Monday, December 20, 2010

Trying To Maintain And Occasionally Refrain, & Not Go Completely Batshit!

The holidays aren't about the food as much as their about spending time with friends and family, but the food certainly comes into play - BIG TIME.

So this holiday season I'm trying to "maintain" and occasionally "refrain," and still enjoy all the tastes of the season.

And I have to say, by not denying myself, I'm able (for the most part) to not go completely bat shit with the carb overloading! At least.... for now.

Granted, the Christmas party on Saturday was a bit of challenge, what with the Roasted pig (porky was 5 feet long from head to tail); shrimp cocktail, veggie crudites, a tray of Italian lunch meats that was off the hook, cheeses & homemade antipasto, fresh baked rolls, lasagna, broccoli rabe,etc . And did I mention the trays of Italian Christmas cookies, brownie cake, and an Italian cheesecake that was at least a foot thick? Yeah, it was a totally insane spread!

The party had the potential to be a recipe for disaster, both gastrointestinally and blood sugar wise.

But I refrained from the rolls and the pasta, and the chips, and paced myself with the food/portions, and honestly, with such a crazy spread, diabetes or not, pacing yourself was critical! But the real key to keeping keeping the gluttony to a minimum, is to make sure catching up with friends & meeting new ones is kept up to a maximum!

And by focusing on the people and not the ginormous spread, I was able to thoroughly enjoyed the pork and cheese, veggie crudites, broccoli rabe, shrimp, & antipasto and avoid the feeling of feeling like my stomach was about to explode! I was also able to indulge in more than my share of cookies, and maintain my blood sugar all evening - I didn't go above 168.

Diabetesalicious minds want to know: How do you keep yourself from going batshit crazy during the holidays, and still feel like your not completely denying yourself the flavors & deliciousness of the holiday season?

And what are your absolute favorite holiday meals/treats to indulge in?

8 comments:

Cara said...

Sometimes I fail horribly. Sadly. But I mostly try to get little bites of things. One small spoon instead of larger servings. You still get to try lots of things that way, but not over eat and/or make your blood sugars crazy.

Anonymous said...

Great post, Kelly! I actually don't have much worry about having to "refrain" from carb consumption... for me, it's always been an issue of trying to "maintain" just the basics. If I keep track and carb-count accurately, actually putting in the effort to do it right, things usually come out fine. It's when I slack that the probs arise. Anyhow, still planning to not lose myself in the food and, like you, focus on the friends and family and overall spirit! Christmas wishes to you and yours!

Bob Hawkinson said...

Nicely said Kelly....I'm there with ya....:) Hardest part I have is the lag time between insulin absorption and food absorption...and the inevitable rage bolus....lol.
Merry Christmas...may your family and your glucose levels be well..
Cheers. Bob

Renata said...

I struggle with my kids during this type of thing. Kelsey can maintain...Marty just eats and eats and eats. I found that just giving a nice sized bolus before it all starts and then doing an overage an hour or so afterwards works. It's not ideal, but we do end up getting it under control quicker. The kids are young so I try not to worry because it doesn't happen often. However, Kelsey is getting to the age where she should be taking cues from you guys.

Sysy said...

I pick my battles so to speak. As I look at the huge spreads of food I'm thinking, "Ok, I really want that, but not so much that, ok I can't live without that!" And I sort of choose what I REALLY want. I have to do it that way because I've rarely met a food I didn't like. So I must be picky :)

Alexis Nicole said...

Awesome point! I like Justice to eat everything he wants but not ALL he wants. So we let him a lil of everything. If the pie is 40gc per slice we cut that in half so its only 20. And it seems to work! He feels as hes endulged and doesnt end up feeling crappy later. Same goes for synsyre my non d son. We do same for both. So he doesnt feel left out :)

Anonymous said...

I totally understand what you mean and my biggest challenge is trying not to give myself too much insulin so that I drop. I do have to maintain and refrain though or else I'll gain the holiday weight!

meanderings said...

Me, too.
Eyeball what's there and try, try, try to enjoy the conversations more than the food.
Italian goodies... that would be tough.