We've got a meal plan (from the hospital dietician) for our 8-year old, which I was trying to meticulously follow for the first few week. Good luck. Since our ped endo put William on Lantus 1x/day and Humalog 4x/day, I feel like we've got more flixibility in his feeding. But, how much flexibility? How much do we need to control overall carbs per day? If he's getting enough insulin to cover all his carbs in any particular meal, how important is it to limit his carbs overall? As long as he's maintaining a "healthy" weight, and getting a fairly balanced diet (not that he is...but that's another issue) is there any particular concern with sticking to the plan?
we were given a meal breakdown when I was diganosed..but that was looong before carb counting was being used. it simply just broke down how big my servings should be for each thing and what time i should eat my snacks, etc.
we stuck to it for the first little while but ended up going our own way after a while, with no objection from the diabetic clinic. as long as you aren't letting them eat loads of junk and little veggies, i don't see a reaon to stick to it if you find something else works better.
You don't HAVE to stick to it but in the beginning it can help you learn about foods how to count etc.. you can trade out one food for another. I followed my recommended calorie intake per day and carbs I should have at each meal but they didn't tell me what foods to eat they just gave me suggestions on good food choices. I would think everyone on here would agree that we all went through that stage in the beginning. But you quickly learn the foods that will make your sons blood sugars higher, how much insulin you need for lets say pizza, and when you go out to eat, what works for him when hes low stuff like that.
Its really all trial and error, I still am going through it 9 yrs later.
Its really all trial and error, I still am going through it 9 yrs later.
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I agree that developing a unique meal plan for each person is a lot of trial and error but I also believe that it's really helpful once you get that plan or routine down to stick with it. It's hard for me to keep my BS levels on point when I'm varying my diet and exercise schedule. I'm actually in the process of getting back into a routine right now and just sticking with it. It starts a day at a time but the longer and longer you can link together good days the better, and I really think it's about a good routine. (ie. insulin, medicine, exercise)