What are the strategies for managing diabetes during holidays?
If your plan is to eat yourself into a food coma, you are not alone. Most gatherings during this period revolve around food and drinks, but are usually not healthy. And I definitely think there should be room for that!
There should be room for luxury. You just have to throw your meal into the wind for a few hours and enjoy being with family and friends.
And yes, of course, we can do that even if we live with diabetes. If you have an insulin addiction like me, you need a solid game plan and you can get through the festival without causing any havoc on diabetes management.
My plan to manage diabetes well during the holidays
My plan is pretty simple, so it should work for you too:
Know the carbohydrate ratio (the amount of insulin taken in grams of carbohydrates) – If you don’t know them yet, get the paper and take notes for a few days to get it right. Knowing your daily carbohydrate ratio can help you achieve good glycemic control not only on holidays, but all year round. You can learn more by reading my posts on carbohydrate ratios and sensitivity.
I know what you’re eating – If you didn’t make it yourself, ask your host. You can’t always see what’s in the food. Mashed potatoes usually contain potatoes as well as butter, milk (or cream), and even sugar.
Bring a carb count cheat sheet – It may not be accurate, but it’s better than nothing. If you go to mom’s house on vacation, you’ll know a lot of the food she cooks, as she has it since she was a child.
Do a little research ahead of time to see how many carbohydrates are found in your favorite Christmas food serving. Maybe you can even get a mom’s recipe and calculate the exact carbs? You can find a variety of cheat sheets online or simply make your own.
I exercise in the morning – Hit the weight before going out. It improves your insulin sensitivity and makes your blood sugar easier to manage in the afternoon/night. Not only will you feel better, you’ll love the extra carbohydrates and proteins that your muscles will enjoy later in the day. Why not use all these holiday calories to build muscle?
Consider increasing your base speed – If you sit and eat for hours, you may need to raise your basal insulin. Always consult a healthcare professional before changing your insulin dose. But increasing your base rate at dinner or all night could be an idea.
Go for a walk after dinner (or snowball fight) – It not only helps digestion, it only helps your blood sugar. I don’t think this needs more explanation. Make sure the sugar doesn’t crash!
Test, test, test and track active insulin so you don’t overdose – Bring the meter to the table and relies heavily on CGM. My sugar has a few spikes, but as long as it comes down as planned, it’s fine.
Don’t forget the alcohol bolus – It can be difficult to attack alcohol, as alcohol can drop sugar. My rule of thumb is that I’m a bolus for everything except hard liquor (I don’t drink anyway). Insulin is especially necessary if alcohol is mixed with drinks that are high in juice or other carbohydrate.
Drink responsibly. If you’re genuinely intoxicated, something, especially diabetes, is really difficult to manage. If you haven’t eaten for any reason but are just drinking it, you should be very careful when giving alcohol, as it is likely to be lowered in the middle of the night.
Alcohol is difficult, so if you’re drinking and don’t know how your blood sugar levels react, I recommend just having a bedtime snack for safety.
For more information about drinking while living with diabetes, see a comprehensive guide: Diabetes and Alcohol: How Does Alcohol Affect Blood Glucose?
How did you succeed?
If I enjoyed diabetes without too much worry, if I enjoyed it without too much worry, if I managed diabetes, I kept it in the 200 mg/dl (11 mmol/l) range the next morning and managed it well if I wasn’t too much low sugar.
It’s good that I learned to manage my diabetes myself, as I don’t think Santa would bring me a new pancreas for Christmas.
Happy Holidays!!!!
