# How do you handle 15 g of carbs when starting at a low/normal BG?

**URL:** <https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/how-do-you-handle-15-g-of-carbs-when-starting-at-a-low-normal-bg/4154>\
**Category:** Type 1 & LADA\
**Created:** [June 5, 2018, 3:36pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/how-do-you-handle-15-g-of-carbs-when-starting-at-a-low-normal-bg/4154 "2018-06-05T15:36:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 74

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**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/how-do-you-handle-15-g-of-carbs-when-starting-at-a-low-normal-bg/4154/74 "2018-06-06T18:08:12Z")

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> [@Beacher](#):
>
> Maybe I’m an outlier, but I use the bolus calc all the time.
> 
> > [@Chris](#):
> >
> > My son does the same as you, uses the bolus wizard and then adjusts.

If you are ever interested in breaking free from needing the machine to tell you bolus amounts, try it this way:

Before you even add up the carb totals in the meal. And before you even look at the nutrition label on the food! Before you enter your BG number into the pump, or do any such thing - make your bolus guess **first**.

Only after making your mental guess do you look at nutrition info, count up the carbs, enter the carb numbers, enter the BG number, and see what the pump tells you.

See how much you were above or below, and then make your final adjustments.

You are still getting the number from the pump, but it becomes less of a thing you need. By always making your own guess first, it helps to learn amounts better.

It is a lot like the strategy of studying for a test. You read the question, then think of the answer, and then read the answer to see if you were correct. It is a much better way of studying than just reading the answer all the time and never figuring it out yourself.

@Chris, you [posted one time](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/how-good-at-carb-counting-are-you/3776) that Cody did that with a bowl of cereal without looking at it? That’s the way to be.

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