Thinking about Christmas

[smeatons]

I went to the supermarket today and I was looking at all the Christmas food.
This is going to be my first Christmas since diagnosis and it's already making me feel depressed!

At diagnosis I said that there would be three days in the year where I didn't worry too much about what I was eating: Easter, Birthday and Christmas.

In reality I had a treat for Easter and my birthday, but I didn't eat anything like what I would "normally" have done.

But Christmas food, wow, I love Christmas cake, Christmas pudding with the white custard, mince pies, the quality street chocolates, gingerbread, the kp salted peanuts, the works!

Apart from the salted peanuts though, I can't see me being able to eat any of these things without significant damage to my bgs.

So how do people deal with Christmas, because in reality it's more than one day you have to deal with and any Christmas food looks lethal in the post-diagnosis world?

thanks,
David

 

[Mothman]

Hi bud,

i have been cooking a complete Christmas diner for many many years, [mum cant do it now she is disabled] well before i was diagnosed T2 [July 2011] and have been thinking about it for a while. Basicaly, all there is a problem with the gravy[for me] and the stuffing and you can get all this gluten free and if you do more veggies and less potato you shouldnt have a problem.
Ime afraid you will have to do without the sweets, cakes and mince pies but this is a small price to pay to be as healthy as you can. I have made a lot of pickled onions this year to keep the hunger pangs away. Lots of receipes on this forum, especially for Christmas. They say its only 21 days needed to kick a habit, i wouldnt know, but i am trying hard and am now loosing weight slowly. There wil be less 'taters' at Christmas for me but plenty everything else. [no sweets or mince pies though]
You will still be able to enjoy yourself but must be well realistic about your problem.
Dont let it get you down. As a newly diagnosed myself, i have no plans to have a horrible Christmas, different maybe, but ime planning to have a good time.


Andy

 

[mrburden]

I went to the supermarket today and I was looking at all the Christmas food.
This is going to be my first Christmas since diagnosis and it's already making me feel depressed!

At diagnosis I said that there would be three days in the year where I didn't worry too much about what I was eating: Easter, Birthday and Christmas.

In reality I had a treat for Easter and my birthday, but I didn't eat anything like what I would "normally" have done.

But Christmas food, wow, I love Christmas cake, Christmas pudding with the white custard, mince pies, the quality street chocolates, gingerbread, the kp salted peanuts, the works!

Apart from the salted peanuts though, I can't see me being able to eat any of these things without significant damage to my bgs.

So how do people deal with Christmas, because in reality it's more than one day you have to deal with and any Christmas food looks lethal in the post-diagnosis world?

thanks,
David

Don't panic!
There are so many options available when it comes to eating as a diabetic. Firstly, I would say that "diabetic" foods are not really much use these days because almost everything has the carbohydrate content marked on the packaging. It may mean doing some maths to get an idea of how much carbohydrate is in your "portion but it can be done. Even Quality Streets are marked. It might be an idea to get hold of a copy of a good carb counting book. If you have home-made Christmas cake and mince pies, it's a matter of getting the recipe and working out the total amount in the mix and dividing it up into portions.
I think that generally many diabetics experience higher than normal BS levels over Christmas ans I know from my own experience that the docs don't expect perfection either.
I notice that you've not mentioned alcohol. If you drink more at Christmas, don't forget that strong alcoholic drinks like spirits can lower your blood sugar, while ciders and sweeter alcoholic drinks may either lower or raise your levels, so testing your sugar level is important.
You might find that after a whiskey you might need a couple of Quality Streets! Ask you dietician for some specific advice on dealing with Christmas.
Have a good, safe one!!

 

[sunnysideup]

Hi, I've just bought the book Carbs and Cals, a visual guide to carbohydrate and calorie counting (in assoc with Diabetes UK), and have found it a real eye opener seeing the pics of portion sizes! I also have the little book of carbs but this new one (for me) is so useful. There are various sizes/portions in pics along with the carb and calorie count. Includes drinks and puddings, including Christmas pud!

sunny

 

[angieG]

We got a big tin of Quality Street given to us last Christmas....I allowed myself a couple a day and it lasted for ages!! Lots of days of treats then and no significant damage to the levels.
They are brilliant if you are going for a nice long walk or a stint on the exercise bike as they soon disappear out your system.
Last Christmas was my first as a type 2. I ate everything I normally would have for Christmas dinner except the potatoes. Replaced the potatoes with a bit of Mum's homemade stuffing. Had strawberries and cream instead of Christmas pudding and it went down lovely. I can honestly say that for the first time in years I didn't feel stuffed and sleepy in the afternoon due to eating too much. My levels were fine afterwards. For tea later I had cold turkey and salad and then a small slice of bannoffee tart and cream and even that proved okay.
Just keep an eye on what you are doing and think before you eat too much but you can have a good celebration without too much harm and it's only one or two days when all said and done out of 365!!
Hope this helps.
Regards
Angie

 

[elviscole]

You might find that after a whiskey you might need a couple of Quality Streets!

now that sounds like a good plan :lol:

 

[smeatons]

Looks like no one has come up with the magic solution to allow me to eat Christmas pudding with white custard then! I guess I'm just going to have to struggle with the smell as everyone else around the table tucks in

...although going alcoholic over the Christmas period might be an interesting and fun solution.

thanks everyone,
David

 

[mrburden]

Looks like no one has come up with the magic solution to allow me to eat Christmas pudding with white custard then! I guess I'm just going to have to struggle with the smell as everyone else around the table tucks in

...although going alcoholic over the Christmas period might be an interesting and fun solution.

thanks everyone,
David

I've not looked for one this year, but when you're at the shops just look at the packaging of the puds and they might have the carb content marked on them. It's the "Total Carbohydrate" (per 100g usually) that you need to find out, then weigh your portion into your bowl on the day to see how heavy it is. Just account for it within your meal.
Some of the manufacturers do list the nutritional info on the internet as well.

 

[WhitbyJet]

smeatons - if you really feel the need to indulge, compromise with harm minimisation, go for quality and not quantity, a small portion of Christmas Pudding is better than none at all. Just reduce portions of the carby foods, fill up on the low carb ones, eg turkey, sprouts, pigs in blankets.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, no matter what you do or eat.

 

[Jack13]

Keep an eye on your BG, and if your able to, have just a slice of XMas cake and nowt else, class it as atreat. Just keep aclose eye on your BG and you should be fine mate. Its hard sometimes mate, are you injecting at all?

 

[viv1969]

Have a small portion of the Christmas pudding and white custard. Once is NOT going to do ANY long-term harm.

 

[))Denise((]

This is my first Christmas since realising I am wheat intollerant, so that little bit of Christmas cake/pudding, biscuits would lead me to spending Boxing Day in the loo .... So its not just diabetes for me.

I've also got my annual review in the first couple of weeks in January, although I'm going to try and get my blood tests done before Christmas again. I did tell my GP that it was mean to do the Annual reviews after Christmas, but his response was that they needed doing sometime.

 

[gollymax]

Hi all
not worried about xmas puds, just have a bit of turkey/chicken and a drink or two, hope all of you have a great xmas :crazy:

 

[Libbyloo]

Hi there,

Last year, which was my first year after diagnosis (as both coeliac and diabetic), I adapted my tried and trusted xmas pudding recipe and made a gluten free version, which was great. This year I have made individual ones so I can work out the carb content etc. The other thing I did last year was to have the main meal at the usual time (about 3ish) but delayed having the pudding until later in the evening (around 7 or 8ish) and zapped myself with enough insulin to match and it was all ok.

Libbyloo