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Low carb diet - am I doing it right?

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Low carb diet

I have just started this my consultant said I can have no carb meals thus no insulin wow was I pleased as I detest the insulin but being type 1 still have the Lantus which is fine BG is much better I take a green salad with Italian ham celery and raw mushrooms and even though have not had the bread I take one slice in case BG falls too low as I take this to work this is day two
 
To be honest, I wouldn't really call this a low-carb diet plan and I think you're also setting yourself up to fail because it just doesn't look particularly sustainable. You're also overloading on the protein which is going to tank your kidneys and ruin your blood sugars.

For a start, your breakfast is going to expensive and old very quickly. Why not make yourself a massive cheese omelette, divide it up into portions, store the fridge and then eat a portion each morning? Low-carb, filling, won't stuff you full of protein and it's economical.

Meanwhile, lunch could quite easily be a variety of salads for the week with plenty of fresh peppers, onion, lettuce, good olive oil, maybe some sliced bacon or chicken or tuna or whatever takes your fancy.

Instead of strawberries, why not go for berries? Packed full of flavour, lower in fructose and sucrose. However, also ask yourself, do you REALLY need a snack? You shouldn't be eating to keep your BG levels up.

Then for the crab sticks - ok, so this was an accident. Next time, why not go for peanuts, almonds or cashews? Or biltong/jerky/pork scratchings? And again, do you really need a snack?

Dinner, you could really go to town on this one. Why not boil up some cauliflower, then mash it up with some cheese, salt and pepper? Hey presto, suddenly you've got a magic portion of 'mashed potato', that has no impact at all on your BG and makes up two of your supposedly required 5 a day. Serve with whatever you like, I'd recommend sausages and peas.

Or why not try a pizza casserole? Brown off some chicken in a pan and put it in a casserole dish. Then make up your own pizza sauce - I tend to use a tin of tomatoes, some tomato puree, a good shovelful of oregano and basil and chopped onion. Reduce the sauce down in a saucepan, pour over the chicken. Then top the sauce with sliced mozzarella, put in the over for 20 mins. Delicious - and stuff it full of any other veg you might like too. This can also then be portioned out so you've got some leftovers for heating the next day.

As for drinks, water is great. Leave the chocolate and the milk, you might as well eat actual chocolate for all the good it'll do you. Why not squeeze half a fresh lime into a glass with some ice and then dilute to taste with some really cold water and a mint leaf?

All of this will then clock you in at probably less than 40g of carbs and will have you feeling stuffed AND be full of vitamins as well. And it'll be a lot kinder on your pocket and your sanity. Add more things in if you need to, the important thing is to hit a comfortable level.

Also, with regards to exercise - if you want to lose weight, the last thing you want is carbs to help you through. I'm assuming you want to burn body fat when you exercise - you're actually setting yourself up to burn the meal you just ate, which might be good for your BG but won't do your weight any help. As a T2, I'm not sure if you're particularly at risk of hypos - if not, you could just forgo the carbs entirely.
 
DeusXM, Lucy has 'special' requirements as she does suffer quite debilitating hypos, so for her there has to be a particular balance with carbs included in the right place to prevent this happening.
 
Ok, I wasn't aware of that.

Lucy, is there any particular reason why you're suffering from hypos? No-one should ever need to eat carbs at a certain time or in a certain amount to prevent them. If someone needs to do that, it indicates there's something wrong with the amount of type of medication that they're on.
 
To be honest, I wouldn't really call this a low-carb diet plan and I think you're also setting yourself up to fail because it just doesn't look particularly sustainable...

I think one of the difficulties surrounding conversations about 'low carb' is that the terms have no real definition do they? What one person would consider 'medium' another would think of as almost none! Compared to GDAs 100g is 40% of the recommendation for women, but in reality the label is not really the main concern. The aim should be to choose a diet that the body can metabolise effectively (ie BGs are good most of the time), that is not deficient in important vitamins, minerals etc and that has enough variety and interest to keep a person sane. I agree that the sustainability of the diet is important, but that is such a personal thing I wouldn't like to comment on that for anyone else 🙂 (I've been eating pretty much identical breakfasts and lunches for years now which would bore some people to tears, but I still like em!)

AlanS used to occasionally post breakdowns of various meals/menus etc in terms of Calories/Fats/Carbs/Protein I had a quick root around and I think this page links to a downloadable bit of software that might be useful if you wanted to run a closer eye over your proposed new menu: http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/analysis-of-days-meals.html
 
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I think one of the difficulties surrounding conversations about 'low carb' is that the terms have no real definition do they? What one person would consider 'medium' another would think of as almost none! Compared to GDAs 100g is 40% of the recommendation for women, but in reality the label is not really the main concern. The aim should be to choose a diet that the body can metabolise effectively (ie BGs are good most of the time), that is not deficient in important vitamins, minerals etc and that has enough variety and interest to keep a person sane. I agree that the sustainability of the diet is important, but that is such a personal thing I wouldn't like to comment on that for anyone else 🙂 (I've been eating pretty much identical breakfasts and lunches for years now which would bore some people to tears, but I still like em!)

AlanS used to occasionally post breakdowns of various meals/menus etc in terms of Calories/Fats/Carbs/Protein I had a quick root around and I think this page links to a downloadable bit of software that might be useful if you wanted to run a closer eye over your proposed new menu: http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/analysis-of-days-meals.html


Thank you and yes I think you are absolutely right about it being a personal thing. I absolutely love salmon but that doesn't mean I have it every day and I don't remember saying I have it every day. Some days I have meat and egg, some days ommelette of some sort, some days a low carb shake. This was just an example diet for my first day.

Yes I do have hypos and the consultants are looking at it and have been for a year.

My consultant wants me to include snacks to try and regulate my bs a bit more - to try and stop insulin floods.

The options drink is a treat for me so that the diet doesn't seem too strict and severe. It feels like a reward -a glass of water wouldn't I am afraid🙂 Saying that though I have reduced my coffee intake to one cup a day and now drink absolutely loads of water.

I wouldn't want to drop to 40g carbs a day as I know I wouldn't sustain it.

Thanks for all the comments re veg. I have taken this on board and today made a vegetable soup which is absolutely gorgeous - only problem is everyone else has attacked it (which surprised me) and I will need to make more - but it was easy and didn't take long!

I am not cheering yet but so far since Monday I have lost 5lb! This included a couple of chocolate biscuits that I gave in to yesterday (but then adusted the day by finding out how many carbs in them and including in total).

If this works, I lose weight, it stops the insulin floods, I shall be a very very happy person.....and also no sickness this week so far - Yeah!🙂
 
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What are insulin floods? Is this when your body ends up releasing too much insulin for what you've eaten? As in reactive hypoglycaemia?

If so, there's two good ways of combatting this. Your consultant is dead on with eating snacks regularly, but have they also advised you to eat smaller main meals too? There's also a school of thought that suggests a low carb intake for each meal means you're far less likely to release insulin in a quantity that would cause RH - the law of small numbers, essentially.
 
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Well thank you for all your support - I am pleased to say at my first weigh in I have lost 7lbs! - and it didn't hurt a bit.

I feel so much better than I have felt in a long time which I believe is due to a change in both meds and eating plan.

My aim is actually to slow the weight loss right down to 1lb a week mainitaining a 1 stone weight loss each 3 months if possible, rather than the old lose it, gain it route. Over a year this could mean 4 stone lighter.

I am therefore having 2 low carb meals, 1 balanced meal including carbs, low carb snacks, and have added in when I feel like it a little bit of what I fancy - so slightly amended the first post plan!

I do feel so good though, not hungry, not bored, not sick!

Hoepfully I am on to something. I am surprised at the 7lb loss this week but am putting it down to this being the first week, so I will see how the next month goes and then adjsut the carbs accordingly.

thanks for all the support - I feel I am on the right track now.🙂
 
Great news Lucy. Sounds like you've found an approach that suits you. Keep at it!
 
Great news Lucy, you sound so much happier and more optimistic than you did a little while ago - well done at turning things around and getting back your motivation! 🙂
 
Fantastic news Lucy, well done you.
 
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