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. 🙂

If Vegetarians Can Do It, So Can I!

I recently read an article in Prevention Guide. The theme was Sugar Detox Made Easy — yeah, right! 🙂

I keep telling myself, you’ve done it before, and you can do it again. That’s absolutely true, so what’s my problem? Maybe, my issues are because I’m doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. Isn’t that the definition of INSANITY!

My answer to that dilemma is to branch out, in terms of my research. I bought this magazine sometime in January. I’ll admit to skimming it; like that ever worked… This time around, I read it cover to cover and back again.

Author Aviva Patz wrote, Your Step-by-Step Detox Plan. In fact, she had a slew of helpful hints to formulate an action plan. Action Plan? I didn’t sign up for an Action Plan. However, her program consists of things to DO to help in dealing with diabetes, to overcome the addiction. She talked about the importance of writing down a Manifesto. WHAT? C’mon, I’m a busy woman. I don’t have time for this nonsense! And then, the little voice inside me reminded me that I always have time to eat cookies, and cakes, and candy, Oh, My! Developing a manifesto took about three minutes, and consisted of writing the pros and cons of quitting sugar, and the same for NOT quitting sugar. She recommends keeping your notes nearby for when that temptation creeps in.

Ms. Patz talked about replacing the addictive food with something palatable but not as unhealthy. Example: Fruit — still sweet, so it will stomp out the cravings, while eating healthy nutrients. (Be careful. There is such a thing as having too much of a good thing.) Easy does it — fruit will absolutely effect your blood sugar levels. The goal is to maintain a balance.

Celebrating with a Gala!

I’ll be writing about Patz’ article for a number of days. She presents some great healthy alternatives to poor choices, and I’ll be passing them along to you.

Of all her suggestions, one jumped out at me — why didn’t I think of this??? She suggests that we don’t use the words “I can’t” when sugar is offered to us. Sounds like my usual, “I can’t have dessert, I’m diabetic.” waaa, waaaaah, waaaaaah, poor Kathy… Instead of the “poor me” response, Patz advises us to simply say, “I don’t eat refined sugar.” Simple, to the point. She compares the dilemma to that of the VEGETARIAN who easily states, “I don’t eat meat.” She’s right! It’s a choice — OUR choice! It makes perfect sense. It’s empowering. The decision is ours and the words, “I can’t,” give away our power and weaken our resolve. It’s brilliant! Obviously, this is an easy change in behavior and will likely end with the person offering the sweets to back down. Sounds good to me. No more pity party when the host cuts the cake.  🙂

“I don’t eat refined sugar.” Period!

My sincere thanks to Aviva Patz for an article that was not only motivating, but also made sense.

Attitude…

Saturday, November 12, 2016

…and TODAY, mine stunk!

Blah, blah, blah. The attitude of gratitude. Blah, blah, blah. Today, I didn’t want to hear about it, didn’t want to know about it, didn’t even want to think about it.

Today was one of those  B A D    A T T I T U D E  days. Why? I have NO clue. Sometimes you just want to pull up the covers and forget about it. This was one of those days. So, what did I do to change my attitude? I went to get my hair colored (good move!) and came home hating the way my hair looked (bad move!).

I have a friend who’s a DIYer, as am I. She’s working on a credenza; I’m 1/2-way through refinishing a table. Looking for motivation to finish mine, I decided to stop at her house to see how she’s progressing (good move!) She had painted just one of the drawers, as a test case, to be sure she liked the finish, before continuing. It was gorgeous! Light gray base coat with a darker silver distress. Just beautiful. Did it motivate me? Absolutely. (Yea!!!)

On the ride home, I thought about my project. I’ll work on it this afternoon, I told myself. When I pulled into the gas station to fill up, I remembered why that wasn’t going to happen. As I got out of the car, a stabbing pain shot down the right side of my butt and leg and reminded me that today was NOT going to be the day I’d be working on the table. [Last Wednesday I went out to my garage to grab the paint supplies to complete my table. As I leaned over to lift the carton, I coughed REALLY hard, and ZAP — sciatica crept back into my life. If you’ve ever had it you know — it smarts! I left the carton right where it was, grabbed an ice pack and a heating pad, and spent the next two days trying to get the inflammation down. SCIATICA SUCKS — I’m gonna get a bumper sticker.]  I shouldn’t complain; four days is nothing and it’s MUCH better. But, I didn’t remember that, when I went into the gas station and bought a package of Twinkies (bad move! — really bad move).

Continuing my brief drive home, I told myself, In the meantime, I’ll work on Carrie’s quilt. I can do that. Carrie is friend of my daughter’s who’s having a baby and the shower is the day after Thanksgiving. HOLY PROCRASTINATION! Hurry up, Kathy!  I wasn’t going to give her the quilt until the baby is born but, if I do it NOW that’ll be many hours of keeping my hands busy and not thinking about cravings. (Back to my Grapefruit Oil)  🙂

 

Well, when I got home, after I downed the Twinkies, I set up the table to lay out the quilt, got out the fabric and started. NO! Of course I didn’t start!!! I told you I had a lousy attitude. Instead, I grabbed my laptop and wasted about two hours watching YouTube videos on “How to Make a Rag Quilt.” It was very relaxing to watch someone else do the work. I know how to make that style quilt — I’ve done it four times!

strip, rag quilt

WHY then, was I wasting the time??? Probably because my miserable attitude told me to AND probably because of the sugar rush to my brain from the freakin’ Twinkies. Ugh.

It’s 11:51 p.m., so nine more minutes until Sunday.  My GOAL for Sunday?

• Eat correctly
• Walk first thing in the morning
• …and with a renewed and refreshed ATTITUDE, work on the quilt.

I feel better already!  Night folks.

This T2D needs some  ZZZZZzzzzz’s

Glucose-free Valentine “Alternatives”

February 9, 2016      5 more days until VALENTINE’S DAY  (just sayin’)

At the end of my last post, I promised to discuss alternatives to those sugary, sweet, delectable, delicious, chocolate delights.  You know the ones — that fill a box the size of New Jersey and are the shape of a beautifully wrapped red heart! Marketing gurus would have us believe that this product symbolizes LOVE, and is obligatory. You’re too smart for that.

 

LOVE is defined, in the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary, as “a feeling of constant affection for a person.”  Dictionary.com refers to LOVE as “a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.” Lastly, and MY all time favorite definition of LOVE is from the Urban Dictionary — “Love is nature’s way of tricking people into reproducing.” (Anonymous, April 7, 2003)   🙂   Now THAT’S funny!  🙂

So, I’ve given you a few of the ways love is defined and NOWHERE is a heart-shaped box of candy mentioned.     NOWHERE!

My goal in writing today’s post, is to speak to the issue of alternatives to candy, heart-shaped cakes, cookies, and the like.  I’ll give you some HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES to expressing one’s undying love for another that won’t raise anyone’s BLOOD SUGAR.

What says I LOVE YOU more deeply than showing someone that their HEALTH is more important to you than anything else? Here are a few GLUCOSE-FREE IDEAS that will fare as a much better symbol of your LOVE than a box of chocolates: (Drum roll, please) —

Starting out with some GENDER-NEUTRAL, GLUCOSE-FREE gifts:

JEWELRY always wins — a watch, cuff-links, heart-shaped locket (Get creative!)

PERFUME or COLOGNE

MASSAGE Gift Certificate  (Maybe a couple’s massage…)

HEART-SHAPED container filled with bright red, fresh STRAWBERRIES!

THEATER or CONCERT TICKETS — something you’d BOTH enjoy!

For the WRITER in your life, consider a RUBY-RED JOURNAL — maybe paired with a beautiful RED PEN!  (I see that as “gender-neutral”)

FLOWERS, of course. By the way, they don’t HAVE to be red but, for some reason, that color seems to get the message across on this “particular” day.

 

For the MAN in your life — you know exactly what his likes and dislikes are:  TICKETS TO A SPORTING EVENT, CAR/BOAT SHOW, MUSIC., etc., etc.  (I know you KNOW!  — and you can show you’re love by being sure they’re GLUCOSE FREE!

 

Some GLUCOSE FREE ideas for that special WOMAN you hold near and dear:

A beautiful, bright red, leather PURSE (or maybe GLOVES?  That will get you some Ooo’s and Ahh’s. What says LOVE better than leather???

LINGERIE — RED, of course.  (Hmmm.  Who’s that gift really for?)  🙂

A gift certificate for a MANICURE/PEDICURE — with a bottle of a beautiful shade of red nail polish (chosen by you) attached to it.

It’s easy to SAY, “I love you,” but not always as easy to SHOW it.  One important factor to consider is your budget — stay within it!  There’s nothing sexy about debt.

Oops!  I almost forgot.  If you have children (yours or someone else’s) to whom you wish to express your LOVE, there are a zillion ways to choose GLUCOSE FREE gifts for them.  Whether they’re diabetic or not, nobody needs junk food.  Cruise around any department store, there are hearts everywhere!!!  Oh, and remember, BOOKS are always a great gift for ANYONE!

For those of you who feel that Valentine’s Day is a bourgeois symbol of LOVE,  a Hallmark Holiday, or one created by the chocolate companies, you may be right! But, be careful — be sure you’re both on the same page… for   love — IS — in the air!

Get on it,  folks.  The “big” day is just around the corner.

Oh, and one more suggestion — a nice walk, with the one you love, at the end of the evening  =  sheer joy!

A Happy and Healthy Valentine’s Day, to all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s No Justice!

On my way home today, I stopped at my local Stop and Shop.  LIST in hand 🙂 I entered the store completely focused.

1. paper goods
2. tomatoes
3. 3 small bananas
4. 1/2 lb. roast beef
5. dish detergent
6. flowers

That’s it — I’m done.

Moving down the aisle from the deli section on my way to the check out line, two wagons blocked my way. No one was paying attention, so I took a detour to the left.  It was the bakery area, but I knew I was o.k.  The showcase was to my left, so I looked to the right as I passed it (Just to be on the safe side — trying to avoid temptation.)

“Miss, Miss, excuse me.  Miss!”  I turned to my left and a frail, elderly lady was smiling at me.  She was standing, slightly hunched over, in front of the showcases filled with you know what.  I’m tall, so I’m used to people asking me to get them items from the high shelves. But, there were no shelves.

“I don’t know what to do,” she said, appearing to be confused.

“How can I help you?”

And then it began. A LONG story, with much pointing out of the various pastries.

“I’m having 5 people over for bridge today.  So far I have this,” she said, pointing to the container of fruit in her cart. “But I can’t decide what pastries to get.  Do you think two of the tarts, two of the giant chocolate cookies and maybe eight of the rainbow cookies would be enough?”

My mouth began to salivate, “I’m sorry, I really don’t know.” I started to walk away.

“Wait, please, I really need your help,” she pleaded.  “Maybe I should get the mini chocolate ganache cakes too. What do you think?”

THERE’S NO JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD, that’s what I think!

I took a deep breath and said, “Maybe you should ask the baker, she’s the expert.” I started to scoot away.  “Wait,” she called out. I turned and pointed to the woman behind the counter. “She’s right there; she’ll be able to answer your questions.”

I took off like a bat out of hell! Once on line, I checked out my items and was on my way.  Before leaving, I glanced over at the bakery section. She was still there, debating with the baker. I smiled

Walking to the car, I gave myself a virtual pat on the back. I made it out — sugar free.  Good for me!

Another battle won.  One day at a time.

Be On Guard!

The other day I completed a ton of chores and on the way home I decided to stop at the deli.  I love their Light Vegi Tuna (very little mayo; perfect for lunch).  Of course, there was a line, so I focused on what I was getting — nothing else.

As I waited on line, my eyes wandered into a basket of homemade baked goods.  A brownie topped by the crumbs of a crumb cake, drenched in confectioners sugar, caught my eye.  Interesting.  Seriously, I’ve never see that before.  My “crazy self” screamed, Buy it — try it — one isn’t going to kill you.  Along came the guy with my tuna.  “Anything else, ma’am?”  “No thanks, I’m good,” came out of my mouth.  And then, my hand inched its way over to the basket of goodies.  “Wait, I’ll take one of these.” Money exchanged hands — similar to a drug deal…  I took my small bag and drove home, not giving a thought to what I’d just done.

Once in the house, I removed the tuna and the brownie/crumb cake from the brown paper bag.  I still can’t believe what I did.  I put the tuna in the refrigerator and the brownie on a plate.  I sat down at my dining room table, read the newspaper, and ate the brownie. When I was done, I looked up, much like an alcoholic coming out of a stupor, and thought, What did I do?  It was pretty amazing.  I don’t even LIKE crumb cake, and frankly, I couldn’t tell you what the brownie tasted like.  I paid no attention while I was eating. I likened myself to an alcoholic in a blackout, I barely remembered eating it — I swear, it was really strange. I felt awful; remorse took over.  I yelled at myself, vowing never to let my guard down again. Physically, I felt like garbage, not unlike the junk I had ingested.  All this over a brownie! I took a nap. 

Hindsight is a great thing.  I knew better, but I did it anyway.  I went into that deli hungry — bad decision. I let my guard down. When it comes to food, I realize that I need structure. Planning is the key to success, and I certainly didn’t do it that day. For the most part, my failures regarding my diabetes regimen are centered around a lack of planning.

O.K., I lost that battle, but NOT the war.  So, moving forward, get out that LIST, Kathy, and PLAN.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. One day at a time!

Is It Even Possible..?

Saturday, June 20, 2015

IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE TO RAISE YOUR BLOOD SUGAR, SIMPLY BY THINKING ABOUT JUNK FOOD???

No way, right? Here’s what happened —

I started the day by eating that first important meal later in the day than is my normal routine. I ate the correct portions of the healthy foods I’d planned for breakfast. At this point, my blood sugar was perfecto!

Skipped having a snack — no need, because I got up late. (I know, I know.)

Company was coming for lunch, so I went to the store to get a few healthy items to be sure I’d stay on track. It was difficult shopping. I was getting hungry, and guess what was calling me? Yep, my favorite junk foods.

I stuck to my list, while — Kathy, one little cookie won’t hurt you was being screamed through my head. I flew past the candy aisle — detoured down another section, to avoid the pastries in the Bakery. I’m almost out. WHY can’t I get this junk out of my head????

The real test was still ahead, the dreaded line at the register. It was my turn and, as I’ve been doing lately, I faced the conveyor belt, placed my items on it, with my back to the you know what. I REFUSED to listen to the York Peppermint Patties, Hershey bars, and Reeses’ Pieces, singing in unison to get my attention. Focusing on the register and my items moving along, I jumped further up and started packing — fast, really fast. “Thank you, have a nice day,” from the cashier, and I was on my way to the car. Safe.

Thoughts of what had just happened bounced around my brain on the short drive home. Why is this still happening? I’m doing so well.

Company arrived and we enjoyed our conversation and lunch. Mine was just a sandwich and half an apple. (Normally, I cut one slice of toast horizontally so I’m still having a “real” sandwich, but only one slice of bread.) What happened? No clue. We were talking and laughing. My brain was somewhere else, and I didn’t even notice what I’d done. 2 slices consumed, a “regular” sandwich. Ugh. I determined that it would be fine — no cheese, mayo, etc., so maybe that would make up for the extra slice. No dessert for me.

Doesn’t sound like a big deal, right?

Imagine my surprise when, later, I stabbed my finger and that healthy blood seeped out onto the test strip and the numbers went UP!!! I was crazed. How could this be? Impossible. NO, NO, NO!

I grabbed that miserable glucometer and looked more closely, hoping that I’d read it wrong. I shook it, turned it over, shook it again. It MUST be broken.

Of course, at this moment, I’m vulnerable. Creeping in, ever-so-slowly, and then like a barrage of gunfire, my thoughts ran amuck! ALL I could think about were all-things covered in chocolate.

Finally, that’s it! I’m going to Dollar Tree. Candy, cookies, cakes, were in my future– and only $1/each. I don’t care. Nothing’s working, blah, blah, blah. All I did was THINK about the tempting treats, and my blood sugar went up. There’s no justice in this world, I ranted in my mind to my “crazy” self.

By the time I’d put my shoes on, bag and car keys in hand, ready to go, I had a sudden epiphany.

Are you nuts? (Yes.) Stop! You’ve worked too hard to cave now. I sat down and listened to my now sane self speaking the voice of reason. I didn’t go. But, I was concerned that it wouldn’t be long before I did.

What to do..? Something else has to change…