Imagine my excitement! Maybe not… WHY can’t I seem to get it together?
I’ve been a Type2 diabetic for a long time. There have been periods of UP’s which have been motivating, and then there are those segments of time that have been
D
O
W
N!
You might have decided that the one where I presently “reside” is DOWN. You’d be correct. I thought about it, talked about it, wrote about it, but ALAS — no solution.
About a year ago, maybe longer, I bought a journal that was designed specifically to monitor one’s glucose. I started out with a BANG — and ended with a whimper. I’ve given this dilemma another “look see” recently and have decided that part of the problem is perfectionism. 🙂  Pretty funny as I am acutely aware that I am far from perfect. I have recognized, though, that when I start something, and I don’t continue religiously, I get aggravated at myself and toss whatever it is aside.
(Within my head, there’s a battle — much screaming and yelling — “GROW UP, JUST DO IT, BLAH, blah.). Finally, I put a stop to it and get back on the (proverbial) wagon.
The holidays are upon us — soon! That is a time that’s difficult for all diabetics. I’ve decided to go into “training.” Seriously, I’ve begun logging my numbers, food, steps. Trust me, I’m NOT happy about it, but I’m doing it anyway. 😦
I hate it when people say, “Life just got in the way…” Â Nonsense! I LET it drag me in other directions. It’s called PROCRASTINATION. I could make excuses all day long, but in the end, procrastination reigned.
Why would I put off writing my blog? I LOVE to write! I HATE diabetes, though, so writing about it, became an issue. I asked myself, Â Why? I’ve been doing it for years! Does the “WHY” really matter at this point? I’ve decided that, “NO, it does NOT matter.” I’m moving on.I’m back to being “one” with my T2D. I let my routines get out of hand and of course you know what that means. (Dive into a vat of chocolate!)
I have the best doctor on the planet — she’s amazing! I went a couple of weeks ago for my 3-month diabetes check up. She looked at my numbers, and said, “WHAT have you been doing?” I responded, “eating.” She gave me that over the glasses look. “Well, I’ve been eating everything that’s not nailed down. I actually walked into a bakery — ME in a bakery! It wasn’t pretty.” She had a one word response: “Why?” I told her that, “evidently, I’m a stress eater.” She rolled her eyes, letting me know that — we knew that. Stress has always been a trigger.  We talked about what was stressing me out,and how to best handle the issue. What she didn’t do was make me feel worse. Instead, she encouraged me to get back on track, write what I’m eating, and note my blood sugar before and after meals, and WALK. “You can do this,” were her parting words. I left her office feeling better.
I was in a funk, so my new found optimism was rapidly sliding down. The good news is I didn’t let it take control. I went food shopping WITH a list, went home and promised myself that the funk will not take control again. I am addicted to sugar, so one of the first things I did when I got home, was to make some sugar-free Raspberry Jello. It helps when the craving gets bad. I’d bought fish — flounder stuffed with crabmeat, swordfish, and salmon. I love fresh lemon squeezed over the fish. I divided my treasure into portions and froze them. I’ll be fine — One Day at a Time.
The most important step that I took, was getting back to writing my blog. Writing is cathartic and when I get responses, I feel uplifted.
Oh! Humor is good too. It gets those endorphins pumping. 🙂
Good luck with your diabetic journey. You’ll be hearing from me soon. XOXO to all of you who are working hard and sending good vibes to those of you who are not. We’ve all been there,
I’ve been doing THIS for a long time! You’d thing going out for dinner wouldn’t be a big deal. Ha! MOST OF THE TIME, it isn’t, but if I’m in a funk, I tend to want to eat dessert first —- life is short, after all… When I’m okay (thinking positively), it’s not a problem. Then, there are those days when I convince myself that I’m making much ado about nothing.
“SUGAR BEAST”
Truth. It’s NOT nothing. T2D is not a joke, not something to be dismissed. So, in as much as I want to let that evil Sugar Beast in, I’m NOT going to.      Evil  *!@#!***
I really think that waaaay back, when I was first diagnosed, I convinced myself that I’d handle this “diabetes nonsense” and move on with my life. How naive was I? I knew then, and I still am acutely aware that Type 2 Diabetes is here to stay, and the harder I fight it, the worse I feel.
I used the word feel, because it isn’t only a physical issue, it’s also an emotional one. That’s the hardest part for me. I’m definitely a “stress eater,” My emotions send my appetite into high gear, when life hits the fan.
We all have choices! For me, making a conscious decision to choose wisely is where it all starts. I need to:
STOP —- Slow down and get a grip
THINK —-What outcome do I want from my decision?
BREATHEÂ —-Deep breaths are imperative in order to stop and think before making an important decision.
Yes, eating that piece of cake is an important choice. It’s trivial to non-diabetics, but for me, it’s imperative to do the right thing. Most of the time, choosing to have dessert is not the end of the world (in my case), but importantly, I don’t want that decision to be the one that sends me over the cliff.
Seriously.  I’ve been able to treat my diabetes with diet, exercise, and one medication. Pretty good, I’m told. Here’s the thing — making a lifestyle out of eating the wrong things, lack of exercise, and failing to take my medication properly, WILL send me on the road to insulin. I don’t want that!
I don’t consider taking a little more insulin, or an extra pill, will make it okay for any diabetic to “cheat” on decisions regarding food choices. That’s a game I don’t want to play because, I know that I won’t come out the winner. I’m VERY competitive. If it’s between me and diabetes —-Â trust me, I’LL WIN! Â I’ll succeed each and every day, by using the tools that I have.
Lately, I’ve been having difficulty with food choices. Ugh, it’s a killer. But, I’m living one day at a time, one choice at a time, and relief is on it’s way. I feel it. That cloud is starting to lift, if ever so slowly. I’m fighting to be able to follow the healthy road I’ve chosen for myself.
No need to rush —- slowly, carefully, I’m getting back on track. I CAN DO IT — and so can you.
“Normally,” I go online to the restaurants website to check out the menu, so that I won’t “browse” when I get there. Unfortunately, I don’t have time for that; in a hurry.
“Normally,” I make sure that I eat a healthy snack, between lunch and leaving for the restaurant.
“Normally,” I make sure to down a big ol’ glass of H2O, before leaving.
Downing the water now.
Obviously, my “preparation” wasn’t terrific — but, the water should fill me up, to the extent that I’m not ravenous!
Made it through the Valentine torture — you know what I mean! EVERYWHERE you go those damn red hearts follow. Filled with those delicious candies. Ugh.
I tried to convince myself that the boxes are heart-shaped for a reason, and that reason is to remind me to take good care of my heart! For the most part, I was pretty successful. For instance, if I have to pick up a prescription, I go through the drive-up window. It’s the only sane thing to do. The minute I walk into Walgreens, the chocolate attacks me — it’s everywhere! So, I don’t go in.
Now, here we are again — chocolate bunnies wherever I look.  Torture to this Type 2 diabetic. Just one won’t kill you, I tell myself. HA! When did I ever eat one of anything? It’s over tomorrow. Then there will be no more chocolate bunnies stalking me.
I can do it!
Happy Easter and Happy Passover to all! Â Good luck.
On December 29th, someone told me that the way in which you end a year will determine how your new year will be. This T2D doesn’t believe a word of it! Nothing. Nada. I’ve had vertigo for two days along with an evil virus. That’s the way I ended 2017. Ugh. NO WAY will 2018 be like that for me — absolutely not!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Â Â Â
It’s 7:50 p.m. on Monday, January 1st, 2018. The vertigo and evil virus left this morning, as 2018 entered my life.
Thinking positively and looking forward to a WONDERFUL 2018!
Controlling my blood sugar is  #1  on my list of positive things focus on. Healthy eating choices, exercise, and meditation.
In my previous post I mentioned this important topic — eating mindfully.
Mindfully? What? Now I have to THINK
about eating. C’mon, open mouth — insert food! That’s all there is to it.
Mindfulness? Now that’s another story. Ive practiced mindfulness in meditation and exercise. There’s a saying “Keep your head where your feet are.” Same premise.
So, to practice Mindfulness in Eating, I will focus on what I’m doing. Smell, taste, pay attention.
Paying attention in every area of eating is important. Making the shopping list and shopping for the food can be done in a mindful manner, as well as the preparation of the meal.
Practicing Mindfulness in Eating will put me on the right track.
So, I’m not perfect. (You knew that.) In my last post I said, proclaimed, announced, that my attitude will be better “tomorrow.” Well my tomorrow took three days. Ugh! That’s the bad news. The good news is that my attitude is much better today!
I think I wasn’t eating enough. I ate and the food choices were appropriate, but my timing was WAY off. For instance, I may have skipped breakfast — I believe that it really IS the most important meal of the day. Eating that meal at ten o’clock is absurd, especially if you’ve been up since seven or eight a.m. That’s what’s been  happening. For some reason, I haven’t been hungry when I wake up, so I did some chores and then –POOF– it’s ten or eleven o’clock. Because it was almost lunch time, I decided to skip breakfast and just eat lunch instead. Then, later on when lunch time came around the corner, I wasn’t hungry…SO…I waited until around three or four and had a snack. Needless to say, dinner time came barrelling in and I couldn’t have cared less. Bottom line — I was eating dinner at eight or nine o’clock, if at all. THAT is not the route that a “Dedicated Diabetic” should be following. Okay, so that’s over!
I’m allergic to eggs, so breakfast has never been a nutritious meal for me, and since I was diagnosed, it’s been even more difficult. I actually spent years (pre-diagnosis) having a Boston Creme donut (or two!) to start my day.  It was an easy choice, terribly unhealthy,  but easy. 🙂
Breakfast is so important — it means BREAK the FAST! We need a nutritious meal in the morning to give our bodies the energy needed to start off the day. I’ve been so frustrated that the other day I bought a glucose daily diary/notebook. (Thank you Amazon.) Was that necessary? Not really, I’ve monitored my blood sugar with an online program, charts that I created, with tiny notebooks that fit into my purse, but didn’t have enough room to put the information I wanted to monitor. Oh, yes, I’ve been down this road before. Somewhere deep in the crevices of my brain, there’s a small voice that is SCREAMING, Why waste your time, you’ve done this before? I scream back SHUT UP! and do what I think is necessary and correct. This journal/chart is about 6 x 9″ and will suit my needs. It  just seemed to be more coordinated, compact, and the information will be at hand when I need to make an entry.  Today will be my Day #One with this new “tool.” I’m laughing at myself, because I’m reminded of all the books on decluttering I’ve purchased — Do you know how much time I wasted reading those books instead of purging/decluttering?  🙂  🙂
Diabetes can often seem to be frustrating, even depressing. I think the only way to do battle with it, is to be prepared. An organized journal, healthy shopping list and a positive attitude might just do the trick. “Might” is not the appropriate term; it leaves space for failure. I’ll choose to say that these tools WILL do the trick.
…ANYTHING! It’s been a pretty busy summer, especially in terms of food. There were birthdays, retirements, graduations, new babies — you name it. They all add up to FOOD!
For the most part, I used PORTION CONTROL. I’m convinced the answer lies in the amount of food we eat:
At home it’s easy— I simply use luncheon plates instead of dinner plates — that, and no seconds, usually works.
At a friend’s home, I certainly can’t control the size of dinnerware they use. In that case, I drink a big ol’ glass of water before  I approach the buffet (sometimes I down the H20 before I leave home). When dinner is served, I survey the table and choose the foods that I like the most. I totally ignore anything that’s not on the top of my list of favorites — no wasted calories for me!
In a restaurant, at a sit down dinner, I ask for a to-go box when I order. This eliminates any issues — when the dinner comes, I simply take half of everything and place it in the container. No embarrassment! Â Experience has shown me that many of the people at the table will follow my lead. Later they thank me for the ingenious idea — I give credit where it’s due: My sister taught me that “little didie” and it works every time. Try it! You’ll see — by the time you’re finished your 1/2 dinner, you’re full. You’ll be even happier in the next day or two when you get to eat the delicious left overs. (Why is it that everything tastes better the next day?) I don’t understand people who won’t eat leftovers. Different strokes, I guess.
We’re discussing CELEBRATING an occasion; that always calls for a cake. Most times the hosts have a beautiful bowl of fruit, along with the cake, cookies, and other assorted no-no’s. Truth is, the cake always SCREAMS my name — Kathy! I’m over here. Ugh. It’s torture. Here’s what I’ve done this summer.  I put a small serving of fruit on my dessert plate first, (I always cut the fruit up into smaller pieces — it just looks like there’s more than there is.) now there’s room for a tiny piece of cake.  That’s it, and I’m a happy 🙂 woman!
How could I not be comfortable with those decisions? Â I haven’t deprived myself of anything, so there should be no cravings. YEA!
Hoping you have a great time enjoying your CELEBRATIONS!
I can’t deal with the wraps that are sold in supermarkets, deli’s, restaurants. I’ve tried, and tried again. They’re tasteless. The consistency is dreadful — at least to ME. I just can’t use them as a substitute for bread. I need something, but wraps? No thank you. 😦
I searched for a healthy alternative to bread. Finally, it dawned me to try lettuce. This is certainly not a new idea. I started out with iceberg. I know — there’s no nutrition to be found there. It wasn’t the right consistency either — just a tad too thick. When I added the contents and rolled them up, the iceberg wraps “cracked under the pressure” of my expectations. Back to the supermarket — this time Boston lettuce. My hopes were rising!
As I peeled off the leaves, I thought the thickness and consistency of this vegetable might just meet my needs. My heart raced as I began. One leaf of the Boston, followed by one slice of turkey, then a slice of cheese (my fave, Alpine Lace Swiss (YUMMY!), topped off with another beautiful leaf of green goodness. I started to roll it, slowly, carefully. Disappointment ran across my face. There was no denying it — this experimental lettuce wrap did not make the grade. The leaves were just not long enough. They were too round. Just not right.
I took my search seriously, googling the various types of lettuce, determined to find the right “gem” for my purpose.
I searched the supermarkets and local farms, looking for just the right fit. It was an education to see just how many types of lettuce there are; never noticed them! Similar to roses: A rose by any other name is still a rose. Guess what? A lettuce by any other name is still a lettuce! Red leaf, green leaf, Boston Bibb, radicchio, arugula, rainbow chard, cabbage, endive and kale. Lots of different names, but all in the lettuce family. I considered each of them and tried the ones that I thought might live up to my ever-growing standards.
Finally, I noticed what was right in front of me the whole time — ROMAINE! How did I miss it? I took a beautiful head of fresh Romaine and started for home.
Photo by Yigithan Bal on Pexels.com
Success! The leaves were just the right size, thickness, color — perfect for forming a wrap. The green color, dark on the outside, was lightening as I peeled off the leaves, heading for the lighter center. I started the process: one long leaf of Romaine, one slice of fresh turkey, a slice of alpine lace, and one more leaf of Romaine. I began to roll it. Not one crack in the lettuce and the turkey and cheese were safe inside this outstanding wrap. Perfection!
Sometimes I add a condiment, for variety, but for the most part, I enjoy my wrap on the “naked” side. To glam it up, I might add VERY thinly-sliced apples, or artichoke hearts. For that matter, add whatever you like, as long as it’s not going to push up your blood glucose too much.
In the end — in my humble opinion — What’s better than Romaine? NOTHING! It’s the winner. 🙂
Diary of a Dedicated Diabetic 