# Carb counting scales



## Meli (May 30, 2013)

Hi all, its been a while since I lasted posted on here, but I have been reading your posts with interest. I have finally got a pump start date! I never thought I would get it, its taken approx 3 years from the start of mentioning it to my Doctor. I start with a saline pump on the 18th June then the real thing on the 26th June. Its strange to be feeling excited about it????
I have be perfecting my carb counting skills for the last 6 months or so, but I have heard you can get carb counting scales and I would really like to get some. Can anyone recommend a set of scales that they use to help them?
I would be grateful of any advice regarding this,
Thanks,
a very happy Meli


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## Pumper_Sue (May 31, 2013)

Meli said:


> Hi all, its been a while since I lasted posted on here, but I have been reading your posts with interest. I have finally got a pump start date! I never thought I would get it, its taken approx 3 years from the start of mentioning it to my Doctor. I start with a saline pump on the 18th June then the real thing on the 26th June. Its strange to be feeling excited about it????
> I have be perfecting my carb counting skills for the last 6 months or so, but I have heard you can get carb counting scales and I would really like to get some. Can anyone recommend a set of scales that they use to help them?
> I would be grateful of any advice regarding this,
> Thanks,
> a very happy Meli



Hi Meli,
nice to see you back again. 
IMHO they are a lot of money for nothing. Just use a set of ordinary digi scales and work out the carb value from the weight. 
Have to admit my view is rather jaundiced due to having a set of Lloyds scales and to say the carb listing was inaccurate  is an understatement.
Happy pumping and make sure you buy the book pumping insulin by John Walsh (Amazon) if you haven't already got it.


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## Phil65 (May 31, 2013)

Agree with Sue, a set of digital scales does the trick for me....much easier to use and far cheaper. I was given a set of Rosemary Conley Carb scales by my Diabetes Centre when I got my pump, I found them to be not very user friendly and I don't use them.......good luck with your pump....exciting!


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## novorapidboi26 (May 31, 2013)

Another thing that has helped me, now that I can consider all the carbs, even the decimals, is the app My Fitness Pal......

Has a huge database and bar-code scanner, and internal calculators that can produce the exact carb values according to how much of a certain item you are having.....

Not for everyone, but a great help to me.....


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## Dory (May 31, 2013)

ahhhh the carb counting scales!

they're rubbish.  I promise you.  DO. NOT. WASTE. YOUR. MONEY.  instead, go out and buy the carbs and cals book and/or get the smartphone app, or do it the old fashinoed way by looking at packets (especially necessary when veering from standard foods)

For a few reasons:

the carb couting scales will only work out the carbs for an average prepared meal - ie lasagne.  but what happens if your lasagne has gluten free pasta? or you're using a shed load of veg instead of meat?  or what about the low carb sausages you've just bought?  no optino for them on the list of items in the scale, guarantee it.  in short, it only works when you've prepared the food exactly the way as programmed into the machine.  too much milk in that mash, or none at all, and you're scuppered).
not enough products in there that us Ds actually use - ie carrot and swede mash?  not in there.  celeriac?  nope, not there either.
the area size to put your plate etc on is about the size of your palm - nowhere near good enough to balance any decent sized bowl or plate
you can't add the carbs up as you go along; you still have to count them up in your head or use a bit of paper
even though I set it to english, the scales only registered american foods (corns dogs?  zucchinis??  gaah!!) so many quintessentially british foods might not be on there (never checked but steak and kidney pie for example may be a bit tricky
).

I bought a set of these a few years ago, used them for about 3-4 months, then got so frustrated I stopped using them and went back to other methods.  they went into the bin.


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## Meli (May 31, 2013)

Thanks so much for your responses, its really interesting to hear all your comments. I am panicking and want to have everything ready for my big day, I think I will now hold off on those scales!


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## Pumper_Sue (May 31, 2013)

Meli said:


> Thanks so much for your responses, its really interesting to hear all your comments. I am panicking and want to have everything ready for my big day, I think I will now hold off on those scales!



Hi Meli, another way of looking at things is that you are carb counting now so why do you need special scales?


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## Meli (Jun 2, 2013)

Pumper_Sue said:


> Hi Meli,
> nice to see you back again.
> IMHO they are a lot of money for nothing. Just use a set of ordinary digi scales and work out the carb value from the weight.
> Have to admit my view is rather jaundiced due to having a set of Lloyds scales and to say the carb listing was inaccurate  is an understatement.
> Happy pumping and make sure you buy the book pumping insulin by John Walsh (Amazon) if you haven't already got it.



Thanks, I have just ordered this book, unfortunately it takes 7-23 days it arrive as it comes from America, I figured it was worth the wait. looking forward to reading it.


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## squeeze321 (Jun 28, 2013)

Hi Meli,

I have the Kitrics carb counting scale and my experience of it has been pretty similar to everyone else's as the carbs are way off apart from the carbs for raw peanuts for some unknown reason!!

The best thing I have used for carb counting has been the DAFNE Carbohydrate Portion List book, which is my Carbohydrate bible! Wow, this has really helped me get control of my blood sugars, which were previously blowing holes through my roof!! I nearly needed NASA to measure my HbA1c's.......it was crazy. If the food is not in the little orange book then I use the Nutritional info on the back of the packet, and my control is much improved and what a difference it has made.


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