Meal planning with Diabetes.

Chris explains that for him, the key word is balance. This was the title of Diabetes UK's magazine! He talks about how it's all about balance between carbohydrates intake and insulin and exercise. He explains that you have to be regular with things with Diabetes. Chris talks about the DAFNE programme making things significantly better in terms of everyday life. Lastly he talks about eating and how he deals with food generally.

Steve talks about how Type 1 Diabetes affects his life. Very interesting Diabetes may not be the one thing he would change about his life given the opportunity. He talks about working within boundaries in the short term which will keep long term goals on track. Steve's main message is to treat Diabetes as part of a routine and a lifestyle - using this approach he doesn't feel he needs to dwell too long about long term outcomes.

Chris talk candidly about his first experiences of being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. His parents tell him that he has lost weight and was passing a lot of urine. He talks about starting insulin and having urine tests for sugar levels. His first blood sugar testing machine used to be the size of a brick! A key theme he talks about is balance - balance between diet and exercise. He tells about having a regular 'clockwork' lifestyle to be able to use insulin predictably. A major change for him was doing a DAFNE course which allowed him to vary his diet and vary his insulin dose accordingly. Chris describes the Expert Patient programme as a major step in acknowledging his learning over his life. Finally he talks about more flexibility being possible in this day and age.

Daniel talks about his journey with Type 1 Diabetes. He developed Diabetes as a post graduate university student. He shares how his first symptoms weren't picked up but eventually become quite unwell and was then diagnosed this point. When he was diagnosed he was started on tablets but glucose control was not good. He describes some fear around being started on Insulin but the Insulin pens helped. Daniel was grateful to the amount of detail he was given to do with his Diabetes. Particularly, he engaged very strongly with detail over the long term benefits of good blood glucose control.

Donna van Zyl, Specialist Diabetic Dietician gives expert advice on how to manage blood sugar levels long term with attention to diet. She mentions different types of Carbohydrate and how to choose food types well.

Daniel talks about his experiences of Carbohydrate Counting and how he does it. He compares how he used to do it using insulin pens and now how he does it using the Insulin Pump.