As many times as I’ve tried to empty my closet, there is one thing that just keeps lingering. It’s like that piece of clothing that you really should get rid of, but something makes you hang on to it, even if it doesn’t fit or you don’t particularly like it anymore.
For me, I need to clean out this one stubborn bad habit I have- bolusing after I eat instead of before. This is not a new issue for me, in fact I’ve written about it twice before. The first time I talked about how it really comes down to control, and how giving insulin before I eat feels like giving up control of what and how much I eat. The second time I wrote about it was in reference to having a cue to remind a behavior…but obviously the cue didn’t stick and the new habit never developed.
It’s a habit that I know if I could develop would help a lot with my post meal spikes. So why is it stubbornly sitting in my diabetes closet?
It’s probably a combination of reasons:
- I’m forgetful, plain and simple. I don’t think about bolusing often until halfway through my meal or after
- I don’t want to give the insulin and end up not eating everything I gave insulin for and then either drop low or end up eating more food than I want
- It’s something to blame for why my A1c has been pretty much hovering at the same place for the past year and not going down. It’s an excuse I tell myself, a way out for why there hasn’t been much positive change lately. “Well once I start doing that regularly my numbers will look better.”
- Habits are hard to break and I haven’t given it the effort and investment it needs
Maybe this is the spring cleaning, the kick in the butt that I need to finally clear out this bad habit…for good. I definitely don’t need it cluttering up my closet anymore.
This post is part of the 2015 Diabetes Blog Week. Today’s topic: Yesterday we kept stuff in, so today let’s clear stuff out. What is in your diabetic closet that needs to be cleaned out? This can be an actual physical belonging, or it can be something you’re mentally or emotionally hanging on to. Why are you keeping it and why do you need to get rid of it?
Type ONEderful 
I always bolus after I eat too!! I've tried to do it before but I'm in a situation where I often end up skipping a meal (too busy at work mostly) so I just can't afford the hypos. But, I know that I'd be able to get rid of the spikes if I was better prepared. And, maybe if I start doing it before meals, I'd just have to tell my coworkers that they'll have to wait for something because my health is more important that their 'report.'
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I always bolus after my meals. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, so long as you do it straight after dinner and not an hour later. Its particularly useful if you're eating something Low GI like pasta that doesn't raise your BGLs straight away.
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Yep, same here. Pre-bolusing is a big FAIL for me, too. When I do remember, that's when I end up forgetting to eat and then go Low. Here's to cleaning out the bolus-related bad habits! Thanks for writing this, Reva!
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Yes! I do that too sometimes! I used to be afraid to pre-bolus because I was worried if I wouldn't eat all of my meal but now I think that if I don't like my meal, I can always have chocolate to fill the carb slot 😛
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