Traveling With Diabetes...

[disneymagic1960]

Anyone have advice on how to eat and mostly how to control blood sugars while being on a cruise this would help me out alot because the east coast from the west coast gets me way out of control each and every time please send me some good advice i find that the meals can be abit overwhelming..

 

[Tigfanjeff]

I've learned a couple of things, some good and some bad.

1. Just because a desert is sugar free, doesn't mean its your best desert option.

2. Hit the fruit station a few hours before dinner. It definitely helps keep you from overeating.

3. Stairs, Stairs and more stairs.

4. I've found I tend to eat more when I get out of my natural eating cycle. Try and adjust your dining times a little bit each day before the cruise.

5. Your servers, while knowing an awful lot about your food are going to know absolutely nothing about its nutritional value. If you are really REALLY concerned, talk with guest services before hand to have a meeting with someone who does. It will help with choices. If you don't have a calorie king, get one. It's a great book.

6. I've found that my after dinner spikes were my worst. For me, I let myself get more off course during lunch then dinner.

7. I know that steak and broccoli for me is about as perfect a meal as I can eat. I also know that I'm on a cruise and I'm going to stray a little bit. I can't eat perfectly when everyone around me is having a lot of really awesome looking stuff. Talk to your doctor about seeing if you can widen your target range short term for the cruise. You might enjoy it more, it might give you more options. That said, ordering all the deserts isn't an option. It sucks, but remember the long term as well.

8. The health club is deck 9 forward. It's free. I've run off a lot of sins there.

 

[CherylSue]

I haven't been on a cruise yet (my first is in a month) but I have learned after traveling quite a bit that the easiest ways to maintain a decent blood sugar reading is to eat lower carbs meals...as long as it isn't breaded, loaded with sugar or covered with potatoes

Since your eating times will be off because of the time difference, I would just lower my total glucose intake. Good luck and don't forget your meter!

 

[dutchpeter]

Maybe this link will help you out!
I'm diabetic myself and it all boiles down to just doing the sensible thing.

http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.c...alth-Issues/taking_your_diabetes_on_a_cruise/

Have a good one!

 

[smoof]

I am not diabetic, but I will give you my piece of advice. There are a lot of food options. That is a good and a bad thing. On the good side, you will have plenty of lower carb/sugar options. On the other side, there is a lot of temptation. Another thing to remember is, if something is not on the menu, you can ask for it, especially if it is being served in another dining room that night. Or, if a plate comes with heavy carbs, you can ask for a second serving of veggies instead. They will work with you. It may take a little longer for your meal to come out, but that is okay. Menus are posted during the day, so you can run by the resturant you will be having dinner, earlier in the day, and plan ahead for the evening meal. As for breakfast and lunch, the buffets have lots of options, just take your time. Walk through, see what they have, and then go back to serve yourself. You can keep your blood sugars under control. Have a great time.

 

[dutchpeter]

Maybe this link will help you out!
I'm diabetic myself and it all boiles down to just doing the sensible thing.

http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.c...alth-Issues/taking_your_diabetes_on_a_cruise/

Have a good one!

 

[MrsMunchie]

I'm diabetic. I just returned from a 7 night cruise last week. Keeping my blood sugar stable really wasn't as difficult as you might think. I ate all the regular meals, no sugar free for me. I just never finished anything, except maybe the filet mignon, it was delicious. I lived by the "don't clean your plate" rule. (I must note that I'm on a great diabetes medication that keeps my appetite in check, so it's easy not to eat everything in sight). They also had wonderful tiny sized desserts. You could taste 3 desserts, but you were only given a few bites of each. Also, most important, WALK!!!! Take the stairs, enjoy the beautiful shady walking track on deck 4, the view is incredible and you'll forget you're exercising. Have a wonderful time and try not to stress out about it.

 

[eblong]

I'm diabetic. I just returned from a 7 night cruise last week. Keeping my blood sugar stable really wasn't as difficult as you might think. I ate all the regular meals, no sugar free for me. I just never finished anything, except maybe the filet mignon, it was delicious. I lived by the "don't clean your plate" rule. (I must note that I'm on a great diabetes medication that keeps my appetite in check, so it's easy not to eat everything in sight). They also had wonderful tiny sized desserts. You could taste 3 desserts, but you were only given a few bites of each. Also, most important, WALK!!!! Take the stairs, enjoy the beautiful shady walking track on deck 4, the view is incredible and you'll forget you're exercising. Have a wonderful time and try not to stress out about it.

I agree wholeheartedly with this advice. I'm a newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic who had just gotten his blood glucose under control, and I kept it all well under control on a 2 week transatlantic crossing. Not only that, I didn't gain any weight! I walked everywhere, took stairs almost all the time, (just not from Deck 1 to 7), remembered my carb choices, and watched the portions I ate. I also asked for steamed broccoli most nights. It's always available if you ask.

Dessert? Had it every night. I tried the "sugar free" and "no added sugar" deserts, and saw my sugar spike several nights. Then my wife and I remembered that "sugar free is not carb free" and from that point on, shared a single dessert. The server seemed a bit frustrated because we weren't pigging out, but I told him I was watching my carbs, and after that, no more pressure to overeat. It turned out he was diabetic as well.

Breakfast and lunch were never an issue either. There's always something to eat that won't do you in. My brother's doctor told him not to worry too hard about it. It's only a week, and you can always recover when you get home. I chose not to worry, but to pay attention. Tested my glucose twice a day, walked, and ate reasonably well. 5 days after I got home, I had an A1C test and it was 5.6. Not bad for someone whose A1C was 9.2 three months before.

take care of yourself, but more importantly, have a good time.

 

[sayhello]

Personally, I try to avoid the buffets. It's so easy to pile up a plate with "just a little bit of this" and "just a little bit of that". It's easier to order everything up front from a menu. And there are options available that are not the buffet for all meals.

I also heartily second (third?) taking the stairs. I almost never take the elevators on a cruiseship. It's usually much faster to just take the stairs, anyways! And it's great exercise.

Just don't go crazy. Don't do like a friend of mine's father and say "I'm on vacation, so I'm just going to enjoy myself, and not pay attention to my carbs". He always ends up feeling like crap.

You can do it!

Sayhello

 

[tinkmom2]

I passed this info on to my DH. He's a new insulin dependant diabetic. By the time we travel he will have a year under his belt. We were discussing what time to book our air so he can have his insulin and breakfast under his belt and what kind of snacks to have for the plane. Normally we eat first thing when we get to MCO. I know since it's a two hour flight he will need to bring something to eat with him. What types of things do you bring on the plane?

 

[WolfpackFan]

I'm type 2 and control with meds, diet and exercise. I basically know what foods I can and can not eat. So I'll just eat those same items on the cruise. You can always order chicken or steak with veggies if you don't see something on the menu that you think you can eat. Someone said stay away from the buffets - I disagree. On the buffet you can pick and choose and if nothing else you can just eat a salad. Just make sure you stay on top of your testing and if you test high back off on what you're eating. Also don't stop your daily exercise just because you're on vacation.

 

[MrsMunchie]

Personally, I try to avoid the buffets. It's so easy to pile up a plate with "just a little bit of this" and "just a little bit of that". It's easier to order everything up front from a menu. And there are options available that are not the buffet for all meals.

It is very easy to get out of control at a buffet, but I have a great tidbit of advice that will help on a cruise or at any other buffet. Always make two trips. Your first trip should be veggies, only raw or steamed, without sauces and a salad loaded with every fresh veggie you can find. Only use a little bit of dressing. Once you get through this plate of low calorie foods, you'll be pretty full and it will be easy to get small portions of only the things you love. The secret to successful diabetes control is to never deprive yourself. I always eat the foods I love, but in small portions that won't make my blood sugar spike. This buffet trick has always helped me, hope it works for you too!