Hey guys this may seem like a stupid question. I really need help with carb counting. Someone please help… 
Do you have a specific question, Jazz? Carb counting seems like a lot of hassle at first, but after awhile you get to know the carbs in the foods you usually eat. You can get a book listing carbs or use a website like calorieking.com which lists regular foods as well as specific restaurant foods. If you haven’t done so already you need to experiment to find out your insulin:carb ratio so you know how many carbs you can cover with a unit of insulin. You might want to start at 1:15 (one unit of insulin for every 15 carbs). So if you are eating 30 carbs you need 2 units, etc. Then go up or down from that. If you are low, then you can try say 1:17. If you are high, you might want to try going down to 1:12. You might have a different I:C ratio for different meals. I’m LADA as well and my ratios are currently 1:7, 1:9 and 1:18, but they sometimes change a small amount.
Ok thanks Zoe! You actually answered my question. I just didn’t know how to go about it. So i guess it’s an experimental thing for each person. You’re right it is a little of trouble. Thanks for your help.
I am still trying to figure this out. Once I think I have the counting down, it blows up on me. You just need to do the best you can. Might help if you pick up CalorieKing, It does give a good start for you. Take care Jazz Just remember that carbs affect different people…differently. Just take some time, and lot’s of testing to see what works for you.
Jazz,
For starters, go on-line www.carbohydrate-counter.org/ to check the carbs in different foods. Calorie King is great also. Get a scale. EatSmart is a wonderful scale. I love it!
Food labels on prepared foods lists the carb per serving, but labels can be inaccurate.
Carb counting quickly becomes habit. We have lists on the wall of different foods that we weigh to figure out carbs. We do a lot of label reading. Because of my child’s age, carb to insulin ratios tend to change over time but establishin what works for you is pretty basic. Usually your eduator can put you at a good starting point or try reading John Walsh’s Using Insulin as a help. Good luck! You will be fine.
Good, I’m glad it helped! I was overwhelmed too when I first started to figure it out. That was about a year ago and now eating at home is pretty easy. I even have carb counts on the pages of recipes I like so next time I use the recipe it will already be done. (I add up all the ingredients and then divide by the servings). Eating out is harder…sigh.
Don’'t hesitate to ask questions; there’s lots of great experience here on this board!
Just to add to what Mark said, many items give serving size, like say 3/4 cup of cereal. They also give grams. Since food settles when it ships, the best way to measure carbs in items like that is through weighing.