I've been very pleased with this approach. Though I'm doing anywhere from 75-125 carbs a day, i definitely see a drastic difference in my sugar swings when I'm being really good and following the carb limitations to a T.
BUT, I also am noticing that in the last week after starting this method, my tolerance for carbs has gone down. What I used to be able to eat and control [by taking insulin] seems to be MORE out of control. Even this morning with 2 eggs with cheese, a peice of wheat toast (12g) and a half cup of whole yogurt(6g), my sugar hit 180 before coming back down, and that was only because I got ticked and bolused some more. I've been noticing this for about 3 days. A glass of 2% milk which hardly effected me at all before, will now shoot me up to 150 or even higher.
Has anyone else experienced this? Why isn't my bolus ratio working as it did before I started this diet when I could count on maybe a 140-160 high on a bad day, but often saw 130 or less? Any theories, experiences? Should I just count on needing to up my boluses if I eat carbs?
If you're switching back & forth between low carb, high carb & moderate carb, your body isn't able to adjust to a way of eating. Just my two cents, but I believe this makes it difficult to tell what's going on with your insulin needs. Also think it's hard to know in just one week because there could be many other variables at play.
Dr. B arrived at his formula through his own trial & error & also from his patients. Eating 75-125 carbs isn't a low carb plan a la Dr. Bernstein.
Dr. B stresses the importance of keeping carbs/protein/fat consistent from day to day. It's all about narrowing the variables to control the outcome.
I haven't noticed an increase in carb sensitivity, but I pretty much keep to 30-35 carbs.
Thanks for your input, Gerri. I'll definitely be tracking things as time goes by. Hopefully you are right. That there are other variables at play. Not that I'm against taking more insulin... but I do like to keep things moderate. I guess that's why I'm surprised by the weird occurence. I don't feel that I am switching much, and I've been eating the same things for about 5 days now. Oh well, I shall continue with it and see if I can't find a solution.
Keep me posted on how things go. Our lives sure don't allow for daily consistency & precision, especially with young kids. I try my best to keep meals around the same amount regarding protein & carbs so I know what to expect. Enough stuff going that we can't control, so I control what I can without becoming obsessive. Once & if you lower carbs further, it gets easier. I can't eat many carbs for breakfast without humungous insulin doses. Not worth it.
When I started with this group I was eating 150 carbs. per day. I lowered my carbs. per day by 10 carbs. per week to allow my body to adjust. My A1c then was 7.1. Now I am betweem 90 and 105 carbs. per day with an A1c of 5.8%. I have weight loss amd mainting that weight, plus, more energy to burn. I do have a problem with Carbs.pd under 60 and I think it will take me time to reach that goal. However, I have not stopped dropping amount per week, just give my body 2 weeks to adjust instead of 1 week. I think each of us has his/her own situation with lowering carbs.. Just as with Insulin it is all individual.
My weight and lower insulin doses are my goals, not my Endo's. That I am doing per scale and the number of lows are decreasing also.
I like the idea of lowering carbs by increments. I didn't mind cutting my carbs in half right off the bat, though because they were so high anyway[240average]. I am also thinking I need to better remember to apply a square bolus with each meal. I have had some good results doing that but often forget. Like this morning. 3 hours after breakfast I hit 154. I'm guessing that's NOT the carbs so much anymore.... speculation. The data collection for this method is a bit daunting, isn't it?
I'm the kind of person that picks up a book like this and starts making adjustments immediately as I read. So I'm sure as I get through the second half there will be more tips and advice that I can apply. :)
I just did it all at once. I wanted the carb cravings gone, to cut high insulin doses & to get off the roller coaster. Looking back, I can't believe how much insulin I was using before.
The funny thing about cravings is that I didn't really have cravings, but now that I've lowered my carb intake and my sugars are staying so much more level the less I eat, I have almost no craving for them. Just an occasional urge, where as before, I was eating ice cream regularly [without the spike too]. But of course, I was sacrificing my lower insulin levels.
Today, I went to Panera with a friend for coffee, and I didn't even want any thing to eat, because I knew if I did, I would spike and feel crappier. The one problem/issue I'm working on now is getting rid of a couple of lows. My overnight is getting a little scary and last night my hubby had to rouse me from my sleep because my pump was alarming like crazy and the baby [who I was holding] was crying, but I was out-of-it low[36]. Well, not too out-of-it not to argue with him that my sugar wasn't low. :P I've lowered my basal 3 times in those after midnight hours but I'm still going low. My doctor is definitely going to raise a brow over this, because he's sure that I should need MORE insulin at night because I'm not doing anything. My total basal amount is only 14.55 right now. That the smallest I've seen it in years. And my smallest dose is right there in the middle of the night. *shrug* My fingers are crossed for tonight. I've lowered the insulin to carb [or raised it? :D whichever means less insulin] ratio and when I was a bit low at dinner I didn't bolus for the carb, leaving me at about 130 for the past few hours. I will check before bed and see how it goes.
....on the other hand, I do know what it means to crave ICE CREAM! not sure I've gotten rid of that craving. :P
So easy to make low carb ice cream. You can have your ice cream & eat it, too:) I loved ice cream until I had a summer job scooping ice ceam. I ate so much every day that it lost appeal.
