No Carb diet for Type 1 ?!!

[CathyFP]

I saw a talk last night by a Type 1 diabetic from Diabetes UK who said that he controlled his diabetes perfectly by never eating any carbs. I just don’t understand how this could be possible. If I didn’t eat any carbs I think I would have so many hypos. Is this just a crazy idea or does it work for some people?

 

[Thebearcametoo]

I presume he was still on insulin and not suggesting it as a replacement to insulin. If you’re likely to go hypo without carbs then it’s worth doing some basal testing but I don’t know how much LADA differs from type 1. We let out kid experiment with no carbs when he was resistant to doing his insulin and he could see that he still went up. I know some type 1s who do low carb and minimal insulin and it works for them though. I also wonder if he means absolutely no carbs in which case is he not getting any vegetables

 

[Inka]

I saw a talk last night by a Type 1 diabetic from Diabetes UK who said that he controlled his diabetes perfectly by never eating any carbs. I just don’t understand how this could be possible. If I didn’t eat any carbs I think I would have so many hypos. Is this just a crazy idea or does it work for some people?

Usually they fight highs because their bodies pump out glucose and squeeze every bit of glucose from protein. I tried the diet and it was harder than just eating carbs. The internet is full of all kinds of extreme diets so take with a pinch of salt @CathyFP

Also be aware that there’s another diabetes forum with a name very similar to this one (just a coincidence, of course…) that is nothing to do with the charity Diabetes U.K. and I believe sells a low carb program, so is constantly promoting it.

 

[helli]

Also be aware that there’s another diabetes forum with a name very similar to this one (just a coincidence, of course…) that is nothing to do with the charity Diabetes U.K. and I believe sells a low carb program, so is constantly promoting it.

I had the same thought.
This does not sound like the kind of thing that this charity, Diabetes UK, would promote. More like something from diabetes.co.uk

 

[Lucyr]

I saw a talk last night by a Type 1 diabetic from Diabetes UK who said that he controlled his diabetes perfectly by never eating any carbs. I just don’t understand how this could be possible. If I didn’t eat any carbs I think I would have so many hypos. Is this just a crazy idea or does it work for some people?

If not eating carbs gives you that many hypos then you need to do a basal test

 

[rebrascora]

I cringe every time I see or hear someone refer to "No Carb" or Zero Carb" and I am a keen enthusiast of a low carb way of eating. All veg have a level of carbs, even lettuce, although you would have to eat an awful lot of lettuce to have any impact on your BG levels as you would probably burn off the tiny amount of carbs chewing it. To eat zero carb or no carb you would have be be purely carnivore.... ie eat just meat and fish and eggs and not even any dairy, which would be a pretty miserable existence. Vegetables and fruits are what give our diet variety and testure and flavour and of course provide micro nutrients which are beneficial to our health. Added to that, you still need insulin and in my experience much the same amount of insulin, but injected differently to deal with the release of glucose from protein and fat, which are converted to glucose in the absence of enough carbs in the diet. I have to inject some insulin up front for the carbs in my veggies and then some about 2 hours later to deal with the protein release. It is not simple and straight forward unless you are very fit and active and can burn off the glucose from protein as it is released and that can be quite a significant amount of glucose. I would not necessarily recommend it to other Type 1s unless there were other health benefits to be gained , which is why I stick with it.

I also had the thought that you might have been viewing something on "the red forum" rather than this forum

 

[CliffH]

I saw a talk last night by a Type 1 diabetic from Diabetes UK who said that he controlled his diabetes perfectly by never eating any carbs. I just don’t understand how this could be possible. If I didn’t eat any carbs I think I would have so many hypos. Is this just a crazy idea or does it work for some people?

I'm also LADA (diagnosed eight years ago) and I don't see how that would be practical long-term - especially given that proteins and fats can still raise blood sugar. I think there's sometimes a risk of denial ("If I only eat X, I'll never have to inject myself with insulin"), which needs addressing when it happens.

I find that my health and my quality of life are better when I eat a diet that would be healthy and enjoyable for a non-diabetic person - and inject myself with insulin as necessary, to compensate for my body's inability to manufacture and/or use its own insulin properly. That is, I'm not denying that my body has an issue with sugar metabolism: rather, I'm making use of medical science to ensure that my diabetes impacts my life as little as possible.

To me, trying to make do without insulin by eating a very restricted diet would make no more sense than having a bad leg and refusing to go anywhere to avoid having to use a walking stick.

 

[helli]

To me, trying to make do without insulin by eating a very restricted diet would make no more sense than having a bad leg and refusing to go anywhere to avoid having to use a walking stick.

The way I look at it is that I manage my diabetes so that I can live a full and varied life.
Eating meat all the time is not a full a varied life and limits other things I enjoy such as eating out, cooking and visiting friends.

 

[CliffH]

The way I look at it is that I manage my diabetes so that I can live a full and varied life.
Eating meat all the time is not a full a varied life and limits other things I enjoy such as eating out, cooking and visiting friends.

Even my cat doesn't eat meat all the time

 

[nonethewiser]

Surprised that red forum is still on the go.

Impossible to eat a no carb diet as @rebrascora explained above, a meat only diet would be miserable existence & not good for your overall health.

 

[AndBreathe]

I saw a talk last night by a Type 1 diabetic from Diabetes UK who said that he controlled his diabetes perfectly by never eating any carbs. I just don’t understand how this could be possible. If I didn’t eat any carbs I think I would have so many hypos. Is this just a crazy idea or does it work for some people?

Do you have a link to the talk at all, Cathy? I'd be interested to see who it was giving it.

I know of a few folks who have done endurance events on very low/zero carb, on in one case, fasted, but those were very short term events.

I think zero carb is quite tricky to do longer term, and to take in all the nutrients we need.

 

[Inka]

I think there's sometimes a risk of denial ("If I only eat X, I'll never have to inject myself with insulin"), which needs addressing when it happens.

Absolutely @CliffH I think most Type 1s go through this, amongst the many stages of coming to terms with the diagnosis. It sounds a simple answer, but actually it isn’t. There’s a guy on YouTube who I spent ages watching because he’s very popular amongst the very low carb people, but the amount of insulin he has for his meals, which are basically protein and fat, is hugely more than I have for plenty of carbs.

There’s no way to ‘cheat’ Type 1 @CathyFP Remember too that it’s not just the diabetes. We need to look after our heart, kidneys, etc, so any diet should be one for overall health. It’s no good having great blood sugar if your arteries are clogged with fat, for example, or your diet has increased your risk of bowel cancer.

I’ve tried all manner of diets over my decades with diabetes, and read lots too to try to find the best things to eat. The Mediterranean Diet is one good option. My advice is to eat well, eat real food (not processed rubbish) and avoid extremes or fads.

 

[helli]

If I didn’t eat any carbs I think I would have so many hypos. Is this just a crazy idea or does it work for some people?

Sorry to be late in picking this up but this comment just caught my attention - I was too focused on the concept of eating low carb that I missed it.
This comment made me wonder why you think a no (or low) carb diet would cause hypos?
Our bolus dose calculation is mostly based on how many carbs we eat so less carbs would mean less insulin.
(There is some complexity mentioned above about needing insulin for protein in the absence of carbs but that is "advanced dosing")
On the other hand, basal insulin "mops up" the glucose dripped by our liver regardless of what we eat (if anything).

Do you carb count or is your bolus dose fixed?

 

[CliffH]

I think there's sometimes a risk of denial ("If I only eat X, I'll never have to inject myself with insulin"), which needs addressing when it happens.

Absolutely @CliffH I think most Type 1s go through this, amongst the many stages of coming to terms with the diagnosis. It sounds a simple answer, but actually it isn’t. There’s a guy on YouTube who I spent ages watching because he’s very popular amongst the very low carb people, but the amount of insulin he has for his meals, which are basically protein and fat, is hugely more than I have for plenty of carbs.

There’s no way to ‘cheat’ Type 1 @CathyFP Remember too that it’s not just the diabetes. We need to look after our heart, kidneys, etc, so any diet should be one for overall health. It’s no good having great blood sugar if your arteries are clogged with fat, for example, or your diet has increased your risk of bowel cancer.

I’ve tried all manner of diets over my decades with diabetes, and read lots too to try to find the best things to eat. The Mediterranean Diet is one good option. My advice is to eat well, eat real food (not processed rubbish) and avoid extremes or fads.

I'm a Clinical Psychologist (although not in the field of diabetes) and if the psychological mechanism of denial didn't exist I'd probably have had a very short career 🙄.

 

[Tdm]

Had zero carb been a possibility, type 1 would have been survivable prior to the disovery of insulin

 

[AndBreathe]

Had zero carb been a possibility, type 1 would have been survivable prior to the disovery of insulin

If you were commenting on my post, I didn't specify in the absence of exogenous insulin. If you weren't I've just added some context for my original post.

 

[helli]

in the absence of exogenous insulin

I know this is a tangential aside but …

I am intrigued by the medical vocabulary.
Sometimes we use a word in a slightly different context - I was taught about acute angles (and knew they were small ones because they are “cute”) but then pain becomes acute too.
Sometimes we find words that are new to us - basal was a misspelt city in Switzerland until I started insulin and I would refer to “before eating” rather than “pre-prandial”.
Then there are words like “exogenous” that sound so delightful that I want more context to use them.

I know all specialisms have their own terminology. Maybe the medical specialists are some of the few us normals get to talk to and pick up their words.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Like medical "excursions". Sounded like a holiday, but used by Surgeons and Consultants when a variation from the planned medical intentions has occurred. Usually a problem or something horrible rather than fun. I first heard this in reference to the consequences of both gastro and urology problems.

 

[Robin]

Like medical "excursions". Sounded like a holiday, but used by Surgeons and Consultants when a variation from the planned medical intentions has occurred. Usually a problem or something horrible rather than fun. I first heard this in reference to the consequences of both gastro and urology problems.

I remember being amused by the term 'Insult' to mean an exterior cause of injury, harm etc on the body, not that you’d been insulted in the usual sense by that kettle of boiling water you tipped over your arm.

 

[CliffH]

I know this is a tangential aside but …

I am intrigued by the medical vocabulary.
Sometimes we use a word in a slightly different context - I was taught about acute angles (and knew they were small ones because they are “cute”) but then pain becomes acute too.
Sometimes we find words that are new to us - basal was a misspelt city in Switzerland until I started insulin and I would refer to “before eating” rather than “pre-prandial”.
Then there are words like “exogenous” that sound so delightful that I want more context to use them.

I know all specialisms have their own terminology. Maybe the medical specialists are some of the few us normals get to talk to and pick up their words.

I agree that it's good for us to avoid jargon whenever possible - or at least explain what terms mean. I'm still trying to work out what "HS" means and why people get congratulated on having it .