Well, I do have diabetes! When I went in last year, my A1C level was 6.1. The year before that it was 5.5. I knew that my A1C was inching upwards, but I had no idea that it would skyrocket to 11.2 over a year. I spent Wednesday afternoon and evening in denial. I didn't tell my husband until Friday night. On Wednesday evening when I got home, I saw that D. had brought me a GIANT muffin, and I ate it all. It felt like a binge - I knew I was eating something that I should not have been eating. Then I felt awful and skipped dinner.
On Thursday morning, I woke up and decide to get started on doing something about taking care of my body. My doctor prescribed me some Metformin, and I started taking that Thursday night. I don't know yet if I need to go on insulin. You see, I don't have a primary care physician. I am almost never ill, so I just go every year to my gynecologist. She has advised me to get a PCP and see if they recommend insulin. I also got referred to a Diabetes Management Clinic, and I have called them, but not yet scheduled anything. I really don't want to go on insulin. I think that I will try for a few months to get my A1C down with diet, exercise and Metformin. And if I don't, then I will consider going on insulin. I hate hate HATE that this is happening to my body. And it is so stupid - I don't feel any symptoms, and if I had not gone in for my regular yearly blood work, then I would not even have known! I wonder how long I have been diabetic for? For a year maybe - and I have been abusing it all this time!
I re-activated my MyFitnessPal account on Friday after a long talk with my friend L. who was a darling and let me vent at her for an hour on Thursday evening. I started logging my meals and discovered that I eat abysmally low quantities of protein and wayyyyyyyyy too many carbs. It is hard to eat enough protein as a vegetarian. I will try to eat eggs more often, eat more dairy, and try to eat less cabrs. But eating less carbs is DIFFICULT!!! Everything I eat apparently had humungous quantities of carbs in them. I did some online research and it looks like I am supposed to eat an even number of carbs in my meals throughout the day. What it looks like instead is that I have a very low-carb breakfast usually, followed by massive quantities of carbs for lunch and dinner. I am working on it. You'll probably hear more venting on the subject soon.
On Friday evening, I finally told D. what was going on. He was a sweetheart and very supportive. I prefaced the talk by asking him for his support and a request not to ask me to not eat certain things. He never does that though, so I don't know why I asked him that anyway. D. was very supportive and agreed to gently remind me of my carb-intake if he sees me going off the rails. My husband is a wonderful man. I met him when I was around 220lbs heavy. He always told me that I was beautiful, always reminded me to be gentle with my body, chided me when I was disparaging about my body, and continued to tell me that I am beautiful when I added 20 more lbs over the course of our relationship. He reminds me that exercise is good for me without it sounding like a reproach or criticism. He warns me against "dieting" and reminds me that "all carbs are not alike". He tells me that I should accept my body as it is before I can make any changes I want to it. He is super-fit, works out six times a week (and enjoys it!), eats clean, and is generally in great condition. And when I feel like a slob besides him, and think that people will wonder why he is with me, he reminds me that he loves me and loves my body. In short, if I had to have diabetes on top of my already heavy body, and screwed-up body image, then he is the perfect husband for me to have!
Enough ranting! I made Asian Jar Salads this week:
They have (from bottom to top):
2 tbsp TJ's Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette
4 oz. Panda Express Chow Mein (I was too sad/busy/distracted to make my own)
1/3 cup Shelled Edamame
1/4 cup Grated Carrots
2 tbsp. Green Onions
1/8 cup Dry Roasted Peanuts
I also brought spinach and sauteed tofu to add to this.(60 grams carbs total)
Talking of sauteed Tofu, I wanted to post how I make it. I struggled for years not being able to make proper sauteed tofu. I saw pictures of it on blogs and ate it at restaurants and it looked and tasted wonderful. However, when I tried to make it, it frequently would just crumble or not brown enough. Anyway, after a few years of repeatedly trying and giving up, I finally figured it out. This is how I do it:
INGREDIENTS
1 block Firm or Extra-Firm Tofu
1 tsp. Peanut or other high-heat Oil
1 tbsp. Worchestershire Sauce
1.5 Tbsp Soy Sauce
METHOD
1. Press and Drain Tofu by placing it between plates and placing a heavy object on the top plate. I usually let it drain for at least 30 minutes if not more.
2. Cut Tofu into small 1/4-inch square cubes.
3. Heat some peanut oil in a skillet until it shimmers,
4. Add the tofu and lightly stir till the tofu cubes are slightly coated in oil. Don't over-stir or they will crumble
5. Add in the Worchestershire Sauce and Soy Sauce and again, lightly stir.
6. Don't continuously stir. Give the tofu cubes a light mix every minute or so for about 5 minutes. Turn off heat.
** Occasionally if the tofu has not drained enough, I will also add in a tablespoon of corn starch or arrowroot starch to keep it from crumbling.
Here is what it will look like in the end:
Now the food for yesterday:
BREAKFAST
Started the day with some eggs scrambled with spinach; Roasted Verde Salsa
My breakfast was not very carb-y. I am supposed to balance my carbs out over all my meals. So an hour later, I had this small savory spinach-cheddar scone.
LUNCH
Asian Jar Salad w. Spinach. This is the BEST SALAD EVER!!!! Also, some cherries.
SNACK
Colby-Jack Cheese; Saltines
DINNER
1/2 c. Oats; 1 c. Plantain Thoran; Yogurt-Curry.
EXERCISE
80 min walk, moderate pace.
LUNCH
SNACK
DINNER
EXERCISE
80 min walk, moderate pace.
6 comments:
Wow, you definitely have not had the best of weeks :( I'm surprised that your doctor just sort of let you go like that without at least making an appointment for you with a PCP. Are they going strictly off of your A1C? Seems like they'd do a fasting blood sugar test or something before just saying "you have diabetes!" It's definitely not something you want to mess around with. You're going to go to the Diabetes Mgmt Clinic, right??? It seems like a good idea to be seen by a doctor who can tell you all your numbers and how much of what you should actually be eating; they would also probably set you up with a nutritionist that can help you manage it with your vegetarian diet. I know when my mom was first diagnosed, she had to limit her carbs to about 15g per meal. Hers was managed with diet and Metformin for a long time, though eventually she did have to start taking insulin at night because her nighttime blood sugar wouldn't stay down.
The Asian salads look delicious!
Thanks, Christina! It really is difficult! I hate it!!!! From what my doctor said, the fasting blood glucose test is only a one-point test, but that A1C gives a sense of blood glucose over time. I am still holding on to a thought of denial and hoping that the elevated level is because I am anemic - which will case falsely high readings. Anemia is easier to cope with and rectify than diabetes! I just got called back from the diabetes management clinic and have scheduled a meeting for June 1st. We'll see what they recommend. Until then, I am trying to limit carbs "reasonably" and take my MFP logs to the diabetes educator so she has a sense of what I am eating. 15g of carbs per meal sounds impossible the way I eat now. I definitely will ask to meet with a nutritionist to talk about this. Thanks for your support, Christina! I truly appreciate it!
Wow - those salads look fancy!
Sorry about the bloods sugar news.:) I thought I had blood sugar issues but it ended up being severe anemia...so you never know! In fact, I insisted to the Dr. I had blood sugar issues but when I described my symptoms, she said it sounds like anemia. I had to have blood transfusions and eventually a hysterectomy and have never felt better. I'm rooting for you that it's not diabetes...you never know!
What a rough week, indeed! I'm sorry to hear of your diagnosis and I hope you can get your numbers down with diet and the Metformin. I think it must be even harder to eat a diabetic-friendly diet when you are a vegetarian...I had a couple of meals over the weekend with a friend's mom who is vegan (no dairy) and it seemed like all she could eat for breakfast/brunch was fruit and carbs, in the form of granola and a waffle!
BTW, you might want to check out Biz, who blogs at www.mybizzykitchen.com - she is a diabetic and I think would be more than happy to answer any questions/help you figure this out.
P.S. Sorry for the huge space at the end of that comment - our little rattie was running around on the keyboard, "helping" me type.
Thanks, divad. I hope it is anemia. I really do! But I doubt it - I have been reckless with my choices of food. :-( I will know more once I have a PCP appointment and maybe they will do additional tests. I certainly will ask.
Shelley - that's so funny and cute - I like the GIANT comment. It certainly is hard to do a diabetic-friendly diet as a vegetarian. Thankfully, I am not vegan - I have no idea what I would do if I was - probably eat beans all the time or something. I will definitely check out Biz. Thanks for the recommendation.
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