c'est la vie

i've been back from Paris for about a week now and still can't get over how AMAZING my blood sugar was while i was there... and no i did not behave. every morning for breakfast i had eggs, potatoes and 2, yes 2! chocolate croissants. for lunch i had more bread. and dinner i had more bread and cheese and wine and it was divine. my theory is not only was i walking everywhere [we barely sat long enough to have lunch] but i was blissfully happy. no stress, no thinking about my lack of full time employment, no worries about traffic... i was just peacefully content being lost in a new land. i've tried to bring my new outlook back with me to DC but it hasn't been as successful as i'd like. i don't get to walk very much, i work out frequently but at times that aren't too convenient. the eggs and potato breakfast quickly went by the wayside and there are no croissants waiting for me by the coffee pot.

i found an endo i like better than previous ones and he seems like he can shake me up a bit. i think i'm on the right track... i've also been journaling my numbers so i can get a better idea of how they're behaving. hopefully this will be the new beginning of a wonderful life together, big D and i.

here's hoping...

i.f.

so since saturday i've been trying a new "diet". it's more of a change in eating times than an actual diet. it's called intermittent fasting and the idea is that you only eat between 11am - 7pm or noon - 8pm... so far it hasn't really been too difficult. last night i needed some orange juice "after hours" bc my b.s. was too low to go to sleep at. and this morning i had some coffee and made my way into the office. so far so good. my bs also seems to be in slightly better control bc i haven't let myself eat past 8pm (something my doc in Miami told me to do anyway). thoughts? do you think that eating late has a serious effect on your b.s. too?

aahhh!!!

warning: i may offend you.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39798848/ns/health-diabetes

...these kinds of stories make me SO ANGRY! "1 in 3 people living in the US will have TYPE 2 diabetes by 2050." Know why!? Because Americans just keep getting fatter and fatter and lazier and lazier. Proof is in the pants size. Yes, there is a percentage of the type 2 population that is at a greater risk due to genetics, blah blah and not because they are fat and lazy... but nowadays, that is not the case, generally. Get off your butt and get to a gym people. Workout. Wake up your pancreas and tell diabetes buh bye. Know why?! BECAUSE I CAN'T!!!! If I could simply not ever have to inject myself ever again by going to the gym everyday & eating healthy, know what I'd do? Yup. Go to the gym. every.freaking.day. But oh wait. I do. And I still have diabetes - TYPE 1 DIABETES. yay.

I am so sick of telling people that 'no, there are 2 types of diabetes and i'm type 1, not type 2' then explaining the difference because no one seems to know unless they have a family member with type 1. ugh. As I've said before type 2 needs a new name. It's not the same. Our conditions were not created equal.

When will type 1 diabetes get the recognition it deserves!? When was the last census taken solely of people living with type 1 diabetes in this great nation of ours and not clustered both into the same category of "diabetes"? I've yet to see actual numbers that separate the two. It's always a rough estimate of the actual type 1s based on the 10% rule of the reported cluster.

While I'm at it.... What's a girl got to do to get people to donate to diabetes causes like they do to cancer causes? Breast cancer has a color. Guess what, so does diabetes. Know what it is?! Know the IDF symbol for diabetes? Just how many lifestyle choice/preventable diseases will the government continue funding whilst over-looking other biological conditions like MS and type 1 diabetes.... ::sigh::

I'd say I'd give up but I can't. I'm not done fighting this battle yet.

you have been warned. and maybe offended. and i don't care.

work it out

here are 3 of my newest favoritest blogs out there in regards to nutrition and exercise!
http://www.leangains.com/

http://firthfitness.com/

http://www.myomytv.com/

i really think these are some of the best tips out there... covers everything from kettle bell workouts to irish stew to new ways of thinking about "dieting". healthy changes = healthy lifestyle. as a person living with diabetes, the two most important things i do for myself are working out (at least 5x/week) and eating a healthy diet (with some occasional cheating). so get out there, grab some weights and get to it!

In these changing times, make a renewed commitment to yourself to lead a healthy life. Here are some tips to help you find balance, stay focused and gain perspective. IT'S THE MIND OF THE TIMES.

1. Exercise When you exercise you are present in the moment and not focused on worries and concerns. Studies show that cardiovascular and resistance training can help reduce stress and boost endorphins. Try a minimum of 30 minutes of vigorous exercise most days of the week.
2.Get enough sleep Insufficient sleep can make it more difficult to cope with the normal challenges of daily life. Most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep to function optimally.
3. Eat well A balanced diet high in fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins can help reduce stress by stabilizing blood sugar levels. Combine carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats at each meal to fuel and energize your body.
4. Pay it forward Studies show that people who approach life with a positive attitude are less stressed. Begin and end every day by making a mental list of the things for which you are grateful.
5. Live in the moment Accept that some things are out of your control. Rather than worrying about what will happen next week, next month or next year, focus on making decisions that will lead you in the direction of your goals.
6. Get organized Being disorganized can add to your stress level. Knowing where things are and reducing clutter lets you focus on the important things.
7. Meditate Studies show that people who meditate regularly have more activity in their left frontal cortex and less activity in the amygdala – both of which are associated with calmer emotional states. There are many ways to meditate. Practice yoga, take a walk in nature, sit quietly, spend time with your pet or take a bubble bath.
8. Say no when necessary Avoid taking on more than you can accomplish. Do not feel guilty saying “no” to unnecessary obligations and responsibilities.
9. Hydrate Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Water regulates body temperature, aids in the absorption of vitamins and nutrients and detoxifies the liver and kidneys.
10. Lean on your support system People who have a strong social network of family and friends typically report less stress and a better ability to cope. Don’t be afraid to ask for support from close friends and family during these times.
(from the equinox.com site)

keep moving!

Momma always said...

there'd be days like this... eat all your veggies... stop bugging your sister... go outside and play.
ok momma always said a lot of different things. as a future public health practitioner i must agree with all of the above. which brings me to my point. i'm taking a course this semester in which we've had two very interesting assignments so far. 1. track everything i consume for 2 weeks then analyze it. 2. track all physical activity for 1 week then analyze it. for those of us with diabetes we know how important physical activity is for management. i'm still in the middle of week 1 of assignment 2 but i get a lot of physical activity... not quite sure how to analyze it or change any behaviors that i already have. maybe i could buy that bike i've been thinking about??so as i was consuming my 100 calorie yoplait light vanilla yogurt [thanks assignment 1] the thought crossed my mind... what would i have to do to burn off these 100 calories... so i googled it. here are some very humorous and rather random things one could do to burn 100 calories:
-run a mile in 5 minutes [or less]
-jump rope for 9.5 minutes while humming the "Rocky" theme song
-play racquet ball for 7 minutes, 17 seconds
-play tennis for 9 minutes
-tread water for 14.5 minutes
-walk uphill for 13 minutes
-go two rounds with Mike Tyson [geez i thought it'd be less...]
-play half a period of hockey
-slow dance through 7 songs
-sip ice water all day long. 8 16- oz glasses of ice water raises your metabolism (the rate which your body burns calories) and burns an extra 100 calories.
-paint the house or clean gutters for 16 minutes
-shovel snow for 12 minutes [thank goodness i don't have to worry about that! maybe i could shovel sand....]
-push a pencil for 45 minutes
-type for 48 minutes
-jump up and down on the bed 1336 times
-do 97 pushups @ 10/minute
-plant 2 medium sized trees [does size really matter?!]
-do 146 crunches @ 15/minute
-ride your bike to work [as long as it takes about 20 minutes]
-man a sailboat for 26 minutes
-read the newspaper for about an hour
click the link on the first one for more ideas ;)
Good Housekeeping also had some ideas for those who keep good houses...
or you may prefer this quick 10-minute workout.

on another note... tomorrow in the AM is my first endo appointment here in Miami. It's at the DRI. I'm anxious to say the least because my last HbA1c was, well, not what i expected.

and stop biting your nails!

Say it aint snow

I can't believe I live here. It snows here... a lot. It's cold and wet and my Southern blood is not yet ready to do battle with the icy winds of the DC Metropolitan Region. However! There is light at the end of the tunnel... well... for a week at least. I'm packing up and heading out to Tampa tomorrow where I will then board the Carnival Cruise Fun Ship on Saturday to go to such glorious [and warm] sounding locales as the Grand Caymans and Calica, Mexico. This is my first cruising experience and I have some worries... Titanic-esque and diabetes-esque.
This will not be your average, everyday, run-of-the-mill cruise though - because I can do nothing average [unless it's the GRE]. This cruise will be a salsa cruise. That's right people... salsa, mambo, chacha, bachata... all week... with some of my favorite people coming along for the ride. But all this excitement poses another problem... lows... That is a lot of exercise going on. I feel like I'll need to stock up on glucotabs and juice boxes for my salsa extravaganza so I won't have to miss a beat on the dance floor. Oh the joys of packing, I swear if I didn't have diabetes I would be able to pack sooo much lighter... that's my story and I'm sticking to it! Although I also have the feeling that some really high highs will sneak in because I hear that there is no shortage of food aboard these floating dance floors. So maybe I'll need an extra bottle of Novolog... I wonder if it's possible to use and entire bottle in one week...
I like to make packing lists, it helps me remember things. It also makes me wonder what 'normal' peoples packing lists look like... what do you mean you don't pack extra syringes in your carry on?! hmmm...
To pack:
extra bottle of Novolog and Lantus [in case of breakage and/or abundance of food]
swimsuits
shorts
extra test strips
tank tops
extra needles
dresses
tennis shoes
flip flops
dance shoes
glucagon
hat
sunglasses
toiletries
glucotabs
cash money
skirt
fancier dress for Captains Dinner..................

Ay, ay mate. Over and Out.
Captain Jules.

Oh My Lantus!

For this whole week I haven't been feeling so great. Monday was my birthday, yes thank you, thank you, but I felt gross until about Wednesday, then all day yesterday I had this awful headache. Then, this morning I woke up because I was low... I'm hypoglycemia sensitive which is a good thing... helps me avoid some serious lows. Don't get me wrong I've had some 30s in my days but usually I can tell before I get to that point. I don't know exactly how low I was because I didn't test... which I know I should have and I usually do... I just didn't. Anyway, I reached over for my megabottle of glucotabs and popped four of them to bring me up so I could get back to sleeping. When I felt back in range, I fell back asleep. A few hours later I woke up and tested - 115. It's going to be a great day! Whenever I wake up at a number like that my days seem to go better. I have more energy and just feel better. Especially after feeling crappy for the last few days. Also, for the past few mornings I've been waking up low - like 40s and 50s low. Possibly because I switched the time I take my Lantus. Before camp, I took it around 4:30 pm and then due to camp scheduling I changed it and now I'm taking it at dinner time - 7ish. During camp it was fine because we eat about every 5 minutes and I would stay up most nights doing nightrounds for my campers. The lows are starting to get annoying and I don't like eating so much at nighttime [which I've also had to do more of because before bed I've been in the low 100s]. I think I'll switch back to 4ish or do it in the morning. I'm curious as to when other people take it. In Ecuador most do it around 11pm - haven't tried that yet but maybe I will.

I was going to make a poll but I can't figure out how... I'm new to this alright give me a break!... so my question is...

When do you take Lantus?: a. morning b. afternoon c. evening d. don't use Lantus (what do you use?)

Or maybe it's not my Lantus, maybe it's the "new" exercise routine I'm partaking in as in I'm actually going to the gym again. Yay for me! I went once today already but will probably go again later on if I don't go out dancing tonight. In December I'm going on a cruise and eventhough it's summer right now I'm not ready to be in a bikini anytime soon. Eating better + working out more = skinny jeans, right!? And better blood sugars! Hopefully, we'll see...

(the picture is from Campo Amigo Ecuador 2007: Brooke, Pame, Jules, Sarah & Merith)