carb-counting for type 2's?

[wakman]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I quick question obviously everyone is diffrent and when i mentioned to my DSN about carb counting she said that it not the route i should go down implying that it should be for type 1 only.

But that what i was told.

 

[insulinaddict09]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I quick question obviously everyone is diffrent and when i mentioned to my DSN about carb counting she said that it not the route i should go down implying that it should be for type 1 only.

But that what i was told.

Well Dodger is a type2 who is a low Carber and has been doing it for quite a few years . He has a good (low) HbA1c and now no longer takes metformin

 

[Northerner]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I quick question obviously everyone is diffrent and when i mentioned to my DSN about carb counting she said that it not the route i should go down implying that it should be for type 1 only.

But that what i was told.

Hi wakman, carb-counting is used by people on insulin (whether type1 or type2), so that they can match the insulin they inject to the amount of carbs they eat. If you're not on insulin, then you have to be careful not to overload your own pancreas' production of insulin by eating too many (particularly quick-acting) carbs - in this case it is not necessary to carb-count as such, but rather to be aware of portion size and the dangers of too much calorie intake. Eating fewer carbs means less work for the type2 pancreas, which is why some people take that approach.

 

[Caroline]

providing you are eating a balanced diet, I can't see the harm in carb counting, I know a lot of people do and have benefited from it. There are loads of carb counting books and stuff. I'm sure one of our resident carb counters will help.

 

[Northerner]

Yes, what I was trying to say was that you don't need the level of accuracy as you do when injecting - you'd have to 'count' to some degree to know if you were low-carbing or not!

 

[C*5_Dodger]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I quick question obviously everyone is diffrent and when i mentioned to my DSN about carb counting she said that it not the route i should go down implying that it should be for type 1 only.

But that what i was told.

Dear wakman,

You should not be surprised at your DSN's advice, it is the official line of the establishment. Not withstanding the comments of all the other good people that have responded to your question, it's even more simple than good diets etc. I am primarily a controlled carber meaning that I eat sufficient carbs so that my blood sugar targets are achieved. It is just that after 15 years and consequent loss of beta-cell function, controlling my blood sugar levels means low carbohydrate. For newly diagnosed type 2s achieving control could well mean eating much more carbs than I do. It is a matter of testing and adjusting the carb intake to achieve your goals. I too have a varied diet that is healthy but it just means that I eat a lot more fat and protein. Eating fat, particularly saturated fat is not bad for you, how could it be - we as a species have been eating it for millions of years. So, to sum up, if you wish to control your carbs, by carb counting, to achieve your BS targets that's up to you, but don't expect any help from the establishment.

Warmest Regards Dodger - just back from holiday

 

[insulinaddict09]

Dear wakman,

You should not be surprised at your DSN's advice, it is the official line of the establishment. Not withstanding the comments of all the other good people that have responded to your question, it's even more simple than good diets etc. I am primarily a controlled carber meaning that I eat sufficient carbs so that my blood sugar targets are achieved. It is just that after 15 years and consequent loss of beta-cell function, controlling my blood sugar levels means low carbohydrate. For newly diagnosed type 2s achieving control could well mean eating much more carbs than I do. It is a matter of testing and adjusting the carb intake to achieve your goals. I too have a varied diet that is healthy but it just means that I eat a lot more fat and protein. Eating fat, particularly saturated fat is not bad for you, how could it be - we as a species have been eating it for millions of years. So, to sum up, if you wish to control your carbs, by carb counting, to achieve your BS targets that's up to you, but don't expect any help from the establishment.

Warmest Regards Dodger - just back from holiday

I couldnt agree more !!! For some reason the establishment are against Low Carbing and would have you filling up on Carbs at every oppotunity 😱😱 Then wonder why your blood glucose levels are through the roof and youve gained weight !!

 

[Proudspirit]

Hi, My nurse told me to "cut the carbs" and even to go on the atkins diet.
I must admit that i do eat too many carbs and want to try to cut some out.

Julie x

 

[Northerner]

I like Dodger's phrase 'controlled carbing', I think it represents a subtle difference to 'low carbing', which often just seems to mean 'no-carbing' (or next-to-no-carbing!). Knowing what carbs you can tolerate, and in what quantities, is the key to good BG control.

 

[insulinaddict09]

I like Dodger's phrase 'controlled carbing', I think it represents a subtle difference to 'low carbing', which often just seems to mean 'no-carbing' (or next-to-no-carbing!). Knowing what carbs you can tolerate, and in what quantities, is the key to good BG control.

Ooops 😱😱 Sorryyyyy Northerner , I tend to say Low Carbing 😱😉

 

[Vanessa]

Just to add that I think controlled carbing is an excellent phrase for diet/tablet controlled Type 2s particularly to bear in mind. We don't have the same hassle of managing our insulin dosage but many of us have problems getting our food intake balanced with what our bodies can tolerate

I started this approach seriously back in March having followed the traditional DUK advice for some time and found my fasting blood glucose still high and weight static despite metformin and gliclazide alongside calorie counting and exercise. With experimenting over March and April to find what worked for me, I've now lost 21lbs since the beginning of May, seen my Hba1c drop from 6.5 to 5.5, halved the gliclazide and only had one fasting blood glucose above 7 in 6 months and kept the exercise up. Today I find I've just scraped into the healthy BMI range of a tadge under 25 so mightily pleased with myself

About 50% of my food intake (1250 cals per day on average) still comes from carbs in all forms - a level that seems to work for me at the moment. Next HbA1c due late September but now beginning to have late morning and late afternoon hypos so hoping will be able to remove gliclazide totally then even if that means a bit more experimenting with the carb levels

 

[insulinaddict09]

Just to add that I think controlled carbing is an excellent phrase for diet/tablet controlled Type 2s particularly to bear in mind. We don't have the same hassle of managing our insulin dosage but many of us have problems getting our food intake balanced with what our bodies can tolerate

I started this approach seriously back in March having followed the traditional DUK advice for some time and found my fasting blood glucose still high and weight static despite metformin and gliclazide alongside calorie counting and exercise. With experimenting over March and April to find what worked for me, I've now lost 21lbs since the beginning of May, seen my Hba1c drop from 6.5 to 5.5, halved the gliclazide and only had one fasting blood glucose above 7 in 6 months and kept the exercise up. Today I find I've just scraped into the healthy BMI range of a tadge under 25 so mightily pleased with myself

About 50% of my food intake (1250 cals per day on average) still comes from carbs in all forms - a level that seems to work for me at the moment. Next HbA1c due late September but now beginning to have late morning and late afternoon hypos so hoping will be able to remove gliclazide totally then even if that means a bit more experimenting with the carb levels

Well done on those results Vanessa , keep up the good work . We are all different so its good that you have adapted your diet to suit your lifestyle and Diabetes . good luck with coming off the meds !! 🙂🙂

 

[Northerner]

Vanessa, that's terrific! Well done, and thanks also for your explanation of how you have achieved it

 

[C*5_Dodger]

Dear vanessa,

Your achievement is terriffic, well done - keep up the good work!

Warmest Regards Dodger

 

[Steff]

Wow Vanessa well done you should be so chuffed thats terrific x

 

[Vanessa]

Thank you all for your kind comments - much appreciated