Reducing Carbohydrate Eating

Repost from June 17, 2023:

Personal Goal: I have found that if I eat under 140 grams of carbohydrates each day, and under 1,500 calories, I can keep my blood sugar at between 130 and 160. 

Here are some ideas I use for reducing the amount of carbohydrate grams in my daily eating:

Choose non-starchy green vegetables.  Reduce or avoid starchy vegetable foods like potatoes, rice, corn, beets, peas, etc.

Significantly reduce or eliminate eating breads, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, pastries.  Avoid processed grains. 

Keep a daily food log journal.  Increase your awareness and track exactly what you do eat and when; and, correlate it with blood sugar testing results. 

Use a calorie, fat, and carbohydrate counter information book.  I use The NutriBase Complete Book of Foot Counts (2001) which for 40,000 food products provides information on serving size, calories grams, protein grams, carbohydrate grams, sodium grams, fiber grams, fat grams, and cholesterol grams.  Also, I can easily find food information on the Internet.  Also, read food labels carefully.  Learn what foods have higher carbohydrates, and a higher glycemic index. 

  

Stop drinking sugary drinks or fruit juices.  Use non-sugar sweeteners sometimes.  Avoid sugars and sweets like candy. 

Choose low carbohydrate “snacks” (small portions) like nuts, cheese, or fruits. 

Avoid high fat and salty foods because they add calories and result in binging, e.g., potato chips, bagel chips, pizza.

Drink plenty of water each day.  Stay hydrated! 

Reduce or eliminate drinking whole milk, shakes, lattes.  Some dairy products can be high in carbs. 

Eat some high-quality protein at each meal. 

Eat foods with a lower glycemic index. 

Choose baked or broiled foods, and reduce fried foods. 

Limit portions, reduce total caloric intake, and use restraint in eating.  Stay under 1,500 calories each day until I weight 225 pounds. 

Develop strategies and tactics for following a healthy eating pattern for a Type 2 diabetic. 

Consult with my doctor, dietitian, and related health professionals. 

Develop a personal dietary program that I can stick to, maintain, and not diverge from for long term benefit. 

Don’t smoke marihuana [legal in Washington State] because it typically results in more hunger and overeating, not exercising, elevated blood sugar, and some loss of self-control in sticking with your eating program.  You just don’t care about dieting when you are in a euphoric mood. 

Be aware of the potential negative complications of reducing carbohydrate intake for a diabetic, e.g., ketosis.  There are medical cautions about severe carbohydrate reduction, and increased eating of fats and proteins.  Strive for balance, be sensible, and research this topic.  However, I must do what I need to do to get my blood sugar to range from 130 to 160, and my body weight down 20 pounds to 225 pounds. 

“The current national standard for recommended daily intake for carbohydrates is 130 grams/day. Anything below that can be considered a reduced-carbohydrate diet, although Americans typically eat two to three times that amount in a day. The benefits of carbohydrate reduction seem to be continuous; as carbohydrates are reduced, health benefits usually increase. However, for those addressing health concerns such as diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, and abnormal lipids, there is usually a threshold effect. In other words, dietary carbohydrates don’t have to be eliminated, just lowered to the point that an individual is able to achieve his or her health goals.”
- Reducing Carbohydrates: A Key to Better Health

Diabetes and Caloric Restriction

Diabetes and Caloric Restriction

I have been dealing with the disease of diabetes since I was 52 years of age - for the last twenty years.  Vigorous daily exercise and reasonable eating from 1998 to 2016, kept my A1C around 7.2.  

Most diabetes patients die from cardio-vascular disease.  So, as the odds predicted, I had a pacemaker inserted in 6/17 and a LAD heart stent placed in 10/17.  Of course, being 72 years of age does not help with the progress of any disease.  Also, the problems and anxieties of serious heart disease resulted in a reduction of exercise.  

In the last year, while suffering from heart disease, my blood sugars were rising.  I tried three different medicines in 2017: Trulicity, Januvia, or Glipizide combined with Metaformin.    

I see my internal medicine doctor next Friday.  I am considering asking for a referral to an endocrinologist, and a change in medications.   

I have been attending, since November, the cardio rehabilitation classes three days each week, for 1.5 hours per class, at the Peace Health Hospital complex in Vancouver, WA.  The class consists of one hour of aerobics, and a half hour of weight lifting, core work, or stretching.  They offer a 1 hour lecture each Wednesday on heart health care.  Fortunately, my health insurance covers this cardio rehabilitation program - how lucky I am.  

Unquestionably, moderate exercise helps with reducing blood sugar.  Typically, after a breakfast (600 calories) and a one hour wait, my blood sugar will be at around 220.  After I finish the 1.5 hours of exercise, my blood sugar is 150.  Ideally, it would be around 110.  Exercise does help, it has few side effects like medicines, is inexpensive (e.g., my nearby LA Fitness Gym membership costs $31.00 per month).  I enjoy walking and weightlifting, and I practice Taijiquan. 

  
The most important factor in controlling diabetes is carefully choosing what you eat, and more important, what you do not eat.  Reducing caloric intake has the beneficial effect of reducing blood sugar.  Also, any overeating of high glycemic index (carbohydrate) foods increases your blood sugar.  In the past, sometimes I am inconsistent and negligent about my diet.  

My goal for January and February is too eat under 100 grams of carbohydrates per day, and around 1,500 calories per day.  My body-weight goal is 225 pounds.  For a, currently,  6'7" and 246 pound man, this is a significant caloric reduction.  

If I eat under 1,300 calories a day, my morning fasting blood sugar goes down to 135.  However, it is very hard for me to control my lust for food and eat under 1,300 calories per day.  Also, my energy level drops and fatigue sets in earlier the less I eat.  However, overall, I must strive to bring my blood sugar to proper maintenance levels.  Always Compromises!!


"The Longevity Diet: The Only Proven Way to Slow the Aging Process and Maintain Peak Vitality Through Caloric Restriction." By Brian M. Delaney, and Lisa Walford, 2010.  

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition Based Cure.  By Caldwell B. Esselstyn, M.D., 2008.