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Managing Type 1 Diabetes doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
Each 5-minute episode of Your Best T1D Year is packed with practical strategies, mindset shifts, and a little humor to help you feel more in control and less frustrated by diabetes.
Hosted by Neil Greathouse, this Monday, Wednesday, and Friday podcast delivers quick, relatable episodes that make learning about T1D effortless - so you can build small wins that lead to big changes.
đź“… New episodes drop every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
🎧 Subscribe now and start making diabetes management feel easier - one small habit at a time.
Hey. Welcome back to your best t one d year ever. My name is Neil. This is episode five, and it's February 23. So if you if you got five minutes, then you've got just enough time for this podcast.
Neil:You could be out for a walk. You could be stuck in traffic right now just shaking your fists at the sky, or you could be wondering why is my phone sending the same group text five times in a row? It happens. I'm not a really huge fan of of group text, especially when you got a, when you got a Samsung device or or somebody else's device. The phones aren't working, whatever.
Neil:Anyways, listen, we're talking about something weird today. It's why our brain fights glucose tablets. Like, we know how they work. Right? We know they're faster.
Neil:So why do we still reach for Cap'n Crunch? Save me, Cap'n. A juice box. Why do I eat an entire loaf of banana bread? Oh my gosh.
Neil:I'm telling on myself right now. Okay. So here here is the science of some of these cravings during a low. When we're low, our brain goes into survival mode. It is thinking, we need food now.
Neil:I don't know why I did that voice, but I did. It's we it's it's also thinking, like, you better eat something big to fix this, man. Right? Like, we need we need big food right now. And our brain tells us, like, glucose tablets, that's not real food.
Neil:I don't need that. That's not gonna be helpful. Now I don't care about logic or or science. Like, in that moment, our brain is just all about, like, fast relief in a way that feels emotionally satisfying. That is the key here.
Neil:And that's why we crave familiar comfort foods over a chalky glucose tablet, or a a gel that is, like, this is zero fun. Now we need to talk about how we retrain our brain here a little bit. That rhymed. Here's the good news. We can reprogram our response.
Neil:And here is a few, little tricks that will work. Number one, if we associate glucose tablets with safety, not restriction, it's gonna lead to, a better response. Like instead of, I have to take, a glucose tablet. Just think, like, I'm choosing the fastest, easiest option. Number two, if we keep glucose tablets where they're easily accessible, where they're close, when we're low, we need something within seconds.
Neil:Right? Not buried at the bottom of our bag, or we've gotta go rummaging for it, or it's like buried treasure in the backyard. We just gotta keep it close to us. I keep glucose tablets in my backpacks. They're, different spots around the house.
Neil:And then number three, if we use them once, you're gonna notice how much faster they work. This will reinforce the fact that they actually fix the problem without the roller coaster rebound. Now this doesn't happen overnight. This has actually even taken me a couple of weeks to just reiterate in my brain, like, come on, brain. You gotta get this.
Neil:Like, the the more we use glucose tablets, the more our brain will accept them as this is the right move. I get it. Lowes are stressful. We start sweating. We start panicking.
Neil:I don't think really well when I'm low. I can't make decisions to save my life. So I understand why we just go to the pantry, or we go to the cupboard, or we, you know, somebody's reach around in their purse or the back seat of the car, whatever. We're taking our goldfish crackers from our kids, whatever. Listen.
Neil:You're not doing a bad job. You're doing a difficult job. That's what type one diabetes is. It is not easy. But every time we make one little shift like this, we make the next time easier.
Neil:So even though our brain still might crave that piece of key lime pie, or I say piece, half of a key lime pie, The fact that we're thinking about this at all and trying to choose the right thing, that that's a win. In my book, that's a win. So new episodes of this podcast, they hit every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. If you haven't hit subscribe yet, I really I really don't understand why. I just don't want you to miss the next one.
Neil:These are just small, simple podcast episodes to help you out throughout the day. And if you want some free t one d resources, I've got that website, yourbestt1dyear.com. You can go get a bunch of freebies over there. There's no gimmicks. There's no catch.
Neil:I send a a newsletter out maybe twice a month, if that. And it is just stuff to help make living with type one diabetes easier. I just wish I had this a lot easier. So I'll see you in the next episode. Remember, you got this.
Neil:Nobody remembers easy, which is why what you're doing is pretty much incredible. I'm excited to hear about your best t one d year ever.