I called Mr. C. in frustration and shame. How the hell could I get diabetes? I’m 41. There is no family history of it. He calmly stated “It’s going to be fine. You can beat this. You should take the medication and keep working out. We’ll find out what you can and can’t eat.” I sighed. I knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.
Life never is.
But, he was optimistic. He was supportive. He was encouraging me. He wasn’t going to let me suffer a defeatist attitude and proclaim the end of my demise. He was going to be there pushing me to the limits to not give up.
I accepted it. I needed it. I needed to know that I wasn’t alone in my desire to LIVE. To live for my Munch. I had too much work to do.
I started increasing my steps. Stretching. Watching what I’m eating. Everything was scrutinized. Reduced my alcohol intake by 95%. I was going to fight this.
I tested my blood, took the pill and continued my workouts. Chicken. I eat a lot of chicken and lean protein. I have water all the time. With every meal. No thank you to wine. No thank you to dessert.
The doctor said that my numbers have to be less than 100. It was at the 121 range. More water. More research.
Then last week I needed a caffeine boost. I wanted a soda. I went to the vending machine. The choices were few. I wanted a soda. I hadn’t had one in months. I needed some caffeine. Ugh! They only had Pepsi products. I’m a die-hard Coca-Cola drinker. So, I settled on a Dr. Pepper. They didn’t have diet but I needed a Dr. Pepper.
I took it back to my office and drank a little less than a third. The need was satisfied. I was feeling satiated by the caffeine. I put the top back on the bottle and continued about my day.
The rest of the day was normal. I went to work out, ate a healthy chicken salad and drank water. Took my shower and went to bed.
The next morning I awoke and took my blood sugar before I left the house. It said 161.
I was devastated. This was the highest it had ever been. I couldn’t understand what did it.
I packed my lunch of chicken breasts and beans, water, strawberries, watermelon and water. I grabbed a couple of Greek yogurts and headed to work. Stressed as heck. Not sure what the hell was going on in my body I started to freak out.
I called Mr. C and he instantly knew something was wrong. I told him my levels and how I didn’t do anything differently so I didn’t know what the issue was. He told me to relax and that we would get this under control.
He reminded me that I didn’t become diabetic overnight so it would take time for me to figure out what I can and can’t eat. He said, “It’s only been a month. We’ll figure it out.” Hmm, I like that. We’ll figure it out.
He calmed me down. I started to feel a little better until I got to work. When I went to put my lunch in the kitchen I saw this sign:
I had an Aha moment! I know knew what sparked my elevated sugar. That damn soda. I had no idea how many grams of sugar were in that Dr. Pepper. It has 64 grams of sugar. Women are supposed to have no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar daily. That damn soda was triple the amount of my supposed daily sugar intake.
Worst part? I didn’t even drink it all. That little taste of soda elevated my blood sugar. After feeling better about what I learned I began to research ways to lower my blood sugar and monitor sugar in every little thing.
Mr. C sent me some great articles including this one about 12 Powerfoods to Beat Diabetes and I went to the grocery store that evening. I purchased some apples, citrus fruits, cinnamon (to sprinkle on everything), steaks, spinach, and apple cider vinegar. I’m trying everything.
I grilled some steaks that evening and packed a lunch of a grilled steak, spinach greens with tomatoes, cucumbers, sprinkled with cinnamon and a little bit of a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. I packed my fruits and bottled water. I was going to live.
I took my blood sugar the next day and it was 142. Higher than normal but it was coming down. I don’t know if it was the 2 tablespoons of vinegar that I digested an hour before I ate or not, but I’m going to keep digesting the vinegar, sprinkling ½ teaspoon of cinnamon on my meals daily and eating leaner and healthier food.
Now, if I could just find a quinoa recipe that I can cook (easy) and doesn’t taste like crap, I’ll be in business.
A Thomas Point of View 
you can do this, u are a strong woman with a handsome lil boy who looks up to you. Follow the docs advise, watch what you eat and you’ll live to testify about beating diabetes to shame
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My testimony. I love it. Thanks for the encouragement.
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Are you T1 or T2? T2 is completely reversible on a ketogenic diet. Even for T1 life is a lot easier :))
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T2
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You are really pushing that ketogenic diet, dude. It seems no matter what blog I read, you comment with it. We get it. It might be great for some people, but come on now. Every one and every body is different and reacts to things differently. Learn to understand and respect that.
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I am just pointing out the success that many T2D patients have had on Ketogenics. Just a simple lifestyle change to cure a debilitating disease with no meds. Surely worth trying, no?
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Apple cider vinegar doesn’t contain a lot of sugar. Less than a gram actually if you look it up. How much sugar is in the raspberry vinaigrette? I have a bottle that contains 8g, but I know of others (before I switched to what I have now) that contain a lot more than that.
Also noticed that when you said that your blood sugar was 142 the next day, but you only listed the foods for lunch. What about dinner? What did you have?
It might be a good idea for you to keep a food journal. Don’t forget to check labels on pretty much everything too. It sucks and it’s frustrating, but if you don’t know what’s in it, you don’t know what you’re going to be taking into your body. Portion control could help as well. It’s almost like a weight loss plan except for the fact that you’re not doing it for the losing weight.
As your doctor said, you didn’t get this far overnight. Just keep searching. You’ll find the answers. Hope this helped.
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Thank you for your response and encouragement. It wasn’t a raspberry vinaigrette but a red wine vinegar and olive oil with 2g of sugar. I had baked chicken a cup of broccoli and water. I’m also keeping a food journal. I’m accepting that it is a process and increasing my activity level and reading every label. It sucks but I’ll get back to normal.
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“…sprinkled with cinnamon and a little bit of a raspberry vinaigrette dressing.” That’s why I asked about the vinaigrette.
It does suck and it is most definitely frustrating. But you can do this.
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Yes. The salad dressing was cool, but I’m going to have to get used to the cinnamon. I’m extremely encouraged. Thank you.
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You can fight this!! ❤
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Thanks Grace. I’m planning on it
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Yes, you can fight it. As for quinoa, I sometimes take egg whites, add herbs add in some quinoa, then place a ladle in each cup of a muffin pan and bake. I take them to work as breakfast – it ends up looking like a muffin and I don’t taste the quinoa! 🙂
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Wow! Thank you. I’m going to try that.
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Can’t add much beyond everything everyone else has said here. Just want to remind you that you are loved and admired, you don’t struggle alone, and your journey and learning matters. As you learn, so do we. You are serving and giving even as you go, even if it doesnt feel that way. So grateful for your sharing, as usual!
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I am TD1. I understand that everyday is a fight. You are doing better than you realize. Research is key! You are not alone.💙💙
PS spaghetti squash with roasted tomatoes and garlic is amazing!
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Really? I’m so going to try that. Thank you
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Zucchini noodles, zoodles, are great too!
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Great blog. And you sound very strong! I was recently diagnosed with type 1. Are you a type 1 ?
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Type 2.
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