I'm T2 diabetic and struggling to reach 1200 calories

Millicent3015
Millicent3015 Posts: 374 Member
Hello, I've been here on and off for about two months. I try to keep to a maximum of 120g of carbs a day, but recently I've been going up to 150+g, which is the amount set by the MFP calculator. I'm aiming to lose 0.5-1lb a week. I try to eat the same amount of carbs at every meal. I'm not having any cravings at the moment, and my snacks are fruit, a small protein bar, or two WW cookies. I drink a litre of fluids a day and use 200ml of semi skimmed milk a day. By the time I've reached my carbs limit, I still have about 450 calories remaining. I can't have any more carbs because that will cause my blood glucose to spike, I'm not hungry, and I don't want to force myself to eat just to make up the shortfall. I'm seeing the doctor to see if I need monitoring, as I had a hyperglycemic episode recently and my blood glucose was way too high even though I'd only had a small bowl of muesli with milk. Ideally I want to be eating 70g of carbs or less every day. Should I be worried about not meeting my calorie requirements? I've been losing weight slowly and steadily since my diagnosis almost a year ago. I would appreciate feedback.

Replies

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Depends..........

    How are you measuring your portions? Digital food scales are way more accurate than measuring cups. You could be eating more than you think.

    1200 is a one-size fits all minimum. So unless you are petite, elderly and/or very sedentary it might be too low for you. BUT you stated you are losing slowly.....what is slowly to you? If you were losing quickly that might signal a problem.

    Hunger is not a good indicator of adequate nutrition. When we start a diet (I've been guilty of this) we try to find the lowest calorie everything. If your calories are indeed under, then add back some "regular" foods. Regular salad dressing, whole fat dairy, nuts, avocado....small portions pack big calories.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited July 2018
    I would first check if you're logging correctly, before you worry about eating more. You can extrapolate it from your weigh trend; 3500 calories equals one pound of fat. What's your height and current weight, how much have you lost in how many weeks, and have you been eating at the same calorie level all the time?

    Armed with that information, you know if you have to up your calories, or just eat better. At any rate, you will have to cut down on the fruit, bars and cookies, anything with added sugar, and get in full fat milk, cheese, eggs, meat and fish, beans, vegetables, nuts and whole grains.
  • Millicent3015
    Millicent3015 Posts: 374 Member
    Well, yeah you need to keep calories and nutrition spread out over the entire day. It doesn't have to be carbs.

    How about using full fat milk instead of the semi-skim for one thing.

    Nuts. A small handful of unsalted raw almonds or walnuts will add 150-250 calories. Cheese sticks, ham slices, plain Greek yogurt. Just raise the calories in what you do eat. Add olive oil to vegetables (or butter.)

    Muesli and skim milk doesn't sound like a particularly good choice for a person with blood-sugar problems. Maybe log your food first and see about the carbs BEFORE you eat them. Fat will help, too, both with blood sugar and additional calories.

    Thankyou for your suggestions. Muesli's fine as it's wholegrain, and whole milk is too rich for me. But ham slices are ok occasionally, and I can add unsalted nuts to my snacks and some olive oil to my salads. I will have more yogurt, too.
  • Millicent3015
    Millicent3015 Posts: 374 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    Depends..........

    How are you measuring your portions? Digital food scales are way more accurate than measuring cups. You could be eating more than you think.

    1200 is a one-size fits all minimum. So unless you are petite, elderly and/or very sedentary it might be too low for you. BUT you stated you are losing slowly.....what is slowly to you? If you were losing quickly that might signal a problem.

    Hunger is not a good indicator of adequate nutrition. When we start a diet (I've been guilty of this) we try to find the lowest calorie everything. If your calories are indeed under, then add back some "regular" foods. Regular salad dressing, whole fat dairy, nuts, avocado....small portions pack big calories.

    Hi. I'm using a digital scale to measure portions, and I add extra vegetables so they fill half my plate. I'm happy to lose 1lb a month, as long as I lose something. This is a lifelong change and there's no need to rush, especially if that means gaining it back again. I can eat a bit more full fat cheese but I do need to stay away from saturated fats. The nuts and avocado are a good idea, though. I'm grateful for your advice.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I see a flaw in your meal planning. You are watching your carbs but you aren't balancing with the proteins and fats. The proteins and fats will give you staying power and will moderate the absorption of the carbs.

    Muesli and skim milk was lacking in protein. If you have the same breakfast and add a hard boiled egg I am betting your blood sugars will be a lot more stable.

    I once had a high blood sugar moment after a meal of soup and a bun. The whole meal was so low in calories I was sure it could do no harm. My dietitian explained the meal was short on protein. Hence the spike later.
  • Millicent3015
    Millicent3015 Posts: 374 Member
    I would first check if you're logging correctly, before you worry about eating more. You can extrapolate it from your weigh trend; 3500 calories equals one pound of fat. What's your height and current weight, how much have you lost in how many weeks, and have you been eating at the same calorie level all the time?

    Armed with that information, you know if you have to up your calories, or just eat better. At any rate, you will have to cut down on the fruit, bars and cookies, anything with added sugar, and get in full fat milk, cheese, eggs, meat and fish, beans, vegetables, nuts and whole grains.

    'Hm. You've given me lots to think about. Thankyou.
  • Millicent3015
    Millicent3015 Posts: 374 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    I see a flaw in your meal planning. You are watching your carbs but you aren't balancing with the proteins and fats. The proteins and fats will give you staying power and will moderate the absorption of the carbs.

    Muesli and skim milk was lacking in protein. If you have the same breakfast and add a hard boiled egg I am betting your blood sugars will be a lot more stable.

    I once had a high blood sugar moment after a meal of soup and a bun. The whole meal was so low in calories I was sure it could do no harm. My dietitian explained the meal was short on protein. Hence the spike later.

    I can definitely up my proteins. Thankyou.
  • Millicent3015
    Millicent3015 Posts: 374 Member
    Sorry for quoting everyone. I don't know how else to reply. Do I quote everyone's replies or just @ people in the reply box?
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    Depends..........

    How are you measuring your portions? Digital food scales are way more accurate than measuring cups. You could be eating more than you think.

    1200 is a one-size fits all minimum. So unless you are petite, elderly and/or very sedentary it might be too low for you. BUT you stated you are losing slowly.....what is slowly to you? If you were losing quickly that might signal a problem.

    Hunger is not a good indicator of adequate nutrition. When we start a diet (I've been guilty of this) we try to find the lowest calorie everything. If your calories are indeed under, then add back some "regular" foods. Regular salad dressing, whole fat dairy, nuts, avocado....small portions pack big calories.

    Hi. I'm using a digital scale to measure portions, and I add extra vegetables so they fill half my plate. I'm happy to lose 1lb a month, as long as I lose something. This is a lifelong change and there's no need to rush, especially if that means gaining it back again.
    And more food for thought! A loss of 1 pound per month means that your calorie deficit is in the neighborhood of 125 per day. This would suggest that your TDEE is around 1350, which would suggest that you're short and emaciated, like 5'0 and 88 pounds. I find that unlikely.
    I can eat a bit more full fat cheese but I do need to stay away from saturated fats. The nuts and avocado are a good idea, though. I'm grateful for your advice.
    Isn't saturated fat off the hook now?
  • Millicent3015
    Millicent3015 Posts: 374 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    Depends..........

    How are you measuring your portions? Digital food scales are way more accurate than measuring cups. You could be eating more than you think.

    1200 is a one-size fits all minimum. So unless you are petite, elderly and/or very sedentary it might be too low for you. BUT you stated you are losing slowly.....what is slowly to you? If you were losing quickly that might signal a problem.

    Hunger is not a good indicator of adequate nutrition. When we start a diet (I've been guilty of this) we try to find the lowest calorie everything. If your calories are indeed under, then add back some "regular" foods. Regular salad dressing, whole fat dairy, nuts, avocado....small portions pack big calories.

    Hi. I'm using a digital scale to measure portions, and I add extra vegetables so they fill half my plate. I'm happy to lose 1lb a month, as long as I lose something. This is a lifelong change and there's no need to rush, especially if that means gaining it back again.
    And more food for thought! A loss of 1 pound per month means that your calorie deficit is in the neighborhood of 125 per day. This would suggest that your TDEE is around 1350, which would suggest that you're short and emaciated, like 5'0 and 88 pounds. I find that unlikely.
    I can eat a bit more full fat cheese but I do need to stay away from saturated fats. The nuts and avocado are a good idea, though. I'm grateful for your advice.
    Isn't saturated fat off the hook now?

    Lol! I'm short and far, far from emaciated 😄 I do need to stay away from sat fats, though, as my HbA1c readings aren't yet at optimum level and I'm still at risk of heart attack/stroke in the next ten years. I find if I lose weight very slowly I can keep it off for years, so I just want to go slow and steady and not put myself in a 'I need to lose weight yesterday' mindset. I also have depression and tended to get very down if I wasn't shedding quickly, so adjusting my expectations and deliberately going slow is good for my mental health.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,950 Member
    edited July 2018
    Sorry for quoting everyone. I don't know how else to reply. Do I quote everyone's replies or just @ people in the reply box?

    quoting is good -- it helps people follow the conversation. @name is good if you want to be sure the person sees your reply (e.g., if you particularly want an additional response from them).

    ETA: Sorry if there's actually someone named "name" on MFP -- I guess I should have put a space in that.
  • AnitaKundu
    AnitaKundu Posts: 73 Member
    Hi, T2 diabetic here, which I control with diet and exercise, no meds. I have an open food diary if you're interested in seeing what I'm eating.
  • 2t9nty
    2t9nty Posts: 1,572 Member
    I am T2D as well, and have gotten my A1C down through diet and weight loss. The doctor reduced my meds and finally took me off them. My last A1C was 5.6. You are welcome to add me. My diary is open to friends, but be warned - it is a little boring.