Daily Carb Intake

[Joanne5]

Hi all
What is the average daily intake of carbs. I am on pump and carb counting.
Thanks

 

[Robster65]

Hi Joanne.

I've removed your other thread in Pumping since you may get 2 sets of replies otherwise. Not a problem.🙂

In answer, I'm eating maybe 250g on an average day but it can be anywhere between 200 and 300g I would think.

I'm on MDI, carb count and my BGs remain ok as long as I don't sit around for too long and I don't need what I consider an excessive amount of insulin to cover it.🙂

Rob

 

[trophywench]

130g a day give or take.

When I was originally diagnosed they asked me to write down what I'd eat all day in a typical day at work - we were on one or at most 2, jabs a day of mixed insulin then, so they tried to work out a dose to match lifestyle and eating preferences. I was 22 at the time and hadn't a clue what the carb-count was, but I knew from experience it was a diet that kept me at 8st 2lbs - if I ate much more than that very often - I'd put on weight.

Walking was and is the only exercise I have regularly done. Sedentary job, no kids to run around with. 5ft 4ins.

The hospital agreed that my menus demonstrated a pretty well-balanced diet so didn't need much tweaking at all, and it just happened to work out at 130g. And 40 years later, it's never needed to be more. Quite often now it can be less - which is great having that flexibility without suffering diabetically for it.

But everyone's metabolism is quite different, so like many other things about diabetes, it's very personal to each of us - so don't get thinking you are at all 'odd' if you aren't the same as anyone else!

 

[Northerner]

My carb intake is between 140-180g per day, usually towards the lower end of that range - always shocks me when I see that someone has had over 200g in a single meal! 😱 Don't feel restricted at all, although sometimes I fancy a carby snack instead of my usual cheese or dry roasted peanuts! I don't think I've ever taken insulin just so I can have a snack though.

 

[novorapidboi26]

I am about 200 - 300 g also, however I should really be reducing that amount as tests so far on smaller amounts have been good for the old BG................

But I am a big strong boy................😉

 

[trophywench]

Not quite sure how you mean that last bit Alan?

I don't regularly snack but if I just really fancy something that does require insulin, then I shoot for it and eat it. But if I'm wondering 'Can I really be bothered to shoot for that?' - then that tells me I can do very well without it, so I usually don't indulge.

Is that what you meant?

 

[Robster65]

Not quite sure how you mean that last bit Alan?

I don't regularly snack but if I just really fancy something that does require insulin, then I shoot for it and eat it. But if I'm wondering 'Can I really be bothered to shoot for that?' - then that tells me I can do very well without it, so I usually don't indulge.

Is that what you meant?

That's how I read Alan's comment too and your summary summarises my feelings too 🙂

The thought of a jab acts as a brake on the greedy gland. If I want it so bad that I'll jab for it then I must REALLY want it. Otherwise it can't be all that exciting. Or I'll wait until next mealtime and tack it on the end.

When I was diagnosed at 13, the dietician produced a sheet totalling 230g. That was my diet from then on. Once MDI happened, during the 90s I think, I just upped or downed to suit. I'm not a big lad like NRboi (modesty forbids 😱) but I am quite greedy !

Rob

 

[Northerner]

Not quite sure how you mean that last bit Alan?

I don't regularly snack but if I just really fancy something that does require insulin, then I shoot for it and eat it. But if I'm wondering 'Can I really be bothered to shoot for that?' - then that tells me I can do very well without it, so I usually don't indulge.

Is that what you meant?

Yes, I don't 'bolus for a biscuit' What I do do sometimes though is bolus extra at a mealtime (usually lunch) so that my levels will be low enough and with sufficient circulating insulin to allow me a choccy biscuit later on - a 'premeditated snack' if you like! I used to snack all the time pre-D and I can always remember a bloke I worked with who would never eat outside of mealtimes - I couldn't understand how he could possibly get through the day! 🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Recent averages suggest 150-170g a day, though I can (and do!) eat 120g or so in a single meal every once in a while

I'm another who tends to avoid snacks-that-require-a-bolus on the whole. Too many experiences of stacked insulin/mis-guessed amounts etc. Not that I don't ever do it, but I certainly recognise it as more of a 'treat' and slightly high-risk strategy BG-wise.

 

[HOBIE]

I am on pump & do about 150g a day & in quite ofter miss dinner, Love breaky 50g & tea 50g others different every day. Have a manual job & dont get time to have dinner (test). Every bods different ! 🙂

 

[FM001]

Approximately 140g a day - sometimes more sometimes less😉

 

[MeanMom]

'Official' line is about a third of the daily intake of calories should be from carbs, so if having around the 'average' 2000 Cals a day then this would be about 300 ish carbs.

I have no idea how many I have but I would say most days K has around 200 carbs - on a Saturday more as it's her Drama class so more active plus it's Pizza night!

Interesting that people seem to have quite a lot less - is this because having less than 2000 Cals a day or because getting Cals (energy therefore) from other foods? My understanding was that this can lead to a diet too high in fat?

Or is everyone on Atkins?

 

[Robster65]

'Official' line is about a third of the daily intake of calories should be from carbs, so if having around the 'average' 2000 Cals a day then this would be about 300 ish carbs.

I have no idea how many I have but I would say most days K has around 200 carbs - on a Saturday more as it's her Drama class so more active plus it's Pizza night!

Interesting that people seem to have quite a lot less - is this because having less than 2000 Cals a day or because getting Cals (energy therefore) from other foods? My understanding was that this can lead to a diet too high in fat?

Or is everyone on Atkins?

It depends on what you read and what they're trying to sell !🙄

Most people find that a lower level of carb enables a lower insulin dose, which helps some to gain better control. There are also possible health benefits from having less circulating insulin.

It is difficult to make up the calories without a heap of carbs but clearly it can be done. I've never tried reducing my carbs but sometimes feel I should. Protein is a good substitute but you'd need to be a big fan of fish and meat. Eggs are another possible. From what I've read, providing you're fairly active and don't exceed your daily calorie goal, it shouldn't matter too much how you get your calories. But clearly, cholestorol and other factors have to be considered. Polyunsaturated fat is going to be better than saturated for example.🙂

But so far, I've seen no bad side effects of 200g+ per day carbs.

34 years and counting

Rob

 

[trophywench]

Mine was based on 1500 cals, which was the 'maintenance diet' level for a 5ft ish sedentary girly in 1972.

Oh look, I haven't died yet ..... and I can assure you I ain't emaciated either.

If I eat more, I put on weight, so I don't !

 

[MeanMom]

Mine was based on 1500 cals, which was the 'maintenance diet' level for a 5ft ish sedentary girly in 1972.

Oh look, I haven't died yet ..... and I can assure you I ain't emaciated either.

If I eat more, I put on weight, so I don't !

-yep, 1500 would be about me too TW but thinking about it I must get more than half my calories from Carbs as I am veggie - if I have protein it's usually from something with lot carbs in too - beans, lentils - do have dairy but very little -just enough to keep the bones from snapping😉 -so my meals naturally low fat too. Don't know why I dont waste away! ('bread!' came a shout from the back, 'wine!' came another...😱 )

K certainly eats more than me now - has a healthy appetite - (thank goodness she didn't take after me😉) but she's preety sensible mostly.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I have no idea what my calorific intake is!

I have enough to worry about counting carbs and trying to keep BGs under control. My weight is stable and I'm happy enough with that as an indicator.

I'm not entirely convinced by the fat police (either anti- or pro-) so I have some low fat things but happily eat cheese etc too.

 

[HOBIE]

Hi mean mam i personaly dont like pizzas because alway hungary after 2 bits (high carbs). I never have worked on calories but try not eat unsuitabe things. I do a manual type job could be up scaffold in morning & ladders etc afternoon. Lifting & puting cables in all day. Not iterested in calories 🙂

 

[MeanMom]

Hi mean mam i personaly dont like pizzas because alway hungary after 2 bits (high carbs). I never have worked on calories but try not eat unsuitabe things. I do a manual type job could be up scaffold in morning & ladders etc afternoon. Lifting & puting cables in all day. Not iterested in calories 🙂

I seem to have given the impression that I am a bit of a calorie counter - nothing could be further from the truth!

Have never counted a calorie in my life - was just quoting calories as that is the way I have seen carb intake worked out -as % of total calories eaten. And I know I don't eat 'enough' most days, so guessed my intake as 1500 Cals (as 'enough' is 2000 allegedly)

Because of my (largely self imposed) restricted diet what I am interested in is
balancing the foods I do eat because it is as much of a balancing act as a diabetic 'diet'

But it has been all good practise for trying to balance K's blood sugars over the last (nearly) two years.

And no I rarely eat pizza -even on 'pizza night' 😉

 

[Northerner]

I'm another one who never counts calories, although I will step away from extremely high calorie food these days - usually because it's either way too carby and I don;t want mega doses of insulin to cover it, or way too fatty formy palate these days so I wouldn't enjoy it 🙂

 

[lauraw1983]

This is interesting, I am going to start keeping records of this kind of thing - I have no idea how many carbs a day!

So far though, the thought of "do I want to stab myself so I can eat that?" is doing a good job of stopping my being greedy - which was an issue before, as was portion size!🙄

I will definitely be low(er) carbing from here on in though!