Many Small Meals Help Diabetics Avoid Sugar Spikes

Dear Diary,
Hunger pains, not for me. I've found that 1,700 calories, or there about, is plenty to keep me satisfied. This may be hard to believe since just a week ago my daily intake was probably closer to 3,500 or 4,000 calories.

The key for me is looking ahead to what the day will bring. Fortunately there is no need for me to eat out. My job allows me to eat every meal at home, and tailor it to fit my nutritional plan. Yesterday, knowing I was going to prepare what I would consider a larger meal for supper, I adjusted for it by rationing out my calories through the rest of the day.

The trickier part is snacks because I'm usually away from the house and must make them portable and easy to consume. Fruit is good for this, or the occasional granola bar. I try to avoid granola bars because they tend to be a small, less satisfying quantity, to meet their 100 calorie requirements.

However you handle snacks the one important fact seems to be that they are necessary. By waiting until your physically feeling hungry, you're many times more likely to binge at your next meal. This starts the roller coaster going. You may be sticking to your designated calorie load for the day, but if you eat it all at once and tough it out throughout the day your blood sugar will be osculating up and down like a radio wave on an oscilloscope screen.

Yesterday I knew my usual convenient bowl of shredded wheat with a tbsp of peanut butter would consume too many calories if I was to have enough left for the meal I planned for supper. Instead I took the time to fry an egg (with a small squirt of cooking spray) and toast an English muffin. A little sugar free jam instead of margarine helped keep the fat as close to zero as possible. I included a low fat yogurt, and that was it. All in all a more satisfying meal than cold cereal and less calories too. It reads out a whole lot better being high in protein and low in carbohydrates to boot.

My back was bothering me so I bypassed the walking The day before yesterday. Yesterday was the same way so I just put it off again. Feeling guilty after super, and because the temperatures were an unseasonably +70, my wife suggested a walk and even though my interest level was nil I said OK. We chose a less challenging route than I've been using and actually went farther than I've been doing so far.

The two things I'm having the hardest time with is staying with a walking program and staying away from sweets. Sounds like those issues make up most of the problem doesn't it? The calorie counting and rationing comes easy, but exercise for the sake of exercise had always just rubbed me the wrong way.

It's not that I'm lazy, if there is work to be done with results to be seen I'm right on it. It just seems that exercise for no reason is just wasting energy. Sweets, what can I say but that it is truly an addiction. I've slipped a few times, and struggle to stop when I do go off the wagon. At least I've been honest and have always logged them into my nutritional tracker. Then adjusted my daily calorie intake to keep my 2,000 calorie diet on track.

Today's Status Report

Weight 236.8
Blood Sugar 71
Blood Pressure 128/75