Hi Everyone, how many carbs do you eat per day? I eat under 90 carbs a day (and 90 is a very high day) -- I usually average more like 45-60.
I am needing to lose a significant amount of weight (125 pounds to be my ideal weight)
Just curious what type of carb intake everyone else follows, especially in losing weight. Thanks!
When I was misdiagnosed as a T2, and on only metformin and lantus after DKA and BG of close to 500 ER visit/admission,I found through frequent testing that I could not eat more than about 10-15 grams of carbs per meal with out hitting 250-300 even though my personal goal was to stay under 140 post meals. I was called a T2 simply because I was older- as in 60 at dx.
Would have gone through the pain of drugs that don't work and diets/carb intakes that don't help as well as clinicians who doubted if I was following orders etc, if I had not come here and found the list of tests I needed to get an accurate diagnosis.
With that I'm now on basal/bolus via a pump after having good numbers with multiple daily injections(MDI).
Prior to my dx the only way I could lose weight was to weigh all my foods/meals and log them. Measuring- cups/tsp/TBS did not work as well as a gram scale.
What I have found in my travels and attempts at weight loss after my dx is that you need to find a carb level that does not cause BG spikes. If you're truly a T2 then working on reducing insulin resistance is important as well. Metformin, cardio and strength training can be huge in helping with insulin resistance as well as the liver dumps that can drive your BGs up.
I know as a T1 that the more active I am the lower my insulin requirements, and this applies to T2 as well. It may not play out the same for you but you need to test for carbs/time of day/portion size as well as activity levels cardio/strength training. All factor into how things will play out for you.
I have been wondering if I am truly a type 2 as well. How do you know?
Have you had c-peptide testing as well as the full autoantibody panel?
GADA, ICA,IA2A,IAA, and ZnT8. If your doc only orders.the most common GADA then it can be missed.
I was borderline low C-peptide, GADA negative but ICA throughout the roof. Also in DKA at presentation with a BG near 500, and extremely insulin sensitive in the ER as well as normal weight and physically active and eating a healthy diet. T2s are insulin resistant with elevated C-peptide, not insulin sensitive. It took some arm twisting with my PCP, as in my coming in with the list and demanding the full workup, but it was worth the effort since it got me on the proper treatment within 2 months of my initial admission.
My PCP said that they had never seen an adult onset T1 but one wonders if they would recognize one when it walked in if they did not know what testing to order.
2hobbit1 wrote: It took some arm twisting with my PCP, as in my coming in with the list and demanding the full workup, but it was worth the effort since it got me on the proper treatment within 2 months of my initial admission.
How did you manage to convince your PCP? Neither my PCP nor my endo will run the tests. Both say they do not run those tests. Since I already have three AI diseases, I would like to have the tests run to reassure myself, and not just go by my age (44) as a Type 2 diabetic.
Thanks,
Kate
Never more than 20 carbs a day. It's hard to do that, not because I crave carbs, but because there are hidden carbs in lots of things. Some people don't count the carbs in lettuce, for example. If you're diabetic, you can't just ignore some carbs and count others.
I went in with articles on LADA, the list of tests and discussed how my presentation fit with my sudden onset, DKA, unexplained weight loss, polyuria, polydipsia, visual changes and my insulin sensitivity in the ER. Not to mention I was fit, active and had a normal BMI. Was able to get the c-peptide first and when it was low rather than high as a T2 would be was then able to get the rest of the panel. Was prepared to pay out of pocket if needed. It makes a huge difference on what insurance will cover if you have the T1/LADA, dx vs a T2.
Maybe you can get the c-peptide and go from there. If you are a t2 you are making lots of insulin so it should be high, if your a T1/LADA, you are not able to make normal amounts so if LADA, may be extreme low end of normal, and full T1 then will be below normal range.
I had a very difficult time getting tests. After repeated requests I was granted a c-peptide, but it was inconclusive. I had high fasting blood sugars (140-160 mg/dl) but my c-peptide was in the "normal range." I never convinced my PCP(s) to give me the antibody tests (one actually admitted to me she didn't know how to interpret the result) and then finally had success with my second endo who "granted" me the GAD test which was negative. I was finally given a fully antibody panel by my current endo about four years after first asking for the tests.
Personally, I consider it good practice to give every newly diagnosed patient a full body of antibody and c-peptide tests. Unfortunately c-peptide alone isn't useful. My last c-peptide came in at 0.4 ng/dl, I seem to have a continued decline in beta cell function despite my best efforts at control.
In the end, a diagnosis of T2 simply means you have "diabetes of unknown type." Diabetes is a complex and multispectrum condition. In the end, having a specific label may be useful but what is more important is really getting the right treatment. So for three years I've been using insulin despite several (actually most) of my doctors who didn't want me to use insulin.
I'm trying to figure out if most of the low carb posts on TuD are referring to total carbs, or carb counts after subtracting fibre? Those of you who do just 20 or 30 grams a day - is that inclusive of or excluding fibre? I was assuming it's total carbs but wondering if I'm wrong...
The hidden carbs you have to watch out for are those in processed foods, not the ones in lettuce and cucumber! If you eat nutritious, whole foods, and all your carbs are from non-starchy vegetables, you don't even have to give it any thought.