"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Janet Wilder" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>> We gave up on the exchange business years ago. It was impossible for
>> my DH to comprehend. We went back to Diabetes School and learned
>> "carb counting" and it was like a miracle. His weight went down, his
>> A1C went down and he started to enjoy his food instead of worrying
>> about what it was doing to him.
>
> I don't understand why people think it is difficult. It is really no
> different than carb counting except that there is less math to do.
> They're really pretty much the same thing. I don't technically do the
> carb counting because I don't like to do all that adding. It's just
> far easier for me to think in terms of 1, 2 or 3 servings of whatever
> the carb is. The Exchange Plan has never caused me to worry.

I don't count carbs per se, as in looking up carbs in a book. I would
try a piece of bread and if too high then try 1/2 a slice next time etc.
With the exchange system, to me, it is easy to swap 1 piece of bread for
2 rye crackers or whatever. The exchange lists I have seen have always
provided a list of alternatives (and amounts) for each carb serve. Was
never anything that needed weighing but stuff like milk, cereal etc
needed measuring cups, which I always have inthe house anyway. Once you
do it a few times though you get to eyeball it.