Because I am getting an insulin pump I decided it was finally time to learn how to count carbs. I'd tried it once before, but I gave up before I got very far. I generally guess-timated the amount of insulin needed for the food I ate; I was pretty good at judging this for things I ate every day, but not so much for things that I ate only once in a while. I was determined to learn carb-counting once and for all, though, because I would need it for the Omnipod. I started out with breakfast: muffins from the bakery at Save-On-Foods. The package gave me all the information I needed. Each muffin contained 48 grams of carbs. I tried four units of insulin one day, six the next and eight the next. Six turned out to be just the right number.
My next food was cereal. I measured one cup of Cheerios and half a cup of blueberries. The carb count for the cereal was on the box, but I had to look up the blueberries. Since the muffins had worked out at six units for 48 grams of carbs, I decided to take one unit of NovoRapid for every eight grams of carbs. Success!
These days every time I go to a restaurant I ask for nutritional information for the food. I've started asking my boyfriend to take me to Milestones for special occasions because they have a special card that contains the carb count, calorie count, fat grams etc. for all of their dishes. I found that A & W has something similar posted on the wall of their store at the Bay Centre. Starbucks drinks and menu items can be easily found with a Google search on my smart phone, so I know exactly how much insulin I need to take for my tall cinnamon dolcé latte (four units, by the way.)
Some foods are more difficult to judge. I failed badly when I had sushi because I had no idea how many cups of rice came with my meal, nor did I know how much sugar was in the sauce that was added to the rice or how much sauce was used. I have no clue how to measure cooked pasta. I definitely still have much to learn.
I'm noticing differences already, though. I'm not having lows nearly as often because I now don't have to guess how much insulin I need to cover that sandwich or this glass of juice. Also, now that I know the carb counts of the foods I eat most often, I'm making an effort to eat more lower-carbohydrate foods.
I definitely appreciate that the bakery at Save-On Foods labels all their products with carbohydrate counts. I now know how many grams of carbs are in one-eighth of a cake, and when I want some, I will cut the cake in half, then cut it into quarters, and then slice one of the quarters in half so that I have one-eighth of a cake. Before I counted carbs I'd have had a bigger piece.
My OmniPod arrives tomorrow, and then I have to get a pump trainer to teach me how to use it. I hope to chart my progress here. Wish me luck in becoming a pod person!
