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

Can Eating Less Slow the Aging Process?

For me, eating less and loosing 30 pounds of body weight in the last two years has significantly lowered my average morning fasting blood sugar and four month A1C readings; and, has resulted in my cardiologist reducing my blood pressure medicine dosages in half.  I feel stronger and more energetic, and I exercise in some way on a daily basis.  I sleep soundly and dream every night.  My waistline measurements have decreased from 44 inches to 40 inches.  My current goal is to reach a body weight of 230 pounds, and a waist of 38 inches, at a height of 6’6”.  Consequently, I plan to continue my efforts to eat less, but eat nutritious meals. 

I doubt I can live longer by eating less, but the likelihood of reducing the significant possible negative health effects of my Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure seem worth the effort. 

Is fasting one day a week reasonable for me?    I am currently not sure about this approach to reducing caloric intake, since I actively exercise each day.  Maybe skipping dinner twice a week might be an option.  Comments?? 

“While human calorie restriction doesn't have the same impact on life span, it does provide numerous benefits, such as a greatly lowered risk for most degenerative conditions of aging, and improved measures of health. In recent years, human studies of long-term and short-term calorie restriction have comprehensively demonstrated these benefits. Many researchers believe that the evidence to date shows the practice of CR will in fact extend the healthy human life span, but there simply isn't enough data yet to pin down the effects on life expectancy. It is plausible that they are at least as good as those resulting from exercise. If so, it could mean a difference of 5-10 years of life.”

-  Fight Aging: Caloric Restriction Explained

“Calorie restriction (CR) extends life span and retards age-related chronic diseases in a variety of species, including rats, mice, fish, flies, worms, and yeast. The mechanism or mechanisms through which this occurs are unclear. CR reduces metabolic rate and oxidative stress, improves insulin sensitivity, and alters neuroendocrine and sympathetic nervous system function in animals. Whether prolonged CR increases life span (or improves biomarkers of aging) in humans is unknown. In experiments of nature, humans have been subjected to periods of nonvolitional partial starvation. However, the diets in almost all of these cases have been of poor quality. The absence of adequate information on the effects of good-quality, calorie-restricted diets in nonobese humans reflects the difficulties involved in conducting long-term studies in an environment so conducive to overfeeding. Such studies in free-living persons also raise ethical and methodologic issues. Future studies in nonobese humans should focus on the effects of prolonged CR on metabolic rate, on neuroendocrine adaptations, on diverse biomarkers of aging, and on predictors of chronic age-related diseases.”
-  Caloric Restriction and Aging, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition   

Calorie restriction (CR), or caloric restriction, is a dietary regimen that is based on low calorie intake. "Low" can be defined relative to the subject's previous intake before intentionally restricting calories, or relative to an average person of similar body type. Calorie restriction without malnutrition has been shown to work in a variety of species, among them yeast, fish, rodents and dogs to decelerate the biological aging process, resulting in longer maintenance of youthful health and an increase in both median and maximum lifespan.

Live Longer:  The One Anti-Aging Trick That Works by Robert Roy Britt.

Making Aging Positive by Linda P. Fried

The Longevity Diet by Lisa Waldford and Brian M. Delaney

2010

Aging Well: Recommended Reading, Quotations, Reflections

Getting Ripped

Strength Training for Persons Over 50 Years of Age

Walking

Bass, Clarence - Ripped  This is a good website with scores of excellent articles, products, reviews, information, success stories, and references.  Mr. Bass (1937-) is a retired lawyer living in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  He was a columnist for Muscle and Fitness magazine for 16 years.  He is an excellent guide for persons over 50 for fitness, staying lean, exercise, and being vital. 
He is the author of many informative books.  He is an award winning older bodybuilder.  

  I recommend his two books: Lean for Life and Challenge Yourself.  
 
Bibliography: Ripped

Challenge Yourself - Leanness, Fitness & Health - At Any Age  By Clarence Bass.  Albuquerque, New Mexico, Clarence Bass' Ripped Enterprises, 1999.  224 pages.  ISBN: 9780960971473.  VSCL.   

Great Expectations: Health Fitness Leanness Without Suffering  By Clarence Bass.  Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2007.  163 pages.  ISBN: 9780974768243.  VSCL.  
 
Lean for Life: Stay Motivated and Lean Forever- The Lifestyle Approach to Leanness: Balanced Diet, Aerobic Exercise, Weight Training.  By Clarence Bass.  Albuquerque, New Mexico, Clarence Bass Ripped Enterprises, 1989, 2007.  247 pages.  ISBN: 0960971459.  VSCL.   

Ripped 3: The Recipes, The Routines and The Reasons.  By Clarence Bass.  Albuquerque, New Mexico, Clarence Bass Ripped Enterprises, 1986, 2003.  195 pages.  ISBN: 0960971432.  VSCL.  

              

Nutrition Tips for Exercisers

Ten Take Home Post-Workout Nutrition Points

1. "Glycogen restoration is all too easy to achieve and may not be as critical as once thought
2. Protein synthesis needs to be the focus of our recovery intervention
3. Pre-workout meals actually enhance muscle blood flow and nutrient delivery during exercise
4. Pre-workout meals, nocturnal feeding, and multiple post workout drinks are more beneficial than a single post workout drink
5. The “post workout window” lasts at least 24 hours
6. Consuming a protein shake immediately after training hinders optimal results
7. Strength training acutely enhances insulin sensitivity for at least 24 hours
8. Whey protein is generally only moderate speed, while whey hydrolysate and pure amino acids are “fast”
9. Antioxidants taken after exercise may increase muscle damage and delay recovery
10. Aspirin and ibuprofen can prevent the exercise-induced elevation in muscle protein synthesis thus hindering growth and prolonging recovery"

Dave Barr, Top 10 Post-Workout Nutrition Myths

http://www.simplyshredded.com/top-10-post-workout-nutrition-myths-dave-barr-2.html

What is the Best Workout for Seniors? 

Fitness and Well Being