Carb Counting Advice Needed

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

lemit

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi All

I've been put on the Basul Bolus regime today (Levemir and NovoRapid) so need to carb count. (I was only diagnosed 2 weeks ago so still getting used to it all!)

I had a Jacket Potato for dinner which weighed 260g and the label said it had 17.2g of carbs per 100g. Which by maths would give me a carb portion of around 4.5.

However I was given a leaflet at the hospital which says a Jacket potato of 330g (mirowaved) is 10 CP's, so on that ratio my potato would have had a CP of nearly 8.

I'm confused as hell as I wasn't sure how much Novorapid to use? Have I gone wrong in my calculation?

Cheers
 
Hi
Im new to carb countin too. Wa diagnosed month a go but only started on novorapid 1 week a go.

The way i understand it ur calculation is right. I have had same problem wi some foods and so far have gone wi what it says on the food label. My levels are gettin better and so far i seem to be calculating things about right.

Have u seen book 'Carb Counter' its a Collins Gem book, i have found this useful. Its small so easy to carry with u.

Good luck.
 
is the hospital one the cooked weight? Potatoes will lose weight when cooked due to the loss of water. The carbs stay the same though so I usually weigh before cooking and use the uncooked weight guide to assess what I need.

Pasta and rice work in the reverse in that they gain weight during cooking.
 
Hi the collins gem book states: 90g baked potato with flesh and skin is 28.5.
So this would make your 260g potato 49.6 (if my maths is correct) which is nearer to your calculations! I also carb count for my son and often find differences depending on which reference you use - its not easy is it? Bev
 
Thanks for the replies,

Yeah its confusing Bev, I was doing really well on the 2 injections a day routine so was I'm a little apprehensive about this new regime but nearly everyone I've spoken to says its much better.

Have you been referred for the DAFNE course? My DN has me but she says I need to have been diagnosed 6 months before I can go on it!

Im guessing ill know which calculation was right when I check my blood sugars before bed:confused:

Think Ill take a trip to Waterstones (or any other good book shops) and invest in some carb counting books.
 
lemit said:
Thanks for the replies,

Yeah its confusing Bev, I was doing really well on the 2 injections a day routine so was I'm a little apprehensive about this new regime but nearly everyone I've spoken to says its much better.

Have you been referred for the DAFNE course? My DN has me but she says I need to have been diagnosed 6 months before I can go on it!

.
Click to expand...

Hi, my son (10) was diagnosed 7 weeks ago so i am just learning it all. I found it very hard at first carb counting, but it does get a bit easier with practise, but the problem is that he is going through the honeymoon period at the moment, so there is no guarantee that even when we carb count, we get it right! Sometimes he just has high BS for no apparent reason. Other times it has been our fault especially when we have eaten out, as its so difficult sometimes to 'guess' the weights of certain foods, which is why he mostly ends up with a sandwich as its so much easier to get it right. but we will have to get our heads around this as its just not fair for him to eat such a boring diet. I suppose with some practise we will eventually work out where the best restaurants to eat are and how to 'guess' the right amounts! As for DAFNE i am told there is a kids equivalent (KICK OFF), but so far the clinic havent mentioned it, but i will ask at his next appointment. I wish you good health and hope you get a yourself a good carb counting book! let us know. Bev x
 
lemit said:
Have you been referred for the DAFNE course? My DN has me but she says I need to have been diagnosed 6 months before I can go on

.
Click to expand...

They'll usually make you wait to do dafne so that you're no longer honeymooning, seems a bit of a pain to wait but I think it's the right decision as otherwise there are just too many variables. Don't think I'd havevgot as much out of the course if I'd done it soon after diagnosis, almost as if you need to have experienced the pitfalls before you appreciate the ways round them!
Hope you find the new basal bolus regime useful, once you've got your head around it it should give you so much more freedom.

A
 
As a rough guide lots of people find GI diet books helpful as they give a guide tot he carbs in differnt foods. They are available from most good book shops and place like Amazon.
 
aymes said:
is the hospital one the cooked weight? Potatoes will lose weight when cooked due to the loss of water. The carbs stay the same though so I usually weigh before cooking and use the uncooked weight guide to assess what I need.

Pasta and rice work in the reverse in that they gain weight during cooking.
Click to expand...

I agree with Aymes here. Weigh the food before cooking and calculate on uncooked carb content. A baked potato will vary depending on whether it was cooked in the oven or the microwave and how long it was cooked for. All the time it is cooking or being kept warm water will be evaporating so it will be getting lighter but the carb amount won't change. Boiled potatoes, however, absorb water as they cook so get heavier and if you add milk and butter when you mash them they get heavier still.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top