I'm all about the fiber

Ever since the big diabetes diagnosis I have been messing with my diet to try to achieve good numbers and better health. And so far it really does seem to be a huge balancing act. But one thing that helps a lot is fiber. Fiber in fresh fruit, fiber in vegetables, fiber in any way I can get it. Of course I do sleep alone, ahem. There ARE side effects.

I eat fiber bars and fiber toaster pastries, as well as yogurt with fiber. I eat a salad almost every day, and the bagels and bread I eat are whole wheat with extra sticks and stones. Don't get me wrong, I am very aware of the carbs and the sugars. But the fiber lessens the effect of those things because it helps glucose to be released into the blood more slowly avoiding the high numbers and spikes. If I eat a fiber bar a couple hours before bed - I usually have better numbers in the morning.

Now these fiber bars and toaster pastries are not nasty tasting with the texture of sawdust. They are chewy, but they also have chocolate or fruit. Being a HUGE lover of sugar, that's a big plus to me.

But really, while I miss candy and cake and sweets in general, I don't miss it as much as I thought I would. Because while I have it in smaller amounts - it's more satisfying because I know the day may come when I can't have it at. But if I continue to eat right and lose weight, as long as I balance what I eat throughout the day - I'm good!

Toward the end of November I bought a jar for sugar. I wanted a vintage glass jar, plain clear glass I could put 5 lbs of sugar in and keep on the kitchen counter. I filled it, jammed a small measuring cup into it and screwed the top on. Next to it is my sugar bowl. I refilled that bowl about every 2 weeks on the outside. Maybe sooner. Every morning when I was pouring water into my travel mugs for tea - there were also 2 teaspoons of sugar in each cup. 4 teaspoons didn't seem like much to me.

I was diagnosed at the beginning of December and I had yet to refill my sugar bowl or use any sugar from the jar. I just took this picture tonight. Same jar, same sugar, same sugar bowl. I haven't refilled the the sugar bowl once. Not one single time. 3 months later and the jar is still full. I guess I thought I was using that sugar for more than just my tea but apparently not. By now that jar should be half empty if I was using the sugar I used to. And it was only my morning cup and the cup I carried into work with me every day. Simply didn't feel like it was that much.

It wasn't that long ago that I was totally off the wagon. It was running over me and backing up and doing it again. I was eating every fast food in my vicinity and not monitoring portions or calories. Back on the wagon feels good. And the wagon does include Taco Bell. Not every day but I have it if I want it. Then I eat something I SHOULD eat to balance it out. I'm not beating myself up when I have something questionable, instead I'm trying to keep moving forward and fine tuning what works for me and what doesn't.

Easter and Halloween may be difficult but I'm optimistic. There are some wonderful sugar-free chocolates out there, and like the chocolate covered strawberries I had on Valentine's Day are just plain worth. Besides - Strawberries are very high in fiber!! :)

I realized today ..

...how great the effect sugar has on my body. I have not received my books yet, it's the longest it's ever taken to get something from Amazon. But this morning I ate some coffee cake. It wasn't ordinary coffee cake. I stopped at the bakery on my way home from work yesterday and I pointed at this wonderful looking confection and asked what it was. The young girl behind the counter said "Oh that's the favorite coffee cake. It's got a chocolate filling and it's frosted with chocolate." Wow. Okay - works for me."

Saturday mornings I make my tea and take it into the living room and drink it while watching the soaps I've recorded during the week. This Saturday I also had coffee cake available. I cut myself a good chunk and as I ate it I was almost regretting the size of the piece because it was so rich. Almost. I still ate it. A bit more slowly, but I still did. You will see me throw broccoli away much more quickly than chocolate.

About an hour later I could barely keep my eyes open. To the point where I ended up laying down for a nap - and for me a nap is usually at least a couple of hours. It's not unusual for me to waste whole days when I don't have to go to work because I get so sleepy I need to lay down. The doctor thought it was because I wasn't sleeping well at night but now - I think he's wrong. There must be a big connection for me between what I eat and my energy levels. Sugar apparently makes me crash. Big. Ugh. The more I learn - the more pissed off I get about this whole aging thing and having to change the way I do things because I've got old muscles or old organs for goodness sakes.

I read a lot today about people who give up sugar entirely and live as free from sweets as possible, even to the point of never even eating fruit that has more natural sugar than others. Sugar and I are so close, we have had such a long and satisfying relationship. I can imagine cutting back but giving it up entirely? I honestly cannot fathom such a thing.