A few questions for those who have found success (better numbers and weight loss) by following a low carb diet:
1. what types of meals do you eat (ie: sample breakfast, lunch and dinner)?
2. do you count things like lettuce and green/non starchy veggies?
3. for those who pump, how do you dose for protein and fat using the
extended bolus feature?
It's always hard to know what people mean when they say "low carb diet." For some people that is low a la Bernstein (30 per day) for others it is some number under 100. So I can only answer for my own experience. My carbs very from in the 30s, to more typically in the 60s and sometimes a bit higher. I am a vegetarian so my meals will be different from an omnivore and, I believe harder to keep low. I'm also a foodie, love to cook and love variety. I also have other dietary restrictions from acid reflux. So it's a juggling act. My breakfasts and lunches are more predictable. I most often during the week eat for breakfast: huevos mexicanos - eggs scrambled with chiles, onions and tomatoes and vegie sausage. On the weekends I treat myself with vegetarian eggs benedict on one piece of double fiber muffin (18 carbs) or good bread and eggs (approx 25 carbs) or omelet and fried potato (24 carbs). My lunches rotate between salad, fruit and yogurt and a piece of fruit with cheese. Obviously the ingredients can vary with all these. My dinners are hard to describe because they are very varied. But yummy is required!
Yes, I definitely count non starchy vegies. I use a list that says to use 1 cup cooked vegies as 10 carbs and 1 cup raw as 5. That works for me.
No, I don't dose for protein and fat. My understanding is that is required only for the very low carb (30). Some people on here do dose for protein and fat and swear by it though. My belief is that if you find your I:C ratios by trial and error that they take into account your usual protein and fat consumption. The only allowance I do make is that if I am eating something both high carb and high fat like pasta or pizza I will over-bolus a bit and do an extended bolus. Sometimes it works, often it doesn't.
Breakfast: 1 fried egg, two slices of bacon
Lunch: Salad (1 cup) garnished with jalapeno, boiled egg, protein and Marie's Bleu Cheese
Dinner: Marinated, grilled salmon
I count greens e.g. lettuce = 2 gr of carbs and adjust for protein (60% of mass) and fats (10%).
Spark Recipes is a wonderful source of low carb recipes - my wife and I have focused more on spicy food and don't really miss the carbs all that much.
I'm not just LC, I'm LCHF. I may be making it over simple, but I eat no where as much as I used to. My hunger has kind of subsided since I've become keto-adapted. Honestly, I may snack on a few almonds and coconut oil in the morning. Maybe a little cheese throughout the day. For dinner, usually some minimal protein usually cooked in a good fat, with some sort of green vegetables. I've found that if you keep the protein amount to a proper portion size, bolus isn't needed. When I over do the protein, it shows in my numbers the next day. The only time I need the extended bolus is when I would have "cheated" and eaten too many carbs and fat together. Like standard pizza. And there, not worth the cheat, as it messes up my numbers for days until it passes through my system. I take everything I eat and drink into consideration. Things didn't start improving greatly with LC until I added the HF component. I feel better. My numbers are super stable and predictable. I can do crazy endurance activities and not worry about lows. My A1C is steady under 6%. My cholesterol is super (improved since LCHF). And a random bunch of small improvements all around have happened since I have maintained this lifestyle. I've lost about 35 pounds since January. And that is something I was never able to accomplish before, even with LC. I stay under 30 carbs a day. I count my greens and don't believe in "net carbs". Being that I use much less insulin now, going low is very unlikely to happen. If I head that way, since I'm on a pump, I can just suspend. And I don't have to eat my way out of it. It is going to come back up before too long. Hey look, a free Keto book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J4UEK1M/ref=pe_385040_117923520_TE_M1T1DP
I'm t2 on pills and Lantus slow release insulin once a day.
Typical breakfast for me is 2 eggs, some cheese grated on top, and if my bg is under 5.0 in the morning I will have a small 15 gram of carbs bagel. I had no idea there were such tiny bagels that I could have! I have some almond or else regular 1% milk, then tea with milk. Sometimes instead of eggs I will have some cottage cheese mixed with canned tuna or some sugar free yogurt with fresh berries.
Lunch is often a big salad with low fat dressing or else some baby carrots with hummus.
Supper is often bbq chicken or garlic sausage or fish, rarely do we have beef, with salad. Sugar free Jello for dessert.
I recently discovered unsweetened almond milk with very low calories, almost no carbs and no added sugar, I quite like it.
I find your post interesting. Everyone has different "low carb" diets, but I think one of the fundamental struggles going on any version of the diet is coming to terms with dietary fat. We have had so much drilled into our heads that fat is bad we carry that burden around like a monkey on our back. Why choose 1% milk? Whole milk is only 3% fat and in many cases 1% or nonfat milk contains more carbs than whole milk. And the same carries over to the vast majority of low or non fat products, they typically add carbs as a way of making up for lowered fat. And in the end, unless you want to have a diet with ongoing calorie restriction you need to make up for calories lost in reduced carbs through added fat, you just can't eat that much protein. I think that kicking that dietary fat monkey off our back is important learning to accept good dietary fats as being good for you is a key to long-term success.
Yay about someone recognizing that fats can be good (the right fats anyhow). And for those worried about calories with fat, fats are metabolized differently in those eating a lower carb diet. A good resource watch from Gary Taubes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l59YyXpCT1M
And from Dr. Bernstein: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyOI9bk3VZc