Okay, this post is going to be all about the whining. So read no further if you’re not in the mood for it.
Most of you know that I was diagnosed with diabetes. This means insulin shots, oral medication, AND cutting back on sugar and carbs. Sweets aren’t my big weakness, so that wasn’t much of a problem. And I realized I wasn’t eating as many carbs as the maximum for diabetics. I can deal with that, right? I was doing fine. However, I did notice I was eating more fats than I should, which I was really going to try to cut down on. So, yesterday, I got a phone call from a nurse at my doctor’s office. My cholesterol and triglycerides are too high. This means cholesterol medication (which means more money out of my pocket). But here’s the kicker. “You need to cut down on fats, red meat, and dairy.” What the CRAP can I eat now??? I think the biggest problem for me is that I don’t really like chicken. I like fish, but I’m really picky about how it’s prepared and how it tastes. And I really, really like cheese better than anything. You know, cheese that’s full of fat and happens to be a dairy product. So now, Miss Lauralynn, who never gets depressed, has to hop off her high horse and admit that depression is only a heartbeat away. Or maybe it’s just frustration and anger, because I want to hit something. Do I know how to eat properly? Of course I do. I worked for Weight Watchers for 15 years.
I need a plan. I need to suck it up and take what life has given me. But I don’t want to, darn it. I will, though. If I want to avoid health issues, I have to. My plan right now is to stop eating out for lunch. I can control what I cook, and I can take leftovers for lunch. At least, when I eat red meat at home, it’s really lean. And if I eat fish, I can control how it’s cooked. I can do this. If I’m really good five days a week, I can allow a little splurge on the weekends. I don’t have to give up enjoying food. I just need to rethink things. Yeah, I just need to do the best I can. Okay, depression, out of my way! I have no room for you in my life! 🙂
Funny how talking things out changes one’s attitude….
lauralynnelliott.com 
Just hang in there and you will conquer this! You know I’ll help you however I can!
Yep, we’ll get through it. Hey, we want to look good for RNConvention in August anyway, right?
Exactly!!!!!
:HUGS: You will get through this. The key is planning so that you’re not left floundering with no idea what to eat. That’s when you’ll want to fall back on old standbys that don’t fit into your new lifestyle. You should start collecting recipes for the lean beef (and anything that uses lean ground beef you should also try ground turkey or chicken because, seriously, once you add the taco seasoning or whatever, you can’t tell), fish, and pork (don’t forget pork!) and then doing some menu planning so that you’ve got the stuff around that needs to be on rotation. Take the guesswork and frustration out of it and make it easy for yourself!
Thanks, Kait. I know planning is key, and you’re so good at it. I need to get better at planning. And hubby is always on board when I’m trying to eat right. He eats a lot of fruit, so I need to start getting into his stash. People have the misconception that diabetes shouldn’t eat fruit. They shouldn’t eat a lot of fruit JUICES, but fruit is ok…in moderation like everything else. I think the cheese will be the hardest to deal with. But there again, moderation. And I need to start going back to getting the Laughing Cow Light. It’s really good.
You’re right. When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. I need to break out the recipe books and plan meals ahead of time so I have ingredients on hand. It’s just so alien to me because I’ve been so “spur of the moment” when it comes to eating. Thanks for the good advice. Oh, and beans. I can’t forget beans. 🙂 They’re yummy AND good for you.
You sound really calm and not whiny. I’d be a lot whinier.
Really? I thought I sounded whiny. I’m not used to whining, though, so I wasn’t sure how bad I was. LOL. It made me feel better, anyway. Just to talk it out, I guess.
As a nutritionist, I’ve assisted many diabetics who thought their diagnosis was the end of the world. When they began to eat right, consume more fiber and educate themselves, they found a new abundant life.
This is a BIG stress in your life and you’ll go through the typical steps of denial, depression, anger,negotiation so that’s normal. Now pick yourself up and become proactive and decide to live your best life! It certainly can be done because my diabetic patients learned to eat (practically) normally.
I have no doubt with your determination you’ll certainly win and live abundantly too if that’s what you desire, but no one else can do it BUT you. Choose life. God bless.
Hi Ellie! Thank you so much for your kind words. I’ve definitely upped my fiber intake, and I’m trying to make small changes at a time so I won’t overwhelm myself. I would love to get off of the insulin shots, but I know some people never do. But I’m going to do my best to try. The important thing is to stay positive and take better care of myself. Thank you for visiting my blog and giving wise words of advice. 🙂
I’m glad you posted this — sometimes we need a little help to keep depression at bay when things seem to be spiraling down. You’re a wonderful friend, and I’m thinking about you every day. You CAN do this.
Check this out — Diary of a Diabetic Chef is a series that ran last year in the major newspaper from my city, The Oregonian.
http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2012/02/diary_of_a_diabetic_chef_a_new.html
This guy not only tackled his diabetes diagnosis head on, he did it in public, in a way that I believe is incredibly helpful. He talks a lot about food choices and preparation.
Thank you so much, J.R. I really value your friendship and appreciate you thinking of me. I think getting things out in the open and talking about them helps. I’m not one of those people who keeps things like this private.
I think being a chef would have an up side and a down side when trying to eat healthy. First, with all the things a chef has to cook for others, it could be hard to stay on track. But, a chef also has an advantage because he would know a lot about how to prepare food.
Thanks for the link!
Ooh, this link is even better for you right now! One of the final installments of Diary of a Diabetic Chef.
http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2012/09/diary_of_a_diabetic_chef_cutti.html
Ooh, this is a great article! Thanks again!
As a kid, I drank gallons of soda and no water. As I got older, I started drinking more water and less soda to the point that a 12 pack now lasts me months. And an unexpected bonus is I’m much more sensitive to anything high in sugar and now avoid most of those types of food/drink. My point is that as you change your diet, your body will adjust and the stuff you thought you needed will be easy to say no to. It might take years to fully change your habits, but don’t forget how long you spent developing them.
Thanks, Andrew. I think a mistake a lot of people make is trying to change everything at once and go cold turkey on things they are used to eating/drinking. That sets people up for failure. It does take awhile to change habits. I’m already seeing results from the small changes. I’ve lost about 10 lbs. already. I almost went cold turkey on sweets, especially since it’s not my biggest temptation. However, I realized I could have a few small bites of dessert without my blood sugar spiking. The key to so many things is MODERATION. It’s a word many people need to learn. Especially me. 🙂
Hang in there! I have high cholesterol and I’m supposed to take medication, but I don’t. I know–bad. And my dad has diabetes… at first he was only type two, but he thought he didn’t have to watch what he ate or exercise because he was on medication. That didn’t work. Now he’s type one and giving himself shots everyday. YET he still doesn’t watch what he eats. Minimizing the amount of times you eat out is really going to help. We have so much more control when we cook our own food. And it’s amazing how much exercising helps. it’s not going to fix the problems we have, but it really does help. Now, if I could only take my own advice…
My mom takes insulin shots four times a day. The 24 hour shot at night, and the quick acting kind at meals. Luckily, I only have to take the 24 hour kind. My mom doesn’t watch what she eats, either. I was hoping she would do better now that I’m sort of in the same boat, but she eats stuff she shouldn’t, and in the wrong amounts, all the time. My grandmother did the same thing. I’m going to be the one that breaks that habit. 🙂
My blood sugar was down to 74 after I exercised today. It amazes me what a difference that makes.
Take that medicine, Tiffany! I’m hoping if I fix my eating habits and exercise more, then I won’t have to take this medication forever. Maybe you won’t have to, either. 🙂
I think writing out your frustrations is good therapy. 😀
I don’t remember the exact wording, but someone said that depression is just anger turned inward. It makes sense you would be feeling a mixture of emotions over something like that. Changing your diet is hard. God knows I keep struggling and falling.
Good luck.
I think if people would talk to other people more, maybe depression could be kept at bay. I mean depression caused by circumstances, not a chemical depression (although there are a lot of people who don’t believe in depression as a chemical imbalance,but I know nothing about that). As Crocodile Dundee said “Hasn’t she got any mates?” I think Mick Dundee had a lot of wisdom. LOL
I have no choice but to change my diet if I want a good quality of life. What do I want more, yummy food in large amounts, or to live? My blood sugar was DANGEROUSLY high when I first went to the doctor. Talk about a rude awakening. I don’t wish bad health on anyone. I hope I can inspire others to take better care of themselves before they end up like me.
You certainly sound motivated (not whiney). Just another of life’s little obsticals to hurdle, I’m sure you’ll do great, and the new changes in your diet will help with your weight loss. Best of luck to you, I have faith that you’ll finish on the positive side of all these new afflictions.
Thanks for your vote of confidence, Chris. I know I can do this. I won’t be perfect…but I will be better.,And I hope to improve every day. I actually jogged for a minute during my treadmill walk. I think exercise is going to be the most important part of this new lifestyle. I really would love to get off some of these medicines.
I’m stomping my feet with ya! You’ve got some TOUGH restrictions. That said, you’re a strong, creative woman and I know you’ll find solutions. So go ahead. Scream and shout! Vocalizing your frustrations helps. Then…do what you do best, tackle and conquer.
The only other thing I could see you doing is adding more leafy greens to your diet: kale, collards, spinach. YUM! Just throwing stuff out there. I’m NOT a nutritionist, just a picky eater. I didn’t like a lot this stuff when I was young, but that’s before I learned how to cook greens without turning them into mush. Mushed up greens are so gross!!!!!! Ugh! 🙂
I like food with color, texture, and flavor. Oooh! And spice! I love food with a kick! You can cut out a lot of salt, etc when you start playing with other flavors. My dad’s “supposed” to be on a restrictive diet. When I used to cook for him, I used to love making stir fries with lots of veggies. A big plate of bright, tasty veggies, hid the fact that we were eating less meat.
A little hard cheese, sprinkled on top of a dish, can give the illusion of more. I find hard cheeses more satisfying than the softer ones anyways, but that’s just me.
It’s interesting that you mentioned working for weight watchers. When I tried their point system, several years ago, most of my favorite foods were a ton of points. No surprise there! However, rather than go with low fat or diet versions of these foods, I found myself a LOT happier just cutting down on the portion sizes of these foods. I’d rather have the teeniest, tiniest sliver of REAL whatever, than a bigger portion of the diet stuff. I went for quality over quantity. It worked. I lost the weight, and I didn’t cheat very often either. I allowed myself to have ANYTHING, but I was really careful about portion size. Sometimes, that meant only having a forkful of a food that wasn’t so great for me. I didn’t care. I got a LOT of enjoyment out of that one bite! He! He!
Take care! My thoughts are with you!!! 🙂
I’m a HUGE believer in quality over quantity. I would rather have an ounce of real cheese than four ounces of the low fat stuff. I can’t begin to tell you how much I hate the taste of greens. It’s always a challenge to find healthy things I like. I do love spices. When I eat eggs I use a tiny sprinkle of salt and a huge amount of pepper. At least salt isn’t a big thing for me.
I’m just going to have to make small changes at a time. But I’ll do this. Thanks for your encouragement.
Mozarella is pretty low fat for a cheese. That’s what we tend to use in our house. But surely cottage cheese, low/nonfat cream cheese, nonfat milk, yogurt… those can’t be bad, right? You could always go vegan and do soy cheese. I’ve heard (as long as you stick to the complex carbs) that a vegan diet is very good for diabetes sufferers. This from my friends who are vegan.
Fresh herbs helps me with the chicken consumption. (When I was pregnant, I pretty much couldn’t eat meat without gagging for half of my pregnancy, and when I could, it was because I seasoned the crap out of it. LOL) Lemon, basil, oregano, chili powder, curry… those are my favorite things to flavor chicken. If you mix them in with a brown rice or couscous dish, they could be low in simple carbs, too.
I really like mozzarella. And I think provolone is similar. Cottage cheese, yogurt, etc, just aren’t the same as CHEESE. LOL. I can’t go vegan because then there would be no cheese. 🙂
I agree that it helps to season food up really well. My biggest problem with chicken is that it has to be cooked exactly right. And sometimes it gets this kind of “gamey” taste that nothing will conceal. Other people eating the same chicken can’t taste that “off” flavor, so I have trouble describing it. The good news is that I like seafood, which is even better for you. But then you have to worry about the mercury….
It’s all about doing the best we can, I think. All things in moderation. And lots and lots of exercise. 🙂