My 14 year old son was diagnosed a year ago. We were told that there is no reason to limit carbs but to make sure to count them and give the correct amount of insulin for the carbs. Of course, certain foods will cause his numbers to go up more than others.. but he is a 14 year old growing boy and eats a ton of carbs. His a1c was 7.2 and he is not on the pump (doesn't want to be attached to anything).. I've had lots of people make comments about not eating sugar, etc.. but I think there is a lot of confusion as to what type 1 kids can and cannot do. I tell my son, he can do anything and eat anything (within reason) as long as he tests and takes his insulin. He takes at least 6 shots a day in addition to his lantus. And that's working for him.. I agree that people need to do what works best for them (or their kids) and let others do what works for them. The people I am concerned about are the really depressed people who have seemed to give up on trying.. my heart goes out to them and I pray they get help and start taking better care of themselves..
Thankyou, I totally agree,
The low carb diabetes police appear everywhere on diabetes forums and are very 'loud'. I'm so glad this wasn't the case when I first sought help six years ago. Then other people with diabetes taught me that becoming type 1 wasn't the end of the world, either from a dietary perspective or in what I could do.
It seems that those of us who wish to control our diabetes without low carbing are being demonised along with the carbs.
This is from my post on the starvation thread. I'm mentioning a recent backpacking holiday which I wrote about on my blog and the reaction it had caused.
Horror of horror though, my blog report of my trip caused consternation to one low carb enthusiast. He poured scorn on me when I wrote that I'd eaten a thin slice of a chocolate gateau after dinner! (and a French portion size is not large)
Like Joe I think life is for living, I'll climb those mountains in spite of being a grandmother, and then I have no reason to decline a slice of chocolate cake. (or the crepes that served for breakfast on another day)
Funnily enough the original member of the diabetes police that mocked this didn't include the glucose level!
Snap mentioning it caused the same sort of mocking here from the low carb police
. Why is it the mere mention of cake brings out such anger? Funnily enough being a very rich dark chocolate patisserie I doubt it had that many carbs anyhow.... I think I estimated 15g.
More importantly, why is it fine for one person to tell everyone to reduce the number of carbs they eat to a minimum but not OK to reply that they actually need to eat more in order to fuel an active lifestyle?
Following posts on the thread and elsewhere turn everything on it's head. PWD who have active lifestyle are being active just so they can eat more Whilst I wholeheartedly feel exercise is important for everyone that's absolutely ridiculous
Personally, I've hill climbed, orienteered, and run all my adult life. Of course I don't climb mountains everyday but I do something. I didn't take these activities up when I developed T1 in my 50s though I admit I ran a marathon afterwards to prove that diabetes wouldn't stop me. My quality of life is better because I can do these things and diabetes hasn't stopped me
Right there with you especially from he low carb perspective. Havenât been over 7 A1C ever and eat what I want, when I want in reason just cover with insulin for the carbs. Especially during the holidays Iâm around 250-300 and my new CGM says I havenât spiked above 150 so point, set and match.
good points. i would only add that a few people come off wrongly but are probably sweethearts and donât intend to be presumptuous. A good rule of thumb is not to get offended. Let them have their judgments. Who cares? One can disagree calmly and gently. Itâs a choice, you know.
I am a bad diabetic btw. I should know better. I have periods when I do better and some worse. One new challenge is junk food. I went years without it and then somehow slipped. I was a really good vegan for years and 80% of my calories were carbs. Imagine how unpopular I was with that. Oddly I did really well with it, better than now. I am just tired and worn out. I do not suffer from a lack of info. Talking and doing are two different things.
I have been renovating a kitchen for two years and do not have a place to properly prepare or cook food. So this is a disaster. I know many of us get demoralized. And then there are those with the answer to it and everything else too. Happy here to just keep head above water and deal with many complications from eye to heart.
I figure that the super low carb people just count there carbs differently than a moderate carb person like myself. And I wonder WHERE they are getting their supuer accurate carb numbers from? Carb numbers on packages are usually wrong ang exaggerated by marketing.
Even GOV. Created charts are at best an estimate. And we all experience different results due to different digestive systems and varying types and quantity of foods. Diabetes management is a huge guessing game. Educated guessing for many of us.
I also believe that most super low carb people are T2.
I am a T1 (using an insulin pump) and I moderate carbs to keep my insulin needs low.
A T2 not using extraneous insulin is fighting a completely different animal.
Besides everyone is different. So all we can do is take in all the advice and learn what works for us.
There will always be opininated types who will be somewhat over zealous with their doctrine.
For better or worse we must live with these people. That doesnât mean we need to believe them. Or follow their advice.
BUT I must credit one such fanatic for endind my 18 month DENIAL phase when I was diagnosed in my mid 20s in 1980. She was an old battle axe of a nurse at the hospital I was being tested at.
I and the other 15 diabetics were offered a snack of OJ and cookies .
I picked a cookie and she shouted. âYOU CANâT EAT THAT!â
I DECIDED right then that I had to LIVE MY LIFE âŚmy way.
And be tolerant of the fanatics.
Unfortunately in the last few years our tolerance is being pushed to new extremes on numerous fronts.
I see the anti low carb police are out. That is a joke.
Yes I agree that low carb works well for T2, since I am T2 I donât speak for T1âs
I don/t do KEto,although i did test once and I was in nutritional ketosis, I just have eaten to my meter and count carbs. Dx 10 years ago with an A1c of 12, the last 8 years low carb diet and exercise only. A1c under 6.0
The numbers are what really matter not exactly how you get there.
There are two things that. Irritate me about your post.
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How can we count carbs when maybe the carb count on packages are inflated? Rule number 1 for T2âs donât by prepackaged food.
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I do eat the way. I want, low carb because that works for my body and the food I prepare taste really good. I enjoy life,
And as noted my A1c has be 6.0 or less for the last 8 years. Now age 73.
That is what really works for me.
My estimated daily carb intake is 30 to 50. Based on how physically active I am that day. An when my meter reads less than 70 or so
.
Hi Tom:
Like you am low carb but donât do Keto either and eat, dose and exercise to my CGM and that is what works for me. I do have a Keto meter too and do check my keytones once every week to 2 weeks just out of curiosity and am always amazed that they range between 1.5 mmol and 4.0 mmol so I must tend toward naturally higher fat foods.
My daily carb intake is almost identical to yours as well as my A1Câs. The only difference is our age as I will soon be a young 71 year old. I donât fit into either Type 1 or Type 2, am insulin dependent and totally baffle Joslin as they do not have others with my overall symptoms.
Being High Carb and able to keep in good control is wonderful and although not jealous of those individuals I always read their posts to try to diversify my food selections and have learned a lot from that group beyond those type Aâs that keep posting the same drivel adnauseum and just love to see their posts, think every post is addressed to them and always compelled to get in the last word. The ignore option for those few people is a huge time saver.
Times are changing. I just came back from my endo visit and at the end of the visit asked what my A1C was and doc said âOh, let me checkâ and it was 5.6. When I noted that A1C was what she previously looked at first, she said that the Dexcom Clarity reports are so much more granular that A1C is no longer really an important measure. AGP TIR by individual bracket is what it is all about now and that makes a lot of sense.
With an I:C of between 1:2 to 1:3 I have not been able to increase the number of daily carbs but would love to so really donât mind hearing from those that have a similar I:C and can do that.
There are 2 types of people in the world. Those like you and I that see a problem and spend our time efficiently finding and implementing solutions that work. Then there are the other types who are more interested in finding someone or something to blame for their problems and I believe most (not all) of the anti low carb police are in that group. I also think that the Low Carb group only appears a lot more vocal because there are far more successfully controlled diabetics on Low Carb than on High Carb Diets.
Sorry I was not clear but many carb numbers on packaging are lower than the reality not higher.
Any way if pay attention to what you eat and your meter you will soon learn that not all carbs are created equal or documented correctly for everyone.
But I agree that avoiding packaged food is the best way to eat. NOT just for diabetics but for everyone.
I also believe that carbs are mainly responsible for most of the blood glucose control problems that cause many diabetics to have poor control. But we should never assume that only the carbs can raise the glucose numbers.
Also as we age we appear to need less food than our younger selves. So at our age 30 carbs a day may be sufficient for some . I am in the 60- 70 a day but that is coming largely from vegetable sources
I am not against low carb. The whole North American population could benefit from eating less carbs.
I donât understand why any of my comments cause you any concern? They were all general and not directed at anyone specific.
Fascinating how old threads come back to life. 2010! But the low-carb discussion is always with us I guess.
Two reactions from me:
- For my part, I usually keep carbs to 50-70 per day but itâs not a matter of religion, I just go by the good old âThe less insulin I have to take, the easier it is to manageâ philosophy. I hate having to do corrections, especially at night, because itâs so hard to get a nice flat landing and not have Dexcom yanking my chain with a low alert at 3am. But thatâs just me. Which leads to my second reactionâŚ
- YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV YDMV
This is why Iâve been avoiding diabetes support forums, and just stick to reading articles online or talk to my dietitian. I felt like people were making fun of me for being picky on one community, so left it.
There will always be bullies in life and individuals that feel self important and compelled to give you their advice or try to convince you that they are âbetterâ than you.
Rather than lose a potential goldmine of information that can improve your life and well being, you have the very thoughtful option on this site to ignore those critics by going to their profile and clicking the ignore button.
Oh, no, everybody here has been supportive/helpful. I plan to ignore people who are gonna bully/belittle me for my food/diet choices. My A1C has improved as a matter of fact quite recently.
Congratulations on your A1C successes!!! Hope for many additional successes to follow.
Hehhehehehehe, Guilty as charged.
Food policing really annoys me after decades of diabetes. Iâm gonna tell you that this isnât going away. Gotta learn to laugh at it, I suppose.
My best friend used to do a funny impression of my mother whenever I ate a piece of cake. He would randomly turned to me and say urgently in a shrill voice, âYou canât eat that cake. Theyâll cut your limbs off!â My childhood friend also does this impression very well.
you get this with any diabetic group. Everyoneâs situation is different. Usually I get the 3rd degree when I post pics of what I ate which usually has carbs but thatâs because I not only have T2âŚbut also kidney failure so we are allowed carbs like white bread, white rice, pasta because when you have kidney failure or the declining stages of chronic kidney diseaseâŚeverything youâve learned about diabetes and avoiding carbs is out the window. Because the kidneys are failing or stopped working, you have to limit or avoid fruits/veggies high in potassium and phosphorous so youâre leaving out a lot of food. To make up for this, we are allowed certain things. Wheat is to be avoided so no multi grains or wheat bread/pasta.
A lot of the type of snacks that diabetics eat are to be avoided by dialysis patients. As dialysis patients, we have to focus on potassium and phosphorous numbers because when the kidneys are healthy, these levels are regulated by the kidney and then whatever food you eat, the toxins get flushed out through urine filtered by the kidneys. When they stop working, they can fester inside the body causing other organs to fail. High potassium numbers can do things like stop your heart and mine almost stopped a couple of times. Recommended levels should be between 3.5-5.5 mg/l and mine has sometimes gone up to 7 or 8. High phosphorous numbers can do things like make you have a higher chance of heart attack because the heart is working overtime, sometimes doing things like breaking down the calcium in the bones faster than osteoporosis.
So when I get my transplant, itâs going to be more confusing since it will be the other way around⌠I will probably have low potassium and phosphorous and need to eat high potassium foods like bananas, tomatoes, avocados, potatoesâŚphosphorous would be drinking a can of coke or 2 a day. But when I get my transplant, I will have to take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of my life and hope the kidney and pancreas donât get rejected by my body
I have chronic kidney disease. It justâŚhappened one day years ago, and I see a kidney specialist for it along with regular labs. Iâm only 28âŚ
Same situation here. I shared foods I like and get the 3rd degree for it. Not only that, but they also shame me for not liking veggies and some fruits. A lot of my favorite foods have high carb counts, sadly!
I do find that online people can be more intense than they would be face to face. Itâs secret. No one knows who anyone is. So they can say anything they want and wonât have to talk to a person face to face.
I have now learned to just shut down the thread that is getting me fired up and move on to another one. Sure sometimes I dive in but it is usually to state what many here have. There are any new people to diabetes looking for answers. And while your answer is working great for you, we should remember to always state, but what works for me might not work for you.
I donât use a low carb diet but know many who do and have great success with it. I also feel I have success with my diet choice. I use a pump and love how well it works for my life but would never say to anyone it is the way to go. I use a CGM and absolutely love this technology. And once I learned the ins and outs to it (training and understanding of what to do with this knowledge is kinda lacking), it has been the biggest game changer for me. For me! I would never say someone has to use one, but I do think people should give it a try, even if itâs a professional doctor one.
Again what works for me, will not work for you. My treatment plan has changed over the years and the DOC has helped, but I have learned to just tune out the threads that are not my thing. You donât have to read everything.
But I will agree we people with diabetes can be pretty judgmental. Comparing A1Câs, diet, treatment plans, weight issues, the list goes on and on. We all know how hard this is and we are a pretty compassionate group but sometimes the passion gets the best of us.