Finding it difficult to limit carbs

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  • Pamela_Sue
    Pamela_Sue Posts: 563 Member
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    LIFOtheparty wrote: »
    Also just wanted to add in case this matters - my dr said that I am not yet close to T2 diabetes, just over the line into prediabetes territory and I am not on any medication at this point.

    Hi again, I checked out the American Diabetes Association website and they do have some great information about pre-diabetes that you might be interested in reading. Wishing you the best!
  • LIFOtheparty
    LIFOtheparty Posts: 24 Member
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    pjshawley wrote: »
    LIFOtheparty wrote: »
    Also just wanted to add in case this matters - my dr said that I am not yet close to T2 diabetes, just over the line into prediabetes territory and I am not on any medication at this point.

    Hi again, I checked out the American Diabetes Association website and they do have some great information about pre-diabetes that you might be interested in reading. Wishing you the best!

    Thank you, this is a great recommendation. I will do that!
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited August 2019
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    LIFOtheparty wrote: »
    Thank you everyone for your replies! To clear up a few things - my doctor did not specifically tell me to do keto, he simply said "eat mostly meat, vegetables, and eggs and limit bread to once a week". I had tried keto in the past and asked him if I should do that again - he said that would be fine. But I didn't really get any more specific guidance than that, which is honestly why I'm a little confused now.

    I thought you sounded a bit confused about how to implement the advice, which is why I think a referral to a registered dietitian would be a good idea if possible. It's usually covered by insurance if the doctor will refer you. That would give you a lot more guidance and let you talk through things that you think would be difficult for you.
    I have started to incorporate exercise into my lifestyle, which is apparently a good way to control high blood sugar.

    Yes, it is.
    In terms of food, I never really ate a ton of refined white carbs to begin with, so it's not really a matter of just switching to wheat bread or brown rice. But it sounds like limiting carbs to maybe 100g per day would be a good place to start? It would certainly be more sustainable for me than doing keto. Thank you all for your help - getting a diagnosis like this is scary and it's nice to hear from others who have had the same experience.

    There are others longtime posters here who have controlled T2D with diet (hope one shows up). It seems like it's common to work with a certified diabetes educator (your dietitian could be one of those).

    Anyway, I think there's some variation on what foods trigger you -- I have a friend with T2D, and he found white rice, even with fat and protein (maybe especially with fat) was one of the worst things for his blood sugar, he basically had to give up the Chinese take out he loved.

    That aside, as I understand it, it's about limiting carbs per meal and making sure that you get a good amount of fiber and also protein with it -- a mixed meal. If you can't get a referral, maybe something like that, so 100 g or so of carbs a day, about 30-40 g per meal? And for weight loss, are you using MFP to set a calorie goal and count cals? Weight loss alone often addresses insulin resistance.

    But I am not a doctor or an RD, and I think the dietitian option is the best one.
  • LIFOtheparty
    LIFOtheparty Posts: 24 Member
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    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    LIFOtheparty wrote: »
    Thank you everyone for your replies! To clear up a few things - my doctor did not specifically tell me to do keto, he simply said "eat mostly meat, vegetables, and eggs and limit bread to once a week". I had tried keto in the past and asked him if I should do that again - he said that would be fine. But I didn't really get any more specific guidance than that, which is honestly why I'm a little confused now.

    I thought you sounded a bit confused about how to implement the advice, which is why I think a referral to a registered dietitian would be a good idea if possible. It's usually covered by insurance if the doctor will refer you. That would give you a lot more guidance and let you talk through things that you think would be difficult for you.
    I have started to incorporate exercise into my lifestyle, which is apparently a good way to control high blood sugar.

    Yes, it is.
    In terms of food, I never really ate a ton of refined white carbs to begin with, so it's not really a matter of just switching to wheat bread or brown rice. But it sounds like limiting carbs to maybe 100g per day would be a good place to start? It would certainly be more sustainable for me than doing keto. Thank you all for your help - getting a diagnosis like this is scary and it's nice to hear from others who have had the same experience.

    There are others longtime posters here who have controlled T2D with diet (hope one shows up). It seems like it's common to work with a certified diabetes educator (your dietitian could be one of those).

    Anyway, I think there's some variation on what foods trigger you -- I have a friend with T2D, and he found white rice, even with fat and protein (maybe especially with fat) was one of the worst things for his blood sugar, he basically had to give up the Chinese take out he loved.

    That aside, as I understand it, it's about limiting carbs per meal and making sure that you get a good amount of fiber and also protein with it -- a mixed meal. If you can't get a referral, maybe something like that, so 100 g or so of carbs a day, about 30-40 g per meal? And for weight loss, are you using MFP to set a calorie goal and count cals? Weight loss alone often addresses insulin resistance.

    But I am not a doctor or an RD, and I think the dietitian option is the best one.

    I think you're right, seeing an RD will be very helpful for me. I will see if I can get on with one in my area. I just recently set up myfitnesspal and have started logging - aiming for 1,400-ish calories per day. Hopefully that's a good amount? I set it for 2 lbs per week.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    edited August 2019
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    Did/can your doctor refer you to a registered dietitian to help you with a meal plan? I would be pretty sure you can eat more carbs than 1 piece of bread per week.
    Set up your stats in mfp. Set a goal of 1 lb per week. Weigh all your food on a digital food scale. Eat the macro balance recommend by mfp. Work up to s 30 min walk per day. You should easily be able to lose weight by doing these things consistently. After losing 20-30 lb it’s likely you glucose will revert to a normal range. Then just keep going.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
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    LIFOtheparty wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    LIFOtheparty wrote: »
    Thank you everyone for your replies! To clear up a few things - my doctor did not specifically tell me to do keto, he simply said "eat mostly meat, vegetables, and eggs and limit bread to once a week". I had tried keto in the past and asked him if I should do that again - he said that would be fine. But I didn't really get any more specific guidance than that, which is honestly why I'm a little confused now.

    I thought you sounded a bit confused about how to implement the advice, which is why I think a referral to a registered dietitian would be a good idea if possible. It's usually covered by insurance if the doctor will refer you. That would give you a lot more guidance and let you talk through things that you think would be difficult for you.
    I have started to incorporate exercise into my lifestyle, which is apparently a good way to control high blood sugar.

    Yes, it is.
    In terms of food, I never really ate a ton of refined white carbs to begin with, so it's not really a matter of just switching to wheat bread or brown rice. But it sounds like limiting carbs to maybe 100g per day would be a good place to start? It would certainly be more sustainable for me than doing keto. Thank you all for your help - getting a diagnosis like this is scary and it's nice to hear from others who have had the same experience.

    There are others longtime posters here who have controlled T2D with diet (hope one shows up). It seems like it's common to work with a certified diabetes educator (your dietitian could be one of those).

    Anyway, I think there's some variation on what foods trigger you -- I have a friend with T2D, and he found white rice, even with fat and protein (maybe especially with fat) was one of the worst things for his blood sugar, he basically had to give up the Chinese take out he loved.

    That aside, as I understand it, it's about limiting carbs per meal and making sure that you get a good amount of fiber and also protein with it -- a mixed meal. If you can't get a referral, maybe something like that, so 100 g or so of carbs a day, about 30-40 g per meal? And for weight loss, are you using MFP to set a calorie goal and count cals? Weight loss alone often addresses insulin resistance.

    But I am not a doctor or an RD, and I think the dietitian option is the best one.

    I think you're right, seeing an RD will be very helpful for me. I will see if I can get on with one in my area. I just recently set up myfitnesspal and have started logging - aiming for 1,400-ish calories per day. Hopefully that's a good amount? I set it for 2 lbs per week.

    If you have about 100 to lose, 2 lb a week is fine. Did it give you 1400? A couple of things to keep in mind is that MFP's sedentary is very sedentary, so many people who walk a decent amount in daily life are really "lightly active," and that MFP's number is without exercise, so adding back at least some exercise cals is a good thing.
  • saggynaggy65
    saggynaggy65 Posts: 68 Member
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    I would listen to your doctor's advice. Did he/she recommend seeing a dietician to help with planning your meals? I think that would be super helpful! I think swapping out heavily processed carbs like white sugar, white bread and white flours for more high fiber varieties would help, but then again, I'm no doctor! :)
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
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    Ok... here is the deal. You can lower carbs or raise carbs and improve insulin sensitivity. When you lose weight, your insulin sensitivity goes up independent of carb intake. Their is evidence that even high carb vegan diets can put diabetes into remission. As long as they cause weight loss.
  • LIFOtheparty
    LIFOtheparty Posts: 24 Member
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    dmkumhyr wrote: »
    I would listen to your doctor's advice. Did he/she recommend seeing a dietician to help with planning your meals? I think that would be super helpful! I think swapping out heavily processed carbs like white sugar, white bread and white flours for more high fiber varieties would help, but then again, I'm no doctor! :)

    He did not, but I'm hoping to get to see one anyway!
  • LIFOtheparty
    LIFOtheparty Posts: 24 Member
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    psychod787 wrote: »
    Ok... here is the deal. You can lower carbs or raise carbs and improve insulin sensitivity. When you lose weight, your insulin sensitivity goes up independent of carb intake. Their is evidence that even high carb vegan diets can put diabetes into remission. As long as they cause weight loss.

    So you're saying carbs don't matter at all?
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
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    LIFOtheparty wrote: »
    psychod787 wrote: »
    Ok... here is the deal. You can lower carbs or raise carbs and improve insulin sensitivity. When you lose weight, your insulin sensitivity goes up independent of carb intake. Their is evidence that even high carb vegan diets can put diabetes into remission. As long as they cause weight loss.

    So you're saying carbs don't matter at all?

    When calories are equated as far as fat and carbs, virtually no difference in weight loss, when protein and fiber are equated. Weight loss is the BIGGEST driver of insulin sensitivity. As far as satiety and hunger, that's individual for each person.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited August 2019
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    LIFOtheparty wrote: »
    I was told by my doctor that I have prediabetes and that I should try to limit my carbs (i.e. have bread once a week max and eat meat, eggs, and vegetables only). I also want to lose around 100 lbs. I have tried keto off and on multiple times but I can't ever stick to it. I'm just finding it hard realistically to keep my carbs low. I feel very restricted and then when I inevitably eat carbs I feel like I've failed my body and my health.

    Can anyone with prediabetes or blood sugar problems chime in on this? Is it really necessary to eat a low carb diet when you have prediabetes? I know for weight loss it's CICO, but surely I'm not doomed to a low-carb diet forever b/c of prediabetes?

    You do not have to eat low carb for pre-diabetes. Yes, you may have to limit your carbs but you also can keep your blood sugar under control via losing weight and exercising. Everyone is different so you and your medical team need to work out what is best for you.

    I am diabetic. My blood sugar is under control via diet and exercise. I do not eat low carb, I eat moderate carb (max of 150 grams of total carbs per day). I eat my daily sandwich with one slice of bread, not two. I have a half English muffin with my breakfast egg, not the whole muffin. I reduced my fruit servings and raised my vegetable servings and do not drink juice. If I have a soda, it is diet. I also eat potatoes, rice, pasta, noodles, dumplings, etc.; I just do not eat a huge pile of any of those in a meal. I eat sweets, just not daily and only one serving.

    I agree with the suggestions to consult a Registered Dietician.

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