Hi. I'm a new poster. I've been glucose intolerant for about 15 years and dieted/exercised on and off but never really sticking to anything.

Now discovered thru home monitoring that my blood sugars (fasting) are up to 137 one day, and 148 the next. That prompted me to arrange to see an endocrinologist -- which I see in the posts that you all recommend -- rather than my internist.

My internist recommended that I eat no more than 50g of carbohydrates a day. What do you guys think of that, I thought it sounded too low.

Anyway, I enjoy the board and look forward to participating.

Hi. I'm a new poster. I've been glucose intolerant for about 15 years and dieted/exercised on and off but never really sticking to anything.

Now discovered thru home monitoring that my blood sugars (fasting) are up to 137 one day, and 148 the next. That prompted me to arrange to see an endocrinologist -- which I see in the posts that you all recommend -- rather than my internist.

My internist recommended that I eat no more than 50g of carbohydrates a day. What do you guys think of that, I thought it sounded too low.

Anyway, I enjoy the board and look forward to participating.


50g of carbs is low for me. I suggest after seeing the endo, you should ask for a referral to see a dietician. My dietician put me on 150 carbs per day. She also helps me make meal plans. I eat high fiber low fat meals most of the time. It is also important for me to read labels. I took jd's (another poster on this board) suggestion and did a bmr on google. the one I used gave carbs/protein/fats according to my exercise plans. It worked out fine and i have lowered my glucose levels to 6.1. My goal is to lower it to 5.0 ad lose 20 more lbs. I wonder why your dr said only 50 gs

Welcome Ubet,

50 carb grams or 50% of calories as carbs? If your GP truly suggested 50 carb grams, this is exactly one of the reasons why its recommended to work with an Endo. But an Endo won't necessarily give great diet advice either. You do need to work with an RD who will give you reasonable diet advice.

First of all, I completely disagree when a doctor recommends a "fad diet" to control diabetes. In all the research I have been doing, drastically reducing carbs can be as bad for a diabetic as having too many. While the immediate goal should of course be to avoid increases in blood glucose, the ultimate goal should be to strengthen the metabolism, heal the body, and protect all the vital organs in the process. This is a slow process, but it is possible, though typically not possible using a "fad diet."

Even an RD will probably not be able to tell you precisely how many carbs you should eat for glucose control... that is something you will determine for yourself, and its different for everyone. I recommend starting at a dietary ratio of 50% carb, 25% protein, 25% fat, but some people do better at 45% carb or 40% carb and some people need to do even less (although that is rare).

These #s are percentage of total calories consumed, so of course, the first logical step is to determine how many calories you need to be eating each day. Do a google search on "bmr calculator." You will factor in age, height, weight, gender, and activity level to arrive at a calorie level to maintain your weight (and regardless of the result, you should NEVER eat less than 1200 calories per day!). BTW - 50 grams of carbs is only 17% of a 1200 calorie per day diet!!! :eek:

Here is the problem with an extreme low-carb diet. What you don't eat in carbs, you eat in protein and fat. Diabetics are at high risk for a variety of illnesses and need to protect the heart, liver, and kidneys, even more so than a non-diabetic. Eating excessive protein is extremely dangerous for the kidneys and the liver, and eating high fat is extremely dangerous for the liver and the heart. Furthermore, eating anything in excess ultimately weakens the metabolic function, which can worsen diabetes in the longrun, even if the short-term result seems to be control of glucose.

Here are some reference points:
For 1800 calories per day, 50% carbs would be 225 carb grams, 45% carbs would be 203 carb grams, and 40% carbs would be 180 carb grams.
For 1500 calories per day, 50% carbs would be 188 carb grams, 45% carbs would be 169 carb grams, and 40% carbs would be 150 carb grams.
For 1200 calories per day, 50% carbs would be 150 carb grams, 45% carbs would be 135 carb grams, and 40% carbs would be 120 carb grams.

Now there are other critical components... for example, spacing your meals (and carbs) out over the course of the day, and limiting your carbs to only complex, high fiber, healthy foods.

I hope this helps, it will certainly provide a good starting point. I also recommend that as you go through this process you document what you eat and test your blood glucose 2 hours after every meal, until you are satisfied with your level of control.

Good luck to you and please let us know how you are doing!

Hi I am a new user to, my grandma had died of diabities, and now I feel like that i might have it, but i don't know i need to go and see a doctor. But with the low carb diet it always tells you to keep up with your water because then it would lead to diseases, the water helps flush out some stuff, you fail to drink enough water then it could lead you to having diseases and kidney failer. I hope this had helped a little, because i am on the low carb diet seeing a doctor who is helping me each month with losing my weight, I think that you will be fine, just remember to exercise because you don't want to lose muscle you want to lose fat too and drink a [U] A LOT OF WATER VERY IMPORTANT!!!! ;)
;) Jennib

I'm on a pretty low carb diet and 50 gm of carbs per day sounds low. I eat 15-20gm carbs per meal plus four snacks of 10-12gm. That is a total of over 100 gm and keeps my blood sugar in tight control. My blood sugar is about 100 after two hours and doesn't peak over 130. Why not try a 30 gm meal and check at 1 and 2 hrs to see the effect? Then reduce the carbs if it is too high. Be sure to eat plenty of non starchy vegetables and salads. Eat snacks between meals to help level out the readings.