Carb Counting Question

[arzoo]

I'm new to carb counting and once you are able to give more or less the no. of carbs of food, either via labels or estimate, how do you know how much carbs you should consume?

Also, should I be counting on a per meal basis and reset to zero on the next meal?

Or is it more effective to total all carbs for each given day?

Thanks.

[Gordonm]

Being a type 1 on an insulin pump I count every carb that goes into my mouth. I bolus according to whatever I eat. Even if I have a small snack at anytime of the day I will calculate it. My pump keeps a tally of the carbs and insulin I take. Right now my 7 day average for carbs is 218g of carbs. I average for the last 12 months about 200 a day.

[Schlep]

You will receive many different answers to your question from 20 carbs to 200 carbs per day.

I guess there is no correct answer except what works for you. I do low carb between 20 and 30 carbs per day.

Others as the previous poster do almost 100 carbs per day, so rather than tell you what you need you should do what is good for yourself. 100 carbs a day will make me ill for others it is fine.

You also have to decide if you are going to try and lose weight with a low carb diet. (not saying you need to lose weight). If you want to lose weight by following low carb your carbs should be between 20 and 30.

IMO you should spread your carbs out during the day with breakfast having the lowest amount of carbs.

What ever you do don't forget exercise as it is most important.

[Leafbear]

Gordon is right. If you're a Type 1 you're probably supposed to be matching your insulin to the number of carbs you expect to eat, based on your I/C (insulin-to-carbs) ratio, and you'd do this at every meal. If you're working with a doctor or diabetes educator, they should help you figure out what your I/C is. (That doesn't answer how many carbs you should eat, though.)

I don't know how it works for Type 2, maybe total daily intake is okay there.

Thanks for asking about carb counting, because I have a question, too, and I might as well put it here. Can someone recommend a reliable website or book that lists carb counts? (I'm just getting started with carb counting.)

Best,
Leafbear

[Gabby123]

What in the world do you eat in a day that is 20 carbs? I do 50 to 100 carbs aday and still lose weight.ANyone else? It seems so low.

[ant hill]

You also have to decide if you are going to try and lose weight with a low carb diet. (not saying you need to lose weight). If you want to lose weight by following low carb your carbs should be between 20 and 30.
Gee is this possible, Like to live on just 30 carbs!!!

To lose weight you would have to get energy to get to do some exercise. Is 30 carbs seems like enough to lose weight buy staying at the keyboard??

[princesslinda]

Like Schlep, I have the fewest carbs at breakfast, as my morning #s are generally a little higher than i'd like (115-118 as opposed to my goal of 110 or less). B/fast is generally scrambled eggs and bacon or a protein shake...very low carb.

I have the most carbs at lunch, as i'm most active at this time of day.

I tend to eat later in the evenings as I don't get home from my 2nd job until around 7:30-8:00....I don't want to eat too many carbs just before bedtime.

You'll have to work it according to YOUR schedule...I'd suggest that you have your biggest carb meal when you're most active.

Also, be sure and check your blood sugars 2 hrs after your first bite of food to find your carb tolerances and make smarter food choices.

[Schlep]

Bernstein and Atkins both suggest 30 carbs and it is easily doable.

If it has carbs it has sugars.

[Alice]

I don't agree with the Bernstein and Atkins theories...but knock yourself out if it's working for you. I prefer to live in a real world...to eat healthy amounts where I don't gain weight. That is the key for me. I pretty much eat anything but watch calories as closely as I watch carbs.

I just take whatever amount of insulin I need to cover my carbs. It's not terribly complicated...for my life.

Probably a "low carb" day for me would be about 30 carbs a meal. I'm more typically at 45 carbs per meal. Some dinners much higher.

Low-carbing or "no" carbing doesn't solve the basal problems...so even a type 2 who is eating very little carbs will most likely need meds at some point to address the basal problems. Meals are just half of the equation.

[soso]

Gordon is right. If you're a Type 1 you're probably supposed to be matching your insulin to the number of carbs you expect to eat, based on your I/C (insulin-to-carbs) ratio, and you'd do this at every meal. If you're working with a doctor or diabetes educator, they should help you figure out what your I/C is. (That doesn't answer how many carbs you should eat, though.)

I don't know how it works for Type 2, maybe total daily intake is okay there.

Thanks for asking about carb counting, because I have a question, too, and I might as well put it here. Can someone recommend a reliable website or book that lists carb counts? (I'm just getting started with carb counting.)

Best,
Leafbear food file online . com without the gaps is a good food count site ( I didn't post a link as it has adverts on its pages)
Corrine Netzer has a really good food count book ....amazon or abe books would have used copies for a cheap deal there...
I think it's easier to learn carb counting and bolus matching on relatively low carb meals, say 30g per meal and maybe without the use of too many starch foods at first..easier to be successful and success breeds success.....
good luck

[lisa821]

Arzoo, if you're trying to figure out how many carbs to eat in a day, you could check out fitday.com for information. It gives recommendations for the percentage of carbs, protein, and fat to consume in a day based on your height, weight, and body mass index. You can also enter the foods you've eaten in a day and it breaks the information into a pie chart to show the breakdown percentages of proteins, carbs, and fats.

Like the others have said, carb intake will also depend on whether you're happy with your current weight or if you'd like to lose or gain weight. Some folks feel they should strive for balance in what they eat; others have better luck with less carbs and more protein. Maybe you could meet with a dietician to help figure things out.

Count the carbs on a per-meal basis to determine how much insulin to take per meal (based on your insulin:carb ratio your doctor should have helped you determine), but also keep track of how many carbs you've eaten in a day as well as proteins and fats. It'll seem hard at first, but soon enough it'll be second nature for you.

I also recommend Corrine Netzer's "Complete Book of Food Counts" as a good resource.

~Lisa

[Lloyd]

I eat an average of 75 carbs per day, and have lost 35 lbs in 11 months.

[Leafbear]

Thanks, soso, for the food file online recommendation. That's exactly what I was looking for. Going to the bookstore today for some more help.

-- Leafbear

[Cyborg]

CalorieKing.com is also a good source for nutritional content of foods.

Personally, I don't believe that low carbing leads to weight loss. Fat has more calories than carbs and protein has the same amount of calories as carbs. IMO, it's the caloric intake and expenditure that determine weight loss.