Thanksgiving and other Feasts

I have a friend named Jennifer. She's more than a friend - her Test,test,test advice changed my life. Consequently I promote it to every newby I meet.

Jennifer also realises that we are human as well as being diabetic; many of us have problems at holiday and feast times, feeling left out and restricted. She posted this today on alt.support.diabetes. We don't have Thanksgiving in Australia, but the same philosophy would apply for us on Christmas Day.

Re-posted with permission; also see her following comments from an earlier post on a special dietary ingredient called "Birthday Cake".

The Holidaze

I've been thinking about the upcoming season of joy, love and food.

With the holidays coming up, give yourself permission to be human.There is a lot of great food that will be out there soon. Don't try to steel yourself against all of it. You most likely won't be able to, and then you'll have guilt on top of it.

Choose your times. And then enjoy a piece of cake. A dollop of mashed potato. That holiday cookie that only shows up once a year. Make it your CHOICE, not a moment of weakness that will haunt you. That way you'll be able to enjoy it so much more, AND not fall into the "well I messed up, might as well eat the plateful".

The other side is all the family you're likely to be around this season. Some may decide that they know what you should or shouldn't be eating. They'll announce loudly, "Sara can't have that, she has the diabetes". Exhausting. Or they'll push food on you "Oh come on, it's the holidays, you can have a taste". More exhausting.

Whatever you decide to eat or not eat, the most important thing is that YOU control it. If you choose to have some pumpkin pie, make it your conscious decision. Not a mindless "What the hell" or a forced "NO"through gritted teeth. You decide. Only you.

When it comes to food and diabetes, I discovered that I had to change "Can't" to "Don't" in my thinking. I "can't" eat that cookie... means "Poor me, someone or something is not allowing me to eat that cookie". I have no choice. It's beyond my control (which also means that sometimes if I do eat that cookie, then it's a "cheat" and there is the ensuing guilt and shame for being a bad diabetic).

I "don't" eat cookies... means that I have made a choice, it's not something that's part of my life. I am in control (which also means that sometimes if I do eat cookies, I have just decided at that moment to make a different choice... no guilt, it's just my decision at that moment).

A bonus to this way of thinking and talking is when you are out and about and someone offers you something you would rather not eat at the moment,"don't" works better than "can't" to get them to understand.

If you tell them you can't have ice cream, they will tell you can...that just a little won't hurt. If you tell them you don't eat ice cream...what are they going to say? Yes you do? And if they say, "well you used to"... you can always say "I don't anymore". ; )

Hang in and Happy Holidaze!!

Jennifer

Birthday Cake

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
Modern research has determined that "Birthday Cake", ie: A highly decorated sweet flour/fat/sugar based dessert, generally festooned with YOUR name, has NO CALORIES, NO CARBS, AND NO FAT.

Shocking? Sure.

But it appears, the joy felt once a year when we eat a piece of this comestible surrounded by our loved ones immediately dissipates all CALORIES, CARBS AND FAT!

There are a few important caveats:

1. It must be YOUR birthday.
2. You must only have ONE birthday a year.
3. Cake must be consumed AFTER appropriate musical accompaniment ("Happy Birthday" or "For He/She's a Jolly Good Fellow/Person" or the like).
4. Candles, while low carb, low calorie and low fat must NOT be consumed... especially when lit.
5. BEWARE! Foods consumed before and after cake maintain their original carb, fat and calorie count.

This has been brought to you as a public service announcement.

Jennifer

Yes, the "Ice Cream AND Cake" variable was addressed in the study.

Should "Ice Cream AND Cake" be consumed, as separate items, each will release HALF of it's calories, carbs and fats. So an option would be to only eat the HALF that is now CCF-FREE. Determining which half is now CCF-FREE is easy... it's the half closest to you.

As for an "Ice Cream Cake" ie: Baskin Robbins/Haggan Daz/Carvel... normal sized slices fall under the original CCF-FREE study and can be consumed with pleasure.

Hope that clears it up.

Jennifer

It certainly does - thanks Jennifer:-)

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia
Everything in Moderation - Except laughter