Finding Ways to Indulge

So things have been going pretty well this week. I saw a diabetes specialist the other day and she said I could cut back on testing to just 4 times a day instead of 6. So I can skip before lunch and before dinner, since those numbers have been quite low. She doesn't think I'll need insulin, as long as my levels don't increase substantially from where they are now. I've been pleasantly surprised at the kinds of things I can still eat. For one thing, I really like cereal at breakfast but it can be high in carbs and low on protein, so not the best choice for a diabetic. However, I've been able to get away with it by mixing my favourite cereals with puffed wheat and using unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead of regular milk. It's still low on protein so my sugar levels are a little higher than with a higher protein breakfast, but still under where they need to be.

I also love chocolate, and I've found that the Lindt dark chocolates are pretty reasonable carbwise. Only 15g of carbs per 3 squares. If I'm having a chocolate craving, I have one square and I'm good. It's particularly yummy with peanut butter spread on top (and a good way to get a little protein!).

I also love the orange flavoured bar; it reminds me of those chocolate oranges you get at Christmas.

With so many Christmas goodies that are starting to emerge this time of year, it's nice to still have a little treat here and there. It's all about portion control. I found these ginger snap cookies, which are under 20g of carbs for 6 cookies. I like to pair them with a glass of unsweetened almond milk. Who knew I could still enjoy cookies and milk?

I've also found that I can handle a fair bit of carbs as long as I work out on my elliptical afterwards. I had a small bowl of tortellini for lunch one day but no exercise afterwards, and my blood sugar was too high. Then I tried the same meal (actually ate an even bigger portion this time) but got on the elliptical for about 5 minutes. When I tested, my sugars were in normal range! That was after just 5 minutes of exercise. So maybe this gestational diabetes things won't be so terrible over the holidays. I just need to be mindful of portion sizes and make sure to exercise a little bit. I think I can manage that.