A Life of Numbers

When I wake up every morning of every day, the first thing I see is the numbers on my BG number. Next I see the numbers on my pump, when I give a correction. Then, I move on to the major equation of counting carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are one of the three main nutrients in food and the one that effects BG so insulin must be used to match the carb intake in order to stay in range. When I was first diagnosed, carb counting was on of the hardest aspects of the disease for me to adjust to. During my first year with T1D I was never without my Calorie King book to look up different foods, a note pad and pencil, and my iPhone calculator. Now, it all is second nature and I can usually do it without even looking at labels.

How many carbs? 

Above is a picture of a lunch I ate one day. The main carbohydrate in this meal was the crackers. In order to see how many carbohydrates for the crackers I look at the nutrition facts label on the package. The serving size on this package is 15 crackers, so there is 21 carbs in 15 crackers. To find out how many carbs are in one cracker you divide 21 by 15 to see that each cracker is 1.4 carbs. I had 12 crackers on my plate for a total of 16.8 carbs, which I round up to 17 carbs. The 1/4 cup of trail mix in the lunch is 12 carbs, while the salami and cheese are carb free. So in total this lunch is 29 carbs (17+12).


No that I am so experienced with carb counting I often SWAG bolus and have gotten really good at eye-balling my carb intake. Now when I look at a plate of food, I actually see numbers floating in my head of different carb amounts, crazy I know:).

63g of Carbs 

 It all come with practice and is very important during this time of the year when you are encountering many foods that may be unfamiliar. Cheers and Carb Count On!
-Morgan