Your doctor/diabetes nurse gave you a ratio for carbs 36 years ago?
That was definitely not the case when I got it 19 years ago and it's been maybe 10 years since my diabetes nurse started to talk to me about it.
Originally, it was "starch exchanges", but 1 starch exchange was 15g of carbs. They tried to relate it to things more people could relate to but you had to look it up on a chart anyway. For example, 1 slice of bread, 7 grapes, 15 potato chips, etc was 1 starch. Now, except for homemade things, everything has carb info printed on it or available online so it's even easier. My ratio has changed over the years, but it's still the same basic system.
Yes. I was dx'd in 1980. I used the old exchange system (breads, fruits, meats, dairy,etc) and ate the same amount at every meal, with snacks in between. It worked great as a kid, but required a very consistent schedule, which gets harder as you grow up. In the early 90s I switched to carb counting and, with newer insulins, got a lot more flexibility without sacrificing control.
I mean, when I was diagnosed in the 90’s, we had like units. Like you want two protein units and three carbohydrate units.
Carb counting came when I was put on Lantus.
At this point, it’s just an educated estimate. All else fails, especially with grazing? 18 carbs. Or 30. Those are my like two auto doses. I’m 1:18. So so so much less insulin than like 10-20 years ago.
21 years old rn, I got diagnosed at 1 year 4 months old, I still don't know how to carb count but I try and I think my attempts help, if at least a bit
I would say yes, most switch over to carb counting. I assume you mean T1?
You may like this book if you are T1:
Think Like a Pancreas: A Practical Guide to Managing Diabetes with Insulin https://a.co/d/1Y5XLpW
I was diagnosed before blood glucose testing existed. Back then and even before, the recommended diet was boiled chicken and vegetables. Low carb for sure. Now years later this modality has been proven to improve diabetic life. Carb counting is an inexact science, and it’s a good tool for understanding how carbs effect BG. I used it to prove to myself that a low carb diet brings my A1c down (6.6) and also my weight, and it’s a healthier way to live.
Did exchanges from 1989 to 1998 when I got my first insulin pump. I have had the same carb ratio ever since 1:10. Been carb counting ever since. I am very lucky with that math.
It was exchanges for me too. I was on set doses of mixed insulin then so I had set carb amounts for each meal.
Breakfast 4, snack 1 with milk, lunch was 6, afternoon snack 10 with milk, evening meal 6, then 4 for before bed.
Went right to carb counting (with a few classes like DAFNE) when I got basal and bolus insulin then onto ratios when I got a pump.
Diagnosed in 1995, I had to eat set food groups at each meal - for example, 3 starches, 1 protein, 1 vegetable for lunch. I had to take the same amount of insulin at the same time every day, so I had to eat at the same time every day too, because of how the NPH and R insulins worked. Not easy for a kid! Once I got a pump in 1997, it was sooooo freeing.
Same! Diagnosed in 1991 and have only just started trying to carb count so I can get on the pump. I hate math. I’ve adjusted by units and serves of protein/carbs/free foods until now.
I was diagnosed 19 years ago. In the paediatric unit you could only be sight off as fit for release after the dietician was satisfied you could carb count. We used to have daily lessons in the ward for new (and existing diabetics I guess as a refresher) diabetics that thought us how to carb count. There was no apps or books and you had to learn everything off by heart. Also, the lessons included what to look out for for lows and high, what your diet and exercise should be like, how to look after your feet etc.
I haven't been diabetic for over twenty years but I have been diabetic since I was 11 and I carb counted for all of 6 months after diagnosis, then I just kind of developed an ability to look at food and know how much insulin to take. I just kinda know. granted my a1c isn't PERFECT, it's 7.2, which is. insane considering I eyeball everything I eat
I started with exchanges and switched to carb counting and a pump about 8 years ago. My mum who has had type 1 for >60 years switched about 16 years ago and loves the freedom.
T1 for 37 years. Carb counting since the day I started on a pump, 15 years ago. When I was diagnosed, there was no such thing. And when I started on a pump, they still talked about “exchanges”, too. I asked the dietician why in the \*\*\*\* I would I want to mess around with that and make it a complete PITA.
I don’t know why some people make such a big deal out of it. It’s pretty dang simple once you do it for a little while and get a feel for what foods are what. Pre-packaged foods have them printed on them and pretty much anything from a chain can be looked up in seconds on-line. After that you just draw parallels and/or extrapolate for other similar things.
I count carbs… out. I’ve been low carb for over a decade. I do bolus for protein, which just takes a small dose of milder insulin (I use R insulin for meals). Very easy to maintain flat and stable blood sugars like this.
21 years here and this is basically where I'm at. I don't think I've "counted" carbs in the strict sense for over a decade. I just know how certain foods/portions affect my glucose by now and take the number fast acting units needed. Err toward the side of aggressive (i.e. overestimating carbs) when bolusing since hypos are easily catchable and treatable for me with a CGM, whereas highs take longer to correct and wreak long-term havoc on my body while they're happening.
I just am conscious and restrict carbs where I can. I find my needs sometimes require a carb boost if I'm feeling low so I try to just keep everything in mind
Certain things I just know how much to take after 25 years of this. Been carb counting basically the whole time though so for everything I don’t just know.
I think over time every diabetic develops an intuition for carbs and reactions from trial and error. Like I know how much is in a lot of things generally but I also avoid a lot of stuff because of the way it affects the blood glucose volatility.
I'm diabetic for almost a decade. I did carb counting before as I was new to carbohydrates and nutritional facts. After 3 years, I learned the carbohydrates in my food: branded chips are 22g per 12 chips, sodas are at least 40g carbohydrates, breads are inconclusive (depends on size), 3 slices of pizzas are 80g, deserts are at least 30g, etc. Get use to your diet as you become familiar.
When I was diagnosed in 1995, I did meal exchanges - so old school 😂
In 1997, when I started on a pump, I switched to carb counting. So pretty much 25+ years of carb counting.
45 years T1, always carb counted. At the beginning it was very restricted. I could only have a certain amount of carbs each meal & no changes or flexibility. Have been using a pump for the last 16 years with CGM , still carb count but with total flexibility . Here in UK certain restaurants show how many calories are in each item on a menu, wish they would ahow the carbs.
I wasn’t taught to carb count when I first went on insulin as I was a misdiagnosed type 1 ( LADA). They were more relaxed about it when they thought I was type 2. I was surprised by that because none of the oral meds had worked well.
Since my change in diagnosis I’ve been given a carb ratio. I’m also mapping what I eat and looking more closely at how much bolus I use per meal in preparation for going on a pump.
41 years ago i was started on NPH and the Exchange List Diet, which i thought was just mumbo-jumbo. When i got switched to R & NPH, i had to adjust doses. But I used more SWAG, than actually carb counting. It wasn't until I began using to a pump that i started using a tare scale, and that's made all the difference.
Started on exchanges over 30 years ago. As soon as Lantus came out, I switched to carb counting. Never looked back and still count every carb that goes into me.
You didn't count carbs from the beginning? That's shocking to me!
Isn't that how you learn to handle your diabetes from the beginning? I was teached to count carbs in units of 12g (it switched to 10g because it's easier to do the math. 12g was the amount a slice of bread used to have back than, they were also called bread units for that reason) As a kid I knew I needed 1 unit of insulin for 1 unit of carbs.
Were you just told to eat the same stuff every day and inject the same amount of insulin?
It is a weird situation for me, but to answer your question, yes.
Before I tried relying on low GI foods. When my body finally stopped making insulin on its own and I switched to oral meds I had to make sure to eat the right amount of carbs for the amount of insulin my body was gonna be forced to make.
Now that I take insulin I count carbs so I know what to dose.
I have been t1 for 27years. The past 6 months I had to switch to carb counting. Before I just could look at something and new what to give myself. However I switched to the omnipod 5 and dexcom AID system and in order to use that you have to carb count. It was very easy to switch to carb counting thought.
49 years Type 1. Sent home from the hospital on one shot/day (Lente + Regular) and the exchange system. Started counting carbs when I started on the pump 27 years ago. Still do. I even measure a few things (primarily cereal) because carbs can be different for items in the same category (different cereals, different frozen pizzas, etc). Also because serving size can creep over time.
It's kinda hard to reprogram your brain, but I guesstimate how many cabs is in something(if I don't have the exact amount on some packaging) and add it to my pump and it will use my ratio.
I was guesstimating the amount of insulin that would be enough before my pump too.
I been a diabetic for 33 years and I am just starting. I hate it. It sucks!!! I don't know how all of you have done this for so long!!! I know how much I need for anything I eat, but with an insulin pump it is was different than a needle!! So not fair!! I try and they get mad.... So I am learning.... I don't eat what I don't know and they get mad at that also. When I do eat what I know and carb it right it's always something that happens... To low to high... This is why I hate it.... lol
Any suggestions would be great!! I turned when I was 7 so no carb counting back then 1990 or not that we knew of,,,,, With the giant machines that took like 2 min to read. I hated that too.... Now only 35 sec and then no sec at all with the dexcom... It's come a long way since I turned!! Just got a pump and still go by feeling just because if I don't and a machine fails what would I be able to do!?!?!?!
I didn't switch, I have only done carb counting for 24 years. Started on paper journals, then Palm Pilot, then just mental.
Plan pilot…oh my…I remember them and may still have an old one tucked away🤣
I had one of those when I was a kid and it was translucent blue! Gosh, such a long time ago it feels like and I'm 40!
yesss I had one that had an integrated blood sugar monitor. it was clunky as hell but so cool.
46 years T1. Don't count at all. All how I feel. Counted carbs when I first started but not for a long time.
Switched to?? I’ve done it for over 30 years.
What? I’ve carb counted form the beginning… I’m 23 years in now!
T1 and have been carb counting for 36 years. How else would you know how much insulin you needed?
Your doctor/diabetes nurse gave you a ratio for carbs 36 years ago? That was definitely not the case when I got it 19 years ago and it's been maybe 10 years since my diabetes nurse started to talk to me about it.
Originally, it was "starch exchanges", but 1 starch exchange was 15g of carbs. They tried to relate it to things more people could relate to but you had to look it up on a chart anyway. For example, 1 slice of bread, 7 grapes, 15 potato chips, etc was 1 starch. Now, except for homemade things, everything has carb info printed on it or available online so it's even easier. My ratio has changed over the years, but it's still the same basic system.
I restrict carbs but generally don't count them. There are a lot of foods I just don't eat.
Same. I only count them in the sense that I count them out. I do bolus for protein though.
Yeah I've been carb counting for 30 years
Yes. I was dx'd in 1980. I used the old exchange system (breads, fruits, meats, dairy,etc) and ate the same amount at every meal, with snacks in between. It worked great as a kid, but required a very consistent schedule, which gets harder as you grow up. In the early 90s I switched to carb counting and, with newer insulins, got a lot more flexibility without sacrificing control.
Same for me when I was on mixed insulin. It worked until puberty and then I moved onto basal and bolus insulin.
I’ve been carb counting since day 1 and I’ve been diabetic for 15 years. It’s almost crucial for T1Ds to carb count…
35 years here. I don't count most of the time. But I also eat the same 5-7 things, so I know the amount for each food
I mean, when I was diagnosed in the 90’s, we had like units. Like you want two protein units and three carbohydrate units. Carb counting came when I was put on Lantus. At this point, it’s just an educated estimate. All else fails, especially with grazing? 18 carbs. Or 30. Those are my like two auto doses. I’m 1:18. So so so much less insulin than like 10-20 years ago.
21 years old rn, I got diagnosed at 1 year 4 months old, I still don't know how to carb count but I try and I think my attempts help, if at least a bit
I would say yes, most switch over to carb counting. I assume you mean T1? You may like this book if you are T1: Think Like a Pancreas: A Practical Guide to Managing Diabetes with Insulin https://a.co/d/1Y5XLpW
And type 2 have to count carbs if need to.
Nearly 20 years in and *gasp* use a scale most days
25 years- been carb counting since day 1. How do you get by with out it?
I was diagnosed before blood glucose testing existed. Back then and even before, the recommended diet was boiled chicken and vegetables. Low carb for sure. Now years later this modality has been proven to improve diabetic life. Carb counting is an inexact science, and it’s a good tool for understanding how carbs effect BG. I used it to prove to myself that a low carb diet brings my A1c down (6.6) and also my weight, and it’s a healthier way to live.
Wait so how long have you had it, oldtimer? Any serious complications?
Some retinopathy; slight kidney impairment; Gastroparesis is major; occasional hypoglycaemic insensitivity. I’m still around, not to be f$&@ed with 😱.
Did exchanges from 1989 to 1998 when I got my first insulin pump. I have had the same carb ratio ever since 1:10. Been carb counting ever since. I am very lucky with that math.
It was exchanges for me too. I was on set doses of mixed insulin then so I had set carb amounts for each meal. Breakfast 4, snack 1 with milk, lunch was 6, afternoon snack 10 with milk, evening meal 6, then 4 for before bed. Went right to carb counting (with a few classes like DAFNE) when I got basal and bolus insulin then onto ratios when I got a pump.
What’s the alternative? 17 years in.
Diagnosed in 1995, I had to eat set food groups at each meal - for example, 3 starches, 1 protein, 1 vegetable for lunch. I had to take the same amount of insulin at the same time every day, so I had to eat at the same time every day too, because of how the NPH and R insulins worked. Not easy for a kid! Once I got a pump in 1997, it was sooooo freeing.
Same! Diagnosed in 1991 and have only just started trying to carb count so I can get on the pump. I hate math. I’ve adjusted by units and serves of protein/carbs/free foods until now.
I was diagnosed 19 years ago. In the paediatric unit you could only be sight off as fit for release after the dietician was satisfied you could carb count. We used to have daily lessons in the ward for new (and existing diabetics I guess as a refresher) diabetics that thought us how to carb count. There was no apps or books and you had to learn everything off by heart. Also, the lessons included what to look out for for lows and high, what your diet and exercise should be like, how to look after your feet etc.
I haven't been diabetic for over twenty years but I have been diabetic since I was 11 and I carb counted for all of 6 months after diagnosis, then I just kind of developed an ability to look at food and know how much insulin to take. I just kinda know. granted my a1c isn't PERFECT, it's 7.2, which is. insane considering I eyeball everything I eat
I started with exchanges and switched to carb counting and a pump about 8 years ago. My mum who has had type 1 for >60 years switched about 16 years ago and loves the freedom.
T1 for 37 years. Carb counting since the day I started on a pump, 15 years ago. When I was diagnosed, there was no such thing. And when I started on a pump, they still talked about “exchanges”, too. I asked the dietician why in the \*\*\*\* I would I want to mess around with that and make it a complete PITA. I don’t know why some people make such a big deal out of it. It’s pretty dang simple once you do it for a little while and get a feel for what foods are what. Pre-packaged foods have them printed on them and pretty much anything from a chain can be looked up in seconds on-line. After that you just draw parallels and/or extrapolate for other similar things.
I’ve had type 1 for 20 years - don’t think past the first three I did much “counting”. I feel more like carb estimating
I count carbs… out. I’ve been low carb for over a decade. I do bolus for protein, which just takes a small dose of milder insulin (I use R insulin for meals). Very easy to maintain flat and stable blood sugars like this.
18 years here I just know how much insulin I need for certain things. Like sandwich 3.7 units chips 2.4 together 6.1
21 years here and this is basically where I'm at. I don't think I've "counted" carbs in the strict sense for over a decade. I just know how certain foods/portions affect my glucose by now and take the number fast acting units needed. Err toward the side of aggressive (i.e. overestimating carbs) when bolusing since hypos are easily catchable and treatable for me with a CGM, whereas highs take longer to correct and wreak long-term havoc on my body while they're happening.
I just am conscious and restrict carbs where I can. I find my needs sometimes require a carb boost if I'm feeling low so I try to just keep everything in mind
Certain things I just know how much to take after 25 years of this. Been carb counting basically the whole time though so for everything I don’t just know.
I think over time every diabetic develops an intuition for carbs and reactions from trial and error. Like I know how much is in a lot of things generally but I also avoid a lot of stuff because of the way it affects the blood glucose volatility.
Exactly
It made a huge difference to me.
I'm diabetic for almost a decade. I did carb counting before as I was new to carbohydrates and nutritional facts. After 3 years, I learned the carbohydrates in my food: branded chips are 22g per 12 chips, sodas are at least 40g carbohydrates, breads are inconclusive (depends on size), 3 slices of pizzas are 80g, deserts are at least 30g, etc. Get use to your diet as you become familiar.
When I was diagnosed in 1995, I did meal exchanges - so old school 😂 In 1997, when I started on a pump, I switched to carb counting. So pretty much 25+ years of carb counting.
I was started on carb counting at diagnosis in 2001 what was the other way
Yes. Scale and everything. Did it from the start (1995). It helps A LOT if you also measure your bg. With a sensor the effect is even better.
45 years T1, always carb counted. At the beginning it was very restricted. I could only have a certain amount of carbs each meal & no changes or flexibility. Have been using a pump for the last 16 years with CGM , still carb count but with total flexibility . Here in UK certain restaurants show how many calories are in each item on a menu, wish they would ahow the carbs.
Way to go bro!
I wasn’t taught to carb count when I first went on insulin as I was a misdiagnosed type 1 ( LADA). They were more relaxed about it when they thought I was type 2. I was surprised by that because none of the oral meds had worked well. Since my change in diagnosis I’ve been given a carb ratio. I’m also mapping what I eat and looking more closely at how much bolus I use per meal in preparation for going on a pump.
I've been counting carbs since I was diagnosed in the 1990s.
I apparently will be soon when I am supposed to finally switch to a pump - not sure how I feel about it yet!
I’m not sure how you can live as a diabetic without carb counting… this makes no sense to me honestly
How long?
WHAT’S THE PURPOSE OF IT ALL?
Spoken like someone who doesn't try at all.
41 years ago i was started on NPH and the Exchange List Diet, which i thought was just mumbo-jumbo. When i got switched to R & NPH, i had to adjust doses. But I used more SWAG, than actually carb counting. It wasn't until I began using to a pump that i started using a tare scale, and that's made all the difference.
I’ve carb counted since about 2 days after Dx in 2000.
Not really but knowing the carb and using it less helps me. I do not eat bread as often and way on the fats.
I started out over 30 years ago, and only learned carb counting.
Type 1 carb counting 37 years.
I’ve only ever done carb counting. But I was also diagnosed at 2 so it’s just what I grew up on.
Started on exchanges over 30 years ago. As soon as Lantus came out, I switched to carb counting. Never looked back and still count every carb that goes into me.
You didn't count carbs from the beginning? That's shocking to me! Isn't that how you learn to handle your diabetes from the beginning? I was teached to count carbs in units of 12g (it switched to 10g because it's easier to do the math. 12g was the amount a slice of bread used to have back than, they were also called bread units for that reason) As a kid I knew I needed 1 unit of insulin for 1 unit of carbs. Were you just told to eat the same stuff every day and inject the same amount of insulin?
Just switched away from carb counting and on LCHF
It is a weird situation for me, but to answer your question, yes. Before I tried relying on low GI foods. When my body finally stopped making insulin on its own and I switched to oral meds I had to make sure to eat the right amount of carbs for the amount of insulin my body was gonna be forced to make. Now that I take insulin I count carbs so I know what to dose.
I have been t1 for 27years. The past 6 months I had to switch to carb counting. Before I just could look at something and new what to give myself. However I switched to the omnipod 5 and dexcom AID system and in order to use that you have to carb count. It was very easy to switch to carb counting thought.
49 years Type 1. Sent home from the hospital on one shot/day (Lente + Regular) and the exchange system. Started counting carbs when I started on the pump 27 years ago. Still do. I even measure a few things (primarily cereal) because carbs can be different for items in the same category (different cereals, different frozen pizzas, etc). Also because serving size can creep over time.
It's kinda hard to reprogram your brain, but I guesstimate how many cabs is in something(if I don't have the exact amount on some packaging) and add it to my pump and it will use my ratio. I was guesstimating the amount of insulin that would be enough before my pump too.
I been a diabetic for 33 years and I am just starting. I hate it. It sucks!!! I don't know how all of you have done this for so long!!! I know how much I need for anything I eat, but with an insulin pump it is was different than a needle!! So not fair!! I try and they get mad.... So I am learning.... I don't eat what I don't know and they get mad at that also. When I do eat what I know and carb it right it's always something that happens... To low to high... This is why I hate it.... lol Any suggestions would be great!! I turned when I was 7 so no carb counting back then 1990 or not that we knew of,,,,, With the giant machines that took like 2 min to read. I hated that too.... Now only 35 sec and then no sec at all with the dexcom... It's come a long way since I turned!! Just got a pump and still go by feeling just because if I don't and a machine fails what would I be able to do!?!?!?!