Carb Strategies for Insulin Resistance

Adventure9
Adventure9 Posts: 58 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Please discuss your carb strategy for losing weight and dealing with insulin resistance.

I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes a few months ago. Doctor recommended to try to lose 5 - 7% of weight. I tried low carb for a few months back several months ago, but I never quite felt right - spacey etc. Lately have been trying to eat moderate slower release carbs with every meal and most snacks. I'm finding 25 - 40 carbs per meal, generally slow release. Keeps me feeling sharp and having energy. PS - I'm 5'10, 195lbs male. Down from 201 lbs 4 weeks ago when I first started MFP. I like that MFP takes a lot of the guesswork out.

Replies

  • Gearjammer71
    Gearjammer71 Posts: 151 Member
    Sounds like you are on the right track with the complex carbs. Do you test your blood glucose? Testing is the key to my control, and lets me know what foods I can and cannot eat. That is different for everyone, one person can eat carrots like a rabbit, while I might as well stab myself in the pancreas with it. As I've lost weight, I've noticed that I can tolerate new and different foods as well. I can eat a medium potato now and notice no difference in my post meal glucose. If I hadn't been testing all along I would be unaware of that progress.
  • Adventure9
    Adventure9 Posts: 58 Member
    I occasionally test my blood sugar now. Plan to do more. Those of you who have pre-diabetes or suspect insulin resistance, where do you try to keep your blood sugar numbers post meal? I shot for 120 or below when I was measuring more often.
  • Gearjammer71
    Gearjammer71 Posts: 151 Member
    My target is the 120's.
  • zzcharge
    zzcharge Posts: 42 Member
    Bump
  • LAW_714
    LAW_714 Posts: 258
    While actively trying to lose weight, I try to stay below 100g of carbs a day, splitting them between most meals (so I'm not eating all of my carbs in one meal). I intend to go up to around 150g carbs once I'm in range of maintenance

    I try for most of my carbs to come from vegetables and fruit, monitoring and moderating my starches (particularly flour) and refined sugar.

    I try to walk appx 1 mile either before or after dinner. (This PBS/BBC special on exercise helps to explain why: http://m.video.pbs.org/video/2364990532/ (though it's only a trailer for the episode) )
  • Adventure9
    Adventure9 Posts: 58 Member
    Thanks for the replies so far. I hope there will be more.

    Law 714 - thanks for the video. I found the entire first snd second segment on there. Have them ready to watch tonight. I had to pick my local PBS station before it would let me download. FYI anyone wanting to watch it.
  • Tigg_er
    Tigg_er Posts: 22,001 Member
    Sounds like you are on the right track with the complex carbs. Do you test your blood glucose? Testing is the key to my control, and lets me know what foods I can and cannot eat. That is different for everyone, one person can eat carrots like a rabbit, while I might as well stab myself in the pancreas with it. As I've lost weight, I've noticed that I can tolerate new and different foods as well. I can eat a medium potato now and notice no difference in my post meal glucose. If I hadn't been testing all along I would be unaware of that progress.

    Very much this with the testing. It has helped me stay away from some foods that affected my glucose the most, and some times you get a pleasant suprise with something you really like.
  • missmegan831
    missmegan831 Posts: 824 Member
    I removed ALL WHITE stuff from my diet in November and have lost 65 pounds, no more meds, sleep good, have tons of energy and tbh I dont miss bread, pasta, rice or sugars.
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    I went on a strict 180 grams a day ..and got my a1c down to 5.6 so no more diabetes for me I still test when im feeling off a bit...but so far my a1c is in order everytime...I just know better than to sit and have 2 bowls of pasta and then pizza for dinner etc etc...you have to watch the fruit juice too...that was a big factor for me in the summer months
  • Rory_123
    Rory_123 Posts: 68 Member
    Aim for a 2:1 ratio of carbs:protein

    If you are having 40 grams of carbs in a meal, make sure you get about 20 grams of protein in there as well, it will slow the release of glucose into the bloodstream.
  • ajvideo1
    ajvideo1 Posts: 8
    Bump
  • tngirlnow10
    tngirlnow10 Posts: 5 Member
    I was recently diagnosed with pre diabetes. I was told that it is very important not to count carbs as a whole day but by each meal and snack. Dietician said 30-45 carbs per meal. balanced with protein. and if the carbs were something like bread, to shoot for 5 grams of fiber per serving. she also said to aim for the lower end of the range to lose weight.
    ( I found Nature's Own 40 calorie, 3x's the fiber (6 grams per serving), 100% honey wheat bread
    love, love love it!)
    she said snack should be no more than 15 carbs -balanced by protein.

    I was told that it is very important to do strength training (weights or resistance bands) to help with insulin resistance.

    I was given this info in early June. I have been very adamant in sticking to those rules and I have lost 22 lbs. I go back in Sept to have blood work redone
  • dazzer1975
    dazzer1975 Posts: 104 Member
    The best way to see what you can and can't eat, is to test religiously pre and post meals (pre and post prandial they call it), usually 2 hrs after you have eaten.


    Diabetics, or even pre-diabetics are all different, there are some who can tolerate starchy carbs...to an extent, others can't have one small cube of potato salad without it spiking their blood glucose.


    It is a pain, but the best and most reliable way to figure out what is best for you is to test regularly, and log everything including your blood glucose results.


    I followed an extremely extreme liquid meal replacement diet (the newcastle university study diet) for a month or so after diagnosis and got my bg from 24.8 to circa 7-8... I am not saying follow it, but i am saying go and read about it, preferably from the actual university website and the peer reviewed academic papers... the abstracts of which (at least) should be available to everyone.

    The basic idea is that it replicates post bariatric surgery diets/weight loss and it targets visceral fat first allowing whatever insulin you do produce to be more efficient... both of which have been shown to reverse or improve diabetes... the study, found the diet could also reverse/improve diabetic outcomes.


    Good luck whatever you do, it is quite the wake up call when the word diabetes is mentioned.

    edit: the above info is in relation to type 2 diabetes only.
  • Adventure9
    Adventure9 Posts: 58 Member
    Thanks all. please keep the info coming. Very interesting and helpful.
  • Adventure9
    Adventure9 Posts: 58 Member
    Bump to see if I can get some more info. Thanks!
  • JaceyMarieS
    JaceyMarieS Posts: 692 Member
    Do you test your blood glucose? Testing is the key to my control, and lets me know what foods I can and cannot eat. That is different for everyone

    100% This! Using a meter to establish your own list of what to eat when is priceless!

    I, personally, found out that breakfast must be very low-carb (under 10 total carbs) as my insulin resistance is highest in the morning. Lunch can be from 15-20 total carbs and dinner is my splurge meal at 10-25 carbs. Lots of vegetables, lots of fat, moderate protein, very restricted fruits (1/2 servings of berries and melons, 1/4 of an apple) and legumes (no more than 1/4 cup) and no grain products.

    Using my meter has allowed me to be med-free for the past 3 months and my latest A1c (8/13) was 5.1
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,960 Member
    There is an insulin resistance group and a diabetes support group on the forums here. Lately there have been some interesting journal articles about reversing diabetes through weight loss on the groups recently. Reducing visceral fat (especially fat in the pancreas and liver) seems to be key.
  • GymPoet
    GymPoet Posts: 107 Member
    I switched to a "Mediterranean diet". The highlights of this for me are sardines, salmon, egg whites, beans as main protein sources. Avocados, olives, and olive oil as main fats, yogurt and soy milk for dairy, and berries and grapefruit as main fruits. Lots of veggies, especially eggplant, onion, tomato, cauliflower, etc. Yellow potato, yam, Ezikiel-style bread, and breakfast cereal are the main carbs. I do add other stuff to this, but these are the mainstays by far. I find cauliflower to be a great visual and even textural replacement for white processed carbs like pasta and potatoes, so I don't even really miss them so far. If I find I do crave something atypical, I just plan to have some, then get back to my typical staples.
    Good luck to you! Let us know what you find works for you!
  • bugtrain
    bugtrain Posts: 251 Member
    bump
  • Gearjammer71
    Gearjammer71 Posts: 151 Member
    Diabetics, or even pre-diabetics are all different, there are some who can tolerate starchy carbs...to an extent, others can't have one small cube of potato salad without it spiking their blood glucose.

    Exactly! I would have never known that had I not been obsessive about testing. The only way I found out that I could handle potato but not onion is by testing, testing, and testing again. I plan my meals according to my workday and exercise plan. If I am going to be very active then I add some carbs to my breakfast, if I am going to be at my desk all morning then I cut them back.
  • mrmagee3
    mrmagee3 Posts: 518 Member
    I went with a HFLC diet. I eat about 70% fat, 25% protein, and 5% net carb on any given day (works out to about 25g net carbs).

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