If it isn’t obvious from the twinkling lights in my neighborhood and the Christmas carols on a local radio station, everyone seems to be ready for the holidays. As a type 2 diabetic, I’m so not.
Just this week I came into work to find a line of festive cookie tins overflowing with homemade peanut butter, double-chocolate fudge, macadamia nut, and sugar cookies. They were less than 10 feet from my desk, and saliva threatened to drip out of my mouth every time I thought about them.
The office staff also recently gathered for a potluck Thanksgiving feast. Though I kept my distance from the dessert items, I still overate, feasting on seconds and thirds of ham, sweet potatoes, and corn pudding. I have to face the fact that my efforts to manage my blood sugar, which usually include avoiding office treats, are in full holiday meltdown.
See, I thought I still had a few weeks before instituting my full holiday diabetes strategy. But I should have realized time was running out last week when the neighbors put out their tacky wooden reindeer, and their children began rearranging them into compromising positions.
Not deterred, I will get up to Blixen speed. Here’s my 2008 strategy.
- Bring my lunch and eat it, even when the office staff gathers for communal feasts. If I’m full, I’m less likely to graze.
- Try to eke in a few more minutes on the treadmill or add a few 100 steps to my daily walking routines to compensate for an uptick in carbohydrates.
- Take alternative routes around the places where my office mates place goodies.
- I’ll also try my best to avoid stressful situations this holiday. Stress can raise blood sugar.
Finally, I’m going to do my best this holiday to keep a regular schedule and plan ahead. These are the top two tips from the American Diabetes Association on controlling your diabetes during the holidays. Its website offers many great holiday diabetes management ideas.
Got anymore tips to help me through this festive, but dangerous, holiday season?
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