Bewildered!

[Fridgeraider]

I have type 2 diabetes and am trying to get my weight and diabetes under control. Would you please be able to tell me how many carbs I should be aiming for each day?
Many thanks!

 

[Inka]

That depends on the individual. A good starting place is to keep a food diary, look at what/how many you’re eating now, and then work from there.

 

[DaveB]

A start point of 150gm/day max is my suggestion. It will vary from person to person but it's not a bad number to start with. Many will be able to go a lot lower.

 

[Robert459]

My opinion would be... as few carbs as possible. When first diagnosed at T1 16 years ago, did some research and went on an Atkins type zero carb diet for over a year (boring and hard) as am a bit of a control freak. Kept my BG between 4-6 without taking my basal. Eventually gave it up after smelling a Domino's pizza other were eating, BG up and down ever since. We current average 50-80 g carbs daily.

 

[Loobyloo]

Under 100 worked for me but we are all different and some go a lot lower. I think i read that under 130g a day is regarded as low carb. I just thought if i started too low i was more likely to give up.

 

[EllsBells]

The average adult eats 250-300g carbs per day. Our brains use 130g of carbs turned into glucose each day. Going low carb ie under that 130g threshold basically means that you are certain to use up all the carbs you consume and will better help control your BGs. Of course its not quite that simple. Your body will compensate by converting some of the fats (10%) and proteins (40%) into glucose in your liver to drop into your blood because it's generous like that.

It boils down to how many functioning beta cells you've got left. Going lower carb eases the pressure on your system and can help reduce your BG levels. Used in conjunction with exercise to help reduce insulin resistance and tie up more glucose, it's a powerful formula.

Why not whittle your carbs down over a few weeks and test what happens? I found that I can do half recommended portion sizes (as per packet) for pasta and basmati don't send me into the stratosphere but i'm really liking cauliflower rice and pezzi.

Why not start with lower portion sizes. We're all different so just try and test and adjust as necessary. You will find you are sensitive to certain items that others are fine with so you then know to avoid or have as an occasional treat.

 

[trophywench]

Your brain uses 130g of carb a day ?

OMG I must have been brain dead before I left school and did my O levels then!

I'm so sorry, I know I've only been Type 1 for 49 years but I've never ever seen that bit of info before in my life. What is the source of it please?

 

[EllsBells]

I've come across it in multiple places. It's maybe more accurate to say 130g glucose rather than carbs though. My brain is not good at remembering sources but a quick search on Google for brain 130g carbs turned up a few articles mentioning it - including a refutation of it.

 

[rebrascora]

@trophywench It doesn't matter that you don't eat or never have eaten 130g carbs because we all know the liver generates glucose to keep things ticking over, hence your basal insulin requirement.

 

[pm133]

I'm not sure whether there are any properly peer-reviewed articles on the 130g subject.

A quick search on Scholar shows a few references to this 130g claim but it seems to be largely from books (not peer reviewed) and other people quoting it without direct references to a credible source.

I have to admit that I've only had a brief look though so I can't be sure if there's a solid scientific basis behind it.

 

[pm133]

Hi @Fridgeraider and welcome to the site.

Before you start cutting back on carbs, you need to understand the scale of your problem. @Inka has made a great suggestion about making a food diary for a typical week perhaps and seeing how many carbs you are actually taking in at the moment. You'll need to know the weight of the food you are eating and do a bit of calculator work but it's easy enough to do.

That'll let you know the scale of the problem you have to resolve. Until then, suggestions about how many carbs to drop to are going to be of limited help. You might find that simply cutting down portion sizes may be enough for example.

What you want to avoid is unnecessarily denying yourself the food you like until you can be certain that it has to go from your diet.

 

[Drummer]

Your brain uses 130g of carb a day ?

OMG I must have been brain dead before I left school and did my O levels then!

I'm so sorry, I know I've only been Type 1 for 49 years but I've never ever seen that bit of info before in my life. What is the source of it please?

It is one of those 'common knowledge' things.
If you think about it - making some glucose should not be more than the average liver can manage if required.
The easiest way to see how many carbs you can eat, and from what sources, is to use a glucose meter and check after eating. If your levels are up in the teens then changes need to be made.
I found that once my levels after eating were around 8 mmol/l they went on reducing even though I did not change my diet any further. Levels after meals fell to under 7 and gradually sank down in general.
I am fairly strict in having a maximum of 40 gm a day. My Hba1c seemed stuck at 42, eating 50 gm of carbs a day - so I thought fewer carbs will reduce it - so 40 gm a day, and it was exactly the same. The needle on the dial is stuck, but maybe one day it will show a change. I'm not holding my breath though.

 

[Nayshiftin]

I am new and I got way over the top stressed about all this. I know I needed to lose weight and lower my blood sugar. So I got myself a diet from on here. I tried the Mediterranean one for about a week and mixed and matched others I liked as I don't eat the meat a lot suggest. Each day I would use my blood tested strips and do on awake, then before and after each meal and snack and see how my blood faired. I soon realised that things like pasta and bread rocketed my blood sugars. As did exercise but I kept going. Initially my blood sugars were like a heart monitor chart then a nice peaked flow chart and now I get a sort of level of with a few changes. I keep it well below 10 and aim not to go below 4 and this has helped. I use my fitness pal to note my diet but you can do your own. I do count cals but I stop at thinking that if its low cal its better. You sometimes get a better tasting meal that fills you up with less. My weight loss has always gone low fat and I have not had a cholesterol problem knowingly yet however that is my choice. I do not like the thought that heart attacks run in my family and that type 2 are at risk so having full fat and not thinking how much I eat would be wrong. On the other hand if you stay in a calorie bracket you can note that you will not eat too much fat as it is higher in calories. I also recommend portion control of the foods as this helps too. I notice a great difference when I have too much carbs at a meal and its in lots of things like carrots broccoli etc and it soon adds up. I eat lots of fruit and veg so there is good carbs there and sugars. I do change rice to cauliflower and zucchini or courgette as I call it for pasta. i also like leeks as a pasta alternative. Bread I miss and sometimes have but again I look at the packets. Warburtons low sugar is higher than Aldi's own bread and again its portion control and that blood sugar count. One lady in a shop suggested milk roll its low in carbs and less as the portion is smaller but being white flour it sends me over the top, however I love beans on toast and even the lower sugar of those is not a hit with me. Low GI I soon found is different however I notice too that at certain times my liver must dump especially if I exercise then vegetate too long. Life is better slow steady and steps at a time. I am not a runner but I do go Nordic walks and I do try and exercise and keep on the go. Its a new journey and I stop at trying to get to a figure of say 50 carbs but I would think I am within the 130 most days. I have lost weight and my blood sugar is lower my way. Will have to see what my new HbA1c comes out to be that will be real proof. Good luck and keep asking on here many will help.

 

[trophywench]

It's more the fact that in the absence of enough carbs, the body also can make its glucose from both fat and protein, which caused me to query it - not that the brain needs X amount of glucose at all!

In the absence of glucose, the body closes down a good many bits before it closes the brain - I've been that hypo when I could not speak, move or see but I could still hear and think so when my colleague speaking and listening to the 999 operator relayed 'Well I think she does have a denture - but her mouth and jaw appear to be completely set and I shouldn't think we'd be able to remove them for her' - I though 'Love you, Val! Thanks' Yes, we can get her into the recovery position, and two male colleagues co-ordinated doing that with me (whist another colleague, the g/f of one of them shrieked loudly 'Don't touch her T !' and my brain thought 'Up yours too!' - and T had ignored her anyway, assisted by our Managing Director the other side of me who told the (silly cow) woman to 'Do shut up!' whilst my brain thought 'I'm glad you're here!' and then the paramedic arrived bearing glucometer and told me who he was when my brain thought Thank God for that and that he was going to test my BG as he did it, told me it reported LO so he was going to set up a glucose drip into my arm and did so, and I now understand exactly why 'ambulance people' talk to their patients constantly even when they seem to be 'out of it'.

Fascinating! - but I don't recommend finding this out that way ....... bit OTT really all in all !

 

[EllsBells]

That sounds horrific and I'm glad you had the support you did.

 

[Robert459]

It's more the fact that in the absence of enough carbs, the body also can make its glucose from both fat and protein, which caused me to query it - not that the brain needs X amount of glucose at all!

In the absence of glucose, the body closes down a good many bits before it closes the brain - I've been that hypo when I could not speak, move or see but I could still hear and think so when my colleague speaking and listening to the 999 operator relayed 'Well I think she does have a denture - but her mouth and jaw appear to be completely set and I shouldn't think we'd be able to remove them for her' - I though 'Love you, Val! Thanks' Yes, we can get her into the recovery position, and two male colleagues co-ordinated doing that with me (whist another colleague, the g/f of one of them shrieked loudly 'Don't touch her T !' and my brain thought 'Up yours too!' - and T had ignored her anyway, assisted by our Managing Director the other side of me who told the (silly cow) woman to 'Do shut up!' whilst my brain thought 'I'm glad you're here!' and then the paramedic arrived bearing glucometer and told me who he was when my brain thought Thank God for that and that he was going to test my BG as he did it, told me it reported LO so he was going to set up a glucose drip into my arm and did so, and I now understand exactly why 'ambulance people' talk to their patients constantly even when they seem to be 'out of it'.

Fascinating! - but I don't recommend finding this out that way ....... bit OTT really all in all !

When diagnosed, I researched cell respiration and if the brain has insufficient glucose it will initiate ketone production from fat cells, both turn eventually into ATP, the actual fuel of all cells (in fact ketones make double the ATP of glucose). Interestingly, another source of ATP for the brain is Ethanol, although comes with side effects.

 

[Ali11782]

It is one of those 'common knowledge' things.
If you think about it - making some glucose should not be more than the average liver can manage if required.
The easiest way to see how many carbs you can eat, and from what sources, is to use a glucose meter and check after eating. If your levels are up in the teens then changes need to be made.
I found that once my levels after eating were around 8 mmol/l they went on reducing even though I did not change my diet any further. Levels after meals fell to under 7 and gradually sank down in general.
I am fairly strict in having a maximum of 40 gm a day. My Hba1c seemed stuck at 42, eating 50 gm of carbs a day - so I thought fewer carbs will reduce it - so 40 gm a day, and it was exactly the same. The needle on the dial is stuck, but maybe one day it will show a change. I'm not holding my breath though.

What do you eat to keep it down at 40g?

 

[Drummer]

What do you eat to keep it down at 40g?

Choosing foods which are under 11 percent carbs helps.
I have stir fries, salads and stews, curries and use a fair few herbs and spices.

 

[Ali11782]

Choosing foods which are under 11 percent carbs helps.
I have stir fries, salads and stews, curries and use a fair few herbs and spices.

OK that doesn't sound too bad. I could prob stay under 100 with the types of food I eat but I need my porridge in the morning.

 

[Drummer]

OK that doesn't sound too bad. I could prob stay under 100 with the types of food I eat but I need my porridge in the morning.

As long as you can cope with the carbs in the porridge then it is probably OK - but if you struggle to maintain normal blood glucose levels then the porridge would be the first 'usual suspect' to investigate.