Pinterest

It is pretty safe to say I am addicted to pinterest. When it first became popular, it sounded a lot like stumble upon. I already was "stumbling" so I didn't really care to "pin" away. I am so glad I did. I made 2 dinners this week from pinterest, and I COMPLETELY recommend them.

The first was this amazing beef & broccoli recipe:

Click here for the recipe

It was so easy and delicious! I absolutely love Chinese food but have been staying away from it. The sauce in Chinese food can have a ton of carbs, which I don't know how to bolus for yet. (basically I don't know how much extra insulin I should give myself.) I used a beef stir fry meat, but am wanting to try it with chicken too. I ate it over brown rice, but you could even add some noodles! Endless possibilities.. 

The second was Cafe Rio shredded chicken:

                                                              click here for the recipe

This was even easier than the beef and broccoli because it's made in the crock pot. I just put all the ingredients together, turned on my favorite cooking appliance to low, went to work and it was ready by the time I was home! It was so tender I couldn't even pick it up with a fork! It made quite a bit for one person. I love having it precooked because I can make so many things with it. So far I have put it on top of salads, chicken wraps and tacos. Another recipe with endless possibilities.

My next pinterest experiment was the sock bun. Can I just say I wish I was this clever? The first time I saw it I thought it was so neat, but figured I would never try it. I saw it repinned by someone and gave it a second chance. I always put my hair in a bun to curl it over night, but sometimes leave it up if i'm running late. The sock bun looks way better than my messy buns. Y'all, i'm in love with this hair style. Anything than can take less than a minute to do, I am all for. Not to mention it's incredibly easy. Do it. You'll love it. Leave it in overnight if you want a good curl.

Like I said before, I am completely addicted. I love seeing so many great ideas and ACTUALLY trying them. I am finding a lot of recipes I can eat, which also get's me excited. I am really getting into cooking, and love trying new things!  My next two challenges are these bad boys:

Cauliflower Pizza Crust: Click here 

Thin Mint Low Carb Cookies: Click Here

Stay tuned to find out if there any good. I have a feeling the cookies might be to good to be true. What's YOUR favorite thing you have pinned?

Balancing Act

In my last post I briefly discussed the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Here is a little more detail about the two. Granted, my little knowledge is just the basics... so if you want to learn more go here: http://info.jdrfdsw.org/what-is-type1diabetes.php
In my case, type 1, my pancreas decided he wanted to retire early. Good ol’ pancre of mine decided he didn’t want to produce insulin anymore. If you're reading this, I want you to know that I am seriously jealous of your pancreas. Anyway, insulin turns foods into energy. Because I don’t produce the insulin, I inject insulin into my stomach so that I CAN turn foods into energy. People who are type 2 are insulin resistant, instead of insulin dependent. Type 2 people make insulin; however, it doesn’t function properly because of poor diet and other various things.

Eating right and exercising are the biggest factors when it comes to diabetes. Let’s start with EATING. Carb counting is a major part of eating for me. Most people ask me why I am counting the carbs and not the sugar content. Answer: Carbs=Sugars. I play a constant game of counting and balancing insulin every time I want something to eat. Here are the ever annoying steps: First, I prick my finger to find out what my blood sugars are at. From there, I give my bolus/baseline insulin which is about 11 units. The baseline insulin is long lasting insulin. Even if I am not eating, I must take the baseline when I wake up and around dinner time. When I want to eat something, I give myself another type of insulin. This insulin I inject with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and if I need it, bedtime. The amount I take depends on what my blood sugars are at. It can be anywhere from 3.5-6 units each meal/snack. Now that I have been pricked and prodded, I can finally eat something. Each meal should be roughly 45-60 grams of carbs. (This may change once I see a nutritionist, but for now I am pretty consistent with 45 grams). This basically means, for example, when I want a sandwich, I eat one slice of bread. And also means everything I absolutely love (like pasta and pizza) are only eaten in moderation. I can have it no problem…. But one serving of whole wheat spaghetti has 35 grams. Sauce has 10. And one serving is 2 oz, and NO ONE can be full off that little bit. So if I want fruit (high in sugarssssss) I add carbs to the list. Salads are low carb depending what I put in. But that spaghetti already had me at 45. So maybe I’ll give myself ½ unit more than I normally would. And thus, I balance and balance; all the while praying I balanced correctly and don’t see a huge spike or go to low.


I miss how eating use to be enjoyable. I miss going to a restaurant, looking at a menu, and picking what I want because it SOUNDS good. Not because the carb content is lower. I really hate that as soon as I order I run to the bathroom to inject my insulin. I don’t feel comfortable whipping out my pens and people thing I’m shooting up heroin. (I should probably cut back on saying things like “I need to go shoot up, be right back!”) Technically I should wait for my food to get there, because if I inject insulin and for some reason the restaurant screws up and no food comes, I’m in for a bad combo. However, I hate making whoever I am with wait to eat. So NOW, I hate that I am just starting my food when Ben is basically finished. Which is why I really would prefer to just eat at home. It’s easier to balance my carbs that way too. I know this will get easier, but for now I hate it. Especially because I am in the “trial and error” stage. Everything I eat is documented, along with how my blood sugars reacted 2 hours later. (Which means more pricking) My doctor and I are working on my insulin dose, and each time I see him my insulin dose increases. I keep hoping that once we know my dosage, things will get easier.


EXERCISE. I have a love hate relationship with the sweatabetus. Because of this insulin, I am gaining weight like crazy. And by crazy I mean 18 pounds in a month crazy. I feel huge/depressed about this subject. I KNOW I needed to gain weight back because I was under my BMI. But now I feel like I gained enough! Make it stop! Not to mention I eat sooooooooooo healthy! I work out EVERYDAY! How am I gaining and gaining?!?!?!!? Which brings me to exercise. Exercise really helps lower/balance your blood sugars. Freshman year of college I became addicted to running. After that year I didn’t care if I ever stepped foot in a gym. College life had other priorities. I started running again about two weeks ago and have become seriously addicted again. If I don’t run, I feel guilty. Which also brings me back to the fact that I work out so hard every day and only get bigger……. Again. Love. Hate. Relationship. Another experience I am faced with is becoming low after I work out. Being low sucks. I get super tired, shaky and can’t concentrate on anything. What I hate most about this? I use to love the way I would feel after a run. Now I’m exhausted and shaky. I feel like those good feeling endorphins never hit me.


Now that I've whined enough for today, I’ll end with something positive. Even though the beetus SUCKS right now, I’ve always wanted to actually stick to the New Year’s resolution of 1. Being Healthy & 2. Exercise more. Since my life basically depends on these two things… it’s safe to say I’ll finally stick to it.

And So We Meet

A relatively new addiction of mine is to obsessively read other people's blogs. I mean, it's the new way to creep! I've been hesitant to start my own because I feel as though my life just is not as interesting as the rest of my friends. (AKA, I'm currently not married, living/traveling around the world or experiencing other exciting things.) But, alas, I've broken down. Mainly because the most life altering experience has happened to me.....


I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes this Christmas break. Merry %$#@ing Christmas!


And no, it is not because I had to much sugar as a child.


Let's start with the symptoms I didn't realize were symptoms. About a year and a half ago I started losing weight, but ate whatever I wanted. WHENEVER I wanted. I was constantly hungry but needed new jeans in smaller sizes. Hello! What girl would have a problem with this?? After reading some other symptoms I had (incredibly thirsty, peeing excessively) I assumed I had a thyroid problem. I went to my gynecologist in July of last year for other problems, but told him about the current ones..so he tested my thyroid and everything came back fine.


Fast forward to December. I have become so small that double 00 pants are too loose. Literally nothing fits and I hate how skinny I've become. Literally skeleton size, and really unhealthy looking. Maaaaaaybe I should see another doctor. I go back to the gynecologist for another reason, she takes a urine sample......... and BAM. My whole life is altered. My blood sugar is at 574?? Normal highs are in the 150s? I might have diabetes? I ate some nerds before I came in, is that why it is high? You need to go to the ER immediately! WHAAAAAAT?


Y'all, 574 is beyond danger status. Going in a coma serious. And what's so ridiculous about it all? I NEVER felt bad. NEVER.


So, I head to the ER, check myself in, all the while thinking this ain't no thing. They will just give me something for my blood sugars to go down, and then I'll be home in no time.


oh wait...


I AM PUT IN ICU. OVERNIGHT. I still really had no clue about how my life was going to change. I literally thought I would be given some medications and be on my way. I was put in ICU because I had to be pricked every hour to watch my blood sugar. I was extremely lucky that I was able to go home the next day. The doctor had informed me that I responded well to the little insulin I was given. He thought I would do well with just insulin pills. Which, turns out, was not the case.


Because all of this happened 3 days before Christmas, all endocrinologist's were closed. I took insulin pills for 2 weeks and documented my blood sugars along the way. They were still in the high 300-400 range. The week after Christmas, we found an endocrinologist who had a cancellation. We thankfully were squeezed in! But this is when everything really changed...


Here is where I learned about insulin injections, the importance of my glucometer,
test strips, lancets, carb counting.. and the ever growing list. You mean I can't have all of those yummy pinterest desserts I pinned????


Yes, technically I can. In moderation. With a crap ton of insulin to boot.


So, back to why I'm starting this blog.
1. Most people are unaware of what Type 1 Diabetes is. They assume I did this to myself. INCORRECT. Type 1 Diabetes happens because your body no longer produces insulin. There is no cure. It just. straight. happens. This is normally diagnosed in children, or people who have some family history. (No family history in my case... just a mere .4% of the world who is lucky enough to get it without any family history) Type 2 diabetes are people who have become insulin resistant. Take Paula Dean for example..


2. I have a long journey ahead of me. I wanted a way to vent my frustrations. Rejoice in my new discoveries. Document my life altering experience.


I know I have a long road ahead. Knowing I have to inject myself with insulin at least 4x a day is something I am still not use too. All of my fingers have been pricked to the point of bruising, not to mention my insulin injections on my stomach. Some days I am content with everything. Other days I cry and cry and cry. Other days I want to punch anything and everything. "GIVE ME THE CARBS! ALL I WANT ARE THE CARBS!"


And so we meet....