Am I Alone?

[C*5_Dodger]

I use a low carbohydrate approach to control my blood sugars and have done for nearly 12 years
(I took Metformin for the 1st three years) and am still diet controlled. Does anyone else use this method? 🙂

 

[kojack]

The problem with the general use of the word diabetes is that all of us have different lifestyles and metabolic rates.
What works for some is an anathema to others, especially those who have medication and routines to aleviate other medical problems. Had a hypo this morning and am still trying to think through what could have caused it. Possibly for some reason the gliclazide kicked in later.

 

[bluebird]

yes i agree with you john..im on novamix 30 and im encouraged to eat carbs and bread to maintain my sugars over a period whilst the long acting insulin is working.im switching to basal bolus regime next week so things may change but my diabetes nurse specialist has said she will discuss carb counting with me so looking forward to that.🙂

 

[tracey w]

I take humalogue 25, twice a day. i too was told to eat plenty of carbs and find that if i dont eat enough i will get low/hypo.

does this mean that if you switch to 4 times a day injections you eat less carbs or not? Am confused by this and have been wondering if i need to switch to this regime for better bg control. Would not like to cut out carbs though, dont know what I would eat!

 

[flipper]

I switched to basal/bolus regime one year ago and find it much more flexible with what I could eat & when. Think I was on Novomix previously and I had to be more strict with myself back then. I was not told to change my eating habits when I switched regimes, however carb counting was mentioned, I have never actually done it.

Thank goodness for basal/bolus!

 

[Pollyanne]

I use a low carbohydrate approach to control my blood sugars and have done for nearly 12 years
(I took Metformin for the 1st three years) and am still diet controlled. Does anyone else use this method?
__________________
I take metformin MR OD normally and would be interested in learning more about carb counting, Can you recommend anything? I am currently pregnant so taking lantus 10iu OD. I actually have MODY so not sure if this makes any difference.
Anne

 

[Chr1st0pher]

Hi My sugars are gardually increasing and I must admit that apart from avoiding fat, salt and sugars/glucose, my diet is fairly normal. I am interested in what your average diet is like C*5_Dodger? I dont like fish, pasta or yoghourts though I do eat loads of green veg and root veg and spuds. Am I using the wrong approach?

 

[VBH]

I use a low carbohydrate approach to control my blood sugars and have done for nearly 12 years
(I took Metformin for the 1st three years) and am still diet controlled. Does anyone else use this method? 🙂

I don't do low carb. But I do do "managed carb" based on experience with a meter. Its worked well enough for 5 years and kept my A1c under 6 for 5 years, after getting it down to that range over the first 6 months.

"Low carb" is a bit of a wooly term. Although the "normal" diet seems to be about 250g of carb per day, mine varies between about 80 and 150g per day. I don't count, I just base it on what my meter has told me in the past is "safe" to eat without going over 8mmol/l (and preferably under 6.5).

Of course if I were on insulin I would be counting religiously. BDEC do a good online course for this, which makes a good preparation for DAFNE or BERTIE if nothing else.

Some people consider "low carb" to be 30g per day which is far too much self-denial for me. Seems to be mostly people who read Bernstein and immediately develop carbophobia 😉

Still, whatever works for the individual is fine by me.

 

[PattiEvans]

I am T1 on basal bolus and find that by managing my carbs (i.e. between 100 and 120 per day) I have much firmer control since I am less likely to make mistakes with carbohydrate counting and insulin doses. Actually, the more carbs you shoot for the more it magnifies any slight miscalculation. By means of managing my carbs my highest Hba1c over the past five and a half years has been 5.7 and no, this is not due to many hypos or wildly swinging BGs.

More information on the online BERTIE course can be found here....http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/joomla/dafne

 

[Flute]

You are not alone.

I successfully control my diabetes by eating a low carb diet. Sometimes I find this difficult . When I first started I was a little confused as low carb often means no carb but I eat a small amount of carbs each day.
this keeps my BS within normal ranges.

 

[Daisy]

I have always carb counted - even when DUK decided it wasn't cool to do so in the '80's!! It has always made logical sense to me to adjust insulin to carbs. As a Type 1 - and on insulin - we do have more freedom - but personally when I can stick to it - I have much much more stable blood sugars when I low carb (10-20g per meal max). I think low carbing for Type 2's completely makes sense - and would advise it, please be aware that is a personal opinion - !!

VBH ? I have read Bernstein and am not carb phobic! I think if you are a sensible adult you take want you want from it. You are low carbing according what a lot of people eat! Low carbing is eactly that - not cutting them out completely!! LOL 😉

 

[VBH]

Yup Bernstein is quite useful as are many other authors, but its a case of finding what works for the individual. You do run into the odd person who seems to have developed an irrational fear of carbs tho. "Carbs are evil!!!!" I think thats a direct quote I read somewhere once lol.

 

[kojack]

VBH ? I have read Bernstein and am not carb phobic! I think if you are a sensible adult you take want you want from it. You are low carbing according what a lot of people eat! Low carbing is eactly that - not cutting them out completely!! LOL 😉

I try to balance through the day with slow release carbs - weetabix, porridge, potatoes, rice and pasta

If I'm driving I test and if needed have a couple of digestive biccies before I leave to boost it above 5.

This so far works for me. Everyone has to work out their individual schedule.
My one real phobia is being below 5 when I go to bed. Maybe irrational but I really like the idea of wakening in the bed I settled down in, in the morning.😉

 

[C*5_Dodger]

I take humalogue 25, twice a day. i too was told to eat plenty of carbs and find that if i dont eat enough i will get low/hypo.

does this mean that if you switch to 4 times a day injections you eat less carbs or not? Am confused by this and have been wondering if i need to switch to this regime for better bg control. Would not like to cut out carbs though, dont know what I would eat!

If you attempt a Low carb regime YOU MUST CUT YOUR insulin. There are many low carbers out there on the web and lots of suitable recipes. One good resource is "Blood Sugar 101 - What they don't tell you About Diabetes" (Amazon have it) by Jenny Ruhl. You will need the help of a professional that knows about this approach. Balance (Nov - Dec 2008) has a good article about carb counting. As stated elsewhere in this thread if you make an error in a small amount of carbs, that is not as serious as one made when you are "covering" a large amount.

 

[C*5_Dodger]

I switched to basal/bolus regime one year ago and find it much more flexible with what I could eat & when. Think I was on Novomix previously and I had to be more strict with myself back then. I was not told to change my eating habits when I switched regimes, however carb counting was mentioned, I have never actually done it.

Thank goodness for basal/bolus!

I would not know about basal/bolus but theoretically I would expect that separate basal and bolus injections would give more opportunity to control your BS.

 

[C*5_Dodger]

I use a low carbohydrate approach to control my blood sugars and have done for nearly 12 years
(I took Metformin for the 1st three years) and am still diet controlled. Does anyone else use this method?
__________________
I take metformin MR OD normally and would be interested in learning more about carb counting, Can you recommend anything? I am currently pregnant so taking lantus 10iu OD. I actually have MODY so not sure if this makes any difference.
Anne

I can recommend "Blood Sugar 101 - What They Don't Tell You About Diabetes" by Jenny Ruhl (Amazon stock it). It is primarily for Type 2s But contains a lot of good info' about Diabetes in general

 

[C*5_Dodger]

Hi My sugars are gardually increasing and I must admit that apart from avoiding fat, salt and sugars/glucose, my diet is fairly normal. I am interested in what your average diet is like C*5_Dodger? I dont like fish, pasta or yoghourts though I do eat loads of green veg and root veg and spuds. Am I using the wrong approach?

I completely avoid all sugars and starches apart from that I can eat anything! Seriously, if it grows under the ground don't eat it. I don't eat fruit most of the time and then only the lowest GI is eaten, I eat all meats and all green veg. There is a protocol you can follow to determine what works for you (we are all different) and it can be found in "Blood Sugar 101 - What THey Don't Tell You About Diabetes" by Jenny Ruhl (Amazon have it). And no I do not get commission on sales!

 

[C*5_Dodger]

I don't do low carb. But I do do "managed carb" based on experience with a meter. Its worked well enough for 5 years and kept my A1c under 6 for 5 years, after getting it down to that range over the first 6 months.

"Low carb" is a bit of a wooly term. Although the "normal" diet seems to be about 250g of carb per day, mine varies between about 80 and 150g per day. I don't count, I just base it on what my meter has told me in the past is "safe" to eat without going over 8mmol/l (and preferably under 6.5).

Of course if I were on insulin I would be counting religiously. BDEC do a good online course for this, which makes a good preparation for DAFNE or BERTIE if nothing else.

Some people consider "low carb" to be 30g per day which is far too much self-denial for me. Seems to be mostly people who read Bernstein and immediately develop carbophobia 😉

Still, whatever works for the individual is fine by me.

You are ofcourse correct, a better choice is "controlled" rather than "low" since for some people especially those newly diagnosed, some carbs are OK. It sounds like you do the same as me

 

[C*5_Dodger]

You are not alone.

I successfully control my diabetes by eating a low carb diet. Sometimes I find this difficult . When I first started I was a little confused as low carb often means no carb but I eat a small amount of carbs each day.
this keeps my BS within normal ranges.

It is difficult choosing what to eat but there are many resouces on the web. Have you read "Trick and Treat" by Barry Groves or "Blood Sugar 101" by Jenny Ruhl

 

[C*5_Dodger]

Yup Bernstein is quite useful as are many other authors, but its a case of finding what works for the individual. You do run into the odd person who seems to have developed an irrational fear of carbs tho. "Carbs are evil!!!!" I think thats a direct quote I read somewhere once lol.

You are correct, one should see carbs in the right perspective. There is no way that the population of this planet could be supported if it were not for carbs