Balancing Carbs, Protein, fat,

fatblues
fatblues Posts: 5 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I recently went to the doctor and was told I was in the pre diabetes range. Needless to say I was and still am in shock but I knew I needed to address this immediately. I went to see the nutritionist at my clinic and was told to start eating a low carb diet. I am grateful for My Fitness pal to help me count carbs but I am realizing it gets overwhelming at times to watch every bite that goes in your mouth. There are moments when I think I can't do this for the rest of my life and moments when I feel good about it. My hardest challenge is balancing carbs, protein, and fats. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    It just takes practice, like anything.

    One day at a time. Study your food diary and make changes where you can, like eating fewer grains and cutting out sugar. Focus on whole foods and it will be much easier.

    It is helpful to pre-plan a day's food. Then you can see where to tweak things before you eat them.

    Did your nutritionist give you a sample menu or a list of foods?

    You can Google "low carb plans."

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    I would add it's easier to start with one macro. Maybe just focus on sticking to your carb goal for a couple of weeks. Then take a look back at your log and see how the other macros did, and start brainstorming ways you could've tweaked your meals to make them look better.

    Also remember macro goals are a guideline. You don't have to get them exact, just in the general area :smile:

    Over time, the way you choose foods will naturally become a habit, but it does take time.

    I'd add that the most important thing you can do to keep pre-diabetes from leading to diabetes is to get to a healthy weight. And that just requires a calorie deficit. By all means move toward the diet your team has recommended, but don't feel like you have to stress over each percentage point.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    edited January 2020
    Perhaps for now, focus on lowering on the carbs. The fats and proteins will work themselves out after you get some practice.
    <3<3<3

    >Beef, fish, pork, poultry, eggs, dairy, nuts and seeds.

    >Asparagus, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, green beans, romaine, lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, zucchini

    :star:
  • 833tinab
    833tinab Posts: 1 Member
    I have just found out I am in the pre diabetes range too. It was a shock as I am ‘healthy’ exercise 5 times a week as well as eating healthy too. I went to a first session of a diabetes prevention programme. Then I realised I need to portion control, especially the brown stuff! So as suggested above I am going to focus on keeping my carbs low for couple of weeks then work on protein etc.
    Love this forum. Thank you.
  • BeGrandLike
    BeGrandLike Posts: 184 Member
    I think the biggest thing may be to remember- this has been a big shock and it's a huge change to your life. It's totally normal to feel disheartened or scared of the future right now.

    That's okay. This is going to be hard right now, but it will get easier.

    Right now your "habits" are to eat a lot of high-carb food. So both physically and mentally, your body and brain are used to that and every single choice you make to do something else is something that takes so much effort and thought, and reminds you of the shock that you got when you heard the news.

    Next time you find yourself feeling overwhelmed: go easy on yourself. Remind yourself that this is the hardest it's ever going to be, and that it will get better. Instead of thinking of all the carbs you can't have all-the-time anymore, think of how good you're going to feel when your body is healthier and when you don't even have to think twice about your new go-to snacks, 'cause you'll have developed the habit and they'll be as familiar to you as your old way of eating ever was.

    But for the moment: yeah, like everyone's saying. Just focus on lowering the carbs, and worry about your protein/fat ratios in a few weeks. One thing at a time.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    One day at a time. Study your food diary and make changes where you can, like eating fewer grains and cutting out sugar. Focus on whole foods and it will be much easier.

    It is helpful to pre-plan a day's food. Then you can see where to tweak things before you eat them.

    I second this advice.

    Did you get a carb target or more specific advice than "eat low carb"? People often have very different understandings of what low carb is, and often the T2D advice is just eat no more than 50-60 g of carbs per meal (assuming 3 meals) and make sure it's consumed with protein and fiber.

    What I would do is log a few days (even try to log some past days) and look at your protein, carb, and fiber numbers and then (if protein and fiber are low-ish and carbs high), think about ways to cut back on the carbs (mainly those not coming with fiber or less nutrient dense) and add more protein.

    Depending on your overall cals and weight goals, I wouldn't necessarily say ONLY worry about carbs since part of what might make it easier is replacing them with something (options are lower cal carbs with fiber, such as non starchy veg, or, of course, protein). It really is going to vary based on your current diet, though.

    If you are struggling, you can always open your diary and ask people if they have any ideas.
  • fatblues
    fatblues Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks to all for your encouragement and suggestions. I feel so blessed to have this platform for discussion. I will begin to implement some of the changes suggested.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    In addition to the great advice given above, do keep in mind that when one is low carb, protein and fat are not maximums - it is fine to be in the red for them.

    So you don't actually have to balance all three macros :)

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