carb counting

carolyn · #1 (**permalink**) 02-16-2007, 03:57 PM

hello. has anyone got an idea of how many carbs we should take at a meal/day. i am trying so hard but i don't how many i should be eating. thanx

David · #2 (**permalink**) 02-16-2007, 05:06 PM

Diabetes is a very individual disease. What works for me might not work for you. There is no one answer for everybody. I'd say the answer has to be what you, with medical advice, decide, based on your lifestyle, likes/dislikes, motivation, exercise etc.

Personally, as a male Type One who's weight is where I want it to be, I eat pretty much what I want. I count the carbs as closely as I can and dose with insulin appropriately. Looking through my pump's history, my carb intake averages 208g per day, a number some would consider high, but it works for me.

David

Dan Gato · #3 (**permalink**) 02-16-2007, 08:12 PM

Carolyn,
I get less than 100 a day.
There are people here on the forums that eat about 30 grams a day.
Read or search the forums, there is a lot of info about carbs.
For some people the less carbs they eat the better their BG's.
It's an individual choice or doc recommendation.

BlueSky · #4 (**permalink**) 02-16-2007, 09:59 PM

If you are achieving the control you want, keep on doing what youy are doing. If you are having difficulty achieving satisfactory control, reducing carbs is probably the best way to fix it.

Emm · #5 (**permalink**) 02-17-2007, 06:40 AM

what BlueSky said

I aim for less than 100g carb a day... on a good day I wouldn't even have 50g. However today was NOT one of my good days, or even an average day... I had 3 snickers minis throughout the day as low-avoidance foods (had a bit of trouble with running low lately), a slice of toast for breakfast, my mothers birthday cake and half a beer AND a slice of pavlova, rice salad and a slice of bread with our bbq tea... I should be bursting at the seams! I certainly kept my insulin pen busy today.

Most days I avoid all fast acting carbs (not worth the hassle - stuff like bread & pasta spike me faster than my insulin can work and I feel better without them anyway) and I balance my carb intake between vegetables and chocolate. (Yes, I'm serious!! I fit chocolate into my diet any way I can!) If I'm active and having a really low-carb day I can get away with only a couple units of insulin ALL day! Not to mention feeling great...

You have to find what works for you. No two diabetics are exactly the same in what they want & need to stay healthy. Test lots, eat as healthily as you can but let yourself have junk every now and then if you want it. Take it easy - it's one big life-long learning curve.

Cyborg · #6 (**permalink**) 02-17-2007, 08:31 AM

It's also the quality of the carbs, not just the quantity. And let's not forget that protein doesn't come free either.

poodlebone · #7 (**permalink**) 02-18-2007, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David

Personally, as a male Type One who's weight is where I want it to be, I eat pretty much what I want. I count the carbs as closely as I can and dose with insulin appropriately. Looking through my pump's history, my carb intake averages 208g per day, a number some would consider high, but it works for me.

David

I'm a total carb addict. My pump's history shows an average of 270g of carbs over the past 30 days. That doesn't include small amounts I snack on throughout the day and don't worry about, like a handful of baby carrots or a piece of hard candy. I am pretty insulin sensitive and my average TDD is 25 units.

Tim_Roy · #8 (**permalink**) 03-04-2007, 06:06 PM

I'm probably close to poodlebone.

I count my carbs, and give an appropriate amount of insulin to cover it with my pump. I count my fat intake as well, but use that to determine how much of the square bolus dosage goes on the back end versus the front of the bolus. All the adjustment dosage goes on the front, in a seperate bolus.

Fortunately, I'm naturally rather scrawny, though I've got a smallish beer gut.