The Reveal!! What I gave up, what I didn't!



the former contents of my stash at work





the snacks i turn to now.

 I still occassionally have a square of dark chocolate, but I have to be careful as it's loaded with caffiene and I don't consume caffiene in any other form other than what is in chocolate.  So only three squares of the dark stuff will get my hands trembling and my heart and mind racing. : ) just like catnip for a cat! ha!

Now i eat big plate fulls of all kinds of salads, instead of skipping lunch or having a fast food sandwhich or burger. It has made me feel so much better and given me more energy for my day.  Add to it some healthy fats and great proteins with a little side of carbs and it's so filling!

tonight's salad!

Bon Apetit!  Be good to your body!

The final three days!

The final three days of the challenge were a couple of weeks ago, but travel prevented me from writing about them.  So now I need to get everyone caught up. 

On March 17th (day12 of the challenge) I was in Winnipeg in the last push to get ready to leave on my first trip to Asia - Thailand to be exact.  These last few days of the challenge the temptations to eat junk and sugar were high!  I mean what is a road trip without junk food?  My usual would have been a stop in Prawda for something salty, something sweet and something chocolatey.   Lays BBQ chips, nibs and peanut butter cups could be the norm... who does that?? i used to... but not this last trip to Winnipeg.  I had some diabetic muffins, water and gum.  I have embraced gum again.  

Once we were in Winnpeg it was rush, rush, rush.  Diabetics can't rush, rush, rush and not time their eating so that they have a steady and constant blood sugar.   And if I thought that day was difficult, just wait until I stepped on the plane!

 I decided not to request diabetic meals for my flights - thinking that may pose an ethical problem for me and some uncomfortable expanations to theflight attendants, so that meant I ate mine and Erik's veggies and he got two desserts.  Also, in keeping with the challenge I cut the carb intake down to what would be reasonable portion size.   About 4 hours in to my 13 hour trans pacific flight and I realized how difficult this journey would be for a true diabetic.  I simply hadn't eaten enough.  For me this is okay, I can fast.  A diabetic can not.  For them fasting usually results in even higher blood glucose levels.  Couple that with the inactivity of sitting for hours on end and a diabetic would be in trouble.  Plus with all the travel restrictions these days how much food could a diabetic take with them on their flights - can you bring veggies across the world like that and how would you keep protein and cheese cold for all that time?  It would be so difficult to strike the right balance between eating, not eating, how much to increase or decrease meds.  So even though I didn't have sugar - no sweets, no pop, no juice and even though I watched my carb intake, I realized a true diabetic would have to had more thoughtful attention to their food and snack packing.   I wonder if diabetics get to travel with a doctor's note explaining that they get to take provisions, including water on their journey.  I don't think they can, but the ought to be able to.

The last day of the challenge was my first day in Thailand.  Food is cheap there, but inevitably rice is a main part of any meal.  It is Asia after all! : )   But there is plenty of other food around.  I do think on this day it was another rush, rush, rush day as we were trying to see as much as we could in Bangkok that day and as Bangkok is exactly 12 hours time difference from home - all my body systems were messed up.  So I was hungry at 4 am and not hungry at noon.  But our family vacation motto is "You don't sleep on vacation!! you can sleep at home for free!" : )  And it really was all so exciting that there was not a moment of lethargy until it was 9 or 10 pm and we were back at our hotel room.

 I have to say that on the second day in Thailand I was relieved to have completed the challenge to not have sugar and to be mindful of carb intake.  It was nice to relax and feel free to eat whatever I wanted.... interestingly though in Thailand I didn't really crave sweets.  Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was because I ate the best food of my life there and that was completely satisfying to every taste desire ~ but for whatever reason I had no desire for sugar.

Now that I am home and settling back into my routine  - I want to keep on eating the way I did the 2 weeks before I left.   I weighed myself and I have lost a little bit more and i'll take my measurements in the next couple of days.  Also, I'll be posting another note about the couple of times since the challenge ended when I went back to the dark side and tried straight up sugar or carb loaded - but right now I am feeling exhausted, still trying to reset my sleep pattern, so I will leave that note for another day.

Day Three, Four and almost done Five!

On Day three I had it down!  I brought plenty of healthy, filling and low carb (no sugar) food to work.  And I had a small meal and snack throughout the day. On day three things seemed so easy! And already my energy level had sky rocketed and stayed contant throughout the day. I'd been sleeping really well at night.  For dinner we had a salad bar pot-luck at the Community Arts Hub before we sang together at In the Key of Community.  A salad bar pot-luck is a great idea!  Everyone just brings one bowl of one thing that you'd like to see on a salad bar.  And for the first time ever I was stuffed with just salad!  It was delicious too!

But then came day four.. yesterday!Day four was busy, hectic! Meetings and some stress at work - usually i'd be diving into the chocolate and treats to make up for workng right through lunch. ... though I did work right through lunch on day three I managed to still eat while working.   It really threw me off to skip a meal - plus I finally succumbed to the illness that I have been fending off.  Being sick and wanting nothing more than an extra tall tall glass of OJ has been the hardest part of the challenge so far.

But on day four I learned

•  Eating out... not easy. We went out to eat for Cole's Supper Family B-Day party at Boston Pizza.  Because i wasn't feeling well I didn't eat much and I was really watching the carbs and overall intake, but still my stomach felt too heavy after and I didn't sleep as well. 
• DQ sugar free fudge bars are excellent!!  A diabetics dream!

Then today.  Day Five. Not too bad.  Still stress at work. But the survival snacks Cindy left me have come in handy.  Sugar Free peppermint lifesavers are really good.  And if I haven't said it before... Werthers Orrginal Sugar Free are awesome!

The hardest part is that after meal time moment... i really want something sweet.  even just a little something.  I think i'm like a smoker, needed a cigarette after dinner! ha! : )  But tonight I just had another DQ sugar free fudge bar!

It's all good!!

ps. i am losing weight by the way.  double bonus!

Day Two!!

day two is almost done... but sadly this is the hardest time of day for me.  I want my nightly bowl of icecream, especially because my throat hurts and i think the icecream would be soothing. : )

i'll cut straight to the chase: Lessons learned today!

• pack more food!  because i'm not getting 200 calories from chocolate and doughnuts - i'm hungry!  really hungry!
• meal, snack, meal, snack, meal, snack.  yes that is necessary!
• pickles really do cut the sugar craving. go figure!
• gum. gum is good.  i wonder? could there be a gum made to combat the craving of every addiction? nicorette, chocolatette? popette? crackette? haha!
• spicy thai tuna is okay... as long as i keep repeating the mantra "this is NOT cat food. this i people food"
• drink more water

seriously though, I don't know how Carly does it.  I had to ask her today for advice on what to pack to eat.  She said - cottage cheese, cheese, snap peas, carrots, and she reminded me the DQ has these sugar free fudge bars!  they are made for diabetics and actually taste good.  how could i have forgotton these!?!

been a good day! and i've gotten $220 in pledges for Diabetes Canada!

a funny thing happened at the gas station

So on day two of this challenge. I had a day... well, one of those days that you just shake your head in disbelief and ask, "what exactly am i supposed to be learning from that?"  So anyway, I had to have a co-worker drive me to a gas station to get gas.(yet my car wasn't on empty)  This is not my usual gas station. And I think, "Gee there are alot of candy bars in here.  I wonder that they could ever sell them all, they must get stale."  Then with my gas line water treatment in hand I am standing at the till.  And low and behold what is on the counter!!!

double packed jumbo sized peanut butter cup and snickers. My Favourites! and they are buy two for four dollars. 

I look away. my resolve not weakened at all.  Just then the kindly cashier comes to wait on me and after ringing in my purchase asks, "Would you like to buy a candy bar?" ..... "No thanks", I automatically say.  but inside im exclaiming, "COME ON! GIVE ME A BREAK! Seriously who gets asked if they want to buy a candy bar!"

At first I think this is just Karma, temptation, the universe, whatever.  I hop in the car and laughingly tell my co-worker, whose never been asked at point of purchase if he wanted to buy a candy bar.  He says that maybe she was just trying to boost the sale so i'd qualify for air miles. I think that's a stretch.  Then it occurred to me.... "Maybe she caught a longing look in my eye? Maybe my expression read "geezz, i'd sure like one!" .... Haha! if that's the case I should never play high stakes poker!

Count down to the start of the challenge! And DQ Opens!!

When I got to work today (Friday) I realized that my next day back to work I am going to be living sugar free.  As I opened the treat drawer in my desk I was happy to find that my normal supplies were low - no chocolate covered almonds, peanuts or raisins and I recently finished my chocolate orange.  To my delight I found I had 4 of my mum's homemade chocolate dipped carmels there and promptly ate them! : )  I wondered if I could be trusted to have the remaining stash so near at hand? Or should I eat it all today, or share it all with my co-workers?  I decided to share, they aren't such gluttonous sugar addicts like me... though I'm not sure how much sugar they put in their coffee. : ) So needless to say, there are still a lot of sugary treats in the drawer...

And then to make things even worse!  At 4 pm Jer calls to tell me that Dairy Queen, which closes every winter, has just opened up today!!!  OF COURSE IT DID!!  I have to drive by there at least twice a day.  Thankfully, it's closed in the morning, but still the visual cue gets my mouth watering!!  (i did notice a new sign this morning and wondered when they were opening.  i never imagined it would be today!) What am I going to do?  Go today and have my favourite thing? Go tomorrow and have my second favourite thing?  doing that is not exactly tappering off the sugar to prep for the real deal of no sugar starting Sunday!!  oh, the headaches I will have if I don't continue with the taper down method... So maybe I'll have just one small treat before Sunday? ; )  And maybe i'll lock up everything from my treat drawer...

14 Days to Eat Like a Diabetic

I love sweets.  It's my thing.  I love icecream, doughnuts and chocolate especially ... I have zero resistance for these.  When I was a teen and young twenty-something, I was very health consious and I would rarely eat these treats.  But after leaving University (which=stopping dancing) my caring about portion sizes and sweets waned and by the time I was 29 I had gained about 25-30 pounds.  And this is before I even had children.  Once the kids came and I was nursing.  It was no holds barred where sweets were concerned -- and because I was so active and nursing I actually lost about 10 pounds eventhough I was eating at least one treat a day.   Maybe it was because I was so tired or maybe it was because I needed the extra calories to keep up with the kids and to nurse them, but for whatever reason I just ate and ate and ate.   The big problem is that for the past four years I have been back at work - lots of sitting, not so much chasing of the 2 year olds, or weilding the vacumm cleaner through the house at record speed because I only have a few minutes to get it done.  Over my years back at work I haven't consisently added exercise to compensate for my inactivity and I haven't cut back on the sweets... infact I'd say this has gotten worse over the past four years.

I have a Bachelor's of Science in Health Sciences.  I know better. But this past year when I was hugging my niece in the ER as she was awaiting admission to the hopsital for dangerously high blood glucose levels, I thought my eating has to change.  I am taxing my body systems and I am not taking care of the only body I have.  I have tried over the past year or so to "cut back".  My attempts have been feeble.  Just last Saturday I had 5-6 cookies at a friends,  then when I got home Jer had bought doughnuts so I had one of those and then just before bed I had my signature sundae - icecream with a banana, peanut butter all smoothered in chocolate sauce.  (I really do like the banana, it's not just thrown in their to make me fee some part of it is healthy.)  Having something sweet is a daily experience - especially when I'm feeling tired... I crave the sugar boost.

My niece Carly is trying to raise money for Diabetes Canada and when I mentioned that I was thinking of trying to eat like she does she suggested I get pledges to raise money for Diabetes Canada.  Also, this will give me added incentive to actually do it. : )

I have decided to start a blog about it and write everyday that I'm doing it.   I am starting on March 6th and doing it for 14 days, though Carly says that you have to do it for 21 days to feel the real affects of the change to you body systems. 

If you would like to sponsor me you can plegde a few cents a day or you can pledge a fixed amount for just attempting, or a fixed amount for actually finishing. : )   Just write on the "Eat like a Diabetic Challenge" wall if you are wanting to make a pledge.  And Thanks!!