Thriving Out of Routine

T1D thrives on routine. Right after my diagnosis, I was really nervous to eat out at a restaurant or to be out of my routine. My routine was the constant in my life when everything else was changing so much. A year after my diagnosis I still struggle when I am in my routine, so being out of my routine really just throws me off. However, it’s inevitable that you’re going to be out of your routine, whether that’s traveling for a week, going away for a weekend, or just going out to dinner. Since this is the case, it’s good to have some things that you can come back to when you are out of your routine that are in your control and can keep you grounded.

My recommendation would be to focus on what you’re eating/doing and use your notes app in your phone to track carbs, blood sugar numbers, and patterns when you’re out of your routine.

My Tips & Recs:

1. If you’re ordering out from a place that you know you’ll probably order from again, do your best to estimate the carbs, then track your numbers after the meal. Usually takeout is high in fat, so track your number 4-6 hours after you eat as well, since the fat gets digested first and the carbs get digested a little later. Based on what happens to your blood sugar, you can adjust how much insulin you would need to give yourself the next time. I did this early on with bagels because this NY girl loves a bagel😊  I was honestly scared to eat a whole entire bagel at first, but as I ate them I would test out what worked for me each time and now I can (almost always) eat a bagel without a high blood sugar after.
2. If you’re going out to dinner, try and set yourself up for success before you get to dinner by getting your blood sugar to your target number. If you can’t get it down to your target number, at least try to have it in range. This will be helpful so you don’t have to give yourself a huge correction on top of the insulin for the meal.
3. If you’re going away for a weekend or a week, you’re likely not cooking your own meals. Try and focus on what you can ADD to your meal to make it more balanced (fat+carb+protein). This is actually something I’ve really been trying to work on myself. Also try to add in movement when you can, whether that’s walking or working out in your hotel room or gym. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, but just a little bit of movement may help increase that insulin sensitivity. Staying hydrated is also very important. Just be more aware of how much water you are drinking and try to stay on top of it.

Unfortunately, a LOT of t1d is trial and error. This is one of the most frustrating things about it, but just know everyone goes through it. It might take you eating a certain food and going high a few times to be able to guesstimate the carb count. It might also take you doing a certain activity a few times and going low to know how it will affect you. Our bodies and our routines are always changing.

One of the most important things you can do when you are out of your routine is to give yourself grace and never be too hard on yourself. This is one of the hardest things to do, but one of the most important things to do. Yes, we all want perfect numbers and don’t want complications in the future, but if you are actively trying to learn and work on your diabetes management you are already doing a lot. This is a hard journey to be on so recognize how far you have come and celebrate the small wins.

I hope this was helpful and as always leave and comments/questions below!

Sending you all so much love.

xxx

Gab