I’m trying to bring my A1c back to 5.6. My last test in April showed 5.7. It had always been 5.6 since diagnosed with PMR/GCA in January 2019. I Started on 40 mg of pred, now at 10. I had gotten somewhat off track after Christmas.
I’ve read that 40- 50 grams of carbs a day is considered low carb, but I’m struggling to meet that. Seems like I’m doing about 60-70 or done days higher.
I am not diabetic, but I was extremely strict as I was afraid of weight gain and also my blood sugar got high. I didn't want to become diabetic. I gave up virtually all carbs from grains and even today after four years still eat hardly any bread or pasta, and only small helpings of rice, for example. I didn't give up root vegetables which some people include in the ban as I was not overweight to begin with and in fact had become quite thin. I don't eat many sweets, never soft drinks, and only a moderate amount of fruit. I've not gained any weight and have lost more, probably because I've also been very strict about exercise and getting in my steps every day! My blood sugar was well controlled while I remained at the higher levels of pred, and quickly dropped to normal as I tapered down although I don't think it was completely normal until dose was below 5 mg in spite of being so strict with the carbs. I have no idea what the measurement was. I replaced the large amount of wheat I'd been eating with foods higher in protein like nuts, seeds, hummus, eggs, cheese.
The diabetes nurse i saw recommends 40g. I am not sure I hit that all the time but I have insulin to mop up any excess. I try to just have 1 day where I am allowed a 10g treat.
Try aiming for 50g next week for a month, then 40g the month after. That means you ease yourself into it. See how that does in 3months or so.
Hello, the carb that you do eat, what is it?
My diet sounds just like Heron’s, except I don’t eat any sweets now because they are too sweet tasting to me now.
I was eating steel cut oatmeal several times a week. Plus some quinoa, not every week. Dark chocolate with 5g suger, (several times a week). Sometimes a tortilla , not often.
Dark chocolate good for you, in small quantities! And quinoa is not the seed of a kind of grass, as our other "grains" are, which I think makes a difference in how it affects us. It is high carb, but it is also high protein and fibre which makes it healthier than, say, ground up grass seed, aka wheat flour, or even better than brown rice, apparently.
I keep under 30g which means none of the obvious stuff..bread, sugar, honey, pasta, rice oats potatoes etc, occasional carrots. If I break this I gain 3lbs or so very fast.
30 grams, not easy!
I agree, especially at first, but when you get used to it it’s really not bad as there is SO much you can eat. The proof of it for me is if I do eat for example a sandwich or a sugary dessert I put on lbs! If I do LCHF I lose at least a pound a week, and much more than that in the early days.
Theimportant thing is to eat fat when you are doing low carb. If you try to do low fat as well as low carb you are doomed to failure.
I agree good low carbs and high good fats. I am having home grown salad leaves, with tomatoes (3g carbs), cucumber, avocado (2g carbs) and a 1/4 of an apple (4g carbs) with 45g of cous cous (12carbs) with olive oil and good balsamic dressing (cucumber etc 3g carbs) total @25g carbs. I seem to be okay on 30 to 40 and lost 15kgs in past 2yrs. It's very filling. I am veggie so meat eaters could add fish or chicken.
Delicious. So the entire salad with dressing is about 25 carbs?
I’m not having to lose weight so guess I will research some more and find more filling items. Good fat is good! Ha ha
Yes, most of that is the cous cous. If you each meat it would be less by 12 carbs. Chicken fried in butter and with creamy lemon sauce or something.
Sounds delicious. Would you mind giving me the recipe? I’ve got the carbs and Cals app but finding it kind of klunky to use, figuring out a green salad with all the individual vegetables, etc. Maybe it’s my brain that’s making it so hard!
Which bit? The salad is every chucked in a bowl. You can just fried a bit of onion or shallot, put the chic breast in and cook through. Once it cooked put some lemon zest in the pan and a nice glug of single cream then squeeze lemon in. The lemon sauce is nice with peas and asparagus. There's probably 5 meals that you like so once you have counted those out it's pretty easy.
Definitely will try. Sounds easy and good. I do the lemon with breaded chicken, (almond flour, paprika) and then add lemon juice and capers).
I’ll try the sauce on veggies, I’ve gotten in a rut with them.
Thanks!
Why not get a sheet of paper (I know, oldfashioned or what!) and write down the weights of the amount of various salad stuffs you would usually use - just check them as you make up a salad. 100g of salad leave is an awful lot so don't worry too much about them, allow 1g carbs for salad leaves. But then sit down with the app and work out how much for the other components - once you have a reference list you needn't mess with the app again. You know then what you can splurge on and what you have to regard as more of a treat, such as peas and beans. I only use vinegar and olive oil and herbs for dressing - effectively no carbs.
Depends on the person - if I need to lose weight I have to be very strict. Maintaining weight is much easier.
But remember it will take quite a long time to get that Hba1c down - it reflects the average of the previous 3 months BS levels, reducing an average is a slow business.
Do you look closely at the amount of carbs in what you eat? The dietdoctor guides show how quickly the carb count can mount up - a salad with a large tomato, 1/2 a pepper and some beans could get you to 10g carbs without a twitch! And an apple can be well over 10.
dietdoctor.com/low-carb/guides
Surprising how a salad or an apple can add up.
I’ll check out diet doctor.
It is scary!! Little drops of water and all that!! A standard banana is IRO 15g carbs (they are SO big these days!).
South Tirol is complaining that their apples aren't selling as well as they would like/want/expect. It is because they are ENORMOUS - half is more than enough. And they taste of nothing at all - different varieties should be have different and definable tastes.
Yes, far too big even if you're not concerned about calories. Whatever happened to Cox's apples which seem to be very rare now? They were always smaller. I try to buy apples recommended for kid's lunch boxes - that goes for bananas and pears too.
Cox's don't get a passport anyway so they are not an option for me. But I find organic apples are much smaller and tastier - Austria is seriously into organic production ...
I like Jonathans, we grew them on our farm when I was growing up. They have a distinctive tart taste, crisp too.
Do you have them in the U.K.? I’m in the US. Hard to find now.
I've just started preds (4 weeks) and am worried about weight gain and diabetes (I come from a long line of fatties and am sure my ancestors survived the ice ages on roots and nuts and extracting calories from air, and hence my genes are not suited to this modern diet!)
Whilst I'm normal weight, do put on easily and so am being as strict as can...no sugar products, no pasta or grains except a big bowl of oat porridge with banana for breakfast. I'm rubbish at weighing food, so it's easier to cut it out. I eat loads of veg and some root veg. I'm not eating many processed foods either. Toast and butter was my weakness and crisps. I have lost a couple of pounds. I think higher protein and low sugar seems to suppress the hunger pangs as I haven't felt that hungry.
My husband was diagnosed prediabetic 2 years ago, and did this sort of diet change and came back to normal blood sugars.
I know about the crisps weakness. I gues crisps are chips?
I have managed to completely give them up.
I usually manage to keep to under 30g of carbs a day. I usually eat 2 meals a day missing out lunch. This is because I have macular oedema and sugar spikes from my steroids make it worse. Testing my sugars I discovered I spike around lunch time so not having lunch helps my sugars.
Good luck with your hba1c but remember hba1c is rounded up or down so the 5.6 could have been 5.64and the 5.7 5.66
Increase good fat too to help feel full. Good fat is our friend
Yes when I have sausage or bacon with my egg as I can last until lunch time without snacking.
You can have loads of mushrooms fried in butter for 0g carb, bacon fried 0g carbs, sausage (thick) 5g carb.
Haven’t made them in ages. Love mushrooms, my son can’t eat them though. But could be a filling snack for me when he’s at work. Thanks
Be careful with the sausages, though - the food industry as with much prosessed food adds a lot of unneccessary refined/highly processed. carbs to them - rusk/oatmeal etc. I make my own so I know what's in them
Heck, I need to cut back on my scones then, even if they are plain whole meal!
Whether your carb is healthy or not - it is still carb ...
Probably about 20 g if "normal" size (38g)
Thanks, I’ll reign myself in now!
It's so scary when you see the carbs in things. But if you are on 40g a day then you can have your other 20g for salads, stir fried, soups etc
Perhaps we should have a carb quiz. 😂😂😂😉. Or a competition for the lowest carb, best tasting meal
You can do this!!! I did.
Shortly after finding out that I had GCA, I was also told that I had jumped into the 'diabetic range'. I was on the low end, but there I was and that scared me. Although I was determined to lower my numbers, I didn't count my carbs. I just changed my diet and stopped eating breads, pasta, potatoes, desserts, sugary food -- all of those those carbs that were easily recognized. I also started walking during my lunch hour. My next doctor visit (I don't remember if it was 3 months or 6 months), I had popped back down into the pre-diabetic range. I remember my docs were really pleased -- and so was I.
Today I know a bit more about carbs -- sneaky little devils that show up in the most unexpected places such as vegetables, milk, salad dressings, peanut butter, yogurt, ketchup, etc. (This may not come as a surprise to you, but it did me.) I'm an avid label reader now.
Best wishes. I know you'll be successful!!!
I am trying to lose weight and the only way I can do that is if I keep my carbs under 30. The only way to do it is cut out all wheat, in all its forms. Very very little fruit. No sugar. It 's hard but I felt I had to do it to get the weight off. I've taken off 19 lbs and feel so much better. I do miss fruit. However, whenever I have a small piece I sure do enjoy it.
Good Luck
How do you describe fatique?
Seriously... are you f**king kidding me? 
You all are awesome 
Can you have PMR if you are under 50?
