How low?

[Naty]

So I'm a week into my new lifestyle and cautiously optimistic about the results 🙂 (for example, waking levels of 5.7 and 4.8 on Thursday and Friday respectively, which I don't think has EVER happened since diagnosis).

Now I'm thinking about re-introducing certain things into my diet - but not too much actually. The first will be alcohol

I know that this is all very personal to each of us, but I suppose I was wondering: how low in carbs should a low carb diet be?

This week I have not eaten anything with more than 10g per 100g. I read somewhere that a 'very low' carb diet should be less than 30g/day and 'low' under 130g. I think I must be the latter.

Let's assume I buy a packet of Hob-Nobs (8.1g carbs/biscuit - biscuits and cakes were always my favourite). How much is sensible? One a week? One a day?

All advice welcome 🙂

 

[LeeLee]

You're right, it is a personal thing. If it helps, I limit myself to the following portion sizes of carby stuff:

15-20g wholemeal breakfast cereal (shredded wheat, bran flakes or Grape-Nuts) or one Weetabix with Mullerlight yogurt maybe twice a week
2 slices of wholemeal bread from a small 400g loaf (or equivalent portion of flatbread) daily for my lunchtime sandwich
35g dry weight of pasta/rice/couscous with evening meal
or
200-230g raw weight jacket potato

I prefer not to buy packets of biscuits - if they're there, I will eat more than I should! I tend to buy one fresh item from the bakery when I allow myself the indulgence.

 

[Naty]

Thanks Leelee, that's helpful 🙂

After a week of not drinking I had a glass of wine and have come home to find myself 3.7 and I'd eaten before and everything. Oh well...

 

[Mark T]

Thanks Leelee, that's helpful 🙂

After a week of not drinking I had a glass of wine and have come home to find myself 3.7 and I'd eaten before and everything. Oh well...

Alcohol gets processed by your liver as a priority as it's technically a poison! 😱

Whilst your liver is busy doing this it can't perform it's normal glucose drip feed (which is what Type 1's generally have to cover with their basal's) and therefore you can go lower.

 

[Naty]

Alcohol gets processed by your liver as a priority as it's technically a poison! 😱

Whilst your liver is busy doing this it can't perform it's normal glucose drip feed (which is what Type 1's generally have to cover with their basal's) and therefore you can go lower.

I knew about that but had never really suffered because of my, ahem, previous bad eating habits 😱

Is there a low carb answer to this problem?