After following a lot of discussions on here, it seems like everyone has only positive things to say about lower carb. I’ve been cutting back my carbs & am finding that my fairly stable basal rates are needing adjusting. I need to be taking more insulin, not less. For many years I stuck with the advised 175 g/day that was recommended, but I kept gaining weight. Now that I’ve cut that amount in half, (for the past 2 months), I’m not making any progress & moving in a worse direction. Anyone else had issues with this?
Hi Molly ;
can you send me a list of items you are eating during the day for
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
sometimes there are hidden carbs … example some proteins turn to glucose through digestion ( my BS rises when I eat chicken breast… )
Also it might be that when you are converting body fat to energy ( you are loosing weight ) your BS rises (Especially during / after sport).
I suggest to raise your Basal Rate ( if you take Lantus / or Levemir ; split your daily dose into 2 shots ( 12/12 units. )
If my BS is at 130 before bed time ; I always inject 1-2 unit fast acting insulin ; as I know that my BS rises over night…
Once you adapt to your new diet ; the body adapts as well and your BS will be more stable …
Definitely a low carb is the best choice.
Which fast acting insulin are you using ? ( Humalog / or Apidra ??)
I think low carb means different things to different people. I’m a T2 strictly on metformin, so I can only have 30 - 40 grams total per day. Even one Wasa cracker sends me into the 160’s. I’ve had good results - but then, I’m not on insulin.
hello Molly ,
Can you ad regular exercise to your dialy program ? Has thyroid level been checked lately ?
Hope you get to master this challenge .
Dear Yvonne.
You should probabbly be on a little insulin to help your pancreas stay alive. Best is both a basal slow one and a fast acting one before meals. Once it dies the disease becomes your worst nightmare the more so for type 2 as we become very insulin resistant as the BG goes out of control. then it is too late to add insulin to fix the mess as you will gain weight like crazy and become even more insulin resistant. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
PS and of course going on insulin still means a very low carb diet not a license to eat as many as you like because now you can. And as much exercise as your body can stand is always good.
Anthony ,
I just read Molly’s profile and she is a pumper , ie her protocol includes fast acting insulins only .
Just had to set the record straight …from your buddy down the road , ha, ha .
I think each person defines “low carb” differently but my endo would consider 165-210 carbs a day as “high carb”.
I am 5’ 4", weigh 141 lbs, and eat abiut 1300 calories a day.
Hi Molly,
I’m Type 1 & eat about 30-35 per day. Low carb has reduced my insulin needs & now I’m struggling to gain needed weight. As the others have mentioned, low carb is a relative term.
Have your bolus rates also increased? You just mentioned your basal. If it’s just your basal increasing, you may have developed resistance to the brand you’re using. Might be worth discussing talking with your endo about trying a different brand.
Since you’re now eating 80, a huge reduction from 175, you could try lowering it further.
If you’re eating more protein than your body requires, this can result in weight gain. 50-58% of protein does turn to glucose. Since protein (& fat) digest more slowly than carbs, you may see BG rises when your rapid acting is gone. This could be interpreted as needing more basal, when it really requires different timing of your basal. Yea, never easy, right?
Yes. Probably it is too little too late in going low carb I am in the same boat. I dont think I ever ate as much as 175 g but surely 100 g.
I have no idea what to do anymore. May be a very strict Atkinks like at most 30 grams.
From everything I’ve read, it’s never too late to go low carb.
Yes it is still good to stay alive a bit longer but does not seem to reduce insulin resistance. In desperation trying 2000 mg of metformin but it makes me so tired that I cannot sit a watch TV less even strenouous exercise.
Way down the road 1000 km to reach the sister in law home on the island. Really enjoyed the steelhead fishing had one bite in 5 days but missed the fish. Fishing much better in Calgary city limits went to the Bow and caught 2 nice browns in one hour.
Hi Molly,
Fat and protein cause blood sugar increases. A CDE informed me that 4 oz of protein is equivalent to 15 g carbs, which can be administered via zero or combo bolus over 3-4 hours on your pump (It’s called combo on my Cozmo). After experimenting with a zero-to-no carb diet, I’ve found that my blood sugar is controlled easier with some carbs. I eat about 35-45 g per meal as opposed to the 10-25 I was eating a few months ago. My metabolism plateaued from eating that way, I had little energy and my cognition skills were lacking. I’ve come to believe that different bodies have different needs. Thanks for the topic.
Aliya
I’m sorry, Anthony. Know how horribly frustrating this is for you. Losing weight usually helps resistance & low carb does deliver this.
One of the members posted a link about this. Sorry, I don’t have the source to quote because I just cut & pasted the info I wanted to save.
"This is how you can ‘guesstimate’ how much of the protein-food you eat will become sugar: in every ounce (by weight) of protein-food, there are about 6 grams of actual protein. Of that 6 grams, about 58% can become carbohydrate. This means that of every ounce of protein food you eat, your liver can create about 3.5 grams of sugar. This is THE major source of Hidden Carbohydrates.
Additionally, remember that dietary protein is not the only source of amino acids. I explained previously that the blood contains amino acids at all times, and that fasting does not reduce the amount of them. Recall also that all tissues are breaking down and building up constantly. This means that even if you were to eat no protein at all, amino acids would nevertheless be present because of the breaking down of your tissues, and the liver would be able to convert those amino acids into sugar."
Thanks Anthony, I appreciate the advice. I’m beginning to wonder about insulin. I have a diabetes ed class next weekend, and will have a new primary care physician in 2 weeks. I’ll lobby for a referral to an endo after that. My soon to be ex-doctor didn’t run any blood work to see what was going on and I’ve been playing it by ear. Well, actually I’ve had a whole lot of help from you guys at tudiabetes.
Gerri well said " never too late to go low carb" and this includes people and our pets NOT living with diabetes …if only …at least cut out the simple sugars, refined carbs mixed with high fat content. And exercise , if you can , please do …I notice not too much mentioned in these discussions about carbs and movement , but I want to stress my pet peeve…we are lacking movement .I promise it will bring down your BG .
So true, Nel. People are too sedentary. Doesn’t have to be a huge workout as long as we keep moving & challenging our bodies.
(My dogs & cats eat completely grain free food.)
My husband lost 30 lbs (not a PWD) without even trying by changing his diet when I was diagnosed. He still eats things I no longer do & has kept the weight off for a year.
Low carb does not work for me. I know it works wonders for some, I am not one of them.I am a T1 and pretty insulin sensitve. My body works best between 130-200 carbs/day.
Thankfully my endos office is not a one size/one plan fits all place. They really try and tune each persons plan to them and their body.
I have tried eating less carbs - but even with the results of a better A1C and 5 lb weight loss (I need to lose 20 lbs - it’s so hard!) - it was discovered that I had protein in my urine a few weeks ago - and I freaked out at this. I told my endo that I was cutting down on carbs and increasing proteins based on recommendations by a poster at Diabetes1 - along with Dr. Bernsteins book (I looked at it online - like reading the bible - too much for me to take in to be honest with you all). It may work for some people - but for me - my endo said to go back to regular eating - and I can’t wait to see the results of my next urine test (in 6 months - sigh - wish it could be sooner). What didn’t help was that I wasn’t taking my ACE inhibitor religiously - which I was supposed to take to help the kidneys not have any probs in future (don’t have high blood pressure). All I know after 42 years of having diabetes - I am abit scared.