Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Benjamin McLaughlin on March 21, 2012 at 11:30am

Yeah, I see what you are saying. I guess this morning I was trying to "test" myself and see how it would react. I had 50 carbs for lunch, no bolus and I peaked out a bit over 100. After this pod is over, I may try to see how I react with no basal, and if I see that my spikes go about 140 with around 50-60 carbs I will try a little bolus. I am an athlete and work out on a regular basis, so I feel I need at least 50 carbs. I agree, 70 is probably too much, even for me. I would like to find the maximum amount I can have without the need for insulin, until this honeymoon period ends.

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Permalink Reply by still_young_at_heart on March 21, 2012 at 11:35am

I eat around 65 net carbs for breakfast so 70 isn't necessarily too many but I eat about 60g of peanut butter and a couple of eggbeaters as well. I actually have to back off on my initial bolus and take a hit a couple hours later. Given that you run low a few hours out, the high fat, highish carb breakfast might work for you as well.

Maurie

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Permalink Reply by Zoe on March 21, 2012 at 12:45pm

Yes, we all vary in the amount of carbs we eat, but my experience with nut butter, Maurie is that it has a limited effect on blood sugar. I adore nut butters and they are probably the only food that I eat more of than I should! I eat it sometimes for lunch and I'd guess if I measured accurately it would be about your 60 grams but I only bolus for 10 and it works fine! I would bet you (or anyone) would have more trouble with 60 grams of cereal or cereal, milk and fruit which I have given up on as I can't bolus successfully for it.

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Permalink Reply by still_young_at_heart on March 21, 2012 at 1:28pm

I was giving the actual weight of the peanut butter. I dose for it at 10% of the actual weight. I had to give up cereal but milk and an apple are a regular part of my breakfast. For some reason I'm able to handle a lot of carbs in the morning. Go figure.

Maurie

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Permalink Reply by Shawnmarie on March 21, 2012 at 1:38pm

I'm most insulin sensitive at breakfast, which makes my french toast or pancake indulgences on the weekend easier to handle than they might otherwise be. I don't have a problem with oatmeal, but haven't really tried cold cereal.

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Permalink Reply by Zoe on March 21, 2012 at 2:05pm

Wow, you and Maurie are lucky. Most of us seem most carb sensitive at breakfast (my I:C at breakfast is only 1:5, while my dinner is 1:20!). French toast, pancakes....I've vaguely heard those words...lol. My special weekend breakfasts are a whopping 33 carbs and I still don't always bolus accurately! (My weekday is only 20)

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Permalink Reply by Zoe on March 21, 2012 at 2:03pm

I'm a little confused when you say weight, Marie. I've heard people talk about weighing things, but I just measure and then look it up. With things like nut butter I go with what it says for carbs on the jar. when you say 10% do you mean for nut butter or everything (that would mesh with my own experience with nut butter). I don't understand the relationship between weight and volume. I'm used to 1/4 C of this or 1 cup of that. I guess when I look it up I'm doing the translation from volume to weight. Like 1/4 C of flour "weighs" 23 grams of carbs??

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Permalink Reply by still_young_at_heart on March 21, 2012 at 3:02pm

Zoe,

Almost everything with carbs that goes in my mouth goes on a gram scale and I calculate the total net carbs using a ratio derived either from a database or the package. It's obsessive but it guarantees that I'll never start using total available glucose. I'd never finish counting...

Maurie

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Permalink Reply by Shawnmarie on March 21, 2012 at 3:06pm

You just mean you'll weigh the food and then calculate the carbs based upon that weight, right? For example, if said food has 5g of net carb per ounce based upon info from the package or database and you're eating 5 ounces, you'll count 25g carb. That's how I usually do it at home.

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Permalink Reply by still_young_at_heart on March 21, 2012 at 3:10pm

Right although I calculate to the nearest 1/10th of a gram and then round the sum to nearest gram. It's amazing how precise a pump can make you.

I actually carry a scale to restaurants and people's homes. I lugged one around Italy this fall for all the good it did...

Maurie

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Permalink Reply by Zoe on March 21, 2012 at 5:04pm

I don't weigh anything, but just measure it. Dumb question, does that come out any different? Like in the example I gave of 1/4 C flour being 23 grams carbs, I know if I use 1/2 C it's 46 carbs. (and then divide by serving if it's part of a larger dish. Don't most carb listings go by volume, rather than weight?

Permalink Reply by Jen on March 21, 2012 at 5:30pm

Zoe, this article might help.

It's a bit overwhelming with math at first, but I find it SO much more accurate (not to mention "natural") to weight food than to measure it. I feel way more normal putting a plate on a scale and serving something than using measuring cups and spoons to do it. In fact, I recently bought a tiny pocket scale I can use when travelling (now THAT might be a little obsessive, I don't know!).

Actually, my biggest annoyance with most food databases and diabetes software is that they don't "support" the use of carbohydrate factors. It wants to know if I'm having one or two servings, but what if I'm having 0.85% of a serving (as can happen when using a scale).

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