Had a baby shower for co-worker yesterday, THOUGHT I was being good and bypassed the cupcakes and cake and went for the rice krispie treat...Bad Idea! My sugar shot up to 400 on the CGM. If you try to fit in with the "normal folk" do you just sit there and watch them eat the good stuff while you smile, nod and say no thanks? It was so frustrating! Also I looked like a fool for not knowing what would and could happen to my numbers. I have been a type 1 for 8 months now and thought I had a handle on all this but screw up one time and looks what will happen!
My numbers were good before snack so I thought I could handle it, had to really crank up my pen at dinner time too because of it.
I was really disappointed with myself.
Any ideas on how to blend a little better?
I always just bring my own food, and if I bring something to contribute I make it something I can eat. I did this yesterday for a work potluck/wedding shower. I have severe food allergies in addition to Type 1 so it means I'm just not willing to take the risk of eating anything that anyone else brings, which helps a lot in the "temptation" department. I try to emphasize the people around me and conversations, not what people are eating.
Ok, I can see that. I bring in my dinner now and I don't join in on ordering take out but I thought I could get away with it and I couldn't. I am learning everyday about the do's and dont's with D.
Eight months is pretty new. I've had this for 23 years and am still figuring out the do's and dont's!
I try to be very familiar with carb counts for all kinds of foods so I can bolus for a small bit of something sweet if I feel like it. In your situation, I might have taken a small piece of cake and bolused for it or I might have simply avoided the treats altogether. The only way you'll start to feel more comfortable is by giving yourself room to make mistakes. Also, as far as blending in, I think other people often pay far less attention to what we're eating than we think they do.
Thanks, it just gets frustrating at times. Seems like it is always in my day planning, work planning, and school planning...always planning and making sure you have everything you need or might need. You decide to loosen up and have a rice krispie treat and BAM.
Yeah, it does get tiring. :( My blood sugars bounce all over the place no matter how carefully I plan, it seems. Part is planning ahead, part is reacting when things don't go as planned, and part is not being too hard on yourself if you make a mistake. :)
The more of these things I go to, the more I realize how many people don't eat due to religious reasons, ethical choices, being on a diet, upset stomach, or picky eaters...
In a situation like that, munching on an ounce or two of nuts like almonds or walnuts satisfies me. Nuts won't drive your BGs through the roof and you can enjoy eating with others. Nuts travel well, need no refrigeration, and you can measure a known quantity into a baggie.
I guess from reading your post that you didn't bolus for the snack. If you are on an MDI + carb counting regime and your dosages are correct, you should be taking just enough long acting insulin to take care of your underlying metabolic needs. About half the insulin you take is needed just to keep your metabolism running, the other half will be bolus insulin to cover any carbs you eat.
Think of it as a "cash economy". Any carbs that you put in your mouth have to be paid for in cash (insulin). There are no credit cards, pay-over-12-months or buy-now-pay later deals. Its strictly cash and upfront. .
Don't beat yourself up - you are new to this and just need to learn the skills. Even the most experienced screw up frequently. At parties I find its often the stuff like crisps (potato chips), Doritos etc., that are the killer. I tend to dose myself up a few units and then try to maintain a mental tally of how many carbs I have eaten. A bit like one of those cards you can pre-load with cash. When I have used up my credit, I put some more in.
Joel
Your life will never fit perfectly with ["normal folk" ] just enjoy your life and when it fits do those normal things and when it does not fit (like food) then you need to stay your coarse and be a diabetic. Swaying to pier pressure was the hardiest thing I had to learn it's not easy, food is a big part of most peoples lives, and food in our lives must be diffrent if we are to enjoy "our" lives and be healthy, happy, and successful...
Sometimes being a Diabetic is a little selfish...["normal folk" ] will never understand.
Frieda, I've had it 47 years and I still screw up on a regular basis. I still try to do my best to count carbs and bolus for them. if I underestimate, I correct and move on.
the nuts are a great idea. here's a popular post with other low carb snacks
https://forum.tudiabetes.org/topics/the-top-23-low-carb-snacks
I also think most of those cakes and cupcakes aren't really as good as you think they are.
Rice is always a bad one for me. I try to avoid it, and if I am forced to go to a restaurant that is rice-heavy I measure it.
Honestly, I disagree with pretty much all of the responses so far. Diabetics are not special, we do not require special foods like our celiac or crohns friends, etc. This is not a disability. We are normal people, too. Have that cupcake. Do something "bad". And then have grilled chicken and veggies for dinner XD But seriously, my DNE told me from the start that one screw up does not affect anything and that your health is measured by your A1C. One cupcake, one 400 blood sugar reading, etc. will not shorten your life. As long as you are eating a "good" diabetic diet the majority of the time (lower carb/glycemic index, higher protein), treat yoself. We are not disabled. Enjoy your life. What's the point of being alive if you aren't living?
I think having a small portion of something is key -- something you can guess the bolus for pretty accurately, and correct fairly quickly and easily if you're wrong. I also agree that it doesn't hurt to have a treat, a WHOLE cupcake, with icing, once in a while. I tried totally limiting myself when I was first diagnosed and ended up pretty angry that all my favorite foods (lasagna, Margaritas, and chocolate cake used to be a perfect meal :-)) were totally off the table, so to speak. So when I'd allow myself to eat them I'd eat, say, 3 croissants, one in each flavor I'd been missing. THAT was depressing, too: readings of 350-400 on the meter that stayed and stayed for hours. I've finally settled on low-carb most of the time (75-100 grams, tops, per day) and an occasional splurge. If I were in the OP's situation, I would decide how badly I wanted a piece of cake, cupcake, etc. Is someone an outrageously good baker whose confection I would really miss not trying? If so, I would have a serving of whatever that was. What the heck, I might even try bites of the other stuff, particularly if my office buddies reported these treats were exceptionally delicious and I was in the mood. I would bolus the best I could to cover what I ate, check later and correct, and check later still and correct again (I know, tedious). I'd try to make sure whatever I ate the rest of that day was healthy and low-carb, to help balance out the indulgence. And then I would move on.
Thanks for all the information! I am on MDI and I think maybe Doc has lowered my Lantus a tad too much!
I haven't been given the go-ahead with that yet, I was just rejected by insurance company for an insulin pump so I hope Doc will let me be more involved with MDI and Lantus doses by next check up
Basmati rice is reputed to be lower GI. As is brown rice. You might want to give Basmati a try - we eat it routinely as it is nicer to cook with IMHO.
Joel
Generally a diabetic want to stick to a low carb snack or something within 15 g's of carbs. But it vary's for each person depending on their meal plan. I enjoy snacks like Go-Gurt, an apple, carrots, granola bar, beef jerky, peanut butter/crackers, nuts....
Freida,
I went through a similar problem recently with birthdays at my work office. It’s hard (really hard) to be the only one sitting there not eating cake or whatever sugary treat they have brought in. But you can do it! You have to be prepared for other people’s reactions, though. Some get offended, or try to convince you that “a little bit won’t hurt.” A very small amount won’t hurt you, per se, but it will make it harder to control your blood sugars, as you saw with your rice krispie treat. One of the things I’ve done in situations like this is to eat an apple with peanut butter while everyone else is eating cake. It satisfies the sweet craving you’re having watching everyone eat cake and you’re still participating in the group activity of eating to celebrate. I have also tried prebolusing for a small amount of sweets. Basically you take the insulin you would normally take to cover the cake about 15 to 30 minites before you actually eat anything. This gives the insulin time to kick in before the food, so your blood sugar drops a bit and then comes back up to normal after you’ve eaten. It works fairly well for me when my sugars have been normal for a while, but if they’ve been out of whack for whatever reason, prebolusing can sometimes cause me to drop really fast and then I end up high after I eat.
Parties are a balancing game of participation and doing what’s best for you, even if it totally goes against what everyone else is doing. I hope you have a better experience at the next party!
Alex
I agree. Learning how to guestimate the amount of carbohydrates is a great skill EVERY type 1 diabetic needs to learn. A rice crispy treat could have anywhere from 15 to 40 carbs depending on the size of it. If you can guess the carbs and take a dose of insulin to cover it, your bloodsugar should be more stable.
If you mess of and are still high, then you'll know you guessed low and you can make more adjustments next time.
If you mess up and go low, oh well theres more food so dig in!