Temptation Strikes Again

Yesterday was a real “treat!”  We arrived at my niece and nephew’s home to celebrate their daughter’s graduation — You could smell the sugar emanating from the desserts that covered the table — the VERY LARGE table. I swear, every leaf was used to extend the length of it, and every inch was filled with a confectionary.  Brownies, cookies, and pies — OH MY! It was a killer to this T2D sugar addict.

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I’m serious. Every inch. The obligatory graduation cake was the centerpiece, surrounded by more desserts than I could count. Of course, the brownies called my name, and I didn’t hesitate. Actually, I didn’t hesitate — TWICE! Luckily, they were cut into a reasonable size, which helped to alleviate my guilt. Somehow, a homemade chocolate chip cookie found it’s way into my mouth. How does that happen? 🙂  Okay, I know how it gets there. By the way, there was a bowl of fruit on the table. It was colorful, but didn’t “catch my attention…” Carbs reigned!

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This was to be a low key gathering, just dessert, coffee, etc., so we stopped at a diner and caught a bite, before going — just a sandwich, no big deal.

I planned my eating for the day, so I was careful not to munch before leaving home. It was fine. It could’ve been a LOT worse, but gone are those days. Thank you God!

There’s always a Silver Lining…

I’ve been sick. You know, “praying for death” sick. 😦

Some evil “stomach bug” crept into my system and took over. You don’t want the details. My blood sugar was all over the place. I tried the “natural” route, but I was only able to live in one room in my house (…the room with the echo), so finally, I called my doctor who told me to only eat crackers, dry toast (if I’m hungry — which I’m not), and drink 1/2 water and 1/2 Low Calorie Gatorade for a few days, to avoid dehydration and to give my intestines a break. In the end (no pun intended), I was in the waiting room of a gastroenterologist. She sent me for a ton of tests, the results of which I won’t get ’til Thursday, if I’m lucky.

But, she also gave me a medicine that “calmed” everything down, in the meantime. Thank God!!! That pain was a killer — my poor body. She wanted me to eat more; the thought was disgusting. She added plain chicken, turkey, baked potato. Ugh. She was right, eating a bit more did help.

With every situation, we learn something, right? (Not that I haven’t learned this before…) When I have a stomach issue, I hate the thought of food — including, my addictive junk foods. It’s been 8 days now and I haven’t had a thought about (my drug of choice) sugar. Nothing, Nada. I feel like I’ve been in a rehab for carboholics/sugar addicts.

Do you know what? The Sugar Beast had nothing to do with my being ill but, I’m going to take advantage of this situation, grab onto my proverbial detox and hold on for dear life!

Seriously, regardless of the results of the testing, I want to be done with sugar — SO DONE. Being sick just brought this to the forefront of my mind (again, I say again!). This Type 2 Diabetic’s plan is to do everything in my power to steer clear of it. I know, I know, we’ve all said it before.

I see this “Silver Lining” as a gift, and I’m going to wrap myself in it — like a soft, satin, protective shield. It will be difficult — if anything, I’m NOT naive. I know it’s really hard (at least for me) not to get dragged into a sugar feast, but, the way I’m looking at it, I’ve got a head start, and I’m grateful for it.

I’ve got the motivation, now I have to get back to developing the habit...AGAIN. Every day really is DAY #1.

My sister’s birthday is coming and that will be my first “real” test. Wish me luck!

I take it back — no “luck” needed. 🙂

Great Snack Ideas for T2D’s!

November 7, 2016

As promised, here’s a list of some great snack ideas with only 15-20 grams of carbohydrate per portion! 

One of my biggest issues with T2D is that I’ve believed that less is better.  UNTRUE! Skipping snacks can be likened to skipping meals. It disrupts the balance of our blood glucose levels. Therefore, it’s important to include appropriate snacks in our daily food intake.

Maggie, my Registered Dietician and Certified Diabetes Educator, gave me the following ideas, regarding those all important snacks:

• 3 cups popped popcorn (no fat added) or 94% fat free mini microwave bag
• 1/2 cup sugar-free pudding
• 3 cups of any combination of baby carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, celery, cucumber, pea pods, belly peppers, radishes, tomatoes, or zucchini with 1 tablespoon of dip     
• 25 Soy Crips
• Kasha TLC Bar
• 15 Kellogg’s Special K Cracker Chips, Sea Salt, Cheddar, or Southwest Ranch
• 5 Reduced Fat Triscuits with 1 teaspoon Almond or Peanut Butter
• 1 Pack Special K Pastry Crips (various flavors)
• 1 cup Edamame beans
• 41 Gold Fish Baked Snack Crackers
• Skinny Cow No sugar added Fudge Bar or Blue Bunny brand
• Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownie
• Nature Valle Dark Chocolate Granola Thins
• Weight Watchers Dark Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream Bar
• 8 oz. Vanilla or Chocolate Almond Breeze Milk

That’s 15 delicious snack ideas! Visiting your Diabetes Education Center will reap many more snack ideas, along with lots of helpful information. What have you got to lose?

P.S.  Important Information:  NO FRUIT AT NIGHT!  I can’t believe I didn’t remember that. Obviously, it’s important NOT to eat fruit and other sugar-rich foods before bedtime.

REMEMBER:  Always check with your physician before making ANY changes to your Diabetic Treatment Plan.

 

 

Nutrition Counseling with a Registered Dietitian– Defined as: One who is trained or expert in the field of food and nutrition and…

— who advises on matters of foods and their impact on one’s health. A registered dietitian promotes good health through proper eating. That’s what I need, I told myself, and off to The Diabetes Education Center I went!  I had an appointment with one of their dietitians and it was wonderful.

Diabetes is a disease and I needed/wanted a health specialist. It was an outstanding visit. (I’ve been there before, over the years; sometimes you just need a tune-up.  This was one of those times.)  I AM dedicated and determined, that’s for sure.

I’m trying desperately to get off the Metformin — and attempting to be realistic at the same time. Maggie, a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator, helped me step back into reality. Reviewing my file, she complimented me on my A1C and pointed out that we were having a conversation similar to some we’d had years ago, when I first started.  Oh NO!  

I have this (flawed) theory that less is better. In other words, less food (carbs, etc.) will help to keep me on track. Thus, I’m probably not eating enough!  Then, when hunger strikes, guess what happens?  

CRAVING ATTACKS!  She’s right, of course. That evil sugar beast  creeps into my head and won’t leave until I cave. An attack on my blood sugar levels!!! Ugh… If you’ve been there, you know what I mean.

We talked about alternatives that will help the cravings to subside (I still use my Grapefruit Oil, which provides laughs for my friends. But, guess what? It helps me! See post dated: Nov. 21, 2015). This was a suggestion from a friend and guru of all things alternative.

Maggie helped me sort out a multitude of food choices that will get/keep me on track. I’ll get back to you with a TON of information that she gave me; tomorrow, if possible.  But for now — it’s dinnertime, and I have to move on with some healthy choices.  🙂

Keep the faith, fellow T2D’s!  …and to Maggie, THANKS A MILLION!!!

IMPORTANT:  Check with your physician before making ANY changes to your diabetic treatment plan.

What’s on Your Plate?

Sunday, August 7, 2016

“PLATE” #1

Do you live for a buffet/smorgasbord dinner? NOOOOoooooo! My conscience screams, DON’T do it! If you have issues with portion control, that kind of dining can be a downfall.

I read a great article in Everyday Health. the title was, “Sizing Up Your Plate: Why Portion Control Matters.”

Everyday Health does a great job in its discussion of diabetes and this T2D “listens” very carefully when they “talk.”  D. Wolter-Nitta, RD, CDE, nutritionist and certified diabetes educator at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, NY, was quoted on the topic of portion control. For the Type 2 Diabetic, who may be overweight, losing some pounds can lead to better blood sugar control and “possibly” less need for medication. Some of the information noted in the article will be familiar to you and some will seem like common sense. I read everything diabetes related. Truth is, there’s always more to learn and, if nothing else, reading the info will put it in the forefront of my mind. Can’t hurt, right? Everyday Health noted that Jill Weisenberger, RD, CDE, and writer, out of Yorktown, VA, stressed that “not eating proper carbs at a meal can lead to higher or lower blood sugars,” and we know what that can produce. Problems.

She, along with others, had some good points:

• Weigh and Measure your food. LOL — right!  We’ll see about that.  🙂    Okay, I’ve never been thrilled with doing “the scale thing,” but she’s right. It’s really difficult to guess how much food is the right amount, and we know that portion control is imperative. That’s why…
• Visual Aids are so important! I was having difficulty awhile back in my T2D journey, and I went to a diabetes educator for help. I thought I had portion control down pat but was stunned to learn that the fact that I was eating apples the size of a softball didn’t make the grade. She tossed me a tennis ball and informed me that THIS was the size I should have been consuming. “Really?” I queried, while looking at the small ball that seemed to be lost in my hand. I realized that the difference in size meant that I was eating what would be considered two apples at each sitting. AAArrrggghhh! That explained my weight gain.                 By the way, when shopping for apples, TRUST ME, the ones that come packaged in the plastic bags are the size you should be eating.   It’s called SMALL! At first, I was saddened by the fact that my beloved apple snack had just shrunken to about one-third of its size.  Here’s what helped a LOT:  I sliced the apple into very thin slices — VERY thin!  During that same appointment, the Diabetes Educator shocked me into realizing that I’d been overeating just about everything — without even knowing it. She showed me a plastic hamburger to demonstrate the portion that we should be eating.  It seemed so small and alone on the plate — probably one-third of the size I’d been scoffing down. Next on her agenda was the “deck of cards” — another visual aid to slap me silly into “getting” the world of portion control.  WHAT??? How many of us eat a portion of chicken, fish or beef that takes up one-third to half of the dinner plate? Well, get a grip! The deck of cards it is.
• Read Food Labels!   Besides the obvious — carbs, protein, fiber, it’s important to check out the food labels for the SERVING SIZE.  You may be surprised to learn that a can or package contains more than one serving per person.
• Use Smaller Plates.  This is an easy one. Substitute a luncheon-sized plate for a regular dinner plate. This tricks your eye, because it looks like you have a lot of food on your plate when, in fact, your plate is smaller.    🙂
• Beverages. Again, read those labels. You may be surprised to see that the serving size information will force you to make a different decision. Drinking is the fastest way to get carbs into your system; therefore, for better blood glucose management, it’s better to eat your carbs than drink them.
• SNACK, SNACK, SNACK! Tim Harlan, M.D. and Medical Director of Tulane University Group in New Orleans, states (in Everyday Health) that snacking is important for the diabetic. He says that snacking “controls overeating, controls cravings, and keeps blood sugar stable.” MAKES SENSE!  🙂
• WRITE, WRITE, WRITE! Another common sense tip. Keeping a food log is important when managing blood glucose levels. Simply put, it keeps us on track and holds us accountable. Not a big deal.

    “PLATE” #2 — continued in next post — will focus on eating out and will include social events such as weddings!

So folks, WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE???

 

 

SUN! MOON! STARS!

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

It’s incredible the impact the weather can have on us.  The SUN was out today, and I felt like a million dollars $$$.

What a difference a day makes!

I ate healthy food — breakfast, lunch, dinner. (Okay, lunch did include french fries — but I didn’t eat many of them).  Many posts ago, I declared — the French Fries will NEVER go.  I figure it in with my carbs.

Tonight the MOON was enormous and as full as it could be. The STARS glittered across the sky, predicting good weather for tomorrow and an increase in romance tonight — a star-filled sky has that effect, doesn’t it?

The forecast in my area is sunny with some clouds and 66 degrees for Wednesday, March 23, and I CAN’T WAIT!  You know where I’ll be headed…

What a difference a day makes!

Bill from Simple Living Over 50 has been posting about the effect of the time change on his routine.  It’s pretty incredible — how the world turns…  Check out his blog!  It’s interesting, inventive, and he’s also a T2D.   Spring ahead/Fall back definitely has it’s effect on our moods, appetite, sleeping habits — the whole Magilla!  With it, though, comes the change in weather; in my area = SUN, FINALLY! The sunnier, warmer weather conditions are improving everyone’s mood, that’s for sure. Even the grocery stores seem move civilized than in the past few months.

The SUN, the MOON (huge tonight!) and the STARS all fit into the way our lives “spin.”

Have a good one, folks, and enjoy the nice weather. SOON, very soon, our stores will be filled with local vegetables and fruits — FRIENDS OF THE DIABETICS! — and we’ll be eating and feeling healthier.

Blood Sugar = 109        Weight = 149.2 lbs.

 

 

 

“Slipped” on the ice…

O.K., maybe not on the ice.  I “slipped” on some cookies  😦

I went to the doctor for my 3-month Diabetes checkup today.  Everything was great. No surprise to me — I’ve been eating correctly, monitoring my blood sugar, and walking.  Things have been looking up!  She was happy, I was happy.

So, why is it that when I went to the store to get ice melt (FREEZING here in the northeast),  I came out with JUNK?  Why, why, why?  AND, why didn’t I take out my Grapefruit Oil and smell it, in an effort to avoid the craving.  WHY?????

UGH, SO frustrating.

Driving home, I never gave a thought as to what I’d purchased.  When I started to put the items away, that’s when the realization smacked me RIGHT IN THE FACE!  I was really upset and disappointed in myself.  But evidently, not enough to toss the cookies and those cheddar crackers that I like so much into the garbage.  Nope — I had 4 — count ’em, 4 chocolate chip cookies and a small bowl of the crackers.  Truth? They tasted great!  That was around three o’clock. By 4, the carb coma took over, and I had a “nap.”   When I woke up, dinner time was approaching, and naturally I wasn’t hungry. The rest of the night brought misery — you know the deal.  Remorse, embarrassment, anger, blah, blah, blah.

“Get a grip, Kathy!” I yelled at myself.  That’s when I tossed “Satan’s food” into the garbage.  Guilt:  “There are people starving in this world, and you’re throwing out food?” Phrases such as this ran through my head.  Thankfully, my answer was a resounding YES!  Guilt is a wasted emotion, negative and hurtful. There’s no positive purpose in feeling guilty. I’m over it!

It’s kind of interesting how the brain works.  I seem to crave sugar if I’m down, bored, hungry; but also, when I’m “up,” — like today.  I was happy that all was well in my diabetes realm, so I guess I let my guard down.  Lesson Learned!

It’s 11 p.m. now, and I’ll be going to bed soon with the knowledge that tomorrow will be another Day One.  I’ll get up, eat breakfast, go to the mall — and walk, walk, walk. The good news is that I’m confident that tomorrow will be a good day.  I’ve already written two post-its that I’m going to put on the dashboard of my car.  One is a reminder; it simply says, GRAPEFRUIT! to remind me not to “slip,” and to use the tools I have.  Written on the other post-it is one word:  NO! Also, a simple reminder.

At the end of each day, I reflect on what took place during the course of my day that was positive and what was negative.  I’ll review my “slip,” learn from it, and then I’ll let it go. Tomorrow’s another day in the life of this dedicated diabetic, and it’s going to be a GOOD one.

 

EVERYDAY IS DAY ONE

Friday, May 29, 2015

Ugh!

Today was pitiful. Some days I just can’t get it together — today was that day. Other than drinking a lot of water, I did absolutely nothing right in the food department. Nothing. Not a vegetable in sight. No fruit, no walking, nothing positive. It was bad, really bad.

So, finally, at about four o’clock, I put my big girl pants on, wiped the sugar off my mouth, and headed out to the food store. Enough of this crap, Kathy — grow up, I said to myself.

Everyday IS Day One — no matter what!

Shopping as a diabetic high on carbs, is hilarious. (Well, depending on your perspective.) I found myself complaining about the price of apples. Mind you, I wasn’t bemoaning the price of cookies, when I bought that garbage this morning. Stop it; just buy them, the healthy me cried. I did — Galas, Goldens, Honeycrisps, and Braeburns –– two of each! I love the variety.

Moving on to the fish department, I stood in front of the counter, staring at each one straight in the eye. “You’re WAY to expensive! Ridiculous!”  Interesting, each looked back at me, but none of them replied. “What? Salmon, swordfish, flounder can’t speak? What’s the problem? No backbone? Stand up for yourself!”  Alas, each remained horizontal, basking in the coolness of the ice; ignoring my rant. The fishmonger looked away.

Because I resented their “attitude,” I decided to buy them. “I’ll have one of this, two of that, cut that in half, please.” I ran up the bill — I’ll fix them; I’ll eat them — every damn one of them, I screamed, in my own head.

Exhausted, I stepped over to the vegetables. Do you know what asparagus cost? Get over it!  I did, and I filled my cart with a variety of incredible colors. A veritable rainbow of vegetables.

When I returned home, I took a quick nap (carb coma, I guess). Then, into the kitchen to prepare an epicurean delight on which to base another Day One. For me Day One can begin at any time of the day — as long as it begins.

Tomorrow will be another day. I will start out on the right foot, and move through the day making wise food decisions. This DEDICATED DIABETIC will move forward, one day at a time, sometimes one meal at a time, determined to win this battle. My blood sugar will drop to an appropriate level, thanks to the walk I will take first thing in the morning. All will be well.

I am determined and definitely dedicated to bringing this disease under control!