Finding your soulmate under the best of circumstances can be tough enough. When you have a chronic disease like diabetes, dating may become even more difficult.
Explaining to your date why you have to go to the bathroom to test your blood sugar before a meal, watch your carbs during dinner, or fuel up before a walk might be complicated. There’s a chance your date won’t understand.
However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t successfully date. Below are a couple of tips to make your dating experience more enjoyable and compatible with diabetes.
1. Express Your Needs
You will still have to manage your diabetes whether you’re at a concert, beach, or eating out at a restaurant. If an activity is too much for you to handle and you need a break, you should let your date know.
Try discussing restaurants that suit your dietary needs with your date. Restaurants serving only fried foods or a fixed menu may not meet your dietary requirements. If you choose to stay silent, you may be putting your health at risk, which is not worth it.
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2. Prepare for your Dates
Dating with diabetes may require some extra planning.
If you’re going out on an active date, like hiking or biking, bring some hard candy, juice, or another fast-acting carb in case your blood sugar starts to dip.
Manage your carbohydrate intake while you dine out. Managing your carbohydrate intake is one of the most important things you can do when managing your diabetes. However, don’t let this discourage you from trying out new restaurants. Try looking at menus ahead of time and being mindful of your carbohydrate portions, no matter where you eat or what you decide to order.
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Try enjoying a salad as an appetizer. You may want to order an entrée of lean protein with lots of vegetables. Meals like these can help prevent you from eating too many carbs in one sitting, which can cause blood sugar instabilities.
Discuss your restaurant options with your date ahead of time and plan accordingly.
If you choose to drink alcohol on a date, steer clear of carbohydrate-rich mixers like sodas, tonic water, or juices. Instead, choose water or soda water with a lemon or lime as a mixer. Choosing light beer over regular beer and dry wine over sweet or sparkling wine is also wise.
Be mindful of your blood sugar while consuming alcohol. While drinking, check your blood sugar more often to ensure it isn’t getting too low.
If you need insulin, make sure you bring more than enough with you on your date just in case the date goes on for longer than you expected. Temperature changes can make insulin less effective. If possible, bring testing supplies along.
Make sure that you have a place to test your blood sugar and inject insulin privately. Using a needle in public or in front of someone you’ve just met may be startling, especially if they’ve never seen anyone test their blood sugar before.
3. Keep Things Light
It’s smart to be open about your condition but try not to dwell on it. If you dwell on your condition or remind your date that your blood sugar isn’t under control, you may cause your date to feel uneasy. Share details about your diabetes only when you feel comfortable.
4. Be Honest
Whether you disclose the details about your diabetes is totally up to you. You are not obligated to disclose your condition within the first few dates.
If you feel like you’ve made a connection, honesty does have its advantages. You won’t have to hide blood sugar checks at meals, and you won’t be afraid to tell your date if your blood sugar drops.
5. Only Reveal What You Feel Comfortable With
You don’t have to fully disclose the details of your condition during your first date. If you decide to tell your date about your diabetes, gauge your date’s response. If they ask questions, offer details. If they seem overwhelmed, you may choose to proceed more slowly.
