Any carb counters? Diabetic query...

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Replies

  • mrmagee3
    mrmagee3 Posts: 518 Member
    justdazed --

    In general, a normal days worth of food looks like (and this is today):

    1. Morning: black coffee
    2. Lunch (77/21/8 fat/protein/net carb, 798 kcal)
    couple servings of pepperoni
    serving of cream cheese
    serving of macadamia nuts
    2 tbsp walnut butter
    3. When I get home from work, I'll probably have a 1/4 lb burger patty, slice of cheese, some mayo and low-sugar ketchup (about 400 or so kcal, 22/22/trace)
    4. For dinner, I'll have an avocado (375 kcal, 35/5/5), and maybe a quarter of a roasted chicken with skin on, or something similar. I might throw in a little spinach with cheese and butter if I'm feeling like it.

    That's a normal day for me.

    I don't diary every day, I just pop stuff in every once in awhile to make sure what my mind thinks is what I'm actually doing. :)
  • justdazed
    justdazed Posts: 57 Member
    My diary is open. I've eliminated grains and restrict fruits and legumes to 1/4-1/2 servings. High fat, moderate protein. Lots of leafy and cruciferous vegetables - no starchy vegetables. No sugary yogurt or milk - my dairy is in the form of cheese or plain Greek yogurt.

    Thank you! I've done the basics but I think I need to restrict my fruit and legume servings more.
  • pnuthaymama
    pnuthaymama Posts: 9
    Since I'm trying to lose weight and stabilize my bg counts, I'm aiming for 20 carbs per day but am satisfied with anything under 50. I'm never hungry and sweets just are not tempting me anymore. I'm trying to get my A1c down below 6.0, which is the main reason I'm constricting carbs so much. I focus on meat and almost anything green. If it light in color, I don't eat it. Good luck. Friend me if you want. Lindy (pnuthaymama)
  • LauraDotts
    LauraDotts Posts: 732 Member
    For a year I have kept my carbs to 5% or less to control diabetes. That has been under 20g of carbs a day. That means for a year I have not eaten any fruit. At the beginning I couldn't even eat tomato without it spiking my blood glucose. Eventually I was able to add tomato back into my diet. Now, after losing almost 100 pounds, I have been able to add a limited amount of berries to my diet without spiking my BG. A year ago my A1c was 8.6. My most recent A1c was 5.3.
  • justdazed
    justdazed Posts: 57 Member
    justdazed --

    In general, a normal days worth of food looks like (and this is today):

    1. Morning: black coffee
    2. Lunch (77/21/8 fat/protein/net carb, 798 kcal)
    couple servings of pepperoni
    serving of cream cheese
    serving of macadamia nuts
    2 tbsp walnut butter
    3. When I get home from work, I'll probably have a 1/4 lb burger patty, slice of cheese, some mayo and low-sugar ketchup (about 400 or so kcal, 22/22/trace)
    4. For dinner, I'll have an avocado (375 kcal, 35/5/5), and maybe a quarter of a roasted chicken with skin on, or something similar. I might throw in a little spinach with cheese and butter if I'm feeling like it.

    That's a normal day for me.

    I don't diary every day, I just pop stuff in every once in awhile to make sure what my mind thinks is what I'm actually doing. :)

    Thank you so much for this! My current lunch/dinner is usually some protein with veggies. I think what I need to do is be more conscious of my veggies and fruit.
  • LauraDotts
    LauraDotts Posts: 732 Member
    When I was pregnant with my third baby I was borderline gestational and when I was in the hospital they put me on a diabetic diet, I wasn't eating more than 75 per day and in 2 days I lost 2 pounds. My blood sugar is normal again but I was trying to find info on a proper diabetic diet, I know this may sound crazy, but I want to do it. I felt so much better and it helped lose weight. And, diabetes runs in my family and if I can ward it off before it even has a chance to set in, I'm all for it. If anyone can help point me in the right direction, I'd really appreciate it.

    I highly, highly recommend bloodsugar101.com

    There's no such thing as a proper diabetic diet. The ADA has recommendations but, in my opinion, their recommendations are crap and only lead to worsening diabetes and diabetic complications.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
    I'm trying to keep my NET carbs under 100g a day.

    Question for everyone... what do you meals typically look like? I'm trying to figure out how people can keep their carbs so low (under 50g).

    Typical day for me:

    Breakfast:

    2 cups baby spinach cooked down for an 2 egg omelet with cream and two ounces of full fat cheese. Usually have two strips of bacon with it.

    Lunch: Burger or just some Greek yogurt, depending on how full I am from breakfast

    Dinner: Usually chicken, beef, or fish if I'm not too hungry with two ounces of steamed carrots or some other leafy green vegetable.

    My ideal carb count is 25g, but I was on 40g for a while.
  • amammaa4
    amammaa4 Posts: 176 Member
    It's crazy the different amount of carbs people with diabetes eat. My husband has been type 1 for 20 years and he gets:
    70 carbs at breakfast, 60 at lunch and dinner. If he has a really busy day at work he can have a snack with 20 grams, and then needs to adjust flexi pen for that. He wasnt following his diet for years and 4 months ago found a new Dr. he really likes and since following this he has lost 30 pounds doing nothing else.
  • sapphies
    sapphies Posts: 45 Member
    I'm just wondering how many carbs people aim to eat? I'm trying out a new regime with my diabetes but still wanting to lose weight. I'm averaging 200 a day the last couple of days since I started this plan but my sugar levels have stablised nicely.

    I am diabetic ( I take oral meds) Since I started MFP at the end of Feb I try and stay under 200/day. I follow the rule of nothing white if possible. No white potato, rice, bread etc. I use Dreamfields pasta because there are only 5 net carbs. I eat brown rice, sweet potatoes and light wheat bread or levash bread, quinoa is also great. If I have a dessert craving only sugar free things. I don't worry about the natural sugars in fruits. For me it hasn't had a negative effect on my sugars. Since I have been doing this the last few months my sugars have become under control. My A1C was 8.6 it is now 5.7.
  • mrmagee3
    mrmagee3 Posts: 518 Member
    I am diabetic ( I take oral meds) Since I started MFP at the end of Feb I try and stay under 200/day. I follow the rule of nothing white if possible. No white potato, rice, bread etc. I use Dreamfields pasta because there are only 5 net carbs. I eat brown rice, sweet potatoes and light wheat bread or levash bread, quinoa is also great. If I have a dessert craving only sugar free things. I don't worry about the natural sugars in fruits. For me it hasn't had a negative effect on my sugars. Since I have been doing this the last few months my sugars have become under control. My A1C was 8.6 it is now 5.7.

    One thing you might want to watch is how your blood glucose reacts to Dreamfield's. Their net carb count is a little dicey for some people -- my blood glucose responds to Dreamfields just like it does regular pasta, so I have to avoid it. Hopefully you're one of the lucky ones. :)
  • LauraDotts
    LauraDotts Posts: 732 Member
    It's crazy the different amount of carbs people with diabetes eat. My husband has been type 1 for 20 years and he gets:
    70 carbs at breakfast, 60 at lunch and dinner. If he has a really busy day at work he can have a snack with 20 grams, and then needs to adjust flexi pen for that. He wasnt following his diet for years and 4 months ago found a new Dr. he really likes and since following this he has lost 30 pounds doing nothing else.
    A type 1 diabetic on insulin has different dietary needs than a type 2 diabetic not on insulin.

    Type 1 diabetics do not produce their own insulin thus they need insulin and their carb intake needs to be more to balance their blood sugar and prevent insulin reaction (too low blood sugar).

    Type 2 diabetics produce insulin but it is either not enough insulin or their body has become resistant to the insulin they produce. Reducing the amount of carbs they eat will decrease their need for insulin and their body can better handle the insulin insufficiency or resistance. As a type 2 diabetic loses weight and/or keeps their blood glucose under tight control their insulin resistance can improve.
  • LauraDotts
    LauraDotts Posts: 732 Member
    I am diabetic ( I take oral meds) Since I started MFP at the end of Feb I try and stay under 200/day. I follow the rule of nothing white if possible. No white potato, rice, bread etc. I use Dreamfields pasta because there are only 5 net carbs. I eat brown rice, sweet potatoes and light wheat bread or levash bread, quinoa is also great. If I have a dessert craving only sugar free things. I don't worry about the natural sugars in fruits. For me it hasn't had a negative effect on my sugars. Since I have been doing this the last few months my sugars have become under control. My A1C was 8.6 it is now 5.7.

    One thing you might want to watch is how your blood glucose reacts to Dreamfield's. Their net carb count is a little dicey for some people -- my blood glucose responds to Dreamfields just like it does regular pasta, so I have to avoid it. Hopefully you're one of the lucky ones. :)
    My blood glucose spikes with Dreamfields too. It just doesn't always show up within the 2 hours after eating it. It will definitely show up by my fasting morning glucose check.
  • bookyeti
    bookyeti Posts: 544 Member
    Question for everyone... what do you meals typically look like? I'm trying to figure out how people can keep their carbs so low (under 50g).
    I've eliminated grains and restrict fruits and legumes to 1/4-1/2 servings. High fat, moderate protein. Lots of leafy and cruciferous vegetables - no starchy vegetables. No sugary yogurt or milk - my dairy is in the form of cheese or plain Greek yogurt.
    THIS!

    It's not as difficult as you think! :) It does mean you'll have to prepare more of your own food, but I think that is a good thing.

    I basically eat like I used to eat, but just leave out the starchy side dish. For example, for dinner I used to have a piece of meat, green veggies and rice or potato. Now I just leave out the rice or potato and increase my veg serving. I try to keep my protein under control too, as too much of it can be coverted into glucose. I keep my dietary fat intake high - I use a lot of butter and coconut oil. I aim for at least 20-25g of fiber daily as well, if not more.

    I've found low-carb replacements for things like rice (grated steamed cauliflower), pasta (shirataki noodles), sweet treats (anything sweetened with stevia), and pizza dough (cauliflower/cheese 'dough'). It's great!
  • TxFemme
    TxFemme Posts: 5 Member
    The ADA recommends around 185 carbs per day as part of a "diabetic diet". However, as a nurse and someone who's lost over 100lbs doing lower carb, I think that is way too high. I would recommend going for less than 100. Also, remember that all carbs are not created equal. Aim to get 20-30 grams of FIBER (track it as one of your macros here on MFP)as part of that carb count and equalize those carbs throughout the day, eating them with protein and fat to slow down absorption and reduce sugar spike. Basically, I would say do 4 meals per day at around 20-25 carbs each with 5-8 grams of fiber per meal. I can almost guarantee your next A1C will be beautiful. Good luck and stick with it, it gets easier!
  • meechster20001
    meechster20001 Posts: 76 Member
    Thanks for all the replies on this...I wandered off MFP for a couple of months but back now. I should have said I'm a Type 1, have been since before my first birthday. I'm tracking my sugar levels and food intake and finding my carb intake is naturally coming down and nice to see the scales slowly showing results!

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