Type 1 Why am I told that Low(er) Carb WOE isn't suitable for Type 1

therower said:

@ianf0ster .
That’s great that you have found something that works for you as a type 2.
I’ve been type 1 for 28 yrs. No complications, perfectly healthy.
In this time I’ve tried various diets.
Now I’m only speaking from my own personal experience, which has and still is serving me well.
It is very frustrating when so called experts who you have quoted try to tell me that they have a diet that will work for me.
It’s even more frustrating when people with next to no knowledge about my condition feel the need to question why I don’t follow a particular diet.
As for LCHF or low carb whatever you want to call it. For me it’s a fad diet that doesn’t work for me. I have proof of this on account I’ve tried it 3 times. Each time i used new found information that was available in order to ensure I was doing the diet justice. It didn’t and doesn’t give the results that make it worthwhile.
Obviously Low carb does work for some T1’s but it isn’t a requisite for good control.
It’s an option and this is something that should be made obvious, especially to newly diagnosed T1’s.

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I can understand what you are saying but maybe you are feeling a bit too paranoid? People might talk about the benefits of low carb diet but it’s suggested as an option.
For me as a type 1 who is benefiting from low carb diet it’s frustrating that the low carb option is not recommended by HCPs as it could benefit people who find right now nothing is working. From what I hear on this forum if you are lucky they might accept type 1s doing low carb if it’s working but they should be doing better.

I also low carb (mostly) by definition in that I generally eat below 130 carbs a day, but I still need to take insulin for protein and of course basal insulin independently of what I am eating albeit small amounts. It is impossible to guess exactly how much basal I need of a day that will keep me from going too high between meals but will also keep me from going hypo. Every single day is different even when I eat virtually the same. There I am, at work or home (but usually at work), in between meals or even fasting and wham, hypo. A vast amount of my carbs come from treating hypos when I am too low, I go into the 2/3s and have to combat this with some quick acting carbs followed by another 15 - 20 carbs to quickly get me up to a level where I can actually continue functioning. I view carbs as the antidote to insulin, ie one without the other will not work. For me, (and I realise that each of us do what we must) I do not feel stable when I am very low carb, it runs the risk of dropping to a dangerous level. Yes, I suppose I could go LCHF and remain in the 4s for example but I refuse to run the risk of dropping randomly into the 3s and below simply because I may have used up some extra energy at some random moment that I could not have accounted for. Of course nobody is telling me to go very low carb so I say this just to give an example of why it is not for THIS type 1. People seem to forget that we don't just use insulin with meals, we also have to try and use the right amount as basal. I have experimented with all of this for over two years now and am happy to drift along on a lower but not low carb diet.

KK123 said:

Hi HSSS, I agree with you up to a point but the fact that many researchers/Drs/Nurses are in a position to give out 'information' doesn't always mean that information is relevant to all, especially when that very information is coming from someone who 'knows best' for 'YOU'. Take for example, their information to follow the eatwell plate? Does it work just because they say it does? The deliverer may be getting their information from the 'experts' but again who is to say that the information is right? That is why I make mention of the person who is walking the walk, I would far rather take information from them when it comes to general management of a condition I share with them than text book stuff from someone who is not living it. Please don't get me wrong, I am more than willing to listen to a qualified medical person when it comes to 'medicines' but day to day type 1 diabetes issues, erm, no.

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I’m not disagreeing with you.

My point is whether the information is relevant and right “for you” is more important than where it is coming from. Certainly personal experience can add a great deal of weight to the information and opinion, it just doesn’t exclude the same information coming from other sources.

I certainly have met a number of type 2 who’s information and knowledge would be hopeless despite walking the walk. And read info from non type 2’s far more knowledge in what may or may not work and who it might be most relevant to.

It’s not all about hypos. It’s also the response to protein which can be unpredictable.
Personally I do not see low carb as unsuitable for T1s - it is an individual choice either way and therefore should not be presented as the only option available, just one.
Now for a diet controlled T2 the situation is totally different. And for someone with high insulin resistance on hypo inducing drugs things are different again.
We all make up our own minds about what works for us, we all make mistakes sometimes and we all have to eat something to survive.
Personally I object to being told that I should do low carb, which does happen as was the case at my gym recently. The person telling me this knew nothing of my diet, my lifestyle or my control - they just made a judgement.

ianf0ster said:

. As though I can't research Type 1 as well as I do Type 2 just because I don't actually have Type

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I think it’s admirable that you have researched Type 1 diabetes. I just fail to see why you feel the need to post your findings.
Do you think as type 1’s we are unable to do our own research?
Many type 1’s by very nature of the condition have been living with the condition far far longer than most on the forum, we have years of experience.
I recently had to point out to another member who has posted on this thread that I had no choice when it came to injecting insulin. This uneducated person believed that no carbs = no insulin. It’s strange how the I’ll informed can become internet experts.

therower said:

I think it’s admirable that you have researched Type 1 diabetes. I just fail to see why you feel the need to post your findings.
Do you think as type 1’s we are unable to do our own research?
Many type 1’s by very nature of the condition have been living with the condition far far longer than most on the forum, we have years of experience.
I recently had to point out to another member who has posted on this thread that I had no choice when it came to injecting insulin. This uneducated person believed that no carbs = no insulin. It’s strange how the I’ll informed can become internet experts.

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Why shouldn’t anyone other than a type 1 have an opinion or knowledge that they share?

I’m quite sure there have been type 1’s that have learned useful info from a non type 1 in the history of the world. I’m quite sure there are type 1’s that despite a lifetime of dealing with diabetes have issues that someone else might have something of interest to say about that they may not have previously heard or considered.

And for every single statement I’ve made above you could substitute type 1 for type 2 or just about any other group.

I get it is frustrating when incorrect or obvious comments are made. I get that it can even feel insulting when you are being “instructed” by someone obviously lacking in the knowledge you already have. In many cases I suspect it is well intentioned and you could choose to see it as an opportunity to educate rather than belittle.

I find your attitude exclusionary and divisive.

I'm Type 1 and I have learned much from the Type 2s on this forum, especially about LCHF which I choose to follow. I also respect Type 1s who have chosen otherwise and control their diabetes while eating all the carbs they do. The issue about medical professionals' advice doesn't just concern diabetes.

therower said:

I think it’s admirable that you have researched Type 1 diabetes. I just fail to see why you feel the need to post your findings.
Do you think as type 1’s we are unable to do our own research?
Many type 1’s by very nature of the condition have been living with the condition far far longer than most on the forum, we have years of experience.
I recently had to point out to another member who has posted on this thread that I had no choice when it came to injecting insulin. This uneducated person believed that no carbs = no insulin. It’s strange how the I’ll informed can become internet experts.

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No insulin equals death. x