WATER, Water, everywhere… (Addiction)

Saturday, July 23, 2016

I don’t even remember the last time I drank ANYTHING other than water!

I was a major soda consumer until, after many years, I realized that it wasn’t a healthy option. When I decided to get “off” soda, I also came to see that I was addicted to it. I cut back, cut down, but I couldn’t seem to cut it OUT.  It was difficult. Research indicated that the amount of sugar and sodium that was in the soda, is why it was so hard to get off it.

It took time. First, I moved on to diet soda; the taste was awful; but, in short order, I was on the diet soda train. Further research showed that the diet soda mania might be even worse for the population. That’s when I learned, “If you can’t pronounce the ingredients, don’t let them pass your lips.” That diet soda was chock full of chemicals and finally I jumped off that train! After my release from the soda addiction, I moved on to caffeine — I stopped drinking coffee.  It wasn’t easy; I loved it. Today — I’m soda free, coffee free, I don’t even drink tea unless it’s herbal.

Water, aqua, H2O, Adam’s Ale, aqua pura, seawater, tap water, rainwater, bath water, mineral water. It even has a beautiful sound, doesn’t it?

If you’re traveling the world, especially in the summer, and need to stay hydrated, you’d best get your vocabulary in order. In France, the term for water is eau. In Croatia and Czech, it’s voda. The Danes refer to this magic liquid as vand. The Estonians and Fins call it vesi, while Wasser is what the Germans ask for when they’re thirsty. When in Rome, call out for acqua — they’ll ask you “still or fizz?” If you’re looking for bubbles (carbonation) in your acqua, fizz is your answer! The Norwegians who need to quench their thirst ask for vann, while right next door, in Sweden, they’ll give you a glass of vattan.  Interesting, no?

Today, if I’m having company, perched on my table will be two large pitchers of H2O. One will be pure — just water. The other will contain cut up pieces of fruit, in addition to ice, and filled to the brim with aqua. Have you tried that yet? There are many ways to “enhance” your pitchers of water. A cucumber and mint combination is very refreshing, Fruit water is my all-time favorite!  Strawberries, blueberries, oranges, OH MY! 🙂  Peaches, raspberries, watermelon, apples — you name it! Besides looking beautiful in a clear, tall pitcher, you’ll instantly smile, as these concoctions enter your mouth. I LOVE lemon and lime — careful, though, it can be bitter. I’ve learned to infuse the water with the taste and then remove the citrus rinds from the pitcher.  The taste is divine!

Another great addition to water is fruit-infused ice! It’s wonderful. Besides using fruit-infused water to make my ice cubes, I place a strawberry, a few blueberries, or a sprig of mint to each one. Your water will have a spectacular taste; the cubes look beautiful, and the taste is ever-so-refreshing.

In terms of DIABETES, sugar free is a beautiful thing. My homemade “fruit waters” have literally nothing added.  My blood sugar is not effected at all!  Try it folks, you won’t regret it.

 

Enjoy folks ——– Cheers!      🙂

Falling Flat on My Face!

That’s pretty much what I’ve done so far. Falling, getting up, falling again. I’m basing that statement on my numbers. My blood sugar levels hover around the same area, but why, when I’m walking, am I gaining weight? SO frustrating. I’m monitoring my food.

I’d love to attribute this to my not feeling well, but what does that really have to do with it? I’m not “sick sick,” not “go to the doctor sick,” I just feel crummy. No energy. I do know that, at least with me, sometimes when something inside my body is “brewing,” this is how I feel prior to it actually hitting me. Kind of lethargic.

This too will pass.  I bought a get well card for a friend of mine the other day. She has a great sense of humor.  It read, This too will pass then, when you opened the card the words printed were, Kind of like a kidney stone — but, it WILL pass!  🙂  I thought it was pretty funny and, apparently she did as well. A few days later she called me to thank me for the chuckle, and to let me know she’s feeling better.

Doesn’t that statement sum up life beautifully? Whatever is going on in our lives, no matter how we feel, It WILL pass. Sometimes on the fast track, oftentimes, the problem has to creep along before it’s over. The bottom line is it WILL end. It will pass.

So, now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I’m picking myself up, and moving on with my regime one day at a time.

Hope you’re doing well.

P.S. Sorry about the lack of photos. Still having computer issues. But, I know it will pass.   🙂

ll4 = Blood sugar            152.1 lbs.  😦

Learning From Others

REALLY early this morning, around 1:30 I think, I questioned just how “dedicated” I am to blogging.  I mentioned how Bill at “Simple Living Over Fifty” inserts his blood sugar and weight at the end of each post.  I was hesitant, thinking of it as a confession of sorts. Nonetheless, I committed to doing it. I expect two things will happen — it will force me to blog daily (or a minimum of 3-4 times a week) and doing this will help to keep me accountable, to myself if no one else.

As promised, I took my blood sugar first thing this morning, made my breakfast and before eating it, (of course!), I hopped on the scale. Quickly, I booted up my laptop and typed into today’s post my blood sugar and weight right away.   Pushing my laptop aside, I ate my epicurean delight (using the term loosely), and will finish the blog later on.

This is “later on.”

I’ve been reading a great deal about diabetes lately, Type 2 in particular — books, articles, blogs. My thinking is to immerse myself to the degree that it will all become second nature, again!  It was, for many years, but for some reason I’ve been having difficulty. I’m reviewing information that I know, as reinforcement, and filing away what I’m learning, so that it’s there when I need it. This Type 2 diabetic is convinced that this is a good practice. Diabetes certainly is the epitome of life-long learning, and I’m all about that in every area of my life!  🙂

So, as the author of  Diary of a Dedicated Diabetic, I’ll be blogging my brains out, learning from others, and letting you know anything new that I learn, along with the “old” pearls of wisdom that help to keep me on track. I’m determined and dedicated!

Blood Sugar = 121     148.8 lbs.                    [Thanks for that, Bill!]  🙂

Post Halloween…

 

I was out for most of the day, a conscious decision.  I thought I was home free but, at around 4 o’clock, I decided that I’d better buy something in case kids ring my bell later in the evening.  Why didn’t I just make plans to go to a movie or something? NO, then I wouldn’t have bought the candy… Obviously, I knew exactly what I was doing. So, off to the store I went.  I did buy candy that I really don’t like, with the exception of a bag of Snickers.  Truth, I’m not crazy about those either.  Anyway, the good news is, I gave the leftovers to a friend who works in a school.  Nothing better than sugared-up teenagers!  My drug of choice is officially out of the house — good for me.  Next year — no candy; just go to a movie!

WHY does it have to be so hard?  Do any of you feel like an addict when the topic of junk food comes up?  Intellectually, I know sugar is addictive, thus I point to myself as an addict.  I have a shelf in a bookcase filled with books on sugar.  That the “white stuff” is addictive is not news.  Getting and staying off it is really difficult!  I’ve read the latest and greatest on the topic, I’ve worked really hard over the years, (and worked not so hard too), but the bottom line is always action, choices, the do’s and don’ts.  It always points to back to the basics.  Always.

Suicide by Sugar, BY Nancy Appleton, Ph.D.. and G.N. Jacobs, is a book that I bought years ago, the copyright is listed as 2009.  It’s pretty clinical.  Sugar Shock, BY Connie Bennett, and Stephen Sinatra, M.D., was purchased in 2007, in my quest for answers.  I’ve found many answers, but do I follow through ALL of the time?  NO.  That’s the path of this disease; not unlike alcoholism. It’s a journey that I liken to a roller coaster, for obvious reasons.  BUT, I keep on trying.  I will not give up, no matter what.

Here’s another tome that brings a smile to my face:  Sugar Blues BY William Duffy. I just opened my copy and the pages are yellow; it’s dog-eared and well-worn. This one is copyrighted 1976!  [I’ve been at this for a LONG time]. Of all the books I’ve read on SUGAR, this one is the BEST.  It’s historical, realistic, and filled with valuable information.  Of course, it’s dated (the statistics will not be up-to-date), but trust me, it’s also very 2015. Because it’s a “back-in-the-day” book, seems to prove the point — maybe even more so!  I can still relate to it.

Halloween is gone, and as the holidays loom ahead, I will be working on my preparedness. Yes, almost like with a hurricane.  Just as a weather disaster swirls and strikes furiously  into the lives of people, so do poor choices wreak havoc with diabetics. I’ll be ready, and we’ll be talking about being prepared (for those upcoming holidays) in future blogs.

Thinking positively!  🙂