Just want to add that my protein levels are now in the middle of range and when low carbing I was always low in protein.
@Marilyn6, I was diagnosed with insulin resistance (IR) in 1998. Many T1Dās have been diagnosed with IR. I had gained weight after switching from animal to synthetic insulin. That was the beginning of my IR. I used Metformin and lost the extra weight, but I will always have IR to some degree. If I ate a higher carb diet than the 130 carbs I am following now, I would gain weight again. I am healthy with a lower carb diet. I am no longer using Metformin.
Richard, this way of eating is specifically designed to make the body more sensitive to insulin which certainly worked for me. Fat is limited to 10 to 15% of the diet. I lost 10 lbs when switching from low carb to low fat plant based.
So glad you were able to get off of metformin!
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WOW! Great job!
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hi Richard - I want you to know I read your story last week and it stuck with me - I thought, just because I have always done it one way (25 years), doesnāt mean there isnāt time to change. As of 10 days ago Iāve gone from a daily average of 190 g/day to 130g/day. Thanks for the inspiration to try limiting carbs, the most significant driver of blood glucose fluctuation. Using a new Medtronic 630G pump and CGM to help transition well. Thanks!! Hope to see improved HBA1Cs next time. (7.5 now) Aidan
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@ArcherAidan, I took my time reducing my daily carb count to 130. It had to be done gradually. I also avoid some foods that cause a quick rise in my BG.
I am also using the Medtronic 630G pump, but I liked the Revel pump better (Medtronic 523).
Kudos Richard157 on maintaining excellent long term control!
Iām judicious about the carbs I eat. I back into a carb āallotmentā if you will based on what my Total Daily Dose of insulin should be for a person my weight.
I have my basal settings divided into 3 day parts based on inuslin resistance and activity which totals 50% of my TDD, currently my TDD is 72u so my 24 hour basal regimen is 36u total.
The remaining 50% of my TDD is for carb coverage. My carb ratio in the morning when I am more resistant is 1:3 and the remainder of the day is 1:5.
Breakfast: 12u x 3g carbs = 36g carbs
Lunch: 12u x 5g carbs = 60g carbs
Dinner: 12u x 5g carbs = 60g carbs
Total Daily Carb Allowance = 156g
I donāt necessarily eat 156g of carbs per day, generally I average 110-120g daily. I rarely eat 60g carb at a meal but might have 30-40g carb meal and a 20g carb snack a few hours later to keep things on an even keel. I always aim to have protein alongside my carbs which helps flatten the BG rises for me, avoid anything with sugar and foods that rapidly spike BG.
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Iāve never seen anyone use this method before but it makes sense. I have a few questions, if you donāt mind.
Does your daily consumption of about 110-120 grams of carbs per day represent a reduction of a former way of eating? Are you happy with the blood sugar control this enables? Do you use a continuous glucose monitor? What are your typical waking blood sugar and your post meal blood glucose level?
I think your tactic of deliberately mixing protein with your carbs so that you moderate blood sugar swings is a good one. It sounds like youāve tamed your diabetes beast!
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Iām a nerd at heart!
Yes, prior to going on MDI therapy 3 years ago I was on metformin which ceased to be effective and I was probably consuming 200g+ a day in carbs. Honestly I am not even sure since I didnāt track what I ate.
Insulin therapy is a whole other adventure which IMHO required much more attention to detail so thatās when I got serious with what I ate, how I dosed, and became more outcome oriented. I needed a way to be both flexible AND consistent. I have a Dexcom G6 which Iāve used for 5 months now and transitioned to a pump in January.
My last A1C in January was 5.6%, in October it was 5.9%. My morning fasting numbers are 95-100 with no overnight lows below 70, mostly it bottoms out around 80. Two hours post meal average 110-120 and three hours post meal average 90-100 consistently. This is my last two weeks Dexcom Clarity report (range is 80-180)ā¦
And t:connect reportā¦
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Itās a never ending battle against the beast. Iām a long way from the 12.8% A1C in 2015 and I aim to stay that way.
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does that amount of insulin include your basal or is that bolus?
It is both bolus and basal.