Starting Low Carb diet - confused!

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  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    Yes, my doctors has prescribed the low carb diet, as well as the exercise. He didn't explain why it was high, I think I'm hoping to get that information from the nutritionist I meet with next week.

    Your nutrionist would be a great source on how to modify your food intake based upon your diagnosis. However, I highly doubt your nutionist would tell you why your blood sugar is slightly high. I could be wrong tho. A nutionist would see many cases and based upon his/her experience would have some ideas why it is so.

    If your primary doctor didn't tell you why your blood sugar is high, then maybe he is unsure or just assuming that you don't have a serious case. A specialist on blood sugar may be the next step if simple modification of diet and exercise doesn't lower your blood sugar. Do you have the results from the blood work to show your nutrionist? I highly suggest you get it and show it to him/her.
  • lily2521
    lily2521 Posts: 22 Member
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    Yes, my doctors has prescribed the low carb diet, as well as the exercise. He didn't explain why it was high, I think I'm hoping to get that information from the nutritionist I meet with next week.

    Your nutrionist would be a great source on how to modify your food intake based upon your diagnosis. However, I highly doubt your nutionist would tell you why your blood sugar is slightly high. I could be wrong tho. A nutionist would see many cases and based upon his/her experience would have some ideas why it is so.

    If your primary doctor didn't tell you why your blood sugar is high, then maybe he is unsure or just assuming that you don't have a serious case. A specialist on blood sugar may be the next step if simple modification of diet and exercise doesn't lower your blood sugar. Do you have the results from the blood work to show your nutrionist? I highly suggest you get it and show it to him/her.

    I do have the results showing the numbers, and that it's elevated, I'll be sure to bring that to my nutritionist appointment.
  • grentea
    grentea Posts: 96 Member
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    I'm prediabetic and I'm not overweight. What I do is eat around 30 grams of carbs at each meal. For me that ends up being about one serving size of a high carb food. For example, a 1/2 cup of beans, 1 serving of a starchy veggie like peas or corn, or 2 slices of bread. I would also eat protein and veggies with whatever carb/starchy food that I eat. I also use a little book called Calorie Fat and Carbohydrate counter that has tons of foods in it, with their carb and fat counts.

    I think the big thing is to not have major fluctuations in your blood sugar throughout the day. Your blood sugar can go up and then crash by eating a lot of sugar/carbs, or for me going too long without eating. So foods like candy and donuts will send your blood sugar sky high and then you will crash, but a serving of chicken plus broccoli, not so much. Just an FYI, don't ask for this kind of advice on the Internet because everyone is different, and how you respond to a certain food will be different than someone else. And some of the advice you get can be ineffective or just plain wrong, including the advice that I gave you. Find a reputable source and not strangers on the Internet.
  • swaggityswagbag
    swaggityswagbag Posts: 78 Member
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    Low carb is technically anything under 100g, but 50g is better, and 25 and lower is generally considered "keto". If you don't plan on exercising in the slightest, keto is the way to go.
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    Part of my problem here is I really have no clue what to set these %'s at? I'd like to get them figured out to start tracking. If my MFP goals are set by the 'guided' set up, based on what I'm plugging in for height/weight/exercise goals, it's giving me 215 carbs per day - I know that needs to be lower, but I'm not sure to what number I need to set it. If I go into MFP to change my %'s manually, I have no clue what to plug in there. Again, based on the guided numbers, which I know aren't right for me based on what I'm trying to accomplish it's showing 55% carb (215 grams), 15% protein (59 grams), and 30% fat. It also shows 31 grams of sugar allowed per day - again, I know this is too high for me.

    These settings may be more of an art then a science. There are 2 ways to attack this.

    1. Wait for the nutrionist to advise you.
    2. Start with a base and lower the appropriate amounts slowly until you achieve the correct results.

    55% carb may be high for you personally. Maybe drop it down to 50%-45% and see if that works. I found personally that MFP provided too low of protein percentage for me. Again, maybe up it up here in proportion to your carb drop. Fats are important too tho. Do the research, for example, fatty acids help carry certian nutrients through the blood, is a source for membrane tissue, and helps your nervous system function properly. I still don't understand how much of my fats need to be saturated verses unsaturated (poly and mono). But I don't like how MFP only wants you to have saturated fat. Omega-3 fats from fish are vital to the funtioning of your body and that is an unsaturated fat. Trans fat are definetly bad for you since these are man made /factory manufactured hyrogenonized (sp?) process in order to make it saturated where one or more of the H links are twisted in the wrong direction giving problems to your body digesting it properly. Point is, I don't know exactly how to advise you on raising your proteins or fat percentages. But you need to lower your carb and sugar intake per what MFP advises you by default.


    My fruit an veggie intake overall needs to increase. I don't drink fruit juices, I usually eat the raw form of fruits/veggies (or steamed veggies). I'm a whole grain eater, always have been. I don't eat the white starchy type breads, pastas, etc. I always go for whole grains there.

    Careful fruits and veggies are considered carbs. The very thing we discussed in lowering. 3-4 servings of different fruits throughout the day is important. Maybe eat a banana in the morning before a workout, an apple just afterwards. Refer to my earlier post on sugar in relation to exercise. This will ensure that your exercise will counter the temporary sugar high in your blood sugar and still get the other nutrition that your body needs from those fruits. Maybe have that third serving of fruit when you feel those blues later on in the day for a quick boost. Other carbs (grains and veggies) and proteins are needed throughout the day evenly paced. And many proteins are consumed with fats naturally.

    Your nutrionist would explain this better than me. I am just learning like the rest of us novices. But I feel being educated is much more effective then just following some orders or plan blindly. Whatever the doctor or nutrionist tells you to do, make sure you try your best to understand why they are telling you these things. The more questions you ask, the better for you in the long run.
    Thank you for your help.


    My pleasure!
  • kvalhion
    kvalhion Posts: 16 Member
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    I've never seen a great need to calculate exactly how many carbohydrates I am eating on a given day. I think people who micromanage every single carbohydrate miss the purpose of why keeping sugars low will likely improve health.

    My advice would be to get rid of processed foods and focus on vegetables to begin with. Minimize fruits because they contain natural sugars. Make sure you have some vegetables with each meal as they will increase the quantity of food you eat and help you feel a bit more full. As long as you are not eating simple sugars and are having a generous amount of vegetables, you will very likely see a marked improvement in your health. You do need to keep an eye on calories, especially from fats if your goal is to lose weight.

    For me, I stopped eating processed foods (foods that come in a package with an ingredient list) and focused on whole foods - lean proteins, vegetables, and healthy fats from extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil. I didn't even count calories in the beginning, I simply ate when I was hungry and always had protein, vegetables and some fats together. I was able to lose 78 pounds in exactly one year, and have kept that off and more in the 2 1/2 years since.

    Each person needs to find what works for them, so don't be afraid to experiment. Try not to follow the exact regimen of someone else as it can be very difficult to do so. Tailor your needs to you and find something that is satisfying and sustainable.

    Good luck!
  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,212 Member
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    I think seeing a nutritionist is an excellent idea. But, I would suggest making sure that person is a Registered Dietician (RD) and not just a "nutritionist". Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, but RD's have completed years of education in nutrition and have passed rigorous licensing exams in in their state.

    You should consult an RD, not a "nutritionist" in my opinion.
  • verityfitness
    verityfitness Posts: 1
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    Dont follow any particular diet as theyre all far too restrictive, Im on a low carb diet and simply just dont eat bread unless its rye bread, cut down on the amount of pasta you eat and eat sweet potato instead of normal white potatoes and then the obvious things like no chips, no crisps etc etc.

    Ive lost alot of weight this way.

    Fill up on high protein foods, like Eggs and meat.
  • kjimmie4848
    kjimmie4848 Posts: 123 Member
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    I did well for a few weeks staying below 100 net carbs and keeping my blood sugar under 140 until yesterday. I had 2 slices of whole grain bread and it went to 170. I realized the only thing I did different that meal was I didn't have any fat to go with it. I guess it's just that important.

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