Last week I got called a ‘good’ diabetic by colleagues at the school I work in.
They witnessed me saying ‘no thank you’ a number of times throughout the day when offered various snacks, like a mini chocolate muffin on a picnic when taking the children to the park as an end of term treat and an ice lolly to cool off with when we returned to school on one of the hottest days of the year so far! Two of my workmates compared me to their family members, who live with diabetes, eating whatever they want and not always make the best choices for effective diabetes management. Personally, I had already made the choice way before they actually asked me if I wanted a muffin or an ice lolly and presented them in front of me. In fact, I had made the choice the night before when I took a little time to prepare my own packed lunch with extra snacks that were nutritionally dense yet still a delicious treat for me. Tucked away in my bag was a bar made from dates, nuts and chocolatey cacao, plus I also had a homemade Oat Cookie packed with energy boosting oats and flaxseed, sweetened with dates and bananas with an extra flavour boost of cinnamon, which has the additional benefit of being great for blood glucose control! So, when the muffins and ice lollies were handed round, I had my own snacks to hand and enjoyed them much more than an overly sweet muffin that would have been gone in 2 mouthfuls, leaving me unsatisfied and simply craving more! I also had my big bottle of water with me and drank regularly so that I was sure not to mistake thirst signals with being hungry.
In my 24 years with Type 1 Diabetes, I have not always made the best choices and would, in the past, have been tempted and said ‘yes please’ to the muffin or ice lolly, whilst dosing myself up with extra insulin. That was fine every now and then, however, there came a point when my awareness of subtle things like how these choices made me feel began to kick in. I began to pay closer attention to them and not ignore them. I didn’t like how such refined foods loaded with simple sugars caused my blood glucose to start climbing on the blood sugar rollercoaster, only to take a significant dip shortly afterwards. Neither did I like how this drained me of energy as my blood sugar crashed after an almighty high. I didn’t like feeling so sleepy at work after eating them and the unavoidable cravings that would strike for more sugar in the afternoon. It was a vicious cycle, being on a blood sugar rollercoaster, unable to stop the dramatic peaks and troughs and unable to stop it to get off!
In 2020, I embarked on a quest to improve my health in order to recover more speedily from a broken back. To ensure I regained the necessary strength and energy to fully heal and get back to my family, part of my recovery involved deciding to shift my identity from ‘the type of person who fails to manage diabetes well with blood glucose levels constantly out of range despite my best efforts’, to ‘someone who thrives with diabetes and has predictable blood glucose and energy levels the majority of time.’ As I wrote about in my last blog post, it came down to focusing on small, consistent habits. Those tiny steps in the right direction towards a better lifestyle that supported a gradual evolution to better health and wellbeing, plus a full recovery from the injury I had sustained falling down the stairs. These are habits that I am able to maintain today as I continue to cast votes for this type of person that I wish to be with every choice I am confronted with. Considering obstacles I may face in any given day and preparing to avoid or overcome inevitable hurdles that crop up, makes it easier to make the better, healthier choice when confronted with them.
This considered action continues to positively impact my diabetes control and overall health. Putting in small daily efforts in order to reach my longterm goal of living a long, healthy, able-bodied life, free from diabetes complications continues to give me a sense of hope for the future, instead of the despair I have sometimes felt when faced with diabetes related ‘doom and gloom.’
When faced with temptations at social gatherings, in restaurants or at work like last week when the staffroom table was groaning under the weight of end of term cakes, chocolates, biscuits and crisps…I no longer feel tempted or crave these things. The benefits of how good I feel now far outweigh the short term pleasurable taste and quick fix of such items. Plus, keeping the vision of my long term goal firmly in mind also ensures I am able to say an informed and empowered ‘no, thank you,’ enabling me to remain on track and moving towards making this my reality.
So what helps me and what might help you to make better daily choices?
- I keep hydrated to avoid misinterpreting thirst cues for hunger.
- I eat 3 balanced meals including carbohydrates, protein, essential fats and PLENTY of FIBRE throughout the day.
- I plan and prep ahead of time and ensure I have nutritionally dense snacks to hand wherever I go.
- If I am going out to eat at a restaurant or at a party buffet, I will not arrive hungry in order to be able to take the time to consider my options, order or serve myself the best things for me, rather than eating ravenously because my blood sugar is already low preventing me from thinking clearly.
- I engineer my environment to guarantee success, for example, I keep the peanut butter (which I can eat by the spoonful given half a chance) up on top of a high kitchen cupboard so that I have to take the time to stop, get a chair to stand on in order to reach it and decide if it’s really worth it or not – often it’s not worth all that extra effort! Conversely, I keep a well stocked, enticing, colourful fruit bowl easy to reach on the dining room table. In other words, I attempt to make the healthy choice the EASY choice.
- If my work environment is filled with nutritionally void foods, I will consciously choose not to spend as much time in there. Once I have eaten my own satisfying packed lunch and had a chat with colleagues, I won’t sit around too long looking at it. I will often choose to go out for a short walk around the block instead to move my body and get a blast of fresh air – that way I’m much more ready for the afternoon ahead instead of feeling tired and sluggish with the probable brain fog and thirst that accompanies high blood glucose spikes too.
- I notice and CELEBRATE my wins, no matter how small they might be, for example, ‘I am celebrating all the colours and plant diversity I have had on my plate today.’
- IF I DO CHOOSE to eat something I wouldn’t usually eat, I will enjoy it and not beat myself up about it afterwards, realising that for my next snack/meal I can make a more nutritionally balanced choice and that the ‘one off’ poorer choice will not have a detrimental affect on my long term health and goals. I might even choose to move my body afterwards, hydrate more or not have a dessert as well that day. I know I have the power and know how to ‘offset’ the negative impact it might have on my blood glucose numbers and control for the rest of the day.
I don’t feel restricted by my diet…I don’t even like to call it a ‘diet.’ It is a lifestyle for me and a very pleasurable and sustainable one at that. I never say “I CAN’T have that…” I simply CHOOSE not to. So, reflecting on the comment that I am a ‘good diabetic’ has made me think that I wouldn’t describe myself as that, my choices are not ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ just sensible, informed and what feels good to me and feels right at that time. This is what I view as a gentle, kind, compassionate approach and is the approach I encourage clients to take themselves when they are looking to implement lifestyle changes.
We don’t have to approach our lives with an ‘all or nothing’ mindset that defines things as good or bad. We don’t have to give up on all of our healthy habits just because we take one ‘not so healthy’ action leading us to believe we have failed and that there is no point! Instead of berating ourselves for this one off, less optimal choice or action we can simply decide to make our next action or food choice a better one and, in doing so, cast another vote for good health and wellbeing. Remember the more votes we cast and behaviours we repeat, the more likely they are to form habits that we can then perform much easier and, eventually, with automaticity.
We are not ‘ON or OFF a bandwagon’ we are living our lives, taking responsibility for making our own choices with the awareness that our overall health is an AVERAGE of our choices, actions and behaviours. So, if we consistently make great choices for our health more often than not in a week, then we are winning and should celebrate this whilst letting go of our perfectionistic tendencies, which don’t serve us well – as I know only too well!
So with that in mind…
What great choices will you make this week to positively impact your health and wellbeing?
Can you be gentle, kind and compassionate with yourself when your choices and actions are not optimal?
How might you engineer your home/work environment to set yourself up for success? Can you make the healthier choices, the most visible and easy?
I’d love to hear from you if this blog has inspired any small changes in your own lifestyle.
Best wishes for your good health and happiness,
Anna x