Diabetic? _ can a low carb diet still be ok?

Kelstyr

Hi, I am diabetic, I have not had much luck with weight loss. I began doing the kettleBell work ouots, but I find I am getting more solid, not smaller.
I think I need to make eating changes as well.
I am a casserole mentality gal.

Rice,Pasta, bread, potatoes ...I swear its an addiction!!
Has anyone found a combination of counting carbs that is diabetic and found it to work without causing kidney issues?

Sidesteal

Generally speaking, if you are diabetic a low(er) carb diet is desirable.

However, considering your condition, you should ultimately refer to your physician.

Spanaval

I'm not sure what kidney issues have to do with eating a lower carb diet. Are you suggesting that pushing your body into ketosis could cause kidney problems?

Anyway, if you're diabetic, you should follow a lower carb diet. Your physician/nutritionist/dietician should be able to provide better guidance on what would work for you.

Captain_Tightpants

Diabetics are the only people who should follow low carb diets imo.

I would recommend a mild one - the Zone perhaps - you don't have to go batty atkins or full keto.

holeshottdr

Generally speaking, if you are diabetic a low(er) carb diet is desirable.

However, considering your condition, you should ultimately refer to your physician.

Good advice

TheFitHooker

I had Gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with my daughter and lost 70lbs by counting my carbs. I used this site to count my carbs instead of my calories. I didn't focus on my calories then. Not sure how much of a difference Gestational diabetes is from actual diabetes.

starrmom911

Check out a book called "The Diabetes Miracle". I saw improvement in my blood sugar numbers the first week and I'm finally starting to lose weight.

Edited to add: this book was written for people with Type 2.

BeeElMarvin

I have Type 2. I was instructed by my Dr. and by nutritionists to eat a low(er) carb diet. I would suggest you speak to your Dr. and or nutritionist right away. You may want to look into a diabetes education class - many hospitals have them available and many insurances cover them - they are very informative. If you are eating a lot of white rice, white bread, potatoes etc., you could be causing problems for yourself.

And before this goes for a ride on the ridiculous side, I am NOT advocating low(er) carb for anyone who is not Type 2 Diabetic!

I've found that if you lower intake of carbs, replacing them with higher fiber options like brown rice, whole grain breads etc., you won't miss the refined carbs nearly so much, if at all.

CyberEd312

I am just going to chime in on the whole low carb thing for diabetics... I am a Type 2 Diabetic diagnosed in 2009 with A1c of 10.0 and was insulin resistant. My endocrinologist set me up with a Nutritionist, I was pushing 560 lbs. and something had to change.. She set me up on a meal plan of 2400 calories a day and 240 grams of carbs... It wasn't so much the quantity of carbs but the quality of carbs... I got rid of all the enriched flours, and simple carbs and replaced them with complex carbs and multi-grains and brown rice... Once I established this lifestyle my weight starting coming off and the effects of the diabetes started reversing... 37 months later and 310 lbs. down, I am currently eating 3200-3400 calories a day and 320 grams of carbs and am still losing weight... So in my opinion not All Diabetics have to go low carb, but I would suggest working with your doctor and getting set up with a Nutritionist to figure out what works best for you..... Best of Luck.....

DrBorkBork

I am T1.5 diabetic. I was on an insulin pump and metformin. I am drug free today. I have MFP to thank for it and a healthy lifestyle. I low carb and my diary is public. I'm also Primal/Paleo. Many people think Paleo is a low carb lifestyle, but it isn't. It's simply reduced carbs because you take out all the junk and are left with whole, nutritious foods (meat, veggies, fruit).
We still eat casseroles at my house, and we eat mashed cauliflower instead of mashed taters.

kayemme

I've found that if you lower intake of carbs, replacing them with higher fiber options like brown rice, whole grain breads etc., you won't miss the refined carbs nearly so much, if at all.

^^ this! keep an eye on your fiber (which slows sugar absorption) and talk with a nutritionist and your doctor. basically, all foods have carbohydrates. there's a ratio that works well for people trying to heal themselves and i believe (though i'm not a nutritionist) that it has to do with fiber to sugar ratio.

mrykyldy2

Every diabetic is different. Diabetics do need to monitor thier carbs more carefully than anyone. For my husband we have had to cut out starchy foods at dinner because of the way his body reacts to them. I try very hard to keep his breakfast and lunch carb count at about 50 grams of carbs max. When we go to the gym we both have a banana before hand, after we have some protein. I try keeping his max grams of carbs between 200-250 every day. Some days he goes over and others he is under. You have to play with your eating plan to find what works for you. But I really do recommend going to a diabeties eduacation class and work with a registered dietician. The best any of us can really do is to tell you what has worked for us.

hulkklogan

Hi, I am diabetic, I have not had much luck with weight loss. I began doing the kettleBell work ouots, but I find I am getting more solid, not smaller.
I think I need to make eating changes as well.
I am a casserole mentality gal.

Rice,Pasta, bread, potatoes ...I swear its an addiction!!
Has anyone found a combination of counting carbs that is diabetic and found it to work without causing kidney issues?

I'll start off by saying consult a physician and/or nutritional expert.

My personal recommendation is cutting out grains totally. If you're not taking in all of those carbs/sugars, your body won't have to try to regulate all of that. Fruits, nuts, vegetables, and meat. I'll leave it at that.

willnorton

as my friend Ed Davenport said not all people are the same...I have been on the low carb plan and my BS numbers have come from near 400 to normal.....around 100 everyday....I did the low carb...

so our bodies react different....

2 things to do....

1- have a BS meter....check your numbers multiple times a day.....especially after you eat, you can tehn see what foods cause you trouble...you might be a person like Ed who can tolerate the carbs or you might be like me and can not handle so many...but TEST TEST TEST....know your numbers...

2- and most important, go to an educated person who deals with diabetics...I have found not all doctors know what they are talking about....see a diabetes specialist....nutritionalist.....

there are so many different diets.....low carb wise...Zone Atkins South Beach ....read and do research and pick teh one right for you...

good luck and hopefully we can talk more
Bill


OH, i TY TO KEEP MY CARBS AROUND 20 TO 30 GRAMS A DAY..NET (THAT IS TOTAL CARBS MINUS FIBER GRAMS)... THAT MAYBE CONSIDERED ULTRA LOW CARB

BigGuy47

I have not had much luck with weight loss. I began doing the kettleBell work ouots, but I find I am getting more solid, not smaller.
I think I need to make eating changes as well.

You ran at this backwards. Focus on making adjustments to your diet first and then add exercise (both cardio and weight traing) to compliment your weight loss effort. As you've found out there's no way to exercise all the calories off without watching what you eat.

I'm also T2, I try to keep my carbs under 150g/day.
There's been a lot of good advice here that's worth repeating.

- See a doctor
- cut out the simple carbs (white rice, white potatoes. white paste) If it's white it's not right.
- you can have limited portions of brown rice, whole grain pasta and sweet potatoes
- small amounts of fruit are OK
- drink plenty of water
- fiber is beneficial

CALIECAT

I am a diabectic and I was unable to control my carbs. Till I started drinking Glucerna shakes. They really taste good and my blood sugar has drop to norman range.and I have lost 7 lbs in the first two weeks. I do not plan on staying on glucerna full time just about a month. Then I will switch to low carbs foods and follow the Insulin Resistance diet of 30 carbs and 15 protein Per meal. I hope i can ween myseelf off of them. For I am fully satisfy with drinking them.
Callie

pennell12

How's your A1C now?

fellow diabetic:happy:

pennell12

Can you tell us more about The Insulin Resistance Diet? ThanksQ

carld256

I'm a type 2 diabetic, and I don't eat low carb. I follow a low-fat, low-gi plant based diet. I'm down 80 pounds from my peak weight, my A1C is 4.7, my fasting BG readings are in the mid 70s and 80s, and I've been off all diabetes meds for years now.

Going low-carb does work for a lot of diabetics, but it's not the only way to eat.

tmshank18

Since I began tracking my food on MFP, I have also check my blood glucose levels several times a day now and just by simply following my calories and carbs recommended on MFP I have seen a significant drop in my meter readings. I made a simple chart in Excel and record my meter readings as I take them. If my glucose number is high I can usually look at my food tracker for that day and see what caused the spike.

tmshank18

That is awesome!!! Amazing how changing our diets can improve our health so much. I love this website!!