calories and carbs

[Tsukia]

I never really had a problem understanding carbs. I have counted carbs since day one but I never had a grasp on calories and so as I am trying to get back in control I am curious whether or not it is something relevant or not.

And if calories are important how many should I have a day? are there different types of calories like with carbs there are starches that take longer to go through the system than fruit?

Any information would be helpful.
thank you:hmmmm2:

[Cyborg]

If you determine your daily caloric intake requirements to maintain your current weight, then you can set your daily caloric goal based on whether you want to gain or lose weight. Fats have more calories than carbs or protein. Carbs, as you probably know, affect bg the fastest and with the strongest effect per gram. If you match your caloric intake to your goal you should be able to lose, maintain, or gain weight regardless of how those calories were ingested. Keeping your bg under control is a different story... Good luck. :idea:

[HelenM]

carbs have about 4 calories per gram
protein has about 4 calories per gram
fat has 9 calories per gram
alcohol 7 calories per gram.

Might be of help :hello:

[JasonJayhawk]

On a slightly different question, we've always done the art of "carb counting" to dose insulin. But I don't know enough about nutrition to equally say, could we dose insulin based on calories?

Is the latter more difficult to do, or is it possible?

[rzrbks]

JasonJayhawk

On a slightly different question, we've always done the art of "carb counting" to dose insulin. But I don't know enough about nutrition to equally say, could we dose insulin based on calories?


Only a KU person would ask such a thing ( j/k I'm in Lawrence right now)


The calories are not thngs to worry about unless you are needing to lose much weight. Besides, your body reacts to the carbs, not the calories. The insulin takes care of the carbs, your body takes care of using the calories, once it can absorb the carbs.

[JasonJayhawk]

Rock Chalk Jayhawk! hee hee hee!

Thanks for the answer. How about reacting to fat and protein, though?

Ever since gradeschool, educational information about nutrition never stuck in my head. I defined a "carbohydrate" as anything that tastes good until it really mattered!

[rzrbks]

Counting the carbs, is obviously, the most important thing in your life. My wife and I read the Carbohydrate info on all packages carefully and I have http://www.dietfacts.com/fastfood.asp , a site for nutritional information on almost all fast food places in the Diabetes section of Favorites Folder.

To be honest, I don't bother to count the carbs in fat and protein,but then I'm on MDI and don't have to watch quite as carefully as those who are on pumps. I mostly have so little meat that it's not really an issue, coupled with the fact that I Religiously Check at 2 hours post-prandial, and know my bolus ratio; which, for me, is 1:50

Next you can count the calories, simply as a way to control your weight gain/loss whichever it is that you need to be concerned with.

keep in mind that some basal insulins almost automatically cause weight gain, Lantus being a perfect example. Also, most CDEs I've visited with continually point out that the tighter you control your Diabetes, the more likely you are to show some weight gain, therefore, that's a battle you'll have to watch as well. The thing to keep in mind is: B/G control comes before all else.

I'm currently working on losing a small amout of weight, but, I'm doing it Very slowly and very carefully, even so, I have to keep a closer eye than normal on going hypo which is happening with some regularity.


Hope this helps you some.

[BlueSky]

...... could we dose insulin based on calories? ......
Wouldn't this would be a really complicated calculation? You would have to exclude all the calories from nutrients that don't affect BG. Like fat and alcohol. :hmmmm: Basing the calulation on carbs, taking into account the effects of fat and protein on absorption, is a lot simpler.

[Cyborg]

OMG... Imagine bolusing for a fat only meal! All those calories while the fat would be hardly affecting your bg. Talk about major hypos!

[DeusXM]

Nah, you can't dose insulin based on calories. Calories alone don't affect your BG - there isn't a relationship between calories and blood sugar. Carbs, yes. Protein, yes, to a lesser extent. Count the calories to manage your weight but count the carbs to manage your BG.

[Harold]

You can if you only count the calories from the carbs you eat and divide by 4. Which takes you back to carbs. Calories from protiens and fats are slowly digested and what your body converts to glucose varies with the body's needs and available glucose from carbs. Counting calories from protiens and fats are always ify even if your on low or no carbs.

[Cyborg]

You can if you only count the calories from the carbs you eat and divide by 4. Which takes you back to carbs. Calories from protiens and fats are slowly digested and what your body converts to glucose varies with the body's needs and available glucose from carbs. Counting calories from protiens and fats are always ify even if your on low or no carbs.

For me... I always count protein, as it always affects me.

Try eating a steak one night and check your bg before and once an hour for 4 hours. You will become a believer...

[JasonJayhawk]

I didn't think about the difficulty it would be at eyeing a steak and saying it has "this many" calories. It's easier to just say, "This will have the effect of 5 CHO on me", and the BBQ sauce will add another 100 CHO. :D

[Cyborg]

Go to one of the nutrition sites and get the protein content per oz of your type of steak (or any other pure protein food, such as shrimp, pork, etc.). Then weight your cooked steak (or equiv). Do this on a "vanilla" day and don't bolus for the protein. Watch your bg over the next few hours.

I've found that I have to bolus for 75% of the protein and I termed them "equivalent carbs". The trick is to take your protein bolus as an extended bolus, which may be hard to do on MDI. :marchmell

[Harold]

For me... I always count protein, as it always affects me.

Try eating a steak one night and check your bg before and once an hour for 4 hours. You will become a believer...
Oh I believe it does affect you that way. However as a type 2 producing a lot of insulin the slow release of glucose over that time frame for me is hard to detect as a spike. In effect I can put away a 14 or 16 ounce prime rib and put off having a snack for 5 or 6 hours or longer with out a problem. When I have been unusally active, as in working physically hard, and muscles are demanding protein for repair the time frame may be shortened to that of a meal with the normal amount of carbs and I will need a snack in 3 or 4 hours.

[Erin]

The simple answer is carbs effect your bg while calories effect your weight.

If you are just starting out trying to get back into control, and your weight is OK, don't even worry about calories for the time being. Doing advanced maths to account for the protein in food will result in more precise control, but if you're just starting back, take it one step at a time.

[Cyborg]

Advanced math?