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Cajunboy47
Mon, Apr-07-08, 03:52
I’m posting this thread in this forum, because carbs are an important issue to us diabetics and most of us seem to be always trying to find an upward tolerance limit, so I thought I’d share my recent experiences.

According to the following web site:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_carbs_per_day_should_you_eat_on_a_low-carb_diet

On a 2,000 daily calorie diet;

The Atkins diet would allow 4% of calories from carbs or 20g of carbs
The Zone diet would allow 30% of calories from carbs or 150g of carbs

Since my arrival in China just over 3 weeks ago, I’m now consuming between 100g to 150g of carbs daily, so technically, I’m still doing low carb…. Back home in the USA, I was on a low carb diet of about 40g a day average.

Why am I consuming so many more carbs and how is it affecting me?

Actually, I now have much better BG control. My BG daily average dropped from about 105 to about 95. I’ve dropped 11 pounds in 3 weeks now. Here are the key differences in my daily life:

1. Walking increased from an average of 45 mintues a day to an average of over 2 hours a day and frequency of once a day to three times daily.

2. My supplements are about the same, except I increased my berberine hydrochloride, gymnema slyvestre and mai wei di huang wan herbs to 3 times a day instead of two times a day.

3. I have almost no cheating on my diet now, compared to back home, mainly because the diet is now, so much more satisfying to me.

4. I eat more of the following: onions, peppers, garlic, mushrooms

5. I now eat bitter melon about 3 times a week. It is stewed with tomatoes and onions. Also, I eat buckwheat noodles about 3 times a week.

6. I now eat yogurt one or two times daily, half an apple one or two times daily, 1/4 of a grapefruit (very large, almost 2 pounds for just one) about every 2 or 3 days, sometimes pears, strawberries, bananas and oranges in small quantities, nuts on most days in small quantities.

7. I eat a large variety of dark green vegetables and have some at every meal. My meals are also consumed at more consistent times.

8. I drink more water and tea each day, about 6 to 8 glasses.

9. I also eat very small quantities of potato noodles, rice noodles, bread, rice, simple dry pastries, but never more than an ounce or two at a time and never more then 6 ounces in a day.

10. I’ve completely removed alcohol from my diet, and I limit my coffee with milk to just one cup a day, in the morning with breakfast.

Summary: Four factors that I believe contribute to my current ability to handle the amount of carbs I am consuming. One, I have an appropriate supplement schedule for my current health level. Two, I am eating an all natural diet with mostly organically fresh vegetables and fruits (nothing frozen, very little even refrigerated). Three, I am walking 2 and 3 times each day for 30 minutes to an hour minimum and even more. The oils the food is cooked with is healthy oils and without the oils, my diet would be low fat, as most of the meats and seafood are very lean.

Footnote: About 2 years ago, I was on 8 different medications, eating less than 20g of carbs a day, had all sorts of diabetic complications, couldn’t keep my BG under 200 with being on 10mg of glipizide twice daily. Today, I’m about 35 pounds down from my top weight, totally controlled BG, no diabetic symptoms and feel full of energy. Am I excited? You bet!! Will I try to do even better? You bet! Do I realize, I’m still just one meal away from screwing it all up? You bet!

swirlygirl
Mon, Apr-07-08, 06:56
I've also noticed that my BS control seems to do better on a medium-low carb plan. My energy level is better too. I have to be very careful about the type/quality of the carbs I include. Strawberries are ok, cookies are not. But when I include 20-30 carbs at each meal, I have fewer ups and downs during the day.

This was not true during the first few weeks on the plan. It seems I needed to reset myself, and then reintroduce the healthier carbs.

Korban
Mon, Apr-07-08, 06:58
Sounds great Cajun! For me (probably most of us), I am after results (or maybe sometimes a little sympathy or attention too...)... If that many carbs worked for me I would stay with it. I think my real downfall (IR) came as I put on weight, particularly the last twenty pounds about a year ago.

On Lantus only (and exercise) I have to maintain 20 - 30 grams CHO per day to keep my range in check (70-120 ~ 98.2 avg last 3 weeks). Now DCE has added Metformin 2 x per day (and my numbers are trending down) and Dr. has given me Novolog and Symlin (amylin) so I can eat some carbs... but after two months at 25 g CHO/day it is like I don't know what to eat.

Minimum Novolog injection is 1 unit ~ 15 g CHO... but with Symlin that means 30 g CHO for a single unit of Novolog for a single meal!

It is like I am 'scairt' and don't want to mess my bg up. I have had the Novolog/Symlin for about a week and haven't use it once yet.

I have to re-think my meal plan and sometimes I am just too lazy to think, much less re-think.

I take no supplements atm, just a multivit and would like to move toward 50 g CHO per day average.

/smile

RobLL
Mon, Apr-07-08, 11:36
Hours of walking does great things for me (see Morocco trip report), and I can easily eat 40 grams of carbs per meal. My problem is that unless I am touring and seeing things I HATE to walk. I love short, very intense exercises.

Rose1942
Mon, Apr-07-08, 20:12
Interesting that some of you can eat more carbs and do ok.. .... I can't seem to do that. 3 or 4 days ago I had a terrible craving for fruit, it was just awful. I had fruit in the house, because my husband eats quite a bit of it (lucky him) and I just couldn't resist. For a couple of days I would grab some grapes, half a pear, wedge of cantalope which was very sweet and even though I know it's 'supposed' to be sort of ok for diabetics, I had a feeling it was too luscious to be true. I also had beautiful red, huge strawberries around - same thing, they are sort of ok, but if you eat one the size of a ping pong ball, you shouldn't have two!!!

Over the course of that couple of days I probably snacked on too much fruit, because my sugar was going nuts - and not just then, but for 2 days afterwards. Only today have I been back to what I like to see, which is at or lower than 100 before meals, and no higher than 120 at the 2 hour mark, with lower than that much better of course.

I have no idea why my body sent out such amazing pleas for fruit, but if it happens again I will just have to rein it in I guess.

swirlygirl
Tue, Apr-08-08, 07:35
Rose, when you say your blood sugar went nuts, what exactly were your levels? Did you notice increased cravings after eating the fruit?

skeeweeaka
Tue, Apr-08-08, 07:51
Interesting that you are doing that well on that many carbs. I know that it definitely provides for a much more varied menu which in itself would be more fulfilling. Also, the walking is obviously helping as well. Keep up the good work.

Rose1942
Tue, Apr-08-08, 15:09
Swirlygirl, the fruit was sending my sugar to 140, 150, and even 160'ish. It wasn't THAT much fruit really - and not all at once! But I think the effect of eating it over the course of a couple of days had a lingering effect. All is fine now, I am back to where I am comfortable. I would still like fruit, but not craving it like I did then. They do say that sometimes your body - actually the mitochondrial bacteria in your gut - is responsible for extreme cravings and you are supposed to give in to them because those little buggers know what you need. Unfortunately they don't know that I have diabetes! I read a fascinating article about this a few months back and cannot for the life of me find it again.

Cajunboy47
Tue, Apr-08-08, 20:52
In reference to eating fruit:

Walking 2 and 3 times daily for 30 minutes or more
Eating organic fruits and vegetables
Appropriate balance of herbs for my current health

I think it is important to note these things that are factors for my being able to eat fruit without messing up my BG.

My FBG an hour after my morning walk was 92...... It is now 2 hours past my morning walk, I am still not hungry, so I'm skipping breakfast, which is something I never do... I did eat my normal amount of fruits yesterday and maybe a little more as we tasted some samples of candied fruit at a fair that was promoting new products in this area.

But honestly, I could not tolerate fruit back home, so I'm sort of mystified at the moment...

Rose1942
Wed, Apr-09-08, 06:46
It's got to be the walking. I remember you saying a couple of months ago that whenever you are in China you have much better sugar control and that you walk a great deal there. This does make sense. I know that I don't get enough excercise. I walk my dogs around the neighborhood but it's not the same thing as walking around in an interesting place where one has something to DO! You know, 'places to go, people to see!' We are semi-rural here, no sidewalks, no little boutiques to window shop, no corner store to head for and get a newspaper. Everything is done in the car in much of America, it's not conducive to regular excercise, which more often than not has to be planned and CALLED excercise!

glennette
Thu, Apr-10-08, 18:01
Cajunboy, could it be that the fruit in China doesn't have as high of a sugar content as our's does ?

KiaKaha
Thu, Apr-10-08, 19:06
I am sure the 3 times a day exercise is probably the main factor (basically 3 times a day you are driving down your BG so a bit like 3 small doses of medication really).

I also wonder whether it is the combination of foods and the fact they are less processed than back home.

Cajunboy47
Thu, Apr-10-08, 19:27
The fruit has just as much sugar content....

I don't think it is any one thing that I am doing. I think it is a combination of everything I am doing.

glennette
Thu, Apr-10-08, 19:40
The fruit has just as much sugar content....

I don't think it is any one thing that I am doing. I think it is a combination of everything I am doing.

Well, then it must be love! Saw the pic of you with your girlfriend, she quite lovely.

skeeweeaka
Thu, Apr-10-08, 20:24
I do believe that it is a combination of everything that you are doing, but especially the walking...

cappie
Sun, Apr-20-08, 04:41
For new members here who don't know yet (altho I am not new to low carbing as a T2) you should specify if you are using insulin or not. As someone who does not, if I ate the things you seem to be able to eat I would be so out of control I would HAVE to go on insulin.

cappie

Cajunboy47
Sun, Apr-20-08, 07:11
For new members here who don't know yet (altho I am not new to low carbing as a T2) you should specify if you are using insulin or not. As someone who does not, if I ate the things you seem to be able to eat I would be so out of control I would HAVE to go on insulin.

cappie

I'm not on insulin... but an easy way if you're new is to check journals and other posts and see what's been said before..