Become A.W.A.R.E.: Tune In to Your Eating Actions

It’s time to tune in to your eating. You’ll get closer to your diabetes control goals when you really pay attention to when you eat, why you eat, where you eat, what you eat, and how much you eat. Every bite or sip you put into your mouth counts! Yep, that includes those little tidbits you toss back before bedtime and those tastes you take when you’re cooking or baking.

This Healthy Eating article has two aims:

• To walk you through the steps to awareness
• To offer tips on how to take these steps on your own path to diabetes control and better health

A.W.A.R.E.

Awareness helps you recognize your strengths and identify and overcome some of your challenges. Ask yourself, “Is my health worth some effort?” Of course it is. By asking just this question, you have already taken a first step! Read on to discover more ways to help you increase your level of eating and health awareness.

Always monitor your blood sugar. Tracking blood sugar levels every day can help you control your diabetes. Ask your doctor, nurse, or dietitian when and how to check your blood sugar, how often you need to check, and what your blood sugar goals are. Think of your blood sugar monitor as a compass that helps you navigate the ups and downs of your blood sugar levels every day. The readings will guide you so you can make adjustments to your plans that will help you stay in control.

Write down your thoughts. Did you know a pen can be the ultimate weapon in your diabetes management? Keeping a journal is a wonderful way to make sense of life’s events. Food journaling will help you connect your eating with the situations in which you eat. What times of the day do you become hungry or want something to eat? Where are you? What is your mood? What do you eat? Taking notes about when you're eating and how you're feeling at the time can help you discover and focus on some issues that have made diabetes management difficult for you. Food journaling is one of the best ways to improve your diabetes control and also one of the best ways to manage your weight.

You don’t need a fancy, monogrammed journal to do this, although that’s perfectly fine. Keep it small enough to carry with you wherever you go. Keep it within easy reach. Whenever you eat, write down:

• What you ate and how much. Write down the type and amount of food you ate. Include everything, even the pack of coffee creamer, or the spoonful of spaghetti sauce you’re cooking.
• Where you ate. In your car? In your kitchen? On the sofa? At your desk at work?
• What you were doing while you were eating. Driving? Working on your computer? Talking on the phone? Watching TV? Sitting with your family at the dining room table?
• How fast you ate. Write down how many minutes it took you to eat.
• Your feelings or mood. Were you tense? Rushed? Anxious? Happy? Tired? Feelings and moods can impact what and how much you eat.
• How hungry you were. Whether you were actually hungry when you ate and, if you weren’t hungry, what may have triggered you to eat. A big birthday celebration? The smell of cinnamon buns in the mall? A bad day at work?
• How many calories and carbohydrates you consumed.

You can also record any physical activity you did and how long you did it. You can record blood sugar results in your food journal. Record when you check and your results. This record is a convenient way to share information with your doctor at your next appointment.

Assess how well you are meeting your goals. Of course, jumping on the scale is one way of checking up on your diabetes control progress, but there are more “casual” ways too. Are your clothes a little looser? Are you feeling more energetic? Are your workouts getting easier and are you getting compliments about your efforts?

Review your journal every few days. You’ll start to notice patterns in your behaviors. You can assess your progress by asking yourself the following questions:

• How many times a day did I eat last week? Was I following my plan?
• How many times did I pop something into my mouth when I wasn’t hungry just because “it was there”?
• How many meals did I have each day compared to the number of snacks?
• Did I eat differently during the week than on the weekend? If so, how?
• Is my daily eating pattern consistent or varied? Do I usually eat at about the same time and about the same amount of food, or does my pattern fluctuate depending on my schedule or mood?

Recognize pitfalls and barriers. As you become A.W.A.R.E., you may discover a few of your pitfalls. This is an excellent learning opportunity where you can create a plan to overcome your pitfalls or barriers or avoid them altogether. Here are a few pitfalls many people experience and some suggestions to overcome them.

• Overeating. Try cleansing your palate. If you’re eating ice cream, for instance, switch to a sliced tomato. Or brush your teeth. The drastic taste change can refocus you.
• Skipping meals. When you skip meals, you set yourself up to overeat later in the day.
• Eating while working or watching TV. Designate one room in the house for eating, preferably your kitchen or dining room. Wherever you eat, turn off the TV and be mindful of what and how much you eat. And enjoy the eating experience.
• Unscheduled snacking between meals. Try breaking up your meals. Eat a large salad with dinner and the rest of your meal two or three hours later.
• Being an “at-home” eater. This is a sign that you’re probably bored. Get out of the house. Sign up for a class. Get your hair done. Go to the library. A change of scenery may help you to stay on track.

Emphasize the positive. Reward yourself by taking time out to celebrate you! When you reach a goal, or even make progress toward a goal, treat yourself. Buy a new CD or some flowers. Call a friend you haven’t seen for a while. Go to a spa for half a day and get a massage and a pedicure. Buy some new aftershave or cologne. Or take a nice bath with fragrant bath oils and read a chapter or two of a good book. Rewards don’t have to be expensive to make you feel good about your accomplishments.

Reward Yourself: Meet a Simple A.W.A.R.E. Goal

Your goal: Keep your food journal for three days in a row.

Decide on a reward for meeting this goal, and write it down.

At the end of three days, review your journal. Write down any patterns you see in what, when, where, and why you eat. (Remember to record your blood sugar levels, too.)

Do you see any pattern that may be a stumbling block for you? Write it down.

What strategy can you create to avoid or eliminate this stumbling block?

Summary

• Be aware of the actions you take (or don’t take) to manage your blood sugar levels. Monitor your blood sugar levels regularly. Keep good records of what you eat, when you eat, where you eat, and how you feel when you eat. Assess how you’re doing on meeting your Diabetes Control for Life™ Program goals. Identify your pitfalls, but create strategies to deal with them. And when you see that you are making progress toward or meeting a goal, reward yourself!
• Practice journaling for three days, review the results, and see how much useful information it gives you about your eating patterns and ways to deal with your personal challenges.