Diabetics - low carb diets? New to this (kind of)

Atkins is pretty strict for the Induction phase which is only supposed to last for 2 weeks or so then you begin to reintroduced carby foods. I controlled mine with diet for awhile, then added metformin, then added insulin. Honestly losing the weight was the best thing I did for my type 2. My last a1c was in the normal range. My doctor took me off the insulin and I've cut back on the metformin as well. So far my sugars are staying around 4.7 to 5.6 before meals and within 2 hours after they're back to that level. I eat carbs, I just try not to eat all the carbs at one sitting.

Listen to your doctor, try to get a referal to a dietician who specializes in diabetic patients. A dietician will be able to give you a decent guideline for how many grams of carbs to eat per meal.

I'm a type 1 diabetic. You can have carbs, just the right carbs. Look for foods in the low glycemic scale. Follow the "no white" rule. Atkins, in my opinion, is no bueno.

I second the recommendation from herblackwings about getting the referral to a registered dietician who specializes in working with diabetic patients. I was recently sent to a dietician who put me on a carb counting diet of 175g max per day (45g max for 3 meals and two 20g snacks). She also recommended MFP to me as a way of tracking my eating. The diet was tailored to the foods that I was already eating. It's been a real change but I'm gradually adjusting. It does give me a sense that I am in better control of both my weight and blood sugar levels but I'm not there yet.

Also, I think Gearjammer71's comments underscores the fact that diabetes is an individual disease. The more you experiment to find out how foods affect you the more in control you will feel. No doctor or dietician can fine tune things for you like you can for yourself.

So far, at 175g per day, I'm not normally hungry, I think because, I've been getting at least 30 minutes of cardio 5-6 days a week. I'm gradually losing weight. I wasn't given any calorie limit by the dietician but what I discovered is that I've had trouble getting enough calories from other food sources when the carbs are restricted. (I like to get a minimum of 1600 calories).

I would definately see a nutritionist to make sure you're not missing anything out of your diet, but you can do alot of the ground work yourself just by googling low carb receipes. It's easier than you think to cut out tatties, rice and pasta, and sweeties.

tatties - have celeriac instead for chips/fries, mash or cube (instead of normal tatties), cook as you would normal tatties. swedes work just as well, turnips aren't as good as they're quite tart.


pasta - courgettes, instead of lasange just slice with a mandolin (or similar) don't cook like youtube receipes tell you to, just stick in raw instead of lasagne sheets and cook for 15 mins or so, if you cook them before hand they just disintegrate and it's more like moussaka. it's quite hard getting itto keep shape when serving however so use bowls lol (keep the skin on).
also try and find miracle/zero noodles (yam noodles) they have very little carb content, they are very expensive but for a treat are very good
Aubergines can be used instead also

rice - frozen or fresh cauliflower, blitz in blender until it looks abit like rice, then fry with a bit of coconut oil when it sticks it's done (works better with frozen, due to the water content), or boil for couple of mins.

google cloud bread (also known as oopsie bread), it's weird but lush. you can also experiment with almond and coconut flour in making your own bread.

stay away from any prepackaged diet foods (even atkins) if you can, they're ok for treats or occasionally but if this is going to be your diet (as in what you eat not trying to lose weight)then you don't want to get reliant on them, if you do the research and find substitutes for your favourite foods it makes it far easier.

for instance instead of sweeties i have dried dates and mango bits.
if i eat crisps its redsky (or similar), large pack doled out into small 20g bags so i don't overindulge, or handful of popcorn. However, i'm not good at eating them occasionally, so tend not to buy them at all so i'm not tempted.
i also make my own bounty bars just in case i have a really bad choccie craving (which generally happens at work cos my colleagues just shovel junk down their gullets all day everyday then wonder why they're putting on weight)

you'll be surprised how quickly your cravings bugger off. This coming from someone who used to polish off a loaf of bread with 1 normal sized tin of heinz tom soup for lunch and still have a massive pasta dinner! I don't eat bread at all, and stay away from most wheat things.

also don't bother with low fat rubbish, have full fat and just eat less, which won't be hard cos it tastes better and isn't full of added sugar like most low fat products.

If nothing else swapping out the usual culprits of rice tatties and pasta with a veg alternative, you'll be eating far more nutritious food with far less effort than before.

Good luck anyway, we're always here to help with recipes or food ideas if your stuck

The American Diabetes association approved low carb diets to control diabetes last month. If you read the Atkins book or did the weight loss tutors on their website, you would see that if you only have a few pounds to lose, you don't start with induction and as you go through the various stages you add carbs back in. It may look strict, but it's better than having to do on insulin down the road.

I get less than 20 net carbs per day(most of the time), more of a paleo/primal/keto type diet, I am insulin resistant. when I eat carbs it is either brown rice or sweet potato. I try to eat a lot of greens that have low net carbs like collard or turnip greens. with this diet I do not have to worry about my blood sugar as I rarely get enough carbs per meal to spike it. I just started this diet plan and in a about 2 more weeks I will get my blood work done and check out how my body internally is handling it.

check out my diary if you need any ideas. substituting carbs with fats for fuel.

I'm diabetic and keep to a lower carb diet. Mainly I try to get carbs from veggies, with some dairy for calcium and minimal fruit. I do have toast first thing in the morning because I take Metformin and toast helps control the nausea. I have "sweet" days but I try to save those for once in a while. You will see a lot of posts on MFP saying "calories are calories." That is NOT true for us, our bodies don't use carbs the same way others do. Atkins is okay, I think, but a bit extreme. If you're into that and are committed I think it can work for you. Just make sure you read all the information. If you're new to low carbing, though, I would recommend a slower approach. For most its hard to make so many changes and stick to it permanently.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1057120-wanting-to-try-if-but-diabetic-type-2-ideas

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1068986-reversal-of-type-2-diabetes-normalisation-of-beta-cell


Type 2 diabetes is a reversible condition. You do not have to eat low carb for the rest of your life. However, your chances of reversing it depends on how long you have been a diabetic. Links to discussion and journal papers above on how to put the disease in remission.