So I've been diagnosed with diabetes for a year and a half. My readings are usually within the 200 range. Over the past 6 months I've tried to take my diagnosis more seriously since I had avoided it for awhile. Well I thought that I was sort of doing low carb, but I wasn't really paying too close of attention to the carbs in foods. I was staying away from pasta and white breads. I've been eating healthier, but I don't think it's been low carb. Well over the past few days I ended up having low carb dinners kind of by chance. The other night I had a Chipotle bowl with chicken and black beans. Afterwards my reading was 157. So much better than before but I didn't make the connection. Well tonight I was lazy and just had a bowl of chili. No fritos with it like I'd normally do. And I just did a test and my reading was 125! I haven't seen it that low since I've been diagnosed. I'm really curious to see what it is tomorrow morning.

So I guess my question is, is it really the low carb diet that makes the difference? Or was this just a coincidence? Do I need to be really conscious about carbs in everything? Has a low carb diet helped you? I'm on 2000mg of metformin but it hasn't helped too much yet. I figured that the only thing that would make a difference would be to lose weight. But is it really just doing a low carb diet? What are your experiences?

Thanks in advance.

I've noticed that on Biggest Loser the contestants get rid of their diabetes and still weigh 300 pounds. They've lost weight but I have begun thinking that the way they are eating may have even more to do with it. They eat lower (and better) carbs than they were eating before. Exercise is supposed to help readings also.

good morning...
carbs are very important for diabetics. i believe that once diabetic always diabetic. you may be able to control with diet and exercise. but, if you start eating garbage again your sugars will go back up. i have a friend who had gastric bypass. she lost 70#s. and she said she isn't diabetic anymore. but, when she started drinking wine to replace the food and eating more she became diabetic again.
my doctor has limited my carbs at 45 per meal, 15 per snack. they should be evened out through out the day. not just all at once. that way keeps your levels even through the day. you don't want highs and lows.

Yes, carbs matter. A lot.

Can you tell me what a typical day looks like for you food wise? Maybe we can help troubleshoot why your sugars are so high even with the Metformin.

I dropped all meds once I got a handle on how to eat.

Yes. Carbs matter. I was able to get off metformin for the insulin resistance once I got the hang of managing it with diet. I was at 2000 mg. My endoc told me I had it so under control that if you didn't know by labs alone you'd think I was normal. But I agree with previous poster -- once prediabetic or diabetic -- always so. It is just in control or not in control.

If you do grams -- it's like 2:1 ration. So if you have 30 carbs in the meal, you want 15 grams protein to balance it out. Then the blood sugar reading ought to be decent.

If you do exchanges -- it's like 4 oz meat (ex: about a cup of cut up chicken breast ) to 1 cup starch (ex: rice) more or less.

Steamed, plain veg are practically free. But watch the fat if they have butter, dressing or sauces on them.

Don't ever have sweets or fruit or juice alone. Pair with a protein or the sweets will jack up the number. Best to skip the super sugar dessert stuff (cakes, cookies, etc) if they trigger a binge. Same with juice.

And limit it to whole fruit, no more than 2 a day. I go with a sliced apple with a tbs of peanut butter to balance it out. The fiber helps slow it down too. Apple will read better than applesauce will read better than apple juice.

Experiment and you will learn what your "food thresholds" are.

That's super simplified of course, but it works for me.

I'm back on Met now at just 500 to see if it will move my weight loss along or what. But my A1C's are rock solid.

A.

Astrophe - I am so excited! Finally someone is talking about relation of protein with carbs! I have always felt better combining proteins with carbs but I haven't really seen it in the diabetes literature. You always just see limiting carbs. If I eat popcorn or potato chips or fruit smoothee or ice cream by themselves, I'm sleepy in minutes. If eaten with protein, not sleepy. That's been for years, before Type II diagnosis. I still think I have to limit carbs, but must combine with good protein.

FYI - Recently diagnosed with Type II with 129 FBS, have not started testing yet. For the last few weeks, I have been eating only complex carbs - fruits/vegetables - always with protein. Exercising twice a day. Feel great. Dr. is giving me 3 months to fix without medication. I think I'll go get testing stuff today though, so I can see what's happening.

Do ya'll see fats making a difference in your readings? I know they say low fat in the literature, but I wonder what you think? The world has gotten so crazy with the low fat, high carb mantra -we know the high carbs are not good! I was just wondering if the low fat advice for diabetics is part of that old-school thinking.

I personally experienced the same thing. A diabetic has to remember that you either control the diabetes or it controls you. Speaking to myself as I write this. I can gain weight sooooo easily and all I have to do is eat loads of carbs. I don't like or want to have to admit that, but I realize that I have to admit it if I ever want to really get control of my health. Yes, I know when I get under a certain weight that I know longer have high blood sugar readings, but I also need to remember that I have to keep that weight off if I want to keep the normal readings.