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Strategies for Christmas

Fencer said:
chocoholicnomore wrote:
Just discoverd that Thorntons mini caramel shortcakes are 6g carbs each.
Going to treat myself to them at xmas-one per day

lol - one packet?
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Got it in one. You know me so well :lol:
 
Strategies for Christmas..............eat, drink and enjoy!
 
noblehead - but seriously, if we eat and drink we might enjoy the moment but regret for ages afterwards, esp type 2 diabetics like myself.
I used to eat and drink, after all its only a couple of days a year, it took me almost 2 weeks, plenty of Metformin and glliclazide to reduce my bg levels to something a bit more reasonable (was below 9 in those days).
I felt so ill, neuropahy played havoc, thirsty, disturbed sleep due to frequent trips to the bathroom, I pad a heavy price for 2 days of just forgetting about my diabetes.

Or maybe I didnt drink enough?! :lol:
 
My strategy is to host Christmas Day for the family this year. Nurses in the family meant they were begging me to have a Christmas Day on Christmas Eve as well. We've negotiated a compromise late Christmas Day dinner on the Day itself when a shift has finished.
We can then go back to our traditional roast gammon on Christmas Eve which we then eat cold over the rest of the Christmas period.
I will be shopping for the 3/4 days so I will have low carb in mind for me. If I eat 1 roast potato and 1 parsnip + loads meat and veg+ gravy+mini amount of stuffing+sausage wrapped in bacon it will be similar to a normal roast at other times. 1 large glass of white wine and BS level normally not bad.
This means that for the rest of the day I cannot eat quality streets, sausage rolls, twiglets, cheeselets, christmas pudding or trifle. Boxing Day I will allow myself small amounts of everything else BUT only if my BS levels have steadied out. So my biggest strategy is buy less, count carbs before cooking, eat what will be on my plan, stay in control on a daily basis and not undo a year's hard work...........we shall see how much willpower I end up having. I assume we'll have a post-Christmas thread of some sort........Merry Christmas everyone. XXXXX
 
WhitbyJet said:
noblehead - but seriously, if we eat and drink we might enjoy the moment but regret for ages afterwards, esp type 2 diabetics like myself.
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I was being serious!

My endo told me not long after diagnosis to relax my control at Christmas and just enjoy the occasion, this I wholeheartedly agreed with and have always cut myself some slack over the festive period and get back on track thereafter.

Just remember we aren't all type 2's on the forum and type 1's can dose adjust to compensate for extra carbs.

Nigel
 
I'm going to make Delia's mincemeat today for the family and not eat it. If I can resist munching on glace cherries, I can resist anything I have last year's Christmas cake that I never got round to icing to dig out and check if it is either lovely and mature or dead.

I think I'll just do what I usually do for Christmas for the others and just not eat it. I'll probably just eat what I usually eat.

I will however not buy cheesy football thingies.
 
I've made the Chocolate Walnut muffins today, from WhitbyJet's post on page 1 of this thread. They are absolutely yummy.

Thanks Whitby Jet!!! :thumbup:

Ann
 

haha we had a packet of those in too!! My family and I shared them hehe
 
Since it's that time of year again, I thought I'd resurrect this thread. Lots of good ideas on here for those of us who've been diagnosed in 2012.

Viv 8)
 
viviennem said:
Since it's that time of year again, I thought I'd resurrect this thread. Lots of good ideas on here for those of us who've been diagnosed in 2012.

Viv 8)
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Good idea as it's not far away
 

This is a really good point - the only difference between "relaxing your control" and "falling off the wagon" is the aftermath.

Relaxing your control (resolving to enjoy yourself): The feeling afterwards is one of staunch commitment to regain control, a good way to start the new year! :thumbup:

Falling off the wagon ("giving in" to temptation): The feeling afterwards is guilt, and shame. This will only lead continued "falling off". A bad way to start the new year... : thumbdown:

It's a tough one for sure...
 
Patch said:
It's a tough one for sure...
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I think I get what you mean Pat

TBH I don't find Christmas to be too bad, it helps not having a sweet tooth, last Christmas I didn't over-indulge that much except for having a KFC on Christmas Eve and cheese and crackers on Christmas Day.
 
Patch said:
Falling off the wagon ("giving in" to temptation): The feeling afterwards is guilt, and shame. This will only lead continued "falling off". A bad way to start the new year... : thumbdown:
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I shall eat drink and be merry but I wont overdo it, everything in moderation. But as thats how I control my diabetes anyway I will have no guilt and certainly no shame and I will eat a few mince pies and probably have a small slice of xmas pudding just not all at once.

Eating a few more carbs than normal will not kill me it will not push my bg levels up massively and I will not take weeks to get back to normal, I may take a few weeks, months even to loose any weight that I put on, usually by a combination of eating and drinking a little more than normal, a few lbs goes in a lot easier than it comes off but Ive managed the last three xmas's OK and see no reason to deny myself anything that I want within reason, I mean I would love to have some crusty white bread but I wont. I suppose it is another reason that I choose not to follow a very low carb/restrictive diet.

I would add that I did not have this attitude over my first xmas with diabetes and on reflection I was still pretty anal about my diet back then but now I am well controlled and have been for some time a few extra carbs have little affect on me now so I can afford to be more relaxed, but I do appreciate how some others will be more strict with themselves this xmas but once you get a grip on your control things do get easier
 
I would add that I did not have this attitude over my first xmas with diabetes
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No nor did I, I was still using very fixed amounts and timing of meals, it worked so I was scared to alter it. Spent a very miserably Christmas away from my children and grandchildren. I cried a lot that day.
 
On the whole I agree with Sid's suggestion - what you fancy but in moderation.

Luckily for me I tend to fancy savoury things rather than sweet. I shan't be eating meringues, for instance! Like Sid, now my control is pretty good I can manage a few more carbs without doing irreparable damage. The thing is, to focus on what you CAN eat rather than what you can't. I'll buy myself a very small box of very good dark chocolates, and have one a day. I'm really going off milk chocolate - it makes me feel sick - and I don't crave Turkish Delight at all :shock:

I don't particularly like Christmas pud or cake, so that's no loss. I might bake a few mince pies using WhitbyJet's recipes. I've found I can eat shortbread fingers with very little effect on my BGs if it's one-at-a-time. Otherwise I much prefer savoury - cheese & biscuits, cheese straws with WJ's recipe (above somewhere), and so on. If I fancy something sweet - no-sugar jelly with berries, sweetened with a dusting of Splenda powder and covered with cream. Also I'll have a look at the low-carb recipes and the Chocolate Paradise thread, for inspiration.

I shall try not to repeat last year's episode - I had a box of chocolate biscuits left over in my "gifts for others" pile; on Boxing Day I opened it and scoffed the lot before bedtime :shock: . No, I didn't test afterwards - I daredn't, but I should have done! I'm still alive, though .

Christmas dinner is once again going to be vegetarian, at my friend's house. That is not as easy as being an omnivore, so I shan't be too strict on that day.

Think of it as a challenge! :wink:

Viv 8)
 
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