Contributor: Barbara Eichorst, MS, RD, CDE, Diabetes Clinical Liaison, beichorst@eichorst.net

In partnership with 

Contributor: Melanie Batchelor, MHS, RD, LDN, CDE, Nutrition Supervisor, tmbatchelor@gmail.com

In parternship with 

Resolution. We hear that word often, especially this time of year.

Resolution: The firm decision to do or not to do something.

Question:How can I have fun and make it through these holiday weeks with my mind, my BG, and my weight intact? SO. MANY. CARBS...

Answer: The holidays are such a special time of year. And while going through this season living with diabetes may seem like an added challenge, it doesn’t have to mean missing out on quality family time, festive parties, or your favorite foods!

Question: I'm familiar with the stories from magazines and online, where someone loses 100+ pounds or is an "extreme" athlete. But what does it look like for a regular woman like me to "thrive" with diabetes?

Answer: “Thriving” with Diabetes does not have to mean that your story must be magazine-worthy. In fact, it can be harmful to compare yourself to individuals in the media. Comparison can truly be the thief of joy...especially since we never know the full picture of someone else’s story. I encourage you to view these individuals as an inspiration to make your own positive health changes, but not have the mindset that you must accomplish exactly what they did. “Thriving” will look different in each person’s own life.

Question: How can I find a counselor or therapist who understands anything about life with diabetes? It makes me even MORE stressed to have to educate them about why diabetes is stressful.

Answer: Seeking out the guidance of a counselor is a noble thing to do in coping with stress that might be associated with living with diabetes because you are certainly not alone.

Question: Self-care for those of us with diabetes can mean a lot of work, and can feel like a drag. How can self-care feel like it's a relief, not just one more thing we *have* to do?

Question: My family gets together a lot for various occasions, and many carbs enter the room in terms of snacks, desserts, and special drinks. It's always very yummy and my family says I should feel free to say no to the food, because of my diabetes. How can I get them to support instead of tempt me?

Answer: This is the number one question I receive from my clients. Social gatherings can be a challenging time to stick to your eating plan, but creating an environment of support can make all the difference in maintaining your health (and blood glucose).

Question: How can I make healthy eating a priority throughout all the rest of my life - work, spouse, kids, school, errands...? It's much easier to "grab something" to go even if it's not a low-carb vegetable.

Answer: I couldn’t agree more. We all know that broccoli is healthier than a french fry...but there can be so many obligations that can get in the way of making the best choice. Time restraints, budget, food preferences, and work schedules are all very real considerations to acknowledge.

Question: What are the most important medical tests for women with diabetes to have done regularly, and why? What if my MD or CDE doesn't mention any of them?

Question: What's the best way to prevent lows (or highs!) during exercise?

Answer: Exercise can be a very effective way to help maintain good blood glucose control, but special attention needs to be made in those with diabetes to ensure blood glucose levels don’t drop too low, or in some cases, become too high.

Exercising causes our muscles to use up glucose, which comes from eating carbohydrate-rich foods. This means that not eating adequate carbohydrates before exercise could potentially cause hypoglycemia, or low blood glucose (less than 70 mg/dL), which can be dangerous.