What Worked, What Didn’t
Not everything about tracking was fun. Some things worked, some things didn’t, but everything taught us something valuable. Today, We’re Covering: The biggest wins from tracking (and what they mean for the future) What didn’t work, and why...
The episode, word for word
Hey, welcome back to Our Best T1D Year! I'm Neil Greathouse, and if you've got 5 minutes, you've got time for this podcast, whether you're making coffee, pretending to work, or strategically avoiding your March Madness bracket after your sleeper pick lost in the first round.
(Unless you picked Duke to win it all, in which case, you're probably fine. I mean, Cooper Flagg is basically the chosen one.)
But today, we're wrapping up the March challenge! We're looking at what worked, what didn't, and how we keep using what we learned without tracking forever.
Because tracking is a lot like filling out a March Madness bracket, sometimes things go exactly as planned, and sometimes... total chaos. Can I mention that tomorrow is the first day of Spring? That may mean that you still have 2 more months of snow - I see you Montana and North Dakota. But it could also mean the sun is almost out!
Tracking wasn't perfect, but we learned a ton. Here are some of the biggest game-changers people noticed on social media - these are your responses:
"I finally know why I spike after breakfast, my timing was off." "I didn't think stress affected my blood sugar, but wow... it really does." "I found out my coffee actually spikes me, even though it has no carbs." "Estimating restaurant carbs is basically a wild guess, but I got better at it."
Kind of like realizing your bracket is toast after the first weekend, but at least you learned something.
Not everything about tracking was fun, let's be honest.
Tracking every meal got annoying fast. Lesson: We don't have to track forever, just when we need a reset.
Some patterns still didn't make sense. Lesson: Some things take longer to figure out, and that's okay.
We had days where we just didn't log anything. Lesson: Even tracking some days is better than none.
This challenge wasn't about being perfect, it was about paying attention.
Now that we're wrapping up the March challenge, here's how we can use this info without feeling stuck to tracking forever:
Step 1: Keep Using What We Learned If we know breakfast spikes us, we adjust. If we know stress raises our BG, we plan ahead. We don't have to track to use what we've learned.
Step 2: Track Only When We Need To Feeling off? Log for a few days, then stop. It's like checking a map when you're lost, not something you need daily.
Step 3: Get Ready for the Next Challenge! April's challenge is coming, and we're building on everything we just learned.
Reminder! We're giving away a One Sheet Journal from Risely Health to help make tracking simple.
To get yours for free, go to the link in my bio on Instagram or TikTok and sign up at yourbestt1dyear.com.
New episodes drop every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so if you haven't yet, hit subscribe so you don't miss what's next.
Alright, see you in the next episode. Remember, we got this! Nobody remembers easy, what we're doing is pretty much incredible. I'm excited to hear about Our Best T1D Year Ever.
16 - March 21
This is the script as read on the mic, lightly tidied for reading. Education, not medical advice. Talk to your care team before you change anything about your insulin.