Ignorance is NOT Bliss

My undiagnosed life is a not-so-distant past. As I reflect on some of my favorite meals and snacks, I realize that to a Diabetic, they are disasters...and often deceptively so. I have always had an interesting relationship with food. My cravings always were in the form of sweets. If I try to strip away my sweets-cravings, some of my favorite meals were still certainly high-carb. I am not suggesting that I indulged in these types of meals on a daily basis [except when I was having Diabetes symptoms because I was ravenously hungry]. Because  I have always been active, I never thought twice about going to TCBY or ordering the tummy-warming McAlister's Cheddar Potato Soup in a Bread Bowl. As a Diabetic, all I can think of now is a Carb swirl with Carby Chips or Carb Soup in a Carb Bowl. Here is  how the thought-process has evolved for me.

Undiagnosed: Well, I did run three miles today. I am passing a TCBY. A Chocolate/Vanilla Swirl with Butterfinger sounds awesome. I think I'll stop in.

Diagnosed on Novolog injections: TCBY sounds good. What is my blood sugar? Eh...it is okay. I could just give myself some insulin for it. But...do I really need it? Nutritionally speaking? This Novolog made me gain weight on its own, so I probably shouldn't help it along with empty calories. 

Diagnosed on Oral Meds: TCBY sounds good. Man, I haven't had that in forever. Where is my blood sugar level? Oh, it is still coasting down from my last meal. I should probably just let it fall back to normal instead of eating this snack and having it jump back up again. It really isn't even the best use of a snack anyway...nutritionally speaking. 

Some days, I hate these extra layers of self-reflection. I wish I could just hop in the car and head to TCBY. I wish I could order the Brownie Sundae after a meal with my husband and think nothing of it beyond running it off later. Other days, I am glad I have trained my mind to really analyze the nutritional value of my meals and snacks. Diabetic or not, it is always good to know what you're putting into your body ... and why. My entire food life is one giant cost-benefit analysis.

Lessons Learned:

• It is a carb-eat-carb world out there. For example, 1/2 cup of No-Sugar Added Vanilla Yogurt from TCBY is 21 carbs. Add Butterfinger? Sure, just add 10 more carbs. That Potato Soup in a Bread Bowl I mentioned...yes, carb-city. If you eat the soup and the whole bowl...131 carbs. Because McAlister's has a neat nutrition-calculator, I can determine the carb content were I to eat only half the bowl...approx 65 carbs. 
• Though I may not actually be a Type 2 Diabetic (rather, just a 1.5 or Honeymooning Type 1), I am currently taking medications that a Type 2 would take. As such, I know a little bit about living as each. On Novolog, I was careful about what I ate because I was tired of getting heavier.  But I knew I could indulge because I had the medication to cover such indulgences. On Januvia, I am cautious about eating too many carbs in a meal because I am trusting one pill to provide sufficient control all day. My goal is not to rely on assistance from Novolog correction doses, so I restrict my overall intake of carbs.