watching carbs!

for someone watching carbs and weight, which would you say are the best, and can you recommend any brands?  i have heard so many conflicting things!

nonfat greek yogurt or nonfat plain yogurt?

skim milk or nonfat soy milk or nonfat lactaid?

i should probably just get rid of protein/luna bars etc for good? so much sugar!

also, can i really eat all the salsa i want? i loooove dipping carrot sticks in there.  should i be worry about sugar content of carrots or bad stuff in the salsa?  they're vegetables!

I would reccommend not watching carbs at all... I did, and got some serious issues with my mental state.
You know, your brain and central nervous system run ONLY on carbs. Without them, you kind of go crazy (I'd know).

I was recently diagnosed as type 2 diabetic.  I'm over 100 pounds overweight.  Doctor gave me metformin and told me to lose the weight.  He told me 1200-1600 calories per day while eating every 2-3 hours.  I did that for two weeks but became very tired...not enough calories.  I then saw the dietician he'd referred me to.  She bumped me up to 1500-1800 calories but gave me carb guidelines to go by.  No more than 15 carbs for my snacks (between meals) and 30-45 carbs for each meal.  There are no carry-overs...meaning you can't save carbs from one meal to use in another.  I have found this formula to be most successful for me.  I firmly believe that God made our bodies to handle food but we have to manage it all in moderation.  My blood sugars have done very well with this and I'm beginning to see weight loss.  I don't think anyone should cut out carbs all together (nor any other foods) but learn how to manage it. 

Just had my month followup and excited to report 13 pounds lost.  He told me to now introduce a multivitamin, vitamin C and chromime which is suppose to help curb the carb addition and redirect how the carbs I do eat are turned into glucose.  (hope I'm saying all this right)  Anyway, just started on all the new meds today so we'll see how it goes.  He also gave me a med for energy.  Checking back in a month but feeling great so far!

nburgan, glad to hear it!

i think watching sugar levels is always a good idea!

i do watch sugar levels as well.  Didn't spell that out - sorry.  I don't eat intentional sugar things.  You can't avoid sugar all together - even frozen veggies have sugar!  But to keep sugar to a minimal level is more realistic.  I use alternative sweetners in my oatmeal but other than that, I don't eat much sugar.

oh nburgan, you were perfectly clear.  i was addressing orenji who said not to watch carbs at all (sounds crazy to people with/at risk for diabetes such as ourselves!!!)......

what do you think about those food decisions? for someone watching sugar is nonfat soy or skim milk better?

also, what about stuff like whole wheat pasta with tons of carbs but very little sugar?  or a luna bar which is supposedly "healthy" but has as much sugar as a candy bar?

what about "natural" sugars versus fake ones?

what are your ideas, guys?

Be careful with soymilk - I learned (while working at a natural foods store) that people that have Thyroid problems should not have soy in their diet. Also - unledd you go with the nonfat, it does have a lot of calories.
Luna bars are a much better choice than candy bars - they have a lot of nutrients and protein, so they fill you up for longer also.

I think my personal problem is that the Cicilian in me loves food! :) All things in moderation, right?!

hello borgesgreen!!!

(I am an insulin-dependent diabetic, and I "watch" my carbs, too.)

8 ounces Fat Free (skim) milk ... 13 carbs.

8 ounces unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze .... 2 carbs (1 is fiber, so 1 net carb)

*** I've switched to the unsweetened Almond Breeze (it also has 1/2 the calories of skim milk, by the way.)

I don't eat much pasta these days, whole wheat or otherwise. Instead, I eat my yummy pasta sauce and gooey melted mozzarella cheese on veggies like green beans or broccoli or even shredded cabbage. After all, it was really the SAUCE that I liked the best. This saves me a LOT of calories and a lot of carbs (and helps me eat more of my veggies!)

I don't add sugar (raw or otherwise) or honey (organic, raw or otherwise) to my foods.  I have sucralose, aspartame and saccharine and I switch off on which I use so I am not eating too much of any one chemical! (I have an allergy which prevents me from using Agave nectar or Stevia .... you might look into those.)  Sometimes, rather than adding an artificial sweetener, I will add cinnamon.

If you have more questions, let me know!

=^..^=  MOLLY

 

I also have Type II diabetes and count carb grams.  The problem ith no energy and "fuzzy" thinking happens when you go below 100g per day. 

I have 25g at breakfast, 45g at lunch, and 60g or so at dinner with snacks of 15-20 g each.  I adjust depending on my pre-meal glucose reading, too.

I don't take any medications but I do take cinnamon.  My PCP said in her experience the chromium didn't help with glucsoe levels, but cinnamon does.  I've definitely noticed a difference in my after meal levels if I've forgotten the cinnamon.

I've read recently about the cinnamon as well and will look to add it to my regime soon. 

Borgesgreen...as for carbs vs sugar.  As I said, sugar in some form, is in nearly everything.  The carbs are what seem to be the most dangerous (for me anyway).  I limit my pasta to nearly none now and the same with bread (unless it's whole wheat and it's not very often even then).  It's amazing how sluggish the carbs made me feel and I didn't realize it.  I feel so alive and 'light' without all that weightiness of them.

Morninggirl5...my PCP encouraged me to have a 'cowboy' breakfast and make that meal my largest and graduate down from there as our metabolism slows later in the day.  I drive a school bus and take my meds with breakfast before heading out so I don't have time for the 'cowboy' breakfast but oatmeal and a glass of 2% milk stay with me real well.  You might try switching your bigger meal to the morning and see how that works.

I sure do appreciate the conversations with everyone.  It's real encouraging to me!  Trying not to talk to too many on the 'outside' about my dieting/weightloss.  Either don't have time to listen or don't understand.  I look forward to the day when they see a real difference and ask about how many pounds I've lost.  For now though, I'll tell you I'm down 12.5 pounds in a month and am thrilled!

nburghan,

I have 2 issues going on in the mornings - first I'm more sensitive to carbs then.  I test after every meal which is how I got to the carb levels I have now.  I meet the goals the doctor and I agreed on 95% of the time following this plan..... if I added more carbs at breakfast, I'd never meet the goal then.

Second, I suffer from allergies and motion sickness.  If I had a cowboy breakfast, I'd be stopping to be sick while driving to school.  It's happened before and it's definitely not how I like to begin the day.

mg