blooming together

i've joined a few FB diabetes support groups and i'm finding it helpful in so many ways to hear of others experiences and to answer and ask questions, share feelings of blueness and despair along with confusion and feelings of success. there's lots of variation as to what kind of medical assistance and support people receive. some, like me, have been given really great support, while others seem to be left on their own to figure things out, which would be horrible. group members help where they can and try not to judge. it is very clear from the range of issues and behaviours that diabetes does not affect everyone the same way; foods that spike blood sugar levels for some, have no affect on others. or vice versa. i find it very helpful to learn these things and to share knowledge and commiseration with others. someone newly diagnosed asked us to share our routines. this is mine...

4:45 a.m. wake up and scan with the Freestyle Libre 2 flash glucose monitor (i have a free sample for 14 days)
5:30 a.m.: breakfast - 50 g oats, a splash of 1% milk or quinoa with berries, nuts and shredded coconut. i make quinoa and oats ahead and freeze in little 50 g bags, then microwave in the morning for quick preparation. a small coffee with a splash of milk.
with the weather getting warmer, i've changed to yogurt with no grains, but continue with berries, nuts and shredded coconut. i drink a lot of water throughout the day, always keeping a glass full and handy near me. i don't have a colon so i need to keep hydrated especially.
6:45 a.m. scan to see how breakfast affected me. this morning i had the yogurt version and it was 10.1 mmol/L which is 181.8 mg/dl, so that was odd. i might have had too many berries.
sometimes i have a mini baby bell or another small snack such as a spoonful of almond butter or a piece of extra lean ham or turkey before my fitness class
9:30 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays: i do a 75 minute fitness class on Zoom that focuses on both resistance and stretching. abs, back and core.
10:45: scan again. usually my blood sugar levels are in range after the fitness class.
12pm: lunch - a salad with baby spinach and other fresh veg such as grape tomatoes, mushrooms. protein will be tofu or ham/turkey.
2pm: scan again and go out for a 30 minute or more walk. before diabetes diagnosis, i would not take a daily walk, just maybe once or twice a week for a few hours and sometimes not at all.
2:30pm scan again upon return from walking. if i do exercise sooner than 2 hours after eating, my blood sugar levels will often increase.
5pm: take blood pressure meds. i've had issues with high blood pressure for many years, but just started on meds this month.
5:30pm dinner - been doing meal kits for several years and choosing low carb options since diabetes diagnosis at end of March. my blood sugar levels will spike if i use bbq sauce or some other sweet sauce with a lot of sugar. i try to use smaller portions. i also exchange veg like corn for salads and have only a quarter of the plate with potatoes if they are supplied.
after dinner i tend to doze for an hour or so. this is changing with the change in diet from high carb, processed and junk food and the increase in exercise.
7:30pm scan again.
10pm - i have a little snack of either yogurt and berries again or two small Mary's crackers (any more and my bs levels spike), protein: mini baby bell or pepperette, a few cashews. if i don't snack my levels sometimes go down overnight to 3 mmol/L or 54 mg/dL.
11pm - scan before sleep
sometimes i take naps in the daytime and when i do that my bs levels will decrease but stay in range. there are some variations to these routines, especially on weekends, but that's basically it best of luck with managing your diabetes. it does seem like everyone is different as far as what foods cause bs level issues. i've found small, incremental change is a lot less intimidating than trying to fix everything at once. i still have blue and worrisome moments, but overall i'm finding this journey to be enlightening and enriching. i'm not as exhausted as i used to be and i'm less anxious too.