Everyone is a little bit different and success in controlling and managing your diabetes can be a little bit different for each person. Here’s a good tip to try from David Marrero, Associate Editor of Diabetes Forecast magazine.

David follows a 3-to-1 rule: every time he has a meal or snack that is rich and high-calorie, he then must follow that with three meals that are low or moderate in calories. For example, if he has a non-standard meal, meaning a meal that consists of one or more foods that could result in elevated blood glucose, then for his next three meals he must eat only foods that are more sensible for diabetics and not likely to raise that blood sugar.

This strategy has resulted in David being able to occasionally indulge in ‘forbidden foods’ while still maintaining a good HbA1c and weight. Let’s face it; it’s pretty tough to avoid those ‘bad’ foods all the time, so why not adopt a strategy that can allow you to indulge yourself occasionally without feeling guilty about it?

I do the same thing as far as indulging myself, although not as often as one in four meals. When I do want to have a dessert or some other high carb food, I prefer to have that prior to my daily walk. That way, I can work off those extra carbs right away. That approach has worked great for me.

Experiment with this a little bit and see what works best for you. And thanks to David Marrero for this excellent tip.