Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Laurie NE on October 13, 2007 at 4:57pm

Hi - I know it's not much fun to cook for one but might I suggest fresh ingredients and tupperware. I like to cook enough at night for supper and lunch the next day. I bought enough plastic containers for a week of lunches and then I make lunches for the whole week at a time. Lunch is ready to go in the morning when I never have enough time to make it and I've thought about what I'm going to eat so it is healthy and not too much.

Permalink Reply by Karin on October 14, 2007 at 6:29am

Hey J.
I also experience this same issue. I do cook for myself, but when I shop it is so difficult to just pick out the single item -- which typically is tons more money -- but better for me, because it does help me control what I eat. So most of the time, I just buy the single items and bite the bullet on the cost. If I break down and buy family-size servings, especially in meat, I make sure I buy the freezer bags, and just bag at the time I put my groceries away. That does help,
I stay clear away from other bag foods, like chips, pretzels etc. oh yeah, don't even mention the little candy bars in the bag...I tried to keep those for my lows, how silly was I? I now keep the small cans of coke or sprite on hand.
Good Luck! Shopping is a PITA for all my D-friends.

Permalink Reply by Daena on October 15, 2007 at 9:18am

I still live at home with my family so eating in is not a problem. My mum isn't big on carbs and she buys lots of fresh produce from the local markets so eating at home is safe.

Oh but one really useful tip I have is to freeze stuff in individual portions. Stuff marinated meat can be frozen nicely, for instance. We like frozen marinated chicken breasts or boneless, skinless thighs, and lean pork chops. We marinate them with chopped up garlic, ginger, herb seasoning (it's salt-free!), a bit of olive oil, and a bit of soy sauce. You can defrost and grill them for a delicious meal. Have it with a big salad!

Eating out is one of the more major struggles I face because I'm often out and about with friends. Socializing is a big part of a single girl's life! It's a good thing that portion sizes here are not gigantic, as I hear they can be in the States, and very much so in Australia where I grew up. But people here like their carbs and I often have to make sure that places we go to have something that fits in with my diet. Sometimes compromises are made, but that is okay because my blood sugars always remain pretty decent. Something I often do is to split. A friend and I will order a salad and an entree and split it. Or if there are many of us, everyone picks a dish and is welcome to pick off anyone else's plate.

If my friend's are going for a drink, I usually try to persuade them to go to a cafe or coffee shop where I can have some tea and they can have whatever they want. Usually they agree because none of us are big drinkers. There are ways to get around it, I guess, but I can't help but feel a bit inconvenienced.

Permalink Reply by Chadd on April 27, 2008 at 7:09pm

I buy alot of my food in bulk, stocking up on supplies, food and other items. With like meat and anything that needs to be frozen, I vacumme pack everything into serving sizes.

Due to I work nights, if I have supper at around 6 or so, I prepare the same thing for work to eat.

Buying in bulk and vacumme packing has helped me out alot, less food wasted.

Permalink Reply by Allison Blass on April 30, 2008 at 8:39am

I'm a huge fan of Trader Joe's. They have a lot of individual and two-person meals, and I usually just put the leftovers in a tupperware and eat it for a second dinner later that week. Buying in bulk does save you money as long as you like what you're eating, so just try to think of way to be creative when eating the same thing more than once.

Permalink Reply by Cathrynn on June 16, 2008 at 3:45pm

thats a good idea Allison, hadnt thought about that..lol...........buying a two person meal and then eating it the next day...I will do that tomorrow...thanks..:) Cathrynn x

Permalink Reply by Cathrynn on June 16, 2008 at 3:44pm

yes, I agree. I think it is tough to plan meals on your own. A couple of years after my husband died I comfort ate and put on a load of weight....*big sigh*............slowly getting it off now, but it is so difficult to bother to cook properly for one...I just cant get my enthusiasm back again. Our local supermarket does have single sized ready cook meals though, and have been rather relying on these but not as good as cooking from scratch. Even so, better thannothing but not for diabetics...

Permalink Reply by M. Goldberg on June 18, 2008 at 3:49pm

I totally hear that. You *may* be better off in a major city near the US coast and can find options like healthy food bars and well and creatively stocked salad bars. But here in middle America, most take out is SO VERY unhealthy, most often fried, full of sugar and salt. Anybody wonder why many people in the Midwest are overweight? I don't.

Your first tool against forced overbuying is a Food Saver. I have a Tilia, but there are a number of brands out there. I had this suggested by a single friend of mine. Extra portions of raw, cooked or snack foods can go right into vacuum, and either into the freezer or pantry. Keeps food from getting stale/freezer burned. Getting a few canisters is also a good idea...they are great for fruits (especially fragile berries) and vegetables (especially mushrooms). Your produce will last two to three times longer. The bags for the food saver are more expensive, but can be reused and they save alot of money on spoilage. Best of all, you won't feel obligated to eat something before it goes bad, because food won't go bad as quickly. I'm happy I made the intial investment of the sealer...it was worth the money.

I try to use the local farmers market. I can get better quality of food, smaller quantities, and cleaner meats, as well as supporting our local producers.

I am doing much better during breakfast and lunch when I pack my lunch. I am now forcing myself to do that every day. I have bought small containers (Japanese bento boxes are good) and give myself a wide variety of small amounts. It forces me to eat more vegetables and fruits...they are easily available, washed and prepared, and I'll go for them rather than the junk down in the food vending machines. It also encourages me to portion more when cooking a large batch. Sometimes I take the lunch portion(s) off the top of the dish first.

I have the most problem with food volume when I am home and on the weekends. It's far too easy to eat in front of the TV or computer, and that means overeating. I don't have a good solution for that, and I feel the downside of being single probably the most during meals. It's nice to have someone to cook and eat healthy meals with.

Permalink Reply by Joe on July 13, 2008 at 12:26pm

Food preparation is one of my problems too. Being single, I tend to have things go bad on me often. I have to be smarter and freeze more, but sometimes it's just a chore and I find myself throwing away stuff.
ANOTHER difficulty, or more of a fear, being a single diabetic, is that aside from having good friends and family I can count on, I worry about being alone and something going wrong. Anyone else deal with this as well??

Permalink Reply by Lee on July 15, 2008 at 7:33pm

Hi Joe,
I can so relate to everything you have said. I don't really feel my hypos coming on anymore so I am looking at either training my dog (she's 7 years old) or getting a hypo alert dog. Because I live so far away from my family, I have this morbid fear that I might not wake up one day due to a hypo and if my animals don't don't get fed for a few days.....ugh!!! Gross I know, but stranger things have happened. Gee I don't mean to sound nagative. Have you thought about a hypo alert dog?

Permalink Reply by Cathy on May 5, 2009 at 9:23pm

Would you or anyone reading this pay $5/month to a service that would alert either family members, neighbours, friends, or 911 if you didn't log in each day at a certain time on your computer. They would alert others if they also couldn't reach you by the contacts you gave when you signed up, ie, email, home ph#, cell and/or work ph#...and so on. Someone would be alerted if you didn't log in or call in at a specific time (that you decide upon), and you couldn't be reached by any of the contacts you provided? I know I would. I'm thinking of starting a business doing that, looking for some feedback?

Permalink Reply by Cathy on May 5, 2009 at 9:27pm

I've never heard of a hypo alert dog, do they have them, have you been able to train your dog to know what to do?

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