[quote user="Brett C. Williams"]
Eating
- I tend to overeat at meals. Some of it is not keeping tabs on the portions, another part is taking seconds of foods.
- I'm not really a sucler for sweets, but I do give into the fried, fatty foods.
- I snack too much. At bed time, I tend to eat things like microwave popcorn, crackers with PB, SEVERAL slices of cheese...
- When eating food that does not have nutritional values clearly stated...I don't do a good job accurately identifying the carbs and therefore don't bolus correctly.
- Insulin reactions - when I become hypo, I tend to get really hungry and overtreat and then the yo-yo process begins with my BG going up and down...
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The problem with food is that our attachment to it isn't really physical - it's in our heads. We no longer trust our bodies and the signals it sends us. Our body tells us when we are hungry and when we are full. But over the years, we have reprogrammed ourselves into thinking we're hungry when we're bored, we're hungry when we're stressed or emotional, we're hungry 5 minutes after we finish a meal. We've also learned to ignore our own satiety. We don't want those second helpings, but it tastes so damn good I'm going to eat it anyway! We all do this - myself included. It goes back to retraining our head to listen to our stomach. In this one instance, our stomach really is smarter than our brain :o)
There are tricks you can use to try to stop yourself from over eating. Use smaller plates and bowls. When you fill these up, it looks like a lot of food, but you are getting smaller portions because you are using a smaller plate. 9" plates are recommended (if you measure, your plates are probably 11", maybe larger). Try pre-portioning snack foods into plastic baggies. When you are hungry, grab a baggie. When the food is gone, it's too much of a pain in the ass to measure out more. Also, when you feel hungry try drinking something. Water is a good choice, but other calorie-free beverages can help too. Often times, we don't recognize our own thirst and misread it as hunger. Distraction also helps. Feeling hungry but it's close to dinner or snack time? Get away from the kitchen or the vending machines or wherever food is. Go for a walk, play with your kids, read a book, pop in a movie - distract yourself. In addition, don't let yourself get too hungry! When we go too long without food, we feel famished and then overindulge. Try to eat 6 times throughout the day - 3 small meals, 3 small snacks. This keeps your tummy full and you won't feel the need to eat a lot. By eating more often, you also don't have to wait very long before the next meal/snack time. Every couple hours you are introducing food into your body, so it no longer becomes an obsession. Every time we eat, our metabolism speeds up to digest the food. Eating constantly and consistently throughout the day keeps our metabolism at a slightly higher rate of speed.
[quote user="Brett C. Williams"]
Exercise
- With a busy job, a wife and 2 kids, my schedule is extremly hectic. I need to find a way to get more exercise but I'm not sure how to fit it in to my day.
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There are also simple things you can do to incorporate more exercise into your day. Park at the farthest end of the parking lot. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, or walk up the escalator instead of just standing there. If you live close to the grocery store, try walking there once a week. Ride a bike or walk instead of driving to close destinations. When you are watching TV, take a loop around the house during commercials or do jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups, or some other physical activity. Kids love to play outside! Go outside and play with them on the weekends. Chase them around the yard, teach them how to play soccer or football or ultimate frisbee, engage them in a game of tag or capture the flag. It's a good way to spend time with them while also getting exercise for everyone.
[quote user="Brett C. Williams"]
Diabetes tracking & Maintenance
- I tend to test multiple times a day, but I don't do a good job of looking at trends and analysis. In less technical days, I tested but would not write down the readings. Now, I test but never upload or really keep tabs. I treat each blood reading acutely versus anlyzing and treating based on long term trending.
- Sometimes I don't test my blodd and guess-timate how much insulin I need from my pump and bolus based off of "experience"
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This one lies within you. You have the tools, but you are choosing not to use them. Can you set reminders for yourself to download your meter once a week? Put a sticky note on your computer to remind yourself to look at your blood sugars and make changes once a month? Put an alarm on your phone to remind yourself to check your blood sugar? This one is the toughest and one a lot of diabetics struggle with. I find it easier now that all I have to do is plug my meter in and stare at the screen, but it's still a pain in the ass to do it.
All of us are busy people, but we are never too busy to take care of ourselves. A blood test takes less than a minute. Carbohydrate counting just takes a quick glance at a nutrition label. Downloading and analyzing blood sugars can be done in 10 minutes. We make time for our families, so incorporate healthy lifestyles into everyone's routine. Your entire family can go for a walk, or play at a park. If your girls are involved in sports, while they practice you and your wife can participate in some kind of activity you enjoy - walking, biking, swimming, etc. It doesn't just have to be you - it can be a family affair :o)