Protein effects BG so even zero carbs will do it. I wonder if you’d do better on Regular since you have problems with rapid acting. Regular is a higher dose, but for some people it helps. Everyone’s on rapid acting, so I think docs tend to forget about some of the advantages of Regular. You’d still need Apidra to correct highs.
I’m hugely carb sensitive & take pretty large doses for someone my size (weigh 102 lbs.). Low carb is the only way I’ve found to keep BG & doses in line.
Happy to answer any questions about low carb. It’s not low fat or low calorie. You can’t eat low carb/low calorie successfully. You’ll starve. Promise you that low carb does shed pounds.
Hi Jewels. I recently realized that I was slowly gaining weight and that I had never lost the last 10 pounds of my “baby weight” from my last pregnancy 5 years ago, so I tried “the usual” ways of loosing weight. I ate less and exercised more. But, I didn’t loose a single pound. In fact, I kept gaining weight very gradually. I thought maybe it was my age (I’m 42). Then, I found this site (TuDiabetes) and read some of the old discussions on this issue and I realized what was happening. I had not made any real adjustments to my insulin. I was still averaging about 35 units (basal + bolus combined) per day. I was having more lows, from the diet and exercise adjustments I had made, and treating I was treating them with extra sugar in one form or another, plus, I had to eat more carbs between meals to cover my extra exercise. If you do that, you won’t loose weight. I figured out that the key is to focus on reducing the amount of insulin you use (but not at the expense of good BG control). I gradually started to reduce the amount of carbs I ate per meal, but not drastically. I still eat carbs, but about half of my old 45g/meal, for a total of <100g/day. I can’t give up stuff like fruit. In place of the carbs I used to eat, I do eat more protein and veggies. I also started to reduce the meal bolus by 1 unit and replace that with exercise – a 3mile run in the morning, a very brisk, 20min mid-afternoon walk, and yoga in the evenings. I’m exercising about 90-120 minutes a day instead of my old 30 minutes/day. My sugars were going too low at first, but I gradually reduced my basal rates too and then things leveled out really well. This approach also helped a lot with my wild daily BG swings. Bernstein’s theory of low numbers makes sense, but I don’t think it’s really necessary to take it to the low-carb extreme. I’m a vegetarian and ex-marathon runner trying to raise 2 little vegetarian kids and I just couldn’t see how an ultra-low carb diet would work for me. The ideas behind the Walsh Ex-Carb approach that JohnG mentioned are working much better for me. I wanted to loose 15 pounds and I’ve lost 10 so far (in 6 weeks since I started this new approach). I feel great. Never hungry, lots of energy. My daily insulin dose right now is about 20 units (at least, until I got this cold, but it’s on it’s way out).
if you eat only 40g of carbs a day, it won’t help you lose weight. your body goes into ‘shock’ and thinks you are going into a famine and will store it all. its about balancing exercise and food. if you eat too little for how much you are exercising, you won’t have enough energy to exercise properly. it not about dieting; its about a lifestyle. if you are looking at trying out a low carb diet, make sure you keep your protien up. protien helps carbs to last longer and will help prevent hypos during the night. Also, to ensure y are losing weight efficently, you need to keep your bg in an ideal range. too low means you need to eat to keep your bg up, while too high means there is excess sugar in the blood, and your body will try and store it.
I managed to lose 100lbs (gained back 40lbs over 3 years) by sticking to a low carb diet of 10-15carbs per meal and 1 hour of exercise 4 times a week and light weight lifting on the off days. I would recommend talking to your endo first to let them know your concerns, and also you will be calling in often as your basal rate will need to be decreased
My dad, (non-diabetic), ate bacon and eggs every night for his tea. (That’s English for dinner.) He also ate meat for lunch, drank full fat milk and ate butter. He’s now 94 and in great health in a nursing home. He grew up on a dairy farm in the era when fat wasn’t the enemy. I think if ALL you ate was protein it might cause some problems but having one meal of protein and eating plenty of vegetables for lunch and dinner is fine. I have a big salad for lunch, consisting of green vegetables, nuts, a small amount of fruit (blueberries or half an apple) and raw sprouted lentils. I find that raw lentils don’t raise my blood sugar by much and they fill me up and are tasty.
My grandmother, who lived to be a healthy, vibrant 93, ate the same way. She drank a glass of buttermilk every night before bed. She also ate lots of vegetables with three veggies at every meal, except breakfast.
Thanks so much for all the information, advice and sharing your story. I’m taking ALOT of insulin. I am what they consider insulin resistant on top of it all. So it’s frustrating. I’m on I think six basal rates throughout the day. I take approximately 39 units basal per day.
I’ll have to check out the Walsh ex-carb info.
It is sooo nice to have all this support. They keep suggesting I see the nutritionist but it’s the same ole same ole. 45 -60 grams carbs per meal, blah blah blah, yet to cut carbs to 35 or 45 a day just seems too drastic for me.
Thanks so much again for all the information and support. It gives me a place to start.
LOL, I couldn’t help but laugh at your advice to not test on days when you exercise, are stressed, sick or hormonal.
I seem to be one of those things about every day. LOL
Especially the stress and hormonal thing.
I’m just feelign so blessed to have discovered this site and all the folks here.
Thanks so much again,
It’s nice to feel less alone and alot less defeated.
Love to all,
I hear a lot of people praising low-carb diets for helping to control BS levels and insulin intake, and I do agree that it can be helpful if done right, but if you try that route, be cautious. Listen to how your body reacts because it knows better than your mind in regards to what it needs. The fact is, the body needs carbs. They are actually the only calories/energy that fuel the brain to allow it to function properly. By all means, reduce your daily carb intake, but do it slowly and pay close attention to how your body reacts. Fast and drastic changes can shock your system and it’s harder to stay on top of the changing insulin needs to your body if you change too much too quickly. Any reduction in carbs will most likely be helpful in your goal to trim down, but if you begin to feel irritable or cloudy-minded, you may need to reassess your intake because your brain is starting to lack the energy it needs.
About 58% of protein turns to glucose, but at a slower rate than carbs, of course. A small percentage of fat also eventually turns to glucose. As cells in the body break down (a constant occurrence), additional glucose enters the blood stream. Not that’s advisable or healthy, but the body could survive solely on protein & zero ingested carbs with no ill effects to the brain.
Hey Educated,
I have a Weight Watchers program at my work, and it has worked SUPER well for me. I think the regular rules for weight loss (like for non-diabetic people) still apply, but the reduction of total insulin is huge for us. What really needs to happen is a good management of your ratios and total insulin at your normal calorie-consumption, then you can start making those reductions everyone is talking about. Like they say, your bolus amounts will reduce, but then your basal amount should be reduced to match (50/50%). Also, the less carb you have to treat in your diet, the more sensitive your cells become to the insulin (the lab I work for studies this). So carb reductions can make the insulin you do take even more effective.
I find this information really interesting, and its great to hear suggestions and success stories. Thank you for this post!
So, if I cut down on my carb intake, the insulin I take will work better?
Also what is this 50/50 % you mentioned. I’m not aware of this.
Weight watchers is a good plan?
Loving all this information and help.
Gerrri,
I’ve noticed that when I have pro. shake (11 carbs) or a snack of cheese cubes, my bg’s go up a while after eating. Do you know the time factor it takes for a body to break down protein? Trying to figure out a good setting for my pump to keep bg’s more even.
I’m in the same situation as most of you on this discussion. Trying to lose weight, balancing insulin, food, exercise, etc…a lot of work for us! I am on the pump and thankfully it stores a lot of information in that little guy. I use between 30 and 40 units of Humalog a day and my basal/bolus ratio is around 60%/40%. I have always been told that my total basal should about equal my total boluses for the day, but I have no idea why? Why is this so important? Why does it have to be 50/50? What is so bad about not needing to bolus so much? I eat around 100 carbs per day, as I am trying to lose weight (I’ve lost 10 lbs in the past 2 months!!!) and I am not hungry or tired or anything. I eat salads, lots of veggies, fruit, milk, nuts, etc. I feel like I am getting everything I need. But I am afraid that my endo is going to tell me to eat more so my basal/bolus ratio is more equal.
