Type 1 Diabetes and Low Carb Diet

[DiabeticDiva1]

I was wondering is there anyone doing low carbs and if so how many? Is it working regards to weight and keeping blood sugars control and also is anyone using a pump?

[TrueWorship]

I'm on a pump and I'm trying to start eating more low carb. There are a few reasons for this. 1) I'm trying to get my bg under better control, 2) I'm trying to lose some weight. 3) I just want to be healthier in general. I haven't gotten very far with it yet so I'll let you know how it goes as I get farther into it. Part of my problem is that my husband loves everything that has carbs. I know that with a pump you can just take more insulin to cover the carbs that you eat. However, the more insulin I take the more my weight goes up. So I think it should be easier for me to lose weight if I can eat less carbs and therefore take less insulin.

Jenn

[soso]

I do low carb, but no pump, just mdi..
I eat 20-40 g carb per meal and I do not snack between.... I believe the higher fat content of my meals prevents hunger... if I do get hungry between meals I eat a bit of meat or cheese... or if I am low after a meal I eat mandarin orange or 70% Lindt chocolate. My weight is very stable, I am 5'1" and about 118lbs... I wouldn't mind losing a few, but then who wouldn't ...lol...
I fancy the odd carb up, but mostly enjoy my diet and bg is very stable... A1c usually 5.1 but due for one, so better not speak too soon!

[kgm0612]

I'm a pumper and follow a low carb diet. I try to stay under 100g a day. My weight has remained the same for the last five years, give or take a pound or two.

15g at breakfast
15-20g at lunch
35-60g at dinner
10g if I have an evening snack.

Karen

[mark-TN]

I’m T1 on a VLCD, ~30g CHO per day, since May 2003. I’m 6’0”, ~175 lbs. I enjoy very stable blood sugars. Last A1c: 4.4%. I’m on MDI.

Mark

[TroyS]

I am doing low carb. and eat about 40g a meal and am 5'8" 140 but I also eat 10g snack between meals. I am left hungry 2 hours after meals, and lots of water. BS is starting to level out since on it.

[Cyborg]

I tend to eat low carb, but not extreme low carb. I'm not in a state of constant ketosis. I do find it much easier to control my bg eating low carb. My last a1c was 5.5 with good cholesterol and excellent triglycerides. I am on a pump so I am able to deal with the protein, which affects my bg. When I do eat a larger carb meal, I always make sure I pre-bolus. With regards to weight loss, I firmly believe it's the calories that count, not the carbs...

[Olidus]

I'm a pumper and follow a low carb diet. I try to stay under 100g a day. My weight has remained the same for the last five years, give or take a pound or two.

15g at breakfast
15-20g at lunch
35-60g at dinner
10g if I have an evening snack.

Karen

WOW - I need to ask - what is it you eat on average?
My meals are 100Carbs a meal + I love me my carbs.
I don't think I could do something like that.

[mark-TN]

With regards to weight loss, I firmly believe it's the calories that count, not the carbs...

It has been known since the 1950's that the hormone insulin is what counts in regards to weight control.

For a great introduction into this way of thinking I highly recommend listening to this interview from NPR’s Science Friday hosted by Ira Flatow.

The guests on this particular show were:

Gary Taubes
Author, "Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control, and Disease" (Knopf, 2007) Contributing Correspondent Science Magazine New York, New York

and

Ronald Krauss
Senior Scientist
Director, Atherosclerosis Research
Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute
Oakland, California

Very informative to say the least.

Mark

[tanyatype1]

Mark, I want my carbs AND your A1c! That's not asking too much is it? LOL!

[notme]

I try to eat lower carb, but it is because I want to take as little insulin as possible. I am one of the weight gainers with more insulin (despite what some people think). So, I try to stay in thirty carb range per meal.

[mark-TN]

Mark, I want my carbs AND your A1c! That's not asking too much is it? LOL!

No not at all, lol!

I try to eat lower carb, but it is because I want to take as little insulin as possible. I am one of the weight gainers with more insulin (despite what some people think). So, I try to stay in thirty carb range per meal.

I eat very low carb for blood sugar control and general health. If I did not have diabetes I would still eat low carb for general health and weight control, just not as low as I do now. It would be more like 30g/meal instead of 30g/day.

Mark

[shabbie]

i pump, eat 130grams carbs per day which helps me maintain a healthy weight, and my Bg's are pretty stable (now)

i have to restrict the amount of carbs i eat in one sitting to around 30g otherwise i get a huge postmeal spike that comes back down to a normal pre-meal number later, i just prefer not to go all sleepy after every meal

[BlueSky]

I’m T1 on a VLCD, ~30g CHO per day, since May 2003. ....

Hey Mark,

At that level of carbs (30 grams a day), are you in ketosis most of the time? The reason for my question is that, at about 60 grams of carb a day, I hardly ever test positive for keytones.

[TrueWorship]

My New Year's resolution was to get better control of my bg. At first I was checking my bg more often and counting my carbs better, and figuring my boluses more correctly. This, of course, meant I was taking more insulin. I wasn't eating any different. I wasn't exercising any differently. I was just taking more insulin. And I gained 5-10 lbs in about 2 weeks. (It's really irritating that I can't get into half of my jeans anymore.) I think it must be the increase in insulin that caused my weight gain. That's why I'm trying to cut back on carbs so that I can cut back on my insulin. I'm also trying to exercise more. But I realize that I can't just cut back on my insulin to lose weight, because it's just gonna cause me more health problems in the long run (and make me feel horrible from high bg).

Jenn