Don't make food your focus at the holidays.

Here in Minnesota winter is on its way and today brought with it extremely high winds, not much sun and cold temps. No snow yet (whew). It is not weather you want to be outside in. And I'm also trying to watch my budget and anywhere I can think of going involves spending money. So today was a stay indoors and catch up on reading day. I get behind during the week reading the blogs I love, magazines, emails. It was also a lazy cooking day. Breakfast was scrambled egg whites and Eco Planet oatmeal (which is really millet and quinoa) and is AMAZING. I craved oatmeal this morning, but with type 1 diabetes, it requires a little bit of planning for me. I gave myself insulin for the 27g of carb 15 min ahead of time and made sure to eat my protein (eggs) first. It worked and 2 hours post-eating my bg (blood glucose) was 110. YESSSS. I can't say that my dinner went as well- I made a chicken quesadilla on an Udi's Gluten free tortilla (30g carb) with chicken breast, 1/4 avocado and 2 tablespoons of salsa, totaling what I guessed was about 45g of carb. I bolused only 10 minutes ahead, since my bg was 82. Well,1 hour post I'm sitting at 179 and the CGM is reporting a sidewards-up arrow. Fail. My body tolerated the morning carbs but I guess eating them again for dinner was maybe not the best idea. My bg is sensitive to carbs and it doesn't take much to send it soaring. Lesson learned; tomorrow will be a low carb day (a normal day for me).

Sometimes I like to "treat" myself with carbs but it seems like I always regret it. I now will chase my blood sugar around for the rest of the night. For some people, that's the trade off and they don't mind the swings as much. But I do. I aim for very tight blood sugar control so seeing a 140 or higher will send me rage bolusing to get it back under 100.

Tomorrow I will be making a batch of homemade chili (I know, I ALWAYS make chili) and chopping up salad material for the week. I also thawed a pack of Applegate All Natural hotdogs for a quick eat option (no bun). I have a butternut squash and a few sweet potatoes to bake, too (I use earth balance "butter" and black pepper on them). I like to keep my prepackaged food to a minimum for health reasons. I also think prepackaged food is a waste of money for this frugal girl. Making something completely from scratch (like chili) is inexpensive and yields a high quantity of food. I don't use any chili starters, I season it with herbs and single-ingredient spices that don't have sodium. Homemade also ensures a GLUTEN FREE meal that is safe from cross contamination, which is a necessity for this celiac diabetic.

I've been feeling tempted with all of the holiday food recipes I've been seeing posted online. Lots of gluten free holiday desserts. But I am trying to maintain the weight loss I achieved so I plan to make some healthy alternative options. There are lots of gluten free desserts, but they are no healthier than their gluten-laden counterparts. Just as much fat, salt, carbs and calories. Having to follow 2 medical diets changed my perspective on holidays. I no longer focus on food as the main event, not even on Thanksgiving. My focus is on the people- the family and friends. I want everyone to eat what they want to eat, but as for me, I will eat in moderation this year just like I did last year. I didn't walk away from the holidays bloated or 5 lbs heavier. I didn't feel guilty for what I ate. I didn't have blood sugar swings. I felt GOOD and happy. If you make food your focus during the holidays, you will either feel guilty (for eating poorly and gaining more weight or having blood sugar swings) or feel deprived (for not eating what everyone else was eating). You may even feel sick. So my advice is to focus on the games on tv, the board games you play, the conversations/ interactions you have. Focus on the healthy food options and have a small nibble on the other stuff.