Total Newbie struggling with glucose levels

[Martin.A]

Thankyou, I must admit I was looking at the sugar content of weetabix, which is low, but the carbs are high as you say. Time to change my breakfast I think…

As it happens I have Weetabix for breakfast but only one, and I have it with a mix of berries and a dollop of Greek yogurt. It generally adds up to between 25 and 30g carb. I did do a pre- and post-breakfast test in the early days to check that I could handle Weetabix and I passed. Testing meals pre- and post- has, over time, enabled me to develop a sustainable low carb diet.

I aim for less than 130g per day and try and keep breakfast, lunch and evening meal to 30-40g or thereabouts, which leaves me some room for snacking, usually nuts or 85% dark chocolate.

 

[rebrascora]

When you are cutting down on carbs you can afford to eat a little more fat. Contrary to popular belief, there are some positive things about fat which can help us as diabetics. It slows down the digestion of any carbs we eat with it, it does not affect our BG levels and it is satisfying and tastes good and helps to keep you feeling full for longer, whereas high carb foods cause our BG levels to spike and then drop making us feel hungry again 2 hours later which is one of the reasons why we feel the need to snack between meals, eating more fat actually means you don't feel hungry nearly so much. My stomach has shrunk a lot since I cut down on carbs and eat more fat and often just 2 meals a day is enough. Not suggesting you eat blocks of butter but use whole (full fat) milk if you like it or I have real double cream in my morning coffee most mornings and it is my little luxury and hard to feel deprived when it tastes so good. You may not enjoy that though, so if you prefer semi skimmed have that. Same with yoghurt. Many of us find the 1kg buckets of creamy Greek style natural yoghurt from Lidl or Aldi are really good and don't have the sourness of low fat yoghurts. Beware of flavoured yoghurts as they often have more carbs and of course they are more processed. Most of us buy the full fat versions of coleslaw and mayonnaise etc and full fat cheeses and cream cheese. These will help to make your change of diet sustainable and enjoyable and provide your body with the fuel it needs without impacting your BG levels. I know we have spent all our lives being told fat is bad and it makes you fat and I eat more fat now than I ever did and I am fitter and healthier, my skin is better and I have much less joint pain and my cholesterol has come down. I am now 4.5 years on a low carb higher fat way of eating and I am not seeing any down side to it. I am 60 next Feb and I can now run down steep hills whereas before I was hobbling at a walk and expecting that I was going to need knee replacement in the near future. I was also a sugar addict and chocoholic pre diagnosis and a massive comfort eater but this way of eating has helped me to gain control over my eating that I have struggled with for decades, so there have been lots of positives to it. I hope that you will find some benefits to it too.

 

[Deb_l]

No not lactose intolerant…I will rethink the rice milk, Thankyou for pointing it out. There was me thinking I was doing a good thing but I was getting it all wrong. Really appreciate the feedback x

I switched to soya milk which is practically zero carbs. I think almond milk has also been mentioned. Almond is higher carb than soya but still low.

Rice and oat milk are higher carb so probably best avoided if you’re going to follow a low carb plan.

 

[KazG]

As it happens I have Weetabix for breakfast but only one, and I have it with a mix of berries and a dollop of Greek yogurt. It generally adds up to between 25 and 30g carb. I did do a pre- and post-breakfast test in the early days to check that I could handle Weetabix and I passed. Testing meals pre- and post- has, over time, enabled me to develop a sustainable low carb diet.

I aim for less than 130g per day and try and keep breakfast, lunch and evening meal to 30-40g or thereabouts, which leaves me some room for snacking, usually nuts or 85% dark chocolate.

Thankyou, I may try one again in the future and see how I respond

 

[KazG]

When you are cutting down on carbs you can afford to eat a little more fat. Contrary to popular belief, there are some positive things about fat which can help us as diabetics. It slows down the digestion of any carbs we eat with it, it does not affect our BG levels and it is satisfying and tastes good and helps to keep you feeling full for longer, whereas high carb foods cause our BG levels to spike and then drop making us feel hungry again 2 hours later which is one of the reasons why we feel the need to snack between meals, eating more fat actually means you don't feel hungry nearly so much. My stomach has shrunk a lot since I cut down on carbs and eat more fat and often just 2 meals a day is enough. Not suggesting you eat blocks of butter but use whole (full fat) milk if you like it or I have real double cream in my morning coffee most mornings and it is my little luxury and hard to feel deprived when it tastes so good. You may not enjoy that though, so if you prefer semi skimmed have that. Same with yoghurt. Many of us find the 1kg buckets of creamy Greek style natural yoghurt from Lidl or Aldi are really good and don't have the sourness of low fat yoghurts. Beware of flavoured yoghurts as they often have more carbs and of course they are more processed. Most of us buy the full fat versions of coleslaw and mayonnaise etc and full fat cheeses and cream cheese. These will help to make your change of diet sustainable and enjoyable and provide your body with the fuel it needs without impacting your BG levels. I know we have spent all our lives being told fat is bad and it makes you fat and I eat more fat now than I ever did and I am fitter and healthier, my skin is better and I have much less joint pain and my cholesterol has come down. I am now 4.5 years on a low carb higher fat way of eating and I am not seeing any down side to it. I am 60 next Feb and I can now run down steep hills whereas before I was hobbling at a walk and expecting that I was going to need knee replacement in the near future. I was also a sugar addict and chocoholic pre diagnosis and a massive comfort eater but this way of eating has helped me to gain control over my eating that I have struggled with for decades, so there have been lots of positives to it. I hope that you will find some benefits to it too.

Wow that’s fantastic, you sound similar to me at the start of your journey. I got a bit obsessed with carbs today and after 3 meals had only had 22g all day, so treated myself to a slice of whole meal toast with butter…saved my day as I was going up the wall! Thankyou for the advice…I am getting a better idea of what to put in my shopping basket! Last weekend I came home with some veg, salmon and chicken and salad and no idea what to have for the rest of my meals!

 

[KazG]

Thankyou all for your comments…today was so much better, I was high (8.1) when I woke up but had scrambled egg, grilled tomato and bacon medallion for breakfast…glu went up to 9.5 1 hr later, then 7.0 at 2 hrs. Then had a keto bar for lunch (<5g carb) and the levels went to 6.5 1 hr later and 4.8 at 2hrs (the lowest I have been). Dinner was salad and chicken and I had 19g of stuffing (a tiny bit for taste) and 70g cauliflower cheese (left overs). Then I had a whole meal sandwich thin with cashew butter (I had only had 22g carbs all day so thought I’d been a bit tight on myself) Glu at 7.8 1.25 hrs later. But down to 6.9mmol/l at 2 hrs. This is the best days results so far. Small steps I know, but thank you all x

 

[Leadinglights]

Wow that’s fantastic, you sound similar to me at the start of your journey. I got a bit obsessed with carbs today and after 3 meals had only had 22g all day, so treated myself to a slice of whole meal toast with butter…saved my day as I was going up the wall! Thankyou for the advice…I am getting a better idea of what to put in my shopping basket! Last weekend I came home with some veg, salmon and chicken and salad and no idea what to have for the rest of my meals!

Please don't think that you have to have NO carbs and reducing your carbs by too much initially can give you problems with your eyes and nerves so it is better to reduce your carb intake more gradually.
I make the mistake of cutting my carbs to 70g per day and suffered issues with my eyes which too several months to settle.
You have put some good things in your shopping basket with which to build on your menu.
I often make chilli or curries which will do several meals and freeze for home made 'ready meals'.
You could add cheese, eggs and Greek yoghurt, cooked meats or tinned fish to give you some variety.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Thankyou all for your comments…today was so much better, I was high (8.1) when I woke up but had scrambled egg, grilled tomato and bacon medallion for breakfast…glu went up to 9.5 1 hr later, then 7.0 at 2 hrs. Then had a keto bar for lunch (<5g carb) and the levels went to 6.5 1 hr later and 4.8 at 2hrs (the lowest I have been). Dinner was salad and chicken and I had 19g of stuffing (a tiny bit for taste) and 70g cauliflower cheese (left overs). Then I had a whole meal sandwich thin with cashew butter (I had only had 22g carbs all day so thought I’d been a bit tight on myself) Glu at 7.8 1.25 hrs later. But down to 6.9mmol/l at 2 hrs. This is the best days results so far. Small steps I know, but thank you all x

Well done on tackling your diabetes head-on @KazG

Sounds like you have seen some encouraging results! Hopefully these will encourage you to continue looking for a balanced and flexible plan that you can sustain. It is so important to develop a way of eating that feels controlled rather than in a permanent state of deprivation. And it sounds like you are building that.

There’s no tearing hurry to get your BG levels down too quickly. Just allowing them to gently coast downwards can be easier on the nerve endings and fine blood vessels. So don’t be too concerned if some of your experiments go a little wayward. It’s all part of the process. One of the most powerful things about ‘eating to your meter’ is that you don’t have to rely on something’s reputation. You can check it for yourself, and see how your body responds. You may get some pleasant surprises, and be able to accommodate things you may not have expected. It can be very individual!

Good luck, and let us know how things go 🙂

 

[KazG]

Well done on tackling your diabetes head-on @KazG

Sounds like you have seen some encouraging results! Hopefully these will encourage you to continue looking for a balanced and flexible plan that you can sustain. It is so important to develop a way of eating that feels controlled rather than in a permanent state of deprivation. And it sounds like you are building that.

There’s no tearing hurry to get your BG levels down too quickly. Just allowing them to gently coast downwards can be easier on the nerve endings and fine blood vessels. So don’t be too concerned if some of your experiments go a little wayward. It’s all part of the process. One of the most powerful things about ‘eating to your meter’ is that you don’t have to rely on something’s reputation. You can check it for yourself, and see how your body responds. You may get some pleasant surprises, and be able to accommodate things you may not have expected. It can be very individual!

Good luck, and let us know how things go 🙂

Thank you x

 

[Dave_Z1a]

A low carb breakfast alternative I often have is a whole avocado with a little salad cream and two slices of my low carb seeded bread (2g a slice), this is a great start to the day for me as the healthy fats in the avocado and fibre in the bread keep me going for ages, sometimes skipping lunch. As others have mentioned eggs are good, often have poached eggs on toast. If we have to reduce carbs then body needs a replacement, more fat and proteins. You will make mistakes, we all do and it takes time to learn, took me about a year to the point now where I rarely test as I know off by heart what carbs are in what foods. Don't despair, you will find with subtle tweeks you can almost eat the equivalent of what non diabetics eat. Enjoy that curry, just with cauliflower rice or low carb wrap instead, go for that Chinese meal but avoid the sweet stuff, use stir fried bean sprouts instead as your 'rice'! Try experimenting, I found apples were too carby due to sugar for me but if I nave it with a lump of cheese the spike is avoided, the gat smothers the sugar it seems. If your having a meal and an item on your plate looks a bit carby, eat that last, the order in which you eat things has an effect as well. If you spike by mistake a quick bit of exercise has the figures tumbling, I have an exercise bike stashed behind the door in the lounge, quick 15 min does the trick if I have messed up!