I know many people in our Divabetic community don’t like to celebrate the holidays because they feel they may disrupt their diabetes care. But with a little pre-planning and guidance from your healthcare entourage you can still enjoy the festivities associated with Father’s Day without failing your diabetes.

Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing our Divabetic ‘Spaghetti Western’-themed Father’s Day Celebration blog posts showcasing healthy recipes, expert advice on portions and diabetes sexual health-related issues from our favorite diabetes experts, chefs,  stylists (Diabetes Advocate & ‘Rich In Love’ Spokesmodel Doris Hobbs shows off a vintage Western look in the photo above) and party planners.

Since our a Father’s Day BBQ’s can spell trouble for anyone watching their weight and/or managing their diabetes I asked registered dietitian, diabetes educator, and Mindful Eating expert, Megrette Fletcher M.Ed., RD, CDE  to share her tips on portions to help you stay on track with your diabetes self-care.   Below are Megrette’s Tips on Portions in celebration of  Father’s Day:

Do you get confused (or downright afraid) when your health care provider talks to you about changing your diet to better manage blood sugars. Fear not, eating the “right” amount of food is easy if you start by asking a few simple questions.

First – eat when you are hungry. By asking yourself, “Am I hungry?” you can uncover if you are truly hungry.  If you are not hungry but you still want to eat, then you may be coping with situations in your life through food. For most people, this isn’t a problem, but if you are always coping with a bowl of ice cream at 9 p.m., is it working?  Sure, it tastes yummy while you are eating it, but when the bowl is empty are you filled with a sense of health and wellbeing or guilt, blame and shame?

Many dads think, “I can’t have ice cream! I have diabetes!” The idea of forbidden foods because you have diabetes only drives the fear and misinformation about this disease. Remind yourself – all foods fit! The question is how much and how often. Restriction, regarding of the underlying intention, creates the conditions for you to feel deprived. At some point, your resolve will snap, causing you to overeat not with a serving of ice cream, but with a pint of ice cream! This type of overeating is the issue because it becomes a pattern. The cycle of overeating, repentance, and repetition is currently under study by leading neuroscientists. Thus far, the research is teaching us deprivation doesn’t work! 

This Father’s Day, take a deep breath and take charge of your diabetes. Start by asking the first two questions in the Mindful Eating Cycle – “Am I Hungry?” and “When Am I Hungry?”  If you think you are hungry, great! Get curious and ask the next questions – “When am I hungry? When I see food? When I am offered food?” Dig even deeper and notice where in your body you are feeling hunger. 

It isn’t a waste of time to take a few seconds and be certain you are physically hungry instead of being tempted to eat.  In our food abundant society, temptation starts the moment you wake up. You are bombarded by hundreds of cues to eat! At some point, you need a system to address the hundreds of food choices before you, which is why the Mindful Eating Cycle is so helpful.

To learn more about mindful eating and diabetes care, please visit www.AmIHungry.com. This website created by Dr. Michelle May is full of terrific resources to help you manage your blood sugar by getting curious about your hunger!  You can also purchase the book, Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat with Diabetes for an in-depth understanding of mindful eating and diabetes. 

Megrette Fletcher M.Ed., RD, CDE joins us on July’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast schedule for Thursday, July 13, 2017, 6 PM, EST. On this podcast we will be celebrating our 7th Anniversary of ‘wellness with a wow’ podcasting. Guests include the Charlie’s Angels Of Outreach, Poet Lorraine Brooks and Mama Rose Marie.

TUNE IN: Tuesday, June 13, 2017 for Diabetes Late Nite with music by Maxwell. We’re talking about Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) with musical inspiration from Maxwell.  Along with fellow musicians D’Angelo and Erykah Badu, Maxwell has been credited with helping to shape what has been termed the “neo soul” movement that rose to prominence during the late 1990s. Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) is an accumulation of fluid in the macula-part of the retina that controls our most detailed vision abilities-due to leaking blood vessels. In order to develop DME, you must first have diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is caused by damage to the blood vessels in the tissue at the back of the eye (retina). Poorly controlled blood sugar is a risk factor. Early symptoms include floaters, blurriness, dark areas of vision, and difficulty perceiving colors. Blindness can occur. Guests include singer Alfa Anderson, Diabetic Macular Edema patient Maryanne Kass, Artist Bryce Chisholm, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach, Poet Lorraine Brooks and Mama Rose Marie. Throughout the podcast we will be featuring selected songs from several of several of Maxwell’s albums courtesy of SONY Music.