No More Dieting

Sad to say my story is a typical one here in America. In fact, the first post I read today was along the same lines.

In December I was diagnosed with diabetes. I had an A1C of 14.7. The day before I went to the doctor I fainted. I became dizzy and started falling. I knew I was falling but I couldn't stop it. Fortunately for me I landed against a stack of toilet paper and wasn't injured except I tweaked my elbow.

I had every single sign of diabetes, urinating often, thirsty, muscle aches, and exhaustion. I hurt so bad I thought it was Leukemia. I felt like there were tiny needles throughout my whole body. I was coming home so exhausted that I sometimes wondered if I would make it. I thought I was working too hard. LOL. One evening I thought that if I laid down, I would never get up.

This started more than a year ago and only got worse. Reflecting, the first sign was that peanut butter made me nauseated. I thought it was the peanut butter, so I tried a different brand. Nope, nauseated again. Oh well, I'm allergic to peanut butter. Then one day I ate a bologna sandwich and became nauseated. I thought it was the bologna; It wasn't, it was the bread as I found out later. Then I became nauseated every day. I could only eat one meal a day and lost over 70 pounds. That went on for months. I kept telling everyone I wasn't dieting, and I wasn't. I did log my food, but I wasn't really dieting.

As I said earlier, I had every sign. I kept thinking it was the effects of a flu bug I had back in January of 2023. I thought it was the water pills I took for high blood pressure and so on. The only smart thing I did was go to the doctor. My glucose was nearly 400! When the doctor told me I had diabetes my life flashed before my eyes. My job is to take people to their doctor appointments and that included dialysis. Some of my clients are missing legs. So, I had a perspective that most don't. I've had three clients die in my short tenure on the job. People that I thought well of and enjoyed. I took that diagnosis very seriously!

Here's the part that was referenced in the title. I quit dieting and started diabetic meal planning. No more starches, pasta, bread, sweets etc. My favorite Google search is "Can a diabetic have ..........(insert food). Lucky me, I love greens and fruit, although no bananas. A typical meal would be something like Salmon, collard greens, and a fruit salad made with plain Greek yogurt. Say goodbye to burger biggies, fries, and ketchup. After seeing the doctor, it took me a week of eating right to have any energy. You won't gain weight on a diabetic meal plan. Hence, the phrase "I quit dieting."

Today I feel much better. My glucose is down in the 130s, At the insistence of the doctor I now go to a Wellness Center to see a dietician and a trainer. I am not tempted to go back to my old eating habits. I just don't want to be sick anymore.