Counting Carbs

[jjordie]

Hi Everybody

I have decided to try carb counting to get my BS levels down to what they should be,
also hopefully to lose a fair bit of weight.

Although I have been type 2 for eleven years and up until now managing on diet only,
I need to get things under control.
I have never counted carbs. GP brushed the suggestion aside saying it wasn't necessary.

Don't really know how to start. Can anybody suggest a carb counter book and how many
carbs is average?
I think I read somewhere 75g per meal which seems a lot to me.
Or is it 75 g per day?

Any advice would be appreciated.

jjordie

[JediSkipdogg]

I can't help you with car counter books at all since I either use restaurant info (mainly websites) or boxes or internet searches for unknown items.

As for how many carbs is average. I'm a type 1, so what I do is probably totally different. For a type 2 though I think it's what works best for you. What keeps you in control and keeps you at a healthy weight. Some say 75 carbs a meal is normal while some say that's outrageous. Some on here will even say only 10 carbs a meal, so 30 a day, is what one should take. Everyone's answer will be different. But what works for you is the best method. Maybe look at what you are doing now, eat normal, then add up carbs AFTER the meal and see how many you have. Do that for about a week and then come up with an average per meal for you. The reason I say after a meal is because then it won't lead you to cheating by knowing what you have planned and then cutting back from that. You'd have the best results and can go from there.

Good luck.

[Belinda]

carb counter is a small pocket size book (my endo office has them for a small fee). It also has some restaurants in it as well. PM me if you want more info and I will go out to the car and get the ISBN for you.

[Cyborg]

More important than the number of carbs is the quality of carbs. Carbs with a high glycemic index will drive your bg up sharply and quickly and should generally be avoided. There is controversy as to the healthfulness of eating too few carbs for an extended amount of time. Reducing or even going to the extreme of eliminating carbs will not guarantee weight loss. Ultimately, weight loss depends on consuming less calories than you expend. And many people think that foods without carbs are free foods, this is not the case. Fat, protein and carbs contribute to bg levels with protein playing a larger role than most are aware.

With that aside, carb counting is rather easy when you have accurate nutritional data and a good scale. After awhile you tend to be able eyeball portion sizes of your favorite foods, making it easier to eat out. Some sources that I use for nutritional data are, food packaging, web sites such as nutritiondata.com and calorieking.com, many different books and PDA software. I am looking forward to getting a food scale. You enter into the scale what is being weighed, and it gives back all of the nutritional info for that item.

Carb counting is a necessity for us type 1's. You will learn alot about your food and if you keep a log of everything you eat, you'll probably lose weight just from being more aware of your diet. Good luck and have fun!

[RickLV]

jj,

Here's one site you can use:

http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/20080.html

Also, you can Google the USDA Nutrition database and download a PDF or an Excel spreadsheet.

[jjordie]

Thanks all for information, I should be able to get going on a good diet now.

jjordie

[clee]

jj,

Here's one site you can use:

http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/20080.html

Also, you can Google the USDA Nutrition database and download a PDF or an Excel spreadsheet.

I just checked this site out....It's awesome!!! thanks for the info.

[MamaCat]

Counting carbs is not hard to do, JJordie, and it's very helpful. Nevermind your GP's comments. If he/she is not supportive then please find an endocrinologist who will understand the importance of good diabetes management.

For weight loss, my endo.'s nutrition CDE recommends (for both men and women) 45 gm. carbohydrate max. at each of three meals or 120-135 gms. portioned throughout the day if you snack or "graze."

And start reading food labels if you don't already. Look at the Total grams of carbohydrate listed per serving. Then make sure you measure the correct amount for a serving.

[Cyborg]

MamaCat, did your endo or CDE actually recommend restricted carbs to lose weight? Did they mention calories or exercise at all?

When counting carbs, remember to subtract fiber from the total carbs as fiber does not get digested.

[MamaCat]

MamaCat, did your endo or CDE actually recommend restricted carbs to lose weight? Did they mention calories or exercise at all?

The recommendation for me was for 2-3 oz. of protein at each meal and low fat. Total calories was not an issue since the guidelines for protein, fat, and carbs takes care of that. Exercise, yes, of course. But the CDE's emphasis was on the carbs. She said, regarding diet, that limiting carbs to 45 gms/meal (3 meals) was the key to successful weight loss -- for both men and women. She told me about several patients' successes and "guaranteed" it works, giving slow to moderate weight loss (1-2 lbs./week). I thought this concept might be of interest since the original post was about counting carbs.

When counting carbs, remember to subtract fiber from the total carbs as fiber does not get digested.
Fiber does have less of an impact on blood glucose, but that still varies from person to person, just like fat intake can affect how quickly and for how long carbohydrate is broken down and entering the bloodstream.

In any case, it is so much simpler to just calculate total carbs and log to learn how different foods affect you as an individual. Many times we have to take an educated guess at what we're eating anyway (1/2 cup pasta? ok, 15 gms...; slice of bread, don't have the label, could be 12-15 gms...) Fiber? Who knows how much of that was fiber? (I don't fret over bolusing for protein or fat, either.)

Someone new to counting carbs probably will do better by keeping it simple. I've been doing it a long time, but I still try to keep it simple because diabetes is just one of many things I have to juggle.:burnout: "Simple" works for me.

[JacquiS]

Here's another good site for getting your carfb counts

http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-grains-flour_c-Y2lkPTcwJnBhcj0.html

[LIZBETH1956]

calorie King Is One Of The Best I've Found. It Comes In "pocket Book" And I Keep It Set Up On My Computer At Work And Home. Just Type In The Food And It Will Give You All The Info. Is Great For Carbs..but Also For Fat Content, Calories And All The Others. And As Some Others Said, Go To The Individual Websites. I Print Out The Info On The Resturants I Frequent All The Time, And Keep Them In A Folder. Comes In Very Handy.

[JacquiS]

This is great! I've been using the website but I didn't know they had it in print too. I'm headed to Barnes and Noble this evening!!!


Thanks
J


calorie King Is One Of The Best I've Found. It Comes In "pocket Book" And I Keep It Set Up On My Computer At Work And Home. Just Type In The Food And It Will Give You All The Info. Is Great For Carbs..but Also For Fat Content, Calories And All The Others. And As Some Others Said, Go To The Individual Websites. I Print Out The Info On The Resturants I Frequent All The Time, And Keep Them In A Folder. Comes In Very Handy.

[jjordie]

.


I am jumping for joy - well almost - as my BS reading before evening meal today was 7 mmol !!! It hasn't been this low for
at least a year and this is only 10 days after starting my carb counting. I have also lost about 4 lbs.

Apart from my 'hypo' a couple of nights ago I feel fine and mostly don't ever feel hungry. I am not so concerned about
my check-up in a few days time now as I know I can keep to this diet.

I owe this improvement to all the info given on this forum by all you lovely people.

Thanks peeps

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a297/jjordie/icon_syda.gif




.

[JacquiS]

:congrats: you did all the work Jjordie! We just supply the support. We're all here for you!!!!


.


I am jumping for joy - well almost - as my BS reading before evening meal today was 7 mmol !!! It hasn't been this low for
at least a year and this is only 10 days after starting my carb counting. I have also lost about 4 lbs.

Apart from my 'hypo' a couple of nights ago I feel fine and mostly don't ever feel hungry. I am not so concerned about
my check-up in a few days time now as I know I can keep to this diet.

I owe this improvement to all the info given on this forum by all you lovely people.

Thanks peeps

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a297/jjordie/icon_syda.gif




.

[Cyborg]

Way to go! :top: