The holiday season can derail the best of healthy intentions. When you have type 2 diabetes and have to watch what you eat, it can be tough to stay focused. It starts with "just of bite of this" and "maybe just of small piece of that" and can progress to "why can't I have a second piece of cheesecake, like everyone else?"
Now that the holidays are behind us, it's time to put the brakes on. The free-for-all atmosphere of too many parties, cookies and rich desserts is over. Here are some helpful tips to help us get back on the road to health and well-being.
Take stock of what's in your kitchen.
Put away all the cookies, candy and other treats. Out of sight is out of mind.
Give away extras. Take the excess to work or to a social gathering. It's guaranteed that it will be eaten if it's placed strategically by the office coffee pot.
Embrace vegetables and whole grains again. They are our friends.
Move your focus away from food.
Increase activity. Get outside and walk. Change the scenery. Exercise helps you to take a break from all the food, and it gets you moving.
Find activities to do with people that don't involve eating. If you live in a snowy area, try snow-shoeing, cross country skiing or sledding. If you live in a warmer climate, get outside and bask in the fact that you don't have to deal with snow.
Break the restaurant cycle.
Eat most meals at home. During the holidays people tend to eat more meals in restaurants. Restaurant meals are are usually larger than normal portions and full of hidden sugars, salt and fat.
Get used to home cooking again. Browse the internet and look for new low-fat, or low-carb recipes to keep your interest up and make avoiding restaurants easier. Check out these About.com sites for easy, delicious recipes.
Make a plan.
Write down everything you eat for a few days, or log it into an internet food tracker. Seeing what you're eating can be an eye-opener, and this can help you re-focus on healthy eating.
Plan what you are going to eat, write it down and follow it.
