Carbs or no carbs or some carbs?

[TD25]

Hi,
My husband has recently been diagnosed with type II, and is currently going through all the blood tests etc. GP has said must lose weight, and also that he will be on medication, although his diabetes clinic appointment isnt until 14 July.

Since diagnosis, he has been on a diet of 1500 calories a day, which has been surprisingly easy, and is working, BUT...there seems to be a big issue surrounding carbs, and my sister in law says they must be cut out and avoided, whereas I read carbs at every meal just low GI ones, am very confused, so please can someone shed some light on this issue?

 

[aymes]

Hi TD25

The issue of carbs in a diabetic diet is a very controversial one, looking through some of the recent posts on this site you will see some of the debates and how passionately a lot of people feel on the issue.

Some people find that they can tolerate carbs fine, other find that better control is only effectively achieved through no/low carb diets, and of course there is a range of opinions inbetween.

Diabetes is such an individual condition that there is no right or wrong issue and I think the trick is to get to know how your body tolerates different foods and work out where your balance lies. If he's not already I would suggest he tries to get a blood glucose meter and keeps a food diary to get some idea of what foods raise his blood glucose and what doesn't. Also try to get an appointment with a dietician who should be able to help him interpret these results.

A

 

[Steff]

hi and welcome to the forum x i cant advise i i have not been down the paticular line yet but welcome nevertheless

 

[TD25]

Thank you so much for your reply. One more question tonight - much to his chagrin, I actually bought a meter today (dont know if you get them on prescription and didnt want to wait until 14th to find out)......BUT we have done the test tonight (under a bit of duress!) and it is 7.0, (was diagnosed at 10) this is before his evening meal.

When is the best time to test and should it be more than once a day.

Sorry to sound like a complete ignoramus, but that is what I am on this subject!!

Tracey

 

[aymes]

It depends really, on what you're trying to assess. If on medication such as insulin you'd want to be testing ideally before each meal. If diet alone chances are fewer tests are ok. Someone with type 2 can probably advise better but I would say if you're looking to assess what different foods have done 3 hours or so after the meal you're looking at should give a good idea on how your body has reacted. A fasting on in the morning could also be useful. You may not necessarily want to do all meals and fasting each day but rotate it around a bit.
Don't worry about asking questions, we've all been in that situation at some point. You may want to check out the 'recomended reads' board on here for some suggestions of good books as an introduction to everything.

 

[C*5_Dodger]

Hi,
My husband has recently been diagnosed with type II, and is currently going through all the blood tests etc. GP has said must lose weight, and also that he will be on medication, although his diabetes clinic appointment isnt until 14 July.

Since diagnosis, he has been on a diet of 1500 calories a day, which has been surprisingly easy, and is working, BUT...there seems to be a big issue surrounding carbs, and my sister in law says they must be cut out and avoided, whereas I read carbs at every meal just low GI ones, am very confused, so please can someone shed some light on this issue?

Dear TD25,

Welcome to the site, people here are always willing to help. The question concerning carbs is indeed contentious. As a low carber I believe that I should try and obtain readings that are as close to normal as possible. The benchmark reading is HbA1c this gives a measure of the average blood sugar over the last 120 days. Diabetes UK says this should be 6.5% or less, I aim for 6% or less. In order to get good day to day readings, have a look at this site:

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php

Regards Dodger

 

[Vanessa]

Hi,
My husband has recently been diagnosed with type II, and is currently going through all the blood tests etc. GP has said must lose weight, and also that he will be on medication, although his diabetes clinic appointment isnt until 14 July.

Since diagnosis, he has been on a diet of 1500 calories a day, which has been surprisingly easy, and is working, BUT...there seems to be a big issue surrounding carbs, and my sister in law says they must be cut out and avoided, whereas I read carbs at every meal just low GI ones, am very confused, so please can someone shed some light on this issue?

Welcome to the forum. There is much controversy around carbs as others have said and the only suggestion I can make is that you have to work out slowly what works for your husband. The recommended book by Gretchen Becker on Type 2 Diabetes; the first year is a great place to start and will give you different testing regimes for you to try. Bear in mind though that the very idea of testing for Type 2s is in itself controversial and some GPs are adamant that it is unnecessary

In the interim, where there seems to be consensus is on two areas: losing weight if needed and you seem to have that in hand; increasing exercise. My only piece of advice is to take the changes and the learning about diabetes at the pace that is right for you - and, hopefully, with the support of a good care team at your local GPs

Best of luck