Honesty in Diabetes?
What does that really mean?
What is the point in even talking about this?
For a lot of people diabetes hangs over their heads like a black cloud. The cloud follows them everywhere they go, leaving raindrops in its path. Except for diabetics, the rain drops come in the form of constant finger sticks, thousands of shots, inset changes, taking pills and symptoms from highs and lows. In addition to never being able to leave home without their insulin supplies. The raindrops come in the form of thoughts. The thought of “I know I shouldn’t be eating this but…” just before carbs hit their lips, knowing they haven’t checked their levels and darn sure didn’t take a shot.
People who live with diabetes can’t shake it. They can’t hide. They can’t leave it at home when they don’t feel like dealing with it. They could try to lie (and many do) about taking meds and checking their blood sugar (glucose levels aka finger sticks) but it doesn’t change anything. Despite the fact that levels don’t lie, it doesn’t change anything because THEY KNOW the TRUTH. The truth is ALWAYS with them. It NEVER leaves. It goes on vacay with them. It’s goes on the kid’s field trips. It was at their daughter’s wedding. It was on the football field, soccer field, and the skating/hockey rink. It was there during house cleaning, lawn mowing, while the car was washed and during that morning run. When they wake up in the morning and go to bed at night DIABETES is still there!
My son’s diabetes is still there.
Whether we want to participate in the maintenance of diabetes, whether we want to participate in keeping his body healthy and alive or not.
IT’S ALWAYS THERE!!!
Our son was diagnosed at six years old (4 years ago) and the only bright side I could find is that diabetes came into our lives before he was able to create a love affair with food. You know about that love affair ;-)? Think about yours. All the things you LOVEEEE to eat. Those very special things that make you smile when you think about them. They get you revved up and excited. You start doing your happy dance. You look forward all week for that “cheat meal” just so you can have it. Yep, all the things that just skipped across your mind.
I mean sure, my son had a few favorite foods but as his mother I controlled his diet. I chose what he ate, when he ate and how much he ate. At that point his favorite foods were things he could only eat occasionally or at birthday parties, like pizza, any kind of juice, those boxed snacks they sell on the bread isle in the grocery store (the devil J), cotton candy ice cream and soda. He loved all these things because he rarely got to have them. But these were his BESTIES!! He hadn’t had a chance to come home from school before we got home from work and raid the fridge eating whatever was insight (what my high school bestie and I used to do daily).
He didn’t get the chance to fall in love with chocolate on chocolate cake (my fave), red velvet, sock-it-to-me, upside down pineapple, lemon and seven up pound cakes, just to name a few. He didn’t get the chance to experience the warmth in his mouth of a perfectly baked potato with butter, bacon bits, cheese, chives, sour cream and possibly chopped beef, turkey or chicken (that’s how we roll in Texas, LOL).
He didn’t get to fall in love with ribs, potato salad and those sweeeeeeeeeeeet baked beans. Baked beans that may have (one of or all of…) syrup, honey, regular sugar or brown sugar. These beloved beans probably have over 150 carbs in ½ cup. Yeah, the ones you don’t DARE try to measure because you ALREADY KNOW they are LOVE and DEATH in a cup. BUT you tell yourself, “IT’S WORTH IT!” “I will only live once” (and that might end in about 5 minutes after those beans, LOL).” Just joking, but maybe not.
My son didn’t get a chance to fall in love with pasta. I mean all kinds of pasta, rotini, fettuccine, bow tie, penne with all kinds of cheesy goodness covering it. OOOOhhhhh, I can’t forget bread!! Honestly, he does LOVE bread. He got that from my mother, lol. He loves bread so much that it caused us to stop going out to eat for a while. We would literally have to fight him back off the basket. I can laugh now but it was stressful then. We would discuss how much bread he could have before even stepping a foot in the restaurant, but it rarely worked. Now, I’m sure this leads you to want to ask me, “Why did you order it at all??” We ordered it because we all like bread!! LOLOL! There is such a thing as portion control. This is not an “all foods are off limits” kind of situation.
One day my son will be an adult in this world and I won’t always be with him (tears…sniffle). I know one day he will sit across the table from someone (hopefully his wife) and they will order bread. I want to know in my SPIRIT that he will be able to eat one piece of bread and be satisfied (yeah, right, we’re talking about my son). But, If he eats two he will at least know his limits and maybe order fewer carbs with his meal or increase his insulin units to cover it. In my vision, he would review the nutrition facts and administer his insulin and last but not least ENJOY HIS MEAL GUILT FREE!!!!
That is the life I envision for him. That is the life I am trying to create for him and that is the life I want to help YOU create.
You deserve to be rid of that pesky black cloud of guilt, shame and stress. You deserve sunshine and blue skies with a light wind blowing across your face. You deserve to go to bed at night with peace of mind and wake up in the morning feeling FINE!!!! You deserve to enjoy your favorite things in a way that is not destructive and unhealthy. You deserve a stress free life. I mean, it’s a FACT (at this time for most) that diabetes is a mainstay. You will likely have to check levels, take shots, pop pills and count carbs for infinity but it doesn’t have to hold you hostage.
You CAN enjoy your LIFE. You CAN enjoy food without GUILT!!! But the way to achieve this is by getting really clear and brutally HONEST on what you are eating, how much you are eating, when you are eating it and how often. In order for us to create a NEW plan. A workable plan. A plan that we can build on for years to come, you have to be HONEST. You’ve got to get those foodie skeleton out of your closet. AIR THAT DIRTY Laundry.
SET YOURSELF FREE TODAY! If you tell the secret, the secret no longer holds any control over you! There is no POWER in the secret. There is No more SHAME and no more GUILT because you were courageous enough to LET IT GO!
You can do it! I believe in you. It won’t be easy but you’ll be gentle with yourself, I just know it.
Come out of the closet and list a few of your dirty little secrets regarding your love affair with food on the A Diabetic Type Life Facebook page or in the comments blow. If you want share it on your own page don't forget to add #adtl (a diabetic type life) #mydiabetestruth so I can see them. Share how you felt after having done so (was it easy or hard?). I want to warn you though, if you don’t feel any release that means you might not be telling the BIG STUFF!!!! So, challenge yourself. FREE yourself. LET GO and get HONEST about your love affair with food.
It could add years back to your life.
Be well & test often,
Carmella
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