of the 25g, 13g came from above ground vegetables. Should I really be restricting these as they don’t have a great impact on my bg, are low in calories and don’t make me feel unwell? It feels quite wrong.
Click to expand...
Can I just double check you are not doing it the American way and including fibre/fiber in that count? Sometimes when people use online carb counting app the values pre entered are American without being obviously so. I always check using a uk supermarket website or a known uk site.

But if you’re doing ok with a few extra carbs coming from these sources then it seems ok to me. Just don’t fall into the potential trap of thinking you can do the same with every type of carb. Always check.
 
HSSS said:
Can I just double check you are not doing it the American way and including fibre/fiber in that count? Sometimes when people use online carb counting app the values pre entered are American without being obviously so. I always check using a uk supermarket website or a known uk site.

But if you’re doing ok with a few extra carbs coming from these sources then it seems ok to me. Just don’t fall into the potential trap of thinking you can do the same with every type of carb. Always check.
Click to expand...

Ah, good question! I’ve been adding up the total carbs, not net carbs, from an app and from packaging.

Sure. It’s the starchy carbs which trigger me the most.
 
Sunny B said:
Ah, good question! I’ve been adding up the total carbs, not net carbs, from an app and from packaging.

Sure. It’s the starchy carbs which trigger me the most.
Click to expand...
Packaging where in the world? If you’re using USA based stuff deduct fiber. If you’re using uk/Europe/australasian stuff it’s already net so use the carb figure as it because fibre is already separated out.

yep. We don’t get on with sugar and starch carbs as they become glucose. Fibre is fine as it’s not absorbed and has other benefits.
 
Thanks for this @HSSS!

Some UK packaging and then the single ingredient items i.e. vegetables and berries from the Cals & Carbs app. I’m assuming the app gives the net carbs already .
 
Sunny B said:
Thanks for this @HSSS!

Some UK packaging and then the single ingredient items i.e. vegetables and berries from the Cals & Carbs app. I’m assuming the app gives the net carbs already .
Click to expand...
I use Carbs & Cals and that's a reasonable assumption. If they don't I've been recording my carbs wrong since March :cool:
 
In Response said:
When the OP is only eating 25g carbs a day, is it really "a few extra"?
If they were not eating those "above the ground vegetables", they would only be eating 12g carbs a day. This sounds very low to me.
Click to expand...
Ah yes perhaps a poor choice of word there (It was just before bed as an excuse). I simply meant that the op shouldn’t be worrying about having them, or even increasing them if the meter is showing a good response to them. If I wanted to increase carbs for whatever reason those non starchy above ground veg are the first ones I’d add back in.

And yes it is very low, at 12 or even 25. Keto rather than low carb. And quite possibly lower than it needs to be, but without knowing what their meter is showing and how deeply in ketosis they are (and I’m assuming this low they will be) I couldn’t hazard a guess how much more, and from what sources, they could add more without compromising their progress/remission. Ketosis is widely quoted as being under 20g a day but in reality that’s the figure pretty much guaranteed to get everyone there. Many can actually achieve it at up to 50g a day depending on their body and activities etc.
 
I’ve been low carb for just over 3 months with around 50/60g carbs a day. This resulted in my HbA1c reducing from 51 to 44.

However, as I’ve not experienced ketosis yet or the weight loss that so many others report, I’m experimenting with how low I’d need to go to see the scales move.
 
Sunny B said:
I’ve been low carb for just over 3 months with around 50/60g carbs a day. This resulted in my HbA1c reducing from 51 to 44.

However, as I’ve not experienced ketosis yet or the weight loss that so many others report, I’m experimenting with how low I’d need to go to see the scales move.
Click to expand...
Couple of other ideas re the weight loss

It is possible to over eat even on low carb and keto - eg with the fats. You want feel full but still burn body fat before dietary fat.

I never lost weight unless I drank enough water no matter what else I did.
 
HSSS said:
Couple of other ideas re the weight loss

It is possible to over eat even on low carb and keto - eg with the fats. You want feel full but still burn body fat before dietary fat.

I never lost weight unless I drank enough water no matter what else I did.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yeah I get that. I’m still trying to find the right combination for me without the typical diet hunger, as this is a way of life now.
 
Sunny B said:
I’m experimenting and today I’ve weighed and calculated the carbs in everything I’ve had to eat and drink. The total being 25g.

My diet is naturally vegetable orientated. Out of the 25g, 13g came from above ground vegetables. Should I really be restricting these as they don’t have a great impact on my bg, are low in calories and don’t make me feel unwell? It feels quite wrong.
Click to expand...
Can I just make you aware that there’s a need to watch for Ketoacidosis. I was made aware few weeks ago by a person who was a hospital nurse.
 
Angela64 said:
Can I just make you aware that there’s a need to watch for Ketoacidosis. I was made aware few weeks ago by a person who was a hospital nurse.
Click to expand...
Are you sure there wasn't a confusion between dietary ketosis and ketoacidosis?

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a state of severe uncontrolled diabetes caused by insulin deficiency. It ischaracterised by hyperglycaemia, hyperketoanaemia and metabolic acidosis...(Bilous and Donnelly)

This is not the same as normal dietary ketosis, but the error is made by many people who should know the difference. I've been in (dietary) ketosis off and on for nearly four years now....
 
Angela64 said:
Can I just make you aware that there’s a need to watch for Ketoacidosis. I was made aware few weeks ago by a person who was a hospital nurse.
Click to expand...
Sadly this is part of the problem with T2 diabetes management. Well meaning but ill informed professionals who have quite frankly misunderstood or got their facts wrong. Ketoacidosis (very dangerous) is quite different to and not caused by nutritional ketosis (various benefits). https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/ketosis#ketosis-ketoacidosis. Or https://www.diabetes.co.uk/in-depth/nutritional-ketosis-vs-dka/

Many hospital nurses will have had zero education on diabetes diets and little on ketoacidosis unless it is part of their speciality. Many of these will be repeating stuff “they heard/read in a blog” as a lay person rather than during the course of their profession, yet because of their profession they are often seen as infallible.

What I would agree with is to understand any diet you plan to follow, including and possibly especially ones that are not mainstream and that are quite different to ones you previously followed. Knowing what side effects, potential pitfalls and how to avoid them or possible deficiencies is as important, if not more so, than how to count whatever you plan to count etc
 
Angela64 said:
Can I just make you aware that there’s a need to watch for Ketoacidosis. I was made aware few weeks ago by a person who was a hospital nurse.
Click to expand...
In addition to the above, according to your profile you are on empagliflozin. Flozins do hold a small risk of DKA, so the warning may have been because of this.
 
Sunny B said:
I’m experimenting and today I’ve weighed and calculated the carbs in everything I’ve had to eat and drink. The total being 25g.

My diet is naturally vegetable orientated. Out of the 25g, 13g came from above ground vegetables. Should I really be restricting these as they don’t have a great impact on my bg, are low in calories and don’t make me feel unwell? It feels quite wrong.
Click to expand...
Why change what's working obviously great for you?! Sounds fab x
 
Sunny B said:
Thanks @Helen40 .

Was just looking for a kickstart to a little more weight loss. However, I am struggling to keep the carbs this low.
Click to expand...
So don't keep them that low? You don't have to be in ketosis for weight loss, if you raise your carbs just adjust your insulin, it has to be what you're happy with, life's too short to not enjoy the simple pleasure of good food! I try to aim for around 40 to 50grams but it's changeable, I'm low carb not keto. Good luck with it, you'll find the right balance for you
 
Helen40 said:
So don't keep them that low? You don't have to be in ketosis for weight loss, if you raise your carbs just adjust your insulin, it has to be what you're happy with, life's too short to not enjoy the simple pleasure of good food! I try to aim for around 40 to 50grams but it's changeable, I'm low carb not keto. Good luck with it, you'll find the right balance for you
Click to expand...
Maybe up your exercise routine if you're able? Not sure of your personal circumstances, but if I don't move enough I don't lose anything
 
Back
Top