Counting carbs

janicebellg

Does anyone count carbs and have type 2 diabetis? With Diet and Exercise to lower your weight. How many carbs a day do you have and do you count calories?

petitchatnoir41

I am type 2 and count carbs. No more than 60 carbs for main meals but I aim for less. 15 carbs for snacks. I eat 3-5 times a day due to a digestive disorder ... I count calories too. 1,700 calories a day was what I was told by my dietician. I would recommend a dietician to tell you what to do for your carb and calorie limits.

cmriverside

Yeah, you need a medical professional to be involved, not random people on a web forum.

It depends on different factors that are specific to YOUR situation.

You can go to Diabetes.org for basic guidelines and info.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

It depends on your goal and treatment. A type 2 taking insulin prescribed based on some certain amount of carbs is risking hypoglycemia if not eating enough carbs and still taking the same amount of insulin. In that case, then discussing with the medical provider about how to reduce insulin with carb reduction is important.

I also want to clarify something: There is a difference between "counting carbs" and "restricting carbs." Type 1 diabetics always count carbs because it affects insulin dosing decisions; some of us also restrict carbs. Some type 2 diabetics use bolus insulin and will also need to count carbs, which doesn't automatically meant to restrict carbs. But since I believe from context you are talking about restricting carbs, then the most relevant factor is what types of medication(s) are taken, in what doses and timing, and how much of that functions to help manage postprandial blood glucose. These are things your medical provider should know. If you are not taking any medication(s) for type 2 diabetes, then you are almost certain to find improvements with carb restriction and it would be safe to do so without need to adjust medication(s). This is a part of the "diet" factor when type 2's say they manage with "diet and exercise."

lemurcat2

Definitely get a referral to a diabetes-trained dietitian. There are a number of people here who have controlled their T2D through diet (and I believe they typically do count carbs), but they typically were given advice from a diabetes-educator dietitian.