Living With Diabetes

I have been living with diabetes now for over forty years. Sometimes it is hard. But most of the time not too bad. I don't always eat like I should because I simply like to eat. That makes it hard to always eat what you should and the amount you should.

With diabetes, if you stay at home it is a lot easier to do what you should do. It is when you go out that the problems begin. Every thing is either fried or soaked in grease. Also, they give you twice the size portions that you need. My mother always told me to take what I wanted but to eat what I took. I have always lived by her rule. At least that is what I blame it on when I over eat.

But with diabetes, the diabetic diet does not have to be all that bad. There are a lot of good food you can eat that will not increase you glucose level. If fact, most of the food that we should eat is not that bad on the sugar level. It is the junk food that we Americans have become addicted to that is so bad for us in almost every way including glucose levels. In fact, I believe that the junk food industry is partly to blame for the rise in diabetes in this country.

My wife has also been a big help in my controlling my diabetes. She tries really hard to see that I eat right. She doesn't always succeed, but she does a great job of trying to make me do what I should.

Adult diabetes or Type 2 diabetes can often be controlled with diet. In fact I did that for several years, but it finally got to the point that I was not doing too well with the diet and had to go on pills. I have taken most of the different pills out there. They all worked to some degree. But again after several years they lost their effectiveness. What now. The DREADED shots.

Well let me tell you don't ever be afraid of going on insulin. If I had known what I know now. I would have gone on the shots a lot sooner. I thought they would hurt. They don't. Pricking your finger to test your blood sugar level is a lot more painful. And if your glucose level has gotten out of control, you will feel a lot better when you start the insulin.

However, there is one big problem with insulin. Insulin makes you hungry. You eat more food. You need more insulin. You get hungrier. You eat more food. You need more insulin.

You get the picture. It is a vicious circle. Of course you know that diabetes is a diet disease. As your weight goes up, so does your blood sugar. As your weight comes down, so does your blood sugar. So you see the big problem with insulin. The more insulin you take the more weight you will probably gain. That will require more insulin.

One of my old doctors, he is retired now, told me that 15 was the magic number. You multiply your weight by 15 and that is the number of calories per day that will keep you at that weight. Average more than that per day and you will gain weight. Average less than that per day and you will lose weight. I have found this to be true. Of course this will vary with different people and their metabolism, exercise and many other factors, but it is a good guide line.

If you can figure out or if you just have the will power to break this cycle, you can control your blood sugar.

And you will be able say, as the famous singer on TV says "I have Diabetes. Diabetes does not have me."