Sunday, January 30, 2011

A Shift of Perspective

Eating right is hard. There are constantly commercials for delicious-looking food. There is an entire network (now, two I believe) dedicated to the most decadent dishes. The end-caps of grocery stores have the most tasty treats on sale for the impulse buyers among us. Don't even get me started about how the bakery is set up right next to the Organic section at my local grocery.

It's not easy. Eating for health requires planning and time. It requires checking out the nutrition information for a restaurant before going out or asking for the information when you sit down. Knowing what is going into your body is very important. You can't keep track of anything if you don't know. Buying a salad and assuming that it's healthy simply due to it being a salad will get you into more trouble than it's worth.

Even while working out I have struggled with eating right. There were always days when I'd "cheat" because I could. "Just one cookie" or "Just one apple fritter" got me to where I was working my ass off, but not dropping a pound.

Once diagnosed with Diabetes that cheating bit had to give. It was the furthest thing from an option anymore. But how could I get past the desire for sweets that has always been with me? I love baked goods so very much. I even worked in a bakery for a summer when I was 16 and couldn't get enough of the stuff.

After a lot of thinking, I realized all I needed was a shift in perspective. My body does not like sugar and isn't too fond of simple, processed carbs. Essentially, I am allergic to it. Putting that spin on things made a huge difference in my brain. I can look at things now and not see the sweet soft deliciousness of it, but the fact that if I eat that my body will respond in kind.

My "allergic" reaction to sugar is this: First, the headache. Then I get so sleepy that nothing I can do will keep my eyes open. Then once the crash wears off, I am a raging bitch with a temper shorter than hairs on an alligator. (That is really short, in case you wondering...) Those reactions are not fun in any way. The crash is the scariest. It could happen, and has happened, while I've been driving. Or while I've been at work. Or while I'm trying to study for school. It's seriously inconvenient.

So now I don't look at sweets with a longing, "Ooh, I wish I could eat that." But knowing what it will do to me. It is so much easier to skip the treats.

1 comment:

  1. This is how I have always explained diabetes to my kids. They grok "allergy to sugar". They know that you are allergic to sugar (although they're likely to wonder why you don't have an epi-pen handy).

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