a few things I have learned with my own blood sugar issues and watching my wife on her diet.....
you can have low carb or you can have low fat, but you can't have low car and low fat....at least NOT if you depend on pre packaged foods
cutting back on quantity/volume of food is important.....BUT if you cut back too much, your body holds on to it's fats. as counter intuitive as this may sound, part of losing weight is eating your way to your to your goal. BUT it also means choosing the right foods.
home cooked/whole foods etc are the best way to go. prepared foods are a convenience, but the preparation process at the factory often alters the food in ways that actually isn't good.
What my wife has been eating is lots of chicken, fish, and some beef fresh cooked. select low carb vegetables, fresh or frozen. whole green beans, broccoli, spinach, brussel sprouts, asparagus and a few others.
I agree with gwd about counting carbs. But if you are eating food in it's natural state, verse processed, there tends to be more fiber and other things in it that cause your body to work harder and a bit slower at digesting it. which helps with your blood sugar levels. which aids in the carb issues.
Eating smaller portions more often also helps as the goal is to keep your blood sugar and materialism level and not spiking.
now, I hesitate to say this, not being a doctor, but ......
If you are type 2 diabetes, and your taking insulin, and since some type 2 diabetics can get off medication and with careful diet control their diabetes after significant weight loss...I can't help but wonder if as long as you don't go crazy on the carby food and cut out candies, sodas, cakes, etc during this phase..... IF focusing on a low fat diet that will help you lose weight isn't the best course of action. again, not a doctor, can't even begin to say what is the right thing for you to do, just going by what i have learned, what my doctor told me and watching my wife with her diet.... something to ask your doctor.
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perhaps i wasn't clear. when i was talking about counting carbs it wasn't as part of managing bg levels or even as part of a weight loss program........it's specifically as a tool for knowing how much insulin to dose. you calculate your unit to carb ratio depending on the meal.jacksdad wrote:I agree with gwd about counting carbs. But if you are eating food in it's natural state, verse processed, there tends to be more fiber and other things in it that cause your body to work harder and a bit slower at digesting it. which helps with your blood sugar levels. which aids in the carb issues.
ya know, i did a quck google search and this article explains it pretty well.
http://www.mendosa.com/insulin_carb_ratios.htm
what's hard is in the beginning figured out your specific ratio can result in highs or lows............plus, in the early stages of type 1 you do still have some sporadic insulin production of your own as some of the islet cells are still viable. ........
diet alone can not 'fix' type 1 as there simply are NO islet cells still remaining in the pancreas. ......the body has zero ability to produce it's own insulin.
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no, I think you were clear. we are talking about two separate yet very related aspects of carb counting. you were talking about how it relates to how much insulin to take, I was referring to weight loss and future possible management via diet. I think I was the one who wasn't so clear. sorry about that.
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As another teetering on the edge of Type 2, it IS straightforward to control with diet, but I admit I have the advantage as I don't much like starch carbs and can do without them quite easily.
As with dog training, tell yourself that this is not for ever, it is for now. Whatever the docs say, it IS possible to manage type 2, but not the way their dieticians are taught. That is the equivalent of pack, dominance and alpha. Once you have stabilised your blood sugar, you will learn what starch/sugar you can have as a treat, and how much. I find if I sandwich the dodgy food item between food I can eat freely, there is NO CHANGE in my bloods.
Research the Palaeolithic diet which is one helluva good starting point.
As touched on by jacksdad, avoid low this and free that. You need real food, proper fats, natural sugars, the lot. BARF for humans but you are allowed to cook yours.
Cut sugar in tea down SLOWLY and then reduce to the point you can do without it. Add a slice of fresh ginger to black tea. Oh yes you can, and it's all about re-educating your taste buds. The ginger is therapeutic.
Obviously while under direct medical care you have to toe the line, but once out on your own, it is all very manageable
As with dog training, tell yourself that this is not for ever, it is for now. Whatever the docs say, it IS possible to manage type 2, but not the way their dieticians are taught. That is the equivalent of pack, dominance and alpha. Once you have stabilised your blood sugar, you will learn what starch/sugar you can have as a treat, and how much. I find if I sandwich the dodgy food item between food I can eat freely, there is NO CHANGE in my bloods.
Research the Palaeolithic diet which is one helluva good starting point.
As touched on by jacksdad, avoid low this and free that. You need real food, proper fats, natural sugars, the lot. BARF for humans but you are allowed to cook yours.
Cut sugar in tea down SLOWLY and then reduce to the point you can do without it. Add a slice of fresh ginger to black tea. Oh yes you can, and it's all about re-educating your taste buds. The ginger is therapeutic.
Obviously while under direct medical care you have to toe the line, but once out on your own, it is all very manageable
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
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funny you would put it that way. I keep saying I need to eat more like Jack...just cooked of course.Nettle wrote:BARF for humans but you are allowed to cook yours.
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Thanks all. Nettle, I have been cutting sugar in tea down slowly. I've gone from 2 sugars to half but apparently that's not good enough and I got a right telling off 
The whole diet thing is so confusing because I've been given no information by doctors and on the internet everyone has their own opinion and the advice from one often contradicts advice from another. Think it's just a matter of finding what works and what I can stick to really. But as I say, nobody has talked to me about carb counting despite me being on insulin. At the moment my insulin dose seems to be being based of my blood sugar level before a meal rather than on what I'm eating for the meal. Not sure whether that's because I'm type 2 and do produce insulin, just either not enough or am insulin resistant. Whole thing is mind boggling at the moment. Back in with the dietician next week and in with the doc tomorrow so hopefully will get some questions answered.
Dietician says I shouldn't be on insulin but the hospital must have put me on it for a reason, they specifically said that at the moment my diabetes cannot be managed without it but with weight loss it may be that I will no longer need the insulin and will be able to manage it with tablets and diet.
To be honest, I'm finding diet out here very difficult even without diabetes. I seem to be very, very limited when it comes to choice unless I resort to junk. A lot of my meals tend to be plain meat or fish, boiled potatoes or rice and veggies. I've got countless healthy cookbooks with fantastic sounding recipes but can't find half the ingredients I need for most of the meals. I really, really miss English supermarkets at times!
The whole diet thing is so confusing because I've been given no information by doctors and on the internet everyone has their own opinion and the advice from one often contradicts advice from another. Think it's just a matter of finding what works and what I can stick to really. But as I say, nobody has talked to me about carb counting despite me being on insulin. At the moment my insulin dose seems to be being based of my blood sugar level before a meal rather than on what I'm eating for the meal. Not sure whether that's because I'm type 2 and do produce insulin, just either not enough or am insulin resistant. Whole thing is mind boggling at the moment. Back in with the dietician next week and in with the doc tomorrow so hopefully will get some questions answered.Dietician says I shouldn't be on insulin but the hospital must have put me on it for a reason, they specifically said that at the moment my diabetes cannot be managed without it but with weight loss it may be that I will no longer need the insulin and will be able to manage it with tablets and diet.
To be honest, I'm finding diet out here very difficult even without diabetes. I seem to be very, very limited when it comes to choice unless I resort to junk. A lot of my meals tend to be plain meat or fish, boiled potatoes or rice and veggies. I've got countless healthy cookbooks with fantastic sounding recipes but can't find half the ingredients I need for most of the meals. I really, really miss English supermarkets at times!
