Diabetes Management And Goal Setting-DFAN Diabetes Website

Diabetes Management And Goal Setting

Goal setting is a vital part of any diabetes management plan...

Setting goals are an important part of your diabetes management plan. When you set goals you're challenging yourself to improve, and that's always a bonus for a diabetes management plan. If you're setting diabetes management goals for your child you may want to involve the child in the goal setting process if they're old enough to understand what you're doing.

SET REALISTIC GOALS

Try to make the goals as realistic as possible. There should be a list of short-term and long term goals so you can measure your progress on a regular basis. Recognizing all types of progress should be incorporated into your goal setting. You need to be willing to change your goals as necessary. Rewards can be a part of any goal setting plan but it's important to make sure the rewards don't inadvertently sabotage the diabetes management plan. Letting others know about your goals might also help.

Setting realistic goals is sometimes difficult. If you want to get your diabetes under control you might want to rush things set a list of goals that will have your diabetes under control in less than a month. If you need to lose weight you want to lose 25 pounds in one month and drop three clothing sizes. These are great goals to strive for, but are they realistic? When it comes to diabetes management small steady changes might work better than drastic changes that won't last, or aren't obtainable in a healthy way.

MAKE SHORT-TERM & LONG TERM GOALS

Make a list of short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals might include testing your blood sugar levels more often if you've been lax in testing. Other short-term goals are:

a) eating your meals at regular times
b) sticking to your mealplans
c) starting an exercise program
d) starting a food journal

Long-term goals are also important. Long-term goals might included losing twenty pounds in five months, if you're overweight. Other long-term goals might include:

a) having your Hemoglobin A1c level drop closer to normal levels
b) losing a certain amount of weight in a few months
c) learning more about diabetes

RECOGNIZE ALL PROGRESS

Recognize all types of progress in your diabetes management plan. Small changes such as not eating butter on your toast, or not drink a regular soda for lunch and dinner are MAJOR improvements if you've eaten these things all your life. Testing your blood glucose levels one time a day is a MAJOR change if you haven't been tested your blood in a longtime. These small changes should be acknowledged since they show a willingness to alter your life in a way that might help control your diabetes.

BE WILLING TO CHANGE YOUR GOALS AS NEEDED

Diabetes isn't something that stays the same. It's constantly changing. Take this into account when you set your goals. Be flexible about your goal setting and be willing to change your goals list as necessary. If you find that you're losing one pound a week, steadily, you might want to change a desired eight pound weight loss goal each month to a four pound weight loss goal.

Being flexible in your goal setting might take some of the anxiety out of the task. Goals should be used to measure your progress, not your failures. . If you didn't meet a goal sit down and try to figure out why. What do you think you can do differently?

USING REWARDS

You may want to use a reward system in your goal setting. If you want to use rewards make sure the rewards aren't food or activities that would be counter-productive to your diabetes management plan. A chocolate ice cream cone might sound like a great reward, but if it will make your blood glucose rise to much and/or make you gain weight it's not a good bonus. By the same token, if you reward yourself with a trip to the bar for a few drinks when you start testing more regularly that's also counter-productive to your diabetes management plan, if you end up drinking too much alcohol. Try to choose rewards that will help you feel better about your new found success and help you with your diabetes control. For some people feeling better and having better diabetes control is a good reward in itself.

LETTING OTHERS KNOW ABOUT YOUR GOALS

Letting others know about your goals may be another part of your goal setting. In some instances your family and friends can help you strive for your goals. If your family knows about your desire to lose weight they might agree to exercise with you one day a week. They may agree to eat a meal that will help you follow your mealplan more closely, if they know you want to get your diabetes under control. A friend who knows your goals might agree to go walking with you after work every day so the two of you can burn some calories while enjoying the conversation.

Goal setting should be a part of any diabetes managementplan since it allows you to keep track of your progress, as well as strive for better results. Start setting some goals today!

GLOSSARY

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1C) - the substance of red blood cells that carries oxygen to the cells and sometimes joins with glucose (sugar). A test to measure hemoglobin A1C shows what a person's average blood glucose level was for the past 3-4 months

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