I posted yesterday that I had a crappy week. This was mostly due to one piece of news. On Wednesday afternoon, I got a call from my doctor. I was told that my A1C level was elevated greatly at an 11.2. She said it was "diagnostic". Why don't people just come out and say, "You have Diabetes."?!???!
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.
3/4 c. Cottage Cheese. I also had a banana and a cup of tea w. 2% milk and no sugar.
Asian Jar Salad; 8oz Coconut Water
A few weeks ago, my supervisee and I had lunch together. She brought a very delicious smelling noodle dish. I remarked to her later that it smelled yummy, and asked for a recipe. She said it was from the a Korean Store in Portland. Yesterday, she said she had gone to the store again, and brought me a sample to see if I liked it. I did. I loved it! It's Korean Chap Chae noodles or what is called "glass noodles" in the US. They are made from sweet-potato starch and are gluten-free. 
1 c. Quinoa Tabbouleh; 1 c. low-sodium Garbanzos
