Increased Caloric Consumption

Relapsing into old eating habits may be one of the most difficult problems to overcome in the first year of an action plan for diabetes. In thinking about this, recognize what situations may trigger you to overeat. Eating for most people is a social event. Most of us have lunch dates with colleagues or friends on a weekly or even daily basis. At this point you have likely made changes to your eating habits that are more conducive to your goal of glucose control. But it is important to be aware that falling into old habits may be easier than you anticipate. For instance, you may have made changes in your diet and have been eating healthier foods, but one day you decide to meet friends at a restaurant that is known for serving mostly deep-fried foods. You may decide not to be the "odd guy out,” and you have your share of high-calorie food-not to mention that this kind of food tastes unbelievably good! Doing so does not qualify as a relapse. But making this a regular part of your life certainly does.

So where should you draw the line? The best way to do this is to calculate your caloric intake versus your calories burned with exercise, and then balance this out, as discussed in chapter 5. For example, if you decide to eat a not-so-healthy meal, estimate the number of calories you've eaten over your planned calories, and increase your exercise to burn off those calories over a one- to four-day period. So if you ate an estimated 1,000 extra calories in a day, you should burn an extra 1,000 calories over that week. Split up the extra exercise into three or four days to burn an extra 333 calories each day for three days, or 250 calories each day for four days. But be aware that doing this even as infrequently as once per week can lead to regression toward your old lifestyle. Calories have a way of adding up faster than you might think! Having an occasional higher-calorie meal followed by a planned increase in exercise will allow you to have some balance in your life, but I would recommend this only once your plan has been stabilized and no more frequently than twice per month. Even so, I would not encourage you to plan these types of meals in your diet on a regular basis.