I'm excited. After over a year of trying to figure this whole carb crap out on my own because the first dietitian i ever had talk to me about how to carb count(as requested by my endo when he asked me to try it for a while..and then never let me stop haha)..was so disorganized I left there more confused then when i arrived. but i was determined to figure it out on my own cuz unless someone shows me by actually DOING it..i don't learn anything. I'm all hands on..so theoritical stuff doesn't work well with me.
I've finally broken down and booked an appointment cuz I'm not getting it really. Instead of knowing what I should be taking..I'm guessing. Last night I had baked fish from M&M Meats, a potato, and some broccoli. i did my 2units for correction and then did 6units for the meal..because I didn't actually -know- what the carb amount was. that's pretty much how i get by. i look at the plate, i go "eeeeeh looks like a 4unit meal" or "eeeehh...a piece of bread is 1unit and the rest of that stuff is probably equal to 7units so i'll do 8units".
It's a pain in the ass to carb count and I'm hoping this will make it easier. I hate it regardless, because I don't like to have to sit and think at a resturant after they've brought me my meal, on how much I'll actually eat, what the portion is(I suck at measurements..you could show me 2cups of something and I'd guess it was a quarter of a cup!), and how many carbs might be in it. Even at home, unless it tells me straight up on the package..I can't figure it out worth shit.
Good luck with it!! I know for the most part I do the guess too. Every oh month or so I take a couple days to measure everything just to make sure I still have a good eye for the guess. I have an A1c of 6.2 and my sugars are rarely high after eating. When I was first diagnosed I measured everything though, it was such a pain in the butt, but now I have a pretty good guessing ability:)
i'm horrible with measuring stuff and i just dont have the time to bother. thats like i liked fixed doses..i could just shoot up with a correction if needed and eat. now i have to think about what im eating and calculate and then whip out my phone to figure out how many units i should do if i know the carb amount and am not guessing. it's annoying haha.
Yah expect a headache for a little while. I got so frustrated with measuring everything and cold food when I first got diagnosed last year. I hate eating out now too, because even if I look at the nutritional information, they never make the food the exact same everytime, so I always end up high or low after. What they need to invent is something that you can take a picture of a plate of food and it calculates it for you haha. That would be nice...
Hi there! Many diabetes clinics have a diabetes "school" where they teach you how to eat and how to count your carbs...maybe check and see if this is in your area to attend. The one I attended was a full day and like $600 which my insurance did pay for. Good Luck! :)
Hi there! Many diabetes clinics have a diabetes "school" where they teach you how to eat and how to count your carbs...maybe check and see if this is in your area to attend. The one I attended was a full day and like $600 which my insurance did pay for. Good Luck! :)
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this is covered for free cuz i'm in canada. we don't have any of those classes unless you are Type 2. and i'm not interested in getting shuffled in with a bunch of type 2's..plus i need one-on-one instruction for this kind of thing. all the classes are also during the day, and while im going to use my lunch break for this appointment..i dont wanna take a day or half a day of work for it to end up being useless. but thanks anyways for the suggestion.
Once you get the hang of it all...you will be counting carbs in your sleep! Please do let us know how your appt. goes. I carry a book with me that gives me all my carbs b/c even though I have been doing it a long time I still don't know certain things. Especially in restaurants! The book is from calorieking.com ( www.calorieking.com ) I am also able to access the internet by phone and go on here and check my stuff and then bolus as necessary for my meal (s).
Good luck to you! If you have any specific questions I am sure someone here may be able to help you out!
Great stuff, Batts! I also suck at estimating how much food is on my plate. In fact, I recently published a post at my health blog, My Favourite Number, about how important precision carb counting has been for me in obtaining better control of my blood sugar.
How did the appointment go? Or have you had it yet? I've had really positive experiences with the healthcare professionals (including dietitians) I've encountered in Victoria. I hope you're carb counting like a pro!
Once you get the hang of it all...you will be counting carbs in your sleep! Please do let us know how your appt. goes. I carry a book with me that gives me all my carbs b/c even though I have been doing it a long time I still don't know certain things. Especially in restaurants! The book is from calorieking.com ( www.calorieking.com ) I am also able to access the internet by phone and go on here and check my stuff and then bolus as necessary for my meal (s).
Good luck to you! If you have any specific questions I am sure someone here may be able to help you out!
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i am hoping to get one of those carb calculators for my birthday to make it easier..i could probably just put it into my make-up bag that i carry my needles in..would be easier for me than a booklet, as i tend to lose those in my bottomless purse! but thanks for the idea :)
Great stuff, Batts! I also suck at estimating how much food is on my plate. In fact, I recently published a post at my health blog, My Favourite Number, about how important precision carb counting has been for me in obtaining better control of my blood sugar.
How did the appointment go? Or have you had it yet? I've had really positive experiences with the healthcare professionals (including dietitians) I've encountered in Victoria. I hope you're carb counting like a pro!
Cheers, Laura
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My appointment is actually in about an hour and a half..so I'll post an update on how it went. I didn't like the last dietitian I saw, when i first had to learn carb counting..but I'm hoping it goes better this time. I don't think I'll ever like carb counting but I doubt I'll ever have the choice to stop now!
Have you been to the Diabetic Clinic at the Jubilee yet? When I turned...15 i think it was they switched me from the team at VGH who I had dealt with since being diagnosed to the team at the Jubilee because of my age. I wasn't too impressed, as I didn't want to change in the first place(I dealt with the same people at VGH and had grown used to seeing them every 3months and having them treat me like family...they loved me! haha)..and I haven't gone back since the first "information session" I had to go to with a bunch of other diabetics(T1s as well as T2s), other than to see the dietitian who taught me to carb count..and considering how badly that went, I have avoided them since til now!
So I got back a little while ago. I met with a different lady, who was very nice and more organized than the last one.
We went over my lifestyle is like, how during the week I usually don't eat til around 10am, I have late lunches and late dinners..if I eat dinner at all.
We also went over what I generally will eat for meals, and she said I was at a good start and seem to be getting all the protein and such that I need most days. I had to go in with a three day meal diary..but really it was just a scribble this morning I did up cuz I forgot all weekend... She does want me to work on my lunches, and suggested I start making a few days worth of lunch in advance on sunday nights. It will also help me figure out how much I actually have, which will make my carb counting easier. She gave me a sheet that lists the meaurements of each type of basic carbs that equal 15grams..so that my 1:15 and 2:15 ratios are easier to deal with.
Haha I got a high-five when she found out I see a trainer at least once a week, try to get a run around the lake every Saturday and/or Sunday morning and then take a Abs class on Tuesdays with a friend. And that when I do eat McDicks or A&W, I have online and found out how many carbs is in the meal(since I always eat the same thing) so that I now know for sure how many units to take for those meals.
All in all, I think it was good. It's nice to know my diet is decent considering how I live and all that. And I hope this will help me carb count.