Low carb for T2 diabetes?

cherylann11
cherylann11 Posts: 67 Member
edited November 29 in Food and Nutrition
Newly diagnosed with diabetes T2, been looking at diets, it seems low carb is best, what macros do i set for low carb? Any help appriciated
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Replies

  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited February 2016
    Read the article from web md first about type 2.
    http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/take-control-15/healthy-diet-basics
    Sometimes a low carb diet can be high saturated fat which might not be recommended.

    If you have high cholesterol along with diabetes, your doctor will probably recommend the TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) plan.
    The goal is to lower your cholesterol level, drop extra weight, and get more active. That helps prevent heart disease, which is more common when you have diabetes.
    On the TLC diet, you will:

    Limit fat to 25%-35% of your total daily calories.
    Get no more than 7% of your daily calories from saturated fat, 10% or less from polyunsaturated fats, and up to 20% from monounsaturated fats (like plant oils or nuts).
    Keep carbs to 50%-60% of your daily calories.
    Aim for 20-30 grams of fiber each day.
    Allow 15% to 20% of your daily calories for protein.
    Cap cholesterol at less than 200 milligrams per day.
  • neohdiver
    neohdiver Posts: 738 Member
    Your macros will vary depending on your definition of low-carb, and whether you are going to make up for the lost carbs by adding fat or protein.

    Mine are set at 20 (carb) - 60 (fat) -20 (protein). I have a carb cap of 50 net grams of carb per day (no more than ~20 in any 3 hour period), and ~60 grams of protein/day to maintain lean body mass. The rest comes from fat. Other low carb eaters shift even more to fat.

    There's a wide variation in what people call low carb. Those who eat what I would call lower carbs (up to 150 or so) would have very different macros. (And, it goes without saying that people who cap their carbs at 20 grams per day might call what I eat lower carbs.)

    Figure out what you intend to eat, and play around with the percentages until the grams come out right. I figured out how many carbs I could eat by testing my response with my BG meter. I check each new meal before the first bite, at 1 hour, at 2 hours, and (if hour 2 is above hour 1), at 3 hours. (I'm now down to relatively little testing, since I've tested most things I eat regularly and know how I respond.

    (Diagnosed with T2 in early October, and under control within 3 days via low carb. My numbers are in the normal range (i.e. normal non-diabetic normal) more than 97% of the time. My 30 day average is 106, and my overall average since diagnosis (around 400 tests) is 108).
  • neohdiver
    neohdiver Posts: 738 Member
    Read the article from web md first about type 2.
    http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/take-control-15/healthy-diet-basics
    Sometimes a low carb diet can be high saturated fat which might not be recommended.

    If you have high cholesterol along with diabetes, your doctor will probably recommend the TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) plan.
    The goal is to lower your cholesterol level, drop extra weight, and get more active. That helps prevent heart disease, which is more common when you have diabetes.
    On the TLC diet, you will:

    Limit fat to 25%-35% of your total daily calories.
    Get no more than 7% of your daily calories from saturated fat, 10% or less from polyunsaturated fats, and up to 20% from monounsaturated fats (like plant oils or nuts).
    Keep carbs to 50%-60% of your daily calories.
    Aim for 20-30 grams of fiber each day.
    Allow 15% to 20% of your daily calories for protein.
    Cap cholesterol at less than 200 milligrams per day.

    Neither dietary fat nor cholesterol consumption translate directly to serum cholesterol levels.

    The doctor treating my diabetes rejects the recommendations you have cited as outdated and inappropriate. Although he did not design the details of my diet, he has reviewed it and approved it. (20% of my calories come from carbs, 60% from fats - primarily from plants and milkfat, 20% protein.)

    If I consumed 50-60% of my calories from carbs, I would be significantly increasing my risk of diabetic neuropathy, loss of vision, chronic kidney disease, etc., because my blood sugar would be (at least) in the prediabetes range. Prediabetes is not the innocuous precursor to diabetes that it is often treated as. A study released in December documented a significant portion of the prediabetes population already had undiagnosed chronic kidney disease.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited February 2016
    No problem. Different approaches.
    I am high good carbs. Lentils, beans, plain oatmeal, barley, sweet potato, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa.
    60% and below carb intake. Fiber really worked for me. Everyone is different.
    Just easier to follow for life for me.
    And, some doctors still warn against too much saturated fats in diet.
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,213 Member
    Low carb may help, but sometimes lower carb is a good start. Take a look here at a list of low GI foods http://www.optimalfoods.org/ and see which ones you can cut or limit. While it's not necessary to go keto, because many diabetics manage their T2 with fairly high carb levels, lower carbs can certainly help many T2. The key is to experiment and document your blood sugar levels before and after certain foods. Some may be a problem where others are not.

    For reference:
    Low Carb - below 150g per day
    Keto - below 50g per day
    Zero - below 5g per day

    Experiment and see what works. Hubby is T2 and has discovered that keto keeps him off 75% of his meds and losing a good amount of weight.

    As always, I suggest that if you aren't logging food at all, that you begin doing so without making any changes. Buy a scale, learn to measure your food accurately and log properly, and see where you are after a month. Many times, you'll see problem areas that are simple fixes and require no massive changes. And if you do decide you need massive changes, you'll have a log of where those changes can be made.

    Good luck.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?
  • cherylann11
    cherylann11 Posts: 67 Member
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar
  • cherylann11
    cherylann11 Posts: 67 Member
    Thank you everyone for your help, i guess its just trial and error!
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited February 2016
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    It is very difficult to eat low fat with low carb. If you are just reducing added sugars it is possible but as a diabetic you need to keep in mind that all carbs (baked goods, fruit, veggies and sugars) will turn into glucose in your body. High blood glucose is a problem for diabetics.

    Most who cut carbs will increase fats. Fats have almost no impact on blood glucose so diabetics are not made sick by fats. Fats do not generally make a person's lipid/cholesterol panel worse - often the opposite. If you cut carbs, fats are usually your friends.

    I am prediabetic. I eat a very low carb high fat ketogenic diet as laid out in the book Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solutions. Dr Bernstein is a type 1 diabetic who controls BG through a low carb diet so insulin needs are as low as possible. I found the book to be an excellent guide when my doctors were of little help to me. His book has been a huge help to me.

    Using a glucose meter before and after (about 1 and 2 hours) meals will help you know what is working and what isn't. Eating to the meter works well.

    Perhaps join the Low Carber Daily group. There are many of us there using diet to control insulin resistance associated health problems. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    Were you told to eat low fat specifically for diabetes or because you need to lose weight and your doctor thought low fat would help with that?
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    Keep carbs below 100 grams/day for sure. Good macros would be 20/20/60.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    edited February 2016
    Newly diagnosed with diabetes T2, been looking at diets, it seems low carb is best, what macros do i set for low carb? Any help appriciated

    The long term studies would suggest that low carb has the same impact of moderate carb:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26446553

    CONCLUSION:

    Recent studies suggest that low carbohydrate diets appear to be safe and effective over the short term, but show no statistical differences from control diets with higher carbohydrate content and cannot be recommended as the default treatment for people with type 2 diabetes"

    Overall, the most important thing is finding a lifestyle that will work for you. That may include cutting carbs or making better carb choices (more veggies/fruits, less proceeds grains) and increasing your fats.

    Personally, I am a fan of the Mediterranean diet and use many of the items in my own diet (albeit, I am not type II). Overall, I try to incorporate 30-50g of fiber, plenty of fish (omega-3's) and lots of unsaturated fats where possible.

    Unfortunately, when it comes to this, it's a bit of trial and error.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    Hubby's doctor told him to go low carb and low sugar (and low fruit).
    The doctor says that fat is fine.
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    I am waiting, too. I go on the 16th.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Here's the most useful plan I received early on in my diabetic education.

    http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/planning-meals/create-your-plate/?referrer=https://www.google.ca/

    I can easily visualize a plate half-full of vegetables, so the image of this plate helped me portion out my meals properly, no matter where I was.

    Even more important than macro composition is the concept of regularity. Eat breakfast always; eat it at the same time every day.

    Test your blood first thing in the morning and two hours after eating. It is this knowledge that will point you to what you need to do to adjust in your diet. MFP as a diary can be very helpful to understand the composition of what you are eating.

    I gave up all sugar drinks including fruit juice. I never ate carbs alone but always in conjunction with protein or perhaps a little fat (cheese, nuts).

    I am in remission now, by the way.

    Best of success to you. The diabetic eating plan just happens to be very "healthy" with a balance of macros and lots of fruits and vegetables.
  • neohdiver
    neohdiver Posts: 738 Member
    No problem. Different approaches.
    I am high good carbs. Lentils, beans, plain oatmeal, barley, sweet potato, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa.
    60% and below carb intake. Fiber really worked for me. Everyone is different.
    Just easier to follow for life for me.
    And, some doctors still warn against too much saturated fats in diet.

    We're watching that. I'll have a full panel of blood tests in March - including the NMR test that determines the particle size/density of the fat particles. We'll adjust, if need be at that time.
  • auntstephie321
    auntstephie321 Posts: 3,586 Member
    edited February 2016
    I agree with checking out the low carb group mentioned earlier. it was extremely helpful for me when I was diagnosed with IR and my doctor recommended reducing my carb intake to help with that.
  • maranda1211
    maranda1211 Posts: 2 Member
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    Find a dietitian or diabetic educator. The information you stated is vague and if you don't have some structural guidance, you may be starting over.
  • cherylann11
    cherylann11 Posts: 67 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    Were you told to eat low fat specifically for diabetes or because you need to lose weight and your doctor thought low fat would help with that?
    My cholesterol is high too, and yes i am overweight!
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    Were you told to eat low fat specifically for diabetes or because you need to lose weight and your doctor thought low fat would help with that?
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    Were you told to eat low fat specifically for diabetes or because you need to lose weight and your doctor thought low fat would help with that?
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    Were you told to eat low fat specifically for diabetes or because you need to lose weight and your doctor thought low fat would help with that?
    lorib642 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    I am waiting, too. I go on the 16th.
    lorib642 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    I am waiting, too. I go on the 16th.

  • cherylann11
    cherylann11 Posts: 67 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    Were you told to eat low fat specifically for diabetes or because you need to lose weight and your doctor thought low fat would help with that?
    My cholesterol is high too, and yes i am overweight!
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    Were you told to eat low fat specifically for diabetes or because you need to lose weight and your doctor thought low fat would help with that?
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    Were you told to eat low fat specifically for diabetes or because you need to lose weight and your doctor thought low fat would help with that?
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    Were you told to eat low fat specifically for diabetes or because you need to lose weight and your doctor thought low fat would help with that?
    lorib642 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    I am waiting, too. I go on the 16th.
    lorib642 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    I am waiting, too. I go on the 16th.
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    Were you told to eat low fat specifically for diabetes or because you need to lose weight and your doctor thought low fat would help with that?
    My cholesterol is high too, and yes i am overweight!
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    Were you told to eat low fat specifically for diabetes or because you need to lose weight and your doctor thought low fat would help with that?
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    Were you told to eat low fat specifically for diabetes or because you need to lose weight and your doctor thought low fat would help with that?
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    Were you told to eat low fat specifically for diabetes or because you need to lose weight and your doctor thought low fat would help with that?
    lorib642 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    I am waiting, too. I go on the 16th.
    lorib642 wrote: »
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    I am waiting, too. I go on the 16th.
    I go on 15 & 22nd, two half days!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Didn't your diagnosing physician provide nutrition advice or education?

    Hi, no im waiting to go on an education course, i was just told to eat low fat and low sugar

    Given this, if you don't feel you know enough about either, consider reading the South Beach Diet book. It goes into detail about carbs and fats. For the "short course" read the first book. For the longer one, read the "supercharged" one. For the newest info, try The South Beach Wake-Up Call.

    And then do what your doctors and their nutritionists think best.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Fat can really help with satiety, evens out sugar highs and lows, and frankly, helps me stick with the diet. For instance, a salad is much more appetizing with a bit of feta, a couple olives, and a fine vinaigrette. You just have to measure carefully; somewhere between a teaspoon and a tablespoon at a meal.

    The "good" fats can also help lower your cholesterol.
  • sweetaddict123
    sweetaddict123 Posts: 116 Member
    Perhaps join the Low Carber Daily group. There are many of us there using diet to control insulin resistance associated health problems. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

    [/quote]
    I sent a request to join this group.... do you know about how long it takes to get approved? Thanks!
  • julienurse
    julienurse Posts: 5 Member
    I'm a diabetes educator and our guidelines would be higher carb than many with diabetes on here would want to eat... the reason being is the majority of people out in the world have very very little food education and have no idea what a carb is not to mention have major difficulities lowering carbs. Especially those from cultures that eat a lot of rice.

    So what we usually discuss with patients is a reasonable diet that's moderate (a few carb choices at each meal), because that's a HUGE improvement from what they were doing for years before diagnosis. I have to teach the guidelines I'm supposed to. I also see quite a few patients who try low carb and that's ok, but many don't stick on that plan. Not saying people CAN'T, but people tend to fall off the wagon. I try personally (no diabetes) to stick to 100-120 grams of carb per day, or I feel unnaturally hungry and just eat more calories.

    A new diagnosis of T2D will have better luck with diet changes. Someone who has diabetes for over 10 years MAY have more issues controlling blood sugars because the pancreas can make less insulin over time. Every single person's diabetes is sooooo incredibly different it's crazy! You have to find out what works for you and how it makes you feel and how your blood sugars are. Some people CAN change their diet and not need meds, some people need insulin no matter what they do.

    I honestly think our guidelines will be changing soon to eating more healthy fats, it's been recommended before to eat lower fat because of the ADA guidelines, but research is showing otherwise.
  • cherylann11
    cherylann11 Posts: 67 Member
    julienurse wrote: »
    I'm a diabetes educator and our guidelines would be higher carb than many with diabetes on here would want to eat... the reason being is the majority of people out in the world have very very little food education and have no idea what a carb is not to mention have major difficulities lowering carbs. Especially those from cultures that eat a lot of rice.

    So what we usually discuss with patients is a reasonable diet that's moderate (a few carb choices at each meal), because that's a HUGE improvement from what they were doing for years before diagnosis. I have to teach the guidelines I'm supposed to. I also see quite a few patients who try low carb and that's ok, but many don't stick on that plan. Not saying people CAN'T, but people tend to fall off the wagon. I try personally (no diabetes) to stick to 100-120 grams of carb per day, or I feel unnaturally hungry and just eat more calories.

    A new diagnosis of T2D will have better luck with diet changes. Someone who has diabetes for over 10 years MAY have more issues controlling blood sugars because the pancreas can make less insulin over time. Every single person's diabetes is sooooo incredibly different it's crazy! You have to find out what works for you and how it makes you feel and how your blood sugars are. Some people CAN change their diet and not need meds, some people need insulin no matter what they do.

    I honestly think our guidelines will be changing soon to eating more healthy fats, it's been recommended before to eat lower fat because of the ADA guidelines, but research is showing otherwise.

    Thanks julie
  • cherylann11
    cherylann11 Posts: 67 Member
    Perhaps join the Low Carber Daily group. There are many of us there using diet to control insulin resistance associated health problems. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
    I sent a request to join this group.... do you know about how long it takes to get approved? Thanks!
    [/quote]

    Sweetaddict123, thanks for the link i will have a look!
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    edited February 2016
    psulemon wrote: »

    The long term studies would suggest that low carb has the same impact of moderate carb:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26446553

    A meta study by an author with profound bias, no thanks. I would imagine she concocted a set of criteria to eliminate any study that might not fit her views as she's the "go to speaker" if you want an anti-low carb argument.

    LOL, she even had to issue a correction in order to declare her conflict of interest. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4674465/

    Here's an actual study of 44 months experience of carbohydrate restriction in T2D http://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-5-14

    "Of the 23 patients who have used a low-carbohydrate diet and for whom we have long-term data, two have suffered a cardiovascular event while four of the six controls who never changed diet have suffered several cardiovascular events."
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    edited February 2016
    yarwell wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »

    The long term studies would suggest that low carb has the same impact of moderate carb:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26446553

    A meta study by an author with profound bias, no thanks. I would imagine she concocted a set of criteria to eliminate any study that might not fit her views as she's the "go to speaker" if you want an anti-low carb argument.

    LOL, she even had to issue a correction in order to declare her conflict of interest. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4674465/

    Here's an actual study of 44 months experience of carbohydrate restriction in T2D http://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-5-14

    "Of the 23 patients who have used a low-carbohydrate diet and for whom we have long-term data, two have suffered a cardiovascular event while four of the six controls who never changed diet have suffered several cardiovascular events."

    Like with almost all low carb studies, it's rarely an apples to apples comparison. It ridiculous to compare two diets but not control protein as one of the variables. This way, you have an equal comparison of the impacts of carbs vs fats. And you should have the same limitations on the types of foods. Or again, you aren't comparing apples to apples. But it's cool to see, there was some promise in the study...

    And this isn't an anti low carb diet. I don't know why you think I would have an issue with low carb, as I do not. I have stated many times, that it is a viable option for those who can stick with it.
  • neohdiver
    neohdiver Posts: 738 Member
    yarwell wrote: »

    Here's an actual study of 44 months experience of carbohydrate restriction in T2D http://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-5-14

    Thanks! That's the longest study I've seen yet for an actual low carb diet.
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