Dealing with Diabetes

As you know, I've been struggling a bit (ok, a ton) with gestational diabetes.  It seems like no matter what I do, my sugars do whatever they want.  After freaking out for a good bit of time, my wonderful, amazing doctor basically told me not to worry so much.

this was way back on Easter!

If you know me at all, you also know that this is a nearly impossible instruction to give me.  I want to do everything RIGHT, and shudder at the idea of being WRONG about, well, anything.  So, I made a "perfect" meal plan, stuck to it, exercised daily...and still had irregular sugars.

It turns out the baby (and his hormones) has quite the sense of humor.  

That being said, the doctor is pleased enough with my numbers, and I am pleased to be able to control the diabetes with only diet and exercise. Just because I know you are all super curious, you can check out what I eat on a typical day below.  This doesn't mean every day, but I am pretty boring and stick to the routine on work days. I like to think it is a nice mix of real, protein-rich foods that balance my carbs throughout the day. (And, yes, I know I sound like a Hobbit.)

Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Coffee

• 2 pieces of bread (either Healthy Life Flaxseed or Trader Joe's Sprouted Wheat)
• butter
• peanut butter (either Smucker's Natural, sprinkled with chia seeds or Trader Joe's Crunchy Peanut Butter with Flax and Chia Seeds)
• Mickey brings me coffee with a splash of soy milk (Silk DHA Omega-3) in bed every morning because he is just that amazing.

Second Breakfast: Parfait

• plain, non-fat greek yogurt (we usually just get whatever is on sale, but especially like Chobani and Trader Joe's)
• berries
• toasted coconut (a great addition shared by Nini)
• chopped nuts (typically pecans)
• chia seeds
• a tiny bit of GrapeNuts.  (I used to be obsessed with GrapeNuts, but I'll be leaving these off once my box runs out...and I feel motivated to try to make some diy granola. I substitute store-bought granola for Mickey's because he loves sugar and doesn't love GrapeNuts.)

peanut butter toast and mickey's version of the parfait

Elevensies: Avocado with salt and pepper

Luncheon: Salsa Salad 

• a ton of romaine lettuce.  I could probably eat an entire head of romaine a day if I let myself.
• chicken (this is way more delicious when I used leftovers, but in a pinch I used canned--low sodium)
• black beans (if I'm feeling productive that week, I cook them with onion and peppers; if I'm not, then they just come straight from the can.)
• veggies (whatever we have on hand: tomatoes, peppers, etc.)
• salsa verde
• cilantro and cumin...these are key

a really great salsa salad--we had leftover chicken

Afternoon Tea: Apple with Cottage Cheese

(My favorite cottage cheese is Prairie Farms low sodium, but I also like Trader Joe's full fat.)

Dinner could be anything on any given day, but we have recently loved making grill pouches that we can just pop on the grill when we get home, because both Mickey and I are usually exhausted.

In addition to the hobbit meals, I usually have snacks of a cheese stick, hard boiled egg, or various veggies (because I am pretty much always hungry), plus plenty of lemon water and raspberry leaf tea (because I am also ALWAYS thirsty).

snacks!

Of course, I don't always stick to this, and I have had my share of splurges and corresponding high sugars, but, generally speaking, eating in a way that feels healthy to me has worked way better than a lot of the recommendations from the dietician.  When I do eat something that spikes my sugar, a workout usually does the trick to bring it down.  Doing things my own way, making exceptions for holidays and special events, and, yes, just worrying less, have made me feel a lot better about the whole GD mess, and I'm glad to say the freaking out (about GD) has all but subsided. Or just moved on to other topics, but that's another story...