Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I haven't read the replies so forgive me if I sound redundant. It really depends on the individual. I am personally extremely carb sensitive. I try to stay between 30-50 for the whole day because that is what works best for me. Any higher and I'm looking at some high numbers. I also can't eat certain foods. The best way to find out is test, test, test. I did a lot of testing after eating certain things to see what raised my sugars and what didn't. There's food that had to be completely eliminated from my diet including some things that were considered 'good' and complex carbs.
Ain't that the truth -- that's why I say to keep a food diary, with notations of what my BG is.
I have people telling me beans are GREAT for diabetics because of all the fiber. All I know is when I eat a small serving size, my readings are near 200 two hours after. I have mashed potatoes -- supposedly a bad food -- my readings are 119...
Ain't that the truth -- that's why I say to keep a food diary, with notations of what my BG is.
I have people telling me beans are GREAT for diabetics because of all the fiber. All I know is when I eat a small serving size, my readings are near 200 two hours after. I have mashed potatoes -- supposedly a bad food -- my readings are 119...
I'm just so sick of this "carb counting" nonsense. EVERYTHING has carbs in it!!
When I was first diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, the doctor was a real moron. He didn't even refer me to an endochrinologist. He just told me "no carbs and no sugar" and expected me to come back to see him monthly. He had me so freaking confused, put me on all different meds and totally screwed me up. I just gave up on it because his "professional instructions" were impossible to follow (no carbs? no sugar? what are you supposed to eat?!?!)
I'm still confused by it all and have about lost hope on getting it under control. I'm way overweight.... I have no clue where to start... I hate fish; I'm not a huge meat-eater. Soooo... and I supposed to survive on cucumbers and romaine lettuce with an occassional fat-free hot dog or an egg???????
Amisi, you aren't the only one to come away from advice totally confused. I went to a Registered Dietitian who advises on diet for diabetics. By the time I got home, I said "forget it". I couldn't remember a thing she said and could not read the copious notes she gave me. Could not read her handwriting or her spelling. One example, just to show I'm not kidding - and this was the easiest one to interpret: "Cooking" was spelled "coocing". Others I could not interpret at all. That's minor. All the math she wanted me to go through to count carbs and fasts is what made me say 'forget it'.
I came home and wrote to a friend whose husband is diabetic. She said she and her husband came home from their adviser in the same state. They decided to just continue their healthy eating, cut back on sizes, lowering how many calories they were getting. They've been doing this for five years and their doctor says "whatever you are doing, keep on doing it". He is getting along fine.
I went to a nurse practitioner the other day who told me essentially the same thing. I've gone from 7.2 to 6.2 in three months. I simply cut out all desserts, cookies and candies and put in a good supply of vegetables (definitely not my favorite food).
Now, I don't mean that to be advice. Only a thought that you can do it in many ways and that is one way. In other words, a bit of encouragement that you can do it once it is simplified for you. Or, you simplify it yourself if you know how.
The first doctor had told me he thought I could control mine with diet and exercise, no medicines. So far, he has been right. But, of course, keep very close tabs on what your glucose is doing. And stay in touch with a good adviser.
As for how much, I was told 50% of your total calories per day. So, if you eat 1500 calories a day, 750 of them can be carbs. 4 calories to a gram of carbs. Divide the 750 by 4 = 187 grams of carbs a day. I eat 1400 calories a day simply because I tend to gain weight on more. The nurse practitioner told me that 175 grams would be correct.
And, to all of you who manage to do it on 40 or 50 grams a day, I really would love to know how you do it. As Amisi said, "everything has carbs". We'd appreciate it if you would share one or two days' menus. Not doubting you. Just really would like to see it done. Then, maybe I could cut back still more which wouldn't hurt me.
Thank you and, since I am probably late to this thread, my apologies if you have already shared the menus.
Eat your egg yolks instead of the whole wheat toast.
Stop worrying about cholesterol.
I agree. And whatever you do, don't starve yourself when reducing carbs. No need to!
I don't restrict fats either. I eat real butter, cream, half & half, cheese, olive oil, coconut oil, etc. And yes, I eat the egg yolks. I also eat real bacon, avocados, etc. My cholesterol runs 152 total, with my HDL and LDL and trigs good.
When I first started low-carbing I kept to 30 carbs per day. That's 6 carbs at breakfast, 12 at lunch and 12 at dinner. I was trying to lower my A1C and it worked. I did add a few more carbs as time went on and ate to my meter readings. I rarely go above about 40-50 carbs per day now but once in a while I'll indulge in a bit more. My A1C is consistently 5.6 to 5.8. When I started about 4 years ago my A1C was way over 13 with fasting readings averaging 444.
Not everyone needs to go as low as I did in reducing carbs. It's what my own body can personally handle without my blood sugar spiking. That's why it's important to eat to your meter readings.
My sample menu? Breakfast might be a couple or three eggs with cheese, maybe scrambled with real butter and cream. Lunch...a sandwich on low carb bread (either home made or low carb packaged). My husband laughs because I've been known to have 4 slices of cheese and some meat on that sandwich.
Dinner will be meat and veggies. Once in a great while I'll have Dreamfield's pasta...but not much because it tends to spike me 3 or 4 hours later (not at the usual 1 or 2 hours).
For snacks, I eat nuts, deviled eggs, olives, low carb crackers & cheese, cheese, berries and so forth. I eat full-fat products, not low-fat (which tend to have more carbs) and the same with sugar-free--sugar free doesn't always mean carb free!
I eat Pizza, but not the crust. I order it with everything and scrape the toppings off and just eat those. Or I make my own using a low-carb flat bread and lots of cheese, sausage and pepperoni.
I eat burgers but ditch the bun or use my own low carb buns.
And chocolate...I am the poster child for chocoholics. lol I eat very dark chocolate and use dark baking cocoa in baking (with almond or coconut flour instead of white or wheat flour). My favorite treat is a Lindor Lindt Extra Dark Chocolate Truffle (the black bag). One truffle is 5 carbs and doesn't budge my blood sugar at all. I let it slowly melt on my tongue...oh, wow. Sometimes I'll have two, depending on my blood sugar readings.
I also eat Atkins Bars, which have improved in taste a lot over the years! And I use the CarbSmart ice cream and ice cream bars made by Breyers. Not all the time..portion control is important for me.
So really, there's no need to be deprived or starved whether controlling blood glucose or cholesterol or low-carbing. Eat to your meter readings....shoot for a reading of 140 or below at one hour post meal and 120 or below at two hours after a meal. Read every label and opt for the lowest carb content. I don't pay attention to sugar or fat content...it's the total carbs I look at.
I have to be careful with the eggs... my cholesterol is high. I can do egg whites.
Do you use fresh spinach leaves? Or frozen?
Amisi,
Have you read the Swedish studies on egg consumption? (You can Google the data.) The studies found that eating four eggs a day lowered *all* of the participants' LDL (bad cholesterol) to zero... or at least so low a figure that it couldn't be measured in the lab. I've been eating four eggs per day - and sometimes six, if I'm hungry, and my lipid panel is excellent. My doc couldn't understand it, LOL!
My A1c hovers between 5.2 and 5.3. and hasn't changed since diagnosis, three years ago. (It was 6.9 at diagnosis.)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
