Weight-Loss My low carb meal plan to lose weight with type 2..

[lioil]

I have type 2 diabetes and i really want to control it. I am trying to lose my weight and am trying to follow following meal plan to do so.. I saw some people lose weight with diabetes with low carbs so I think i am not "overboard" here.
Roughly meal plan.
exercise (1 hr of semi intense exercise)
Breakfast: "recovery shake" 8oz low sugar apple juice + 1 tsb protein powder + 4 oz water~ 14g carbs ~10g protein
snack: 100 calorie snack - atkins bar/nuts ~ 12g carbs 10g protein
lunch: protein shake low carbs (slim fast, atkins etc.) 10g carbs 10-20 g protein
snack: like above ~12g carbs 10 g protein
exercise (mildly intense)
dinner: protein shake with skim milk and lots of nutrients ~20g carbs 30g protein

total carbs ~ 68
total protein ~ 70-80g
any suggestions for doing this? i can always add more protein powder...

 

[MattV1984]

That amount of carbs seems dangerously low. The average daily minimum of carbohydrate intake recommended is 130g and that is mainly just for the energy required for normal brain functioning.

I am guessing you monitor your carbohydrate intake pretty closely already since you have diabetes and need to watch your blood glucose; how many carbs are you getting on average currently?

Generally 15-40g of carbs are recommended before a workout to bring blood glucose levels up to a safe range for exercise, but this amount depends on your eating schedule and what your blood glucose levels are at before initiating exercise. It is my understanding that a glucose level of 70-100 is desirable for individuals with diabetes and if you are below 100 you should get some carbs in your system before initiating exercise. On a related note if you are over 250 with ketones present in your urine you should not exercise until the ketones are no longer present and your glucose level has lowered, and if your glucose level is over 300 regardless of the presence of ketones exercise is not recommended. Exercise will make your cells less insulin resistant making it easier for uptake of carbohydrates, so one may think since the body can use the carbs more easily as a result of exercise that less will be needed. The problem with that train of thought though is that the level of carbs you needed without exercise was for normal daily functioning, and physical activity requires additional energy, so it is likely that you may need MORE carbs in your diet to support that exercise; but close monitoring of your blood glucose levels will be the best and only real way to tell your individual carbohydrate needs.

The tough part about all of this is that carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for the body during moderate to high intensity physical activity; they are required for normal functioning of the central nervous system, the primary macronutrient for energy storage in the muscles. Complications of a diet to low in carbs include early fatigue, lack of mental focus, muscle wasting from the body feeding on muscle protein for energy, and difficulty metabolizing fat for energy during low to moderate intensity exercise.

So again, what does your current level of carbohydrate level look like while trying to maintain your blood glucose levels, without this meal/exercise plan you are considering?

Why is it that you are so set on nearly eliminating carbs from your diet? Is it fad diets like Atkins fueling misconceptions? Are you currently struggling to keep your blood glucose levels down due to your normal eating habits?

 

[amy1985]

I absolutely agree with what's been said above, and would add that a diet of shakes and diet bars will be completely unsustainable in the long term. You need to find food that works for you, or else once you come off this diet, the weight will come back if you think you can eat normally again.

 

[Jeanette401]

Well, I know that eating low GI has been helpful for a lot of people with diabetes which is probably why. And 68g of carbs is actually pretty high for Atkins - they start you with <20g 'net' - but really, it's unlikely that you're eating 40+g of fiber in the opening stage.

My advice though would be to start keeping track of how different foods affect your blood sugar, and try to eat food that's less processed rather than diet whatevers.

As an example, there are people who get huge blood sugar spikes from potato, but not sweet potato. Some people it's not the same. Eating higher fiber etc. is supposed to be good for all of that... I'm not really an expert though. And there is a sub-forum here specifically for diabetes diet questions

Really though, if you want to do the low carb safely that's not horrible but it does seem really devoid of actual fruits and vegetables. Protein shake is nice and all in a pinch, but why not have some pork tenderloin and steamed asparagus with a small glass of skim milk. Or a salad with some shredded tuna & avocado.

It seems like pretty low calories, so it might be hard to eat that little. And if you're doing low carb you should probably get more protein because protein basically will be converted into glucose, so it will do double duty.

I wouldn't worry much about ketones, however I've heard some recommendations to eat > 100g of carbs at least 2 times a week due to something involving thyroid function that I really didn't understand, but it seemed compelling enough to avoid added risk.