what is classed as low carbing?

[sdgray22]

I have had diabetes T2 for 5 months now. I have read both sides of the story Low carbing or not. I need to have this clarified for me. Do you put a figure on this do you need to be eating less than a certain amount of carbs to be low carbing? It seems that this forum has split into 2 with low and not, but lets be honest here, we all will be eating less carbohydrates because if we carried on as we had even taking medication presumably our BS would be high. I understood that to reduce Blood Sugars with diet and metformin only you have to cut down carbohydrates and sugar. If you only cut out sugary foods such as Mars Bars and cake then I presume that would not be enough to bring you down to decent moderate readings. I would like to be 7.8 2 hours after meals but realistically every three meals or so it is more like 8.5 as I do not low-low carb I eat probably 90 carbs maybe 70 on a good day. Is that classed as a low carb diet? well it is definately less than half of what I was eating before. Luckily if I have a glass of wine with my dinner I find I can eat a small portion of rice or chips so I do. I realise however some cannot, but are you low carbing if you are eating less carbs than you used to or is low carbing a name given to basically very low say 30 grams carbohydrate or less a day which it seems is a figure used often in this forum. A low carb diet as a phrase seems to frighten people wether they are health employees of whatever sort or the local man in the street. The Atkins fad a few years ago has I feel probably got a lot to answer for. " A good balanced diet" as described by a dietician is for me a no no my readings would be too high I need to be at the level I am to sustain the readings I require- my choice. I do feel the phrase eat to your meter is a good way to deal with diabetes because we are so very different, but there are some very alienated people on this forum who believe that the more moderate way is being buried by the low low carbers. Can't say I feel like that as I feel you put out a very good starter info sheet for newbies and they can then go from there. I did not feel compelled to go down the line of low low carbing but saw the sense of going as low as I was comfortable with. Does that make me a bad person in the eyes of the low low carbers I dont know am I? I am sure they need to do that to keep their levels low the only thing is not to force that on others when they do not want it or need it. I personally do not feel they do force anything they do defend their position but there is free choice in life. I am sure we are all low carbers in one way or another as unless as I understand it, that you take insulin to countermand carbs, then you have to lower your carb intake. The stigma attached to the phrase "low carb" maybe needs to addressed, I think we are all low carbers if we cut down our carb intake to whatever level.

 

[BioHaZarD]

I eat between 20g and 35g of carbs per day and up tO 5g of sugar a day maximum if I can help it. This is considered very low carbing, I believe low carbing is around 50g to 150g per day. I have my BG between 5.9 and 7.0 at the moment, usually around 6.4ish

 

[Grazer]

There's no level of carbs that is "good or bad", the real mantra is "eat to your meter" and try to get below 7.8 two hours after each meal. If you're currently always above that, you masy need a bit of a tweak to either type of carb or amount. Or, you may try what i do which is just ten minutes of hard'ish exercise about an hour after meals that give you typically these higher levels. just ten mins when BGs are peaking, typically at that one hour stage, seems to bring them down faster and lowwer for me. I reckon I get about 1 mmol lower like that. I use an exercise machine, but you could go up and down stairs as quick as you can for ten mins.
There are various different definitions I've seen of "low carb". On about 150 grams a day I'm "moderate", sites I've seen suggest lower than 70 is low carb, and lower than 30 is very low carb. Others have said lower than 50 is very low carb. I don't think you should bother; just get the right level for you and try the exercise

 

[xyzzy]

There's no level of carbs that is "good or bad", the real mantra is "eat to your meter" and try to get below 7.8 two hours after each meal.

Entirely agree that is what the important thing is not the grams of carbs. Once you have got your carbs reduced to under that safety level then going lower is a purely personal choice.

For what it's worth I would define "low carb" in the same way the ADA implies. The 2011 and 2012 ADA diabetes position statements set a carbohydrate RDA of 130g / day. They go on to then classify regimes between 130g and 250g as "moderate carb" regimes. On a 2000 calorie intake this amounts to regimes where carb intake is between 26% and 50%. So if 130g is defined as the start of "moderate" logic would kind of like say the ADA would classify regimes less than 130g as "low".

The ADA picks 130g because they came to the conclusion that 130g is the level where 0% of the population would be in ketosis.

Although many of us including myself have no problem recommending or following a regime which would be primarily or partially ketogenic then as yet the ADA does not. The country that comes closest to acceptance of a long term Ketogenic diet looks to be Sweden where although they don't overtly recommend one they don't deny that some diabetics will be on them and where a diabetic does one they just suggest close monitoring by their HCP's.

It maybe interesting to note that mine and Grazers new member posts recommend people start from around that 130g ADA RDA mark.

Can't speak for Grazer but when I thought about what to recommend I used that ADA 130g recommendation as my starting point as given its now been in effect for over two years it is pretty non controversial. Rather than stating a number "130" I say "half" as if someone is doing the UK RDA 50% carb intake then on a 2000 calorie intake half equates to 25% or 125g / day. Saying half does of course have its weakness because a lot of people may well be doing in excess of the 50% UK recommendation but that's why measuring your levels overrides all of the numbers stuff.

 

[noblehead]

I think we are all low carbers if we cut down our carb intake to whatever level.

That is a good point sdgray but to be honest I'd rather not be categorised into any group, most places I've looked at defines low-carb as below 130g of carbs a day.

 

[hanadr]

I eat somewhere in the region of 30 carbs per day.I keep my bg around 5 pretty much all the time.
I just had 2 rice thins [3.8g carb each] with liver pate and gherkins for lunch. Dinner will be ratatoulle made in the slow cooker, but this dish contains very little carb.
Hana

 

[paragliderpete]

I agree, Eat to your meter. Reduce your carb intake until you get the readings you want. I'm constantly adjusting my intake. I set myself a post meal max of 6.5. If things are going well I increase my carbs a bit. If not I reduce them. Metabolism is not fixed it varies all the time. My carb limit is about 60g per day. but others can be much higher. we are all different.
With regards to blood sugar maximums I believe to current belief is that below 6.8 your body is not being damaged , and will not develop complications. There are however different views on this also.