The Frightening Part of the Year

Just think of what awaits me, as I am from Louisiana! (Where super size portions are the norm here). I do indulge for the holidays, but I do an awful lot of walking during this time of year. Of course, it doesn't erase all that sugar, but it does help to keep me in a manageable range, mostly : ) God Bless you my friend! I am making my mom's homemade Lemon Pie this year; I haven't made it in 6 years--since I found out I had diabetes. But, one piece won't kill me, and I plan on walking for an hour after I eat it! Whatever sweets you do choose to eat, I have found that savoring every bite does help you enjoy what you do get to eat!

Bless you @chocolate5lover. Your moniker says it all. It could be mine too. Chocolate! Yum. But, diabetes----Boo! That's why I said I'll enjoy a treat for each meal, but like you, one small piece or slice. That's all I allow myself. I admire you being willing to exercise to compensate for the treat. I just don't exercise except for my chores around the house. However, I have been thinking about making the Mayo Clinic's 12 week exercise walking plan a goal. I have a food journal from the day I received a letter from my PCP telling me I was a diabetic, so I have all of the info I researched and what I had to teach myself to be my own dr. since she didn't know. I think an exercise journal would be good to go along with my food journal. I look for new recipes and allowable foods so that my blood numbers will stay in line. Thinking of anything yummy and sweet makes my mouth water. I am from GA, so I understand big portions. My mother always said, "Better to have more food, than not enough," so our meals were a full table. I love lemon pie, so I know it will be delicious. Enjoy.

@retiredteacher

@retiredteacher @chocolate5lover I too have this battle with myself. Mine is just not diabetes but also weight control. I try to exercise a lot to help with that. We just returned from a vacation, the last four days of which were in Charleston. Oh my goodness, I don't know how anyone down there doesn't weigh a ton! So much fatty and sweet food! I did get a lot of walking in so hopefully that helped. I did gain weight though and am working hard to try to lose it before the holidays.
By the way, I do allow myself a piece of dark (at least 70% cocoa) most days. It actually is not that high in carbs, and they say it is good for you. Thankfully I love dark chocolate so it's no sacrifice for me to eat that rather than milk chocolate or the chocolates lower in cocoa.
JK

I, too, encountered this: my PCP not being very knowledgeable. The Dr. had a general knowledge only, and just loaded me down with med's. I have an excellent book on diabetes called Understanding Diabetes by H. Peter Chase, MD. I don't know if it is available to the public or not--as it was used for Dr.'s and Nurses as a training guide in the hospital where my wife works. It is written as a guide for parents who's children have the disease, but it is excellent for anyone. It has tons of great info in it, and it is my go-to book. It has the cartoon character, The Pink Panther on the cover--don't let that fool you, it is a great book. Enjoy your holidays, my friend!

I also have a battle with weight control. I lost 45 pounds since they discovered my diabetes 6 years ago; and still have trouble keeping that A1C down. I could still stand to lose about 25 more, but I have kept off the 45 pounds for 6 years so that is a miracle in itself, considering how much I love to eat! Perhaps I will never be at my ideal weight, but I am healthier than when I started on this journey. Don't fret too much about a few pounds, live--enjoy your life--when you get back to your normal schedule, it will even out. One of the things I have learned about weight is: the more upset you get about it, the more it tends to go up. Contentandwell, you still haven't sold me on the dark chocolate--it tastes like mud to me. I guess it is because I have loved milk chocolate for so long--if I could get it in an IV, I think I would be first in line!!!!! Have a great week, my friend!

@chocolate5lover milk chocolate just tastes bland to me, I started eating dark chocolate when I was just a kid because my mother favored it. I suspect that dark chocolate was more in the 50 - 60 percent range though. I like it all the way up to 85% but more than that I don’t care for.
I have been gaining weight for a while now and vacation was really the icing on the cake - even though I ate no cake! I would like to lose 10 - 12 pounds to get back to a more comfortable weight where my clothes fit. Thankfully I still had some pants from a higher weight so I am stuck wearing them right now. Some of the gain is fluid retention from eating out so much - I use very little salt at home. Experience has shown me that even fluid takes a couple of weeks to make its way out of my tissues.
JK

@chocolate5lover, I searched for the Understanding Diabetes book and only found it in used paperback on eBay, There are 11 editions. I'd like to read this and put it with my Mayo collection on Diabetes. Which edition is the best? This sounds like it would be a helpful addition to what I already have researched and read from Mayo. I am always looking for information since, as I mentioned, my PCP just doesn't know.

Thanks for any recommendation.
@retiredteacher

My copy is the 11th edition. It has 328 pages, they do make a smaller summary copy of the book; but I never read that one. It has a copyright date of 2006. It is the best book I have found so far on diabetes. It has very detailed information on all aspects of this disease. Happy reading!

I always keep a pair of warm-up pants around, just in case I have enjoyed too much good cooking. I call these my holiday pants : ) It pays to have a sense of humor when battling a pesky disease.

I found the 11th Edition of Dr. Chase's book on Amazon and ordered it. I should have it by Nov. 5th. I look forward to reading it, and I thank you for suggesting it. The Mayo Clinic books are good also, but more is better. We need to know all we can to deal with this disease. Thanks for that suggestion.

@retiredteacher