Still sweet, but sugar-free
Where, oh where, has this little girl been? Well, I’d like to say that I’ve been holed up in a hotel somewhere protesting the serious lack of quality musical revivals in modern theatre with a bed-in, ala Yoko Ono and John Lennon. All I am saying, is give Grease a chance. Alas, it’s been nothing quite so glamorous.
Luckily, it’s also been nothing horrendous or earth-shattering, like an outbreak of pandemic flu in our neighborhood. Or a tragic flap-jack shortage that forced widespread rioting at IHOP and Denny’s locations all over the metro.
No, I’ve simply been a) too tired b) too blue or c) too grumpy to bother updating. However, I’m seeking help for this triad of tedium. Turns out I have a medical condition called Insulin Resistance. It’s not like Diabetes, where your body doesn’t produce insulin to process the sugars you eat. My body actually over-produces insulin, but my cells don’t process it correctly. So it produces more, and more, and more, until all of a sudden the insulin finally kicks in and my blood sugar drops WAAYYY too low.
It explains so much: weight gain, carb & sugar cravings, feeling sick if I go too long between meals. This is not to say that my eating habits did not contribute to my weight issues. I know better than that. But this does explain why I have trouble losing weight, even when I really try dieting.
So after a three hour glucose-tolerance test which included insulin level checks, and a referral to a specialist (endocrinologist), my biggest fear was that I’d go to the specialist and be told to eat less and exercise more. As if I’ve never heard that before.
Actually, I was prescribed a diabetic medicine and advised to try a low-carb diet and incorporate exercise into my daily routine. So, I was told to change my eating and exercise more. BUT, I was also given a medicine, which I’m hoping will improve my body’s insulin processing.
I’ve done a lot of research online too. There’s unfortunately a lot of holistic, granola-vegan-fur-is-murder-homeopathic websites out there recommending a laundry list of natural supplements and suggested food alternatives. I can’t say that this stuff doesn’t work, but UGH, I’m not really up for a seaweed and bitter melon salad.
So, I’ve started taking the medicine and made some changes to my diet. I’m not yet completely prepared to embrace the low-carb lifestyle, but I have cut sugar from my diet. And this is no small feat. Seriously, hello my name is Tacey and I’m a sugar-holic. I am an addict and sugar is my smack. They have detox centers for alcohol and drugs. And if you had a substance abuse problem, your insurance would pay (at least partially) for your treatment. But sugar addiction… detox is called a diet center or health spa or fat farm. Practically no insurance covers that treatment. It’s patently unfair. And with the epidemic of obesity in the country, you’d think insurance companies would prefer to pay 6K – 10K in nutrition counseling and fitness assessments versus 10 or 20 times as much in fees to cardiologists and internists treating heart disease, diabetes, and the myriad of other life threatening diseases caused by obesity.
Some people argue that too many people regain the weight, which makes weight loss treatments uninsurable. Yet, despite relapse rates for alcoholics and drug addicts, insurance companies continue to pay for rehab for treatment of their addiction.
So, if I ever become Bill Gates or Oprah Winfrey rich, I’m going to start a non-profit organization to lobby for changes in the insurance industry. Stop treating obesity like an ugly red-headed step child!
Back to reality… I’ve been basically sugar-free for over 3 weeks (with the exception of a couple days where I fell off the wagon, but jumped RIGHT back on…). Eventually, I plan to try the South Beach Diet, but I know myself. If I try too many drastic changes all at once, I’m just dooming myself to failure. So, sugar-free is my first step. Next week (once I get over this cruddy summer cold that has sidelined me with a head full of mucus and a $3.99-a-minute gravelly phone-sex voice) I’m going to start some kind of exercise plan. It may only be walking a couple of times a week. But you have to start somewhere, right? Or maybe I’ll take up a new sport, like beer pong, the bastard child of ping pong and that favorite college drinking game of quarters... with one of those sugar-free low-carb beers, of course.
Luckily, it’s also been nothing horrendous or earth-shattering, like an outbreak of pandemic flu in our neighborhood. Or a tragic flap-jack shortage that forced widespread rioting at IHOP and Denny’s locations all over the metro.
No, I’ve simply been a) too tired b) too blue or c) too grumpy to bother updating. However, I’m seeking help for this triad of tedium. Turns out I have a medical condition called Insulin Resistance. It’s not like Diabetes, where your body doesn’t produce insulin to process the sugars you eat. My body actually over-produces insulin, but my cells don’t process it correctly. So it produces more, and more, and more, until all of a sudden the insulin finally kicks in and my blood sugar drops WAAYYY too low.
It explains so much: weight gain, carb & sugar cravings, feeling sick if I go too long between meals. This is not to say that my eating habits did not contribute to my weight issues. I know better than that. But this does explain why I have trouble losing weight, even when I really try dieting.
So after a three hour glucose-tolerance test which included insulin level checks, and a referral to a specialist (endocrinologist), my biggest fear was that I’d go to the specialist and be told to eat less and exercise more. As if I’ve never heard that before.
Actually, I was prescribed a diabetic medicine and advised to try a low-carb diet and incorporate exercise into my daily routine. So, I was told to change my eating and exercise more. BUT, I was also given a medicine, which I’m hoping will improve my body’s insulin processing.
I’ve done a lot of research online too. There’s unfortunately a lot of holistic, granola-vegan-fur-is-murder-homeopathic websites out there recommending a laundry list of natural supplements and suggested food alternatives. I can’t say that this stuff doesn’t work, but UGH, I’m not really up for a seaweed and bitter melon salad.
So, I’ve started taking the medicine and made some changes to my diet. I’m not yet completely prepared to embrace the low-carb lifestyle, but I have cut sugar from my diet. And this is no small feat. Seriously, hello my name is Tacey and I’m a sugar-holic. I am an addict and sugar is my smack. They have detox centers for alcohol and drugs. And if you had a substance abuse problem, your insurance would pay (at least partially) for your treatment. But sugar addiction… detox is called a diet center or health spa or fat farm. Practically no insurance covers that treatment. It’s patently unfair. And with the epidemic of obesity in the country, you’d think insurance companies would prefer to pay 6K – 10K in nutrition counseling and fitness assessments versus 10 or 20 times as much in fees to cardiologists and internists treating heart disease, diabetes, and the myriad of other life threatening diseases caused by obesity.
Some people argue that too many people regain the weight, which makes weight loss treatments uninsurable. Yet, despite relapse rates for alcoholics and drug addicts, insurance companies continue to pay for rehab for treatment of their addiction.
So, if I ever become Bill Gates or Oprah Winfrey rich, I’m going to start a non-profit organization to lobby for changes in the insurance industry. Stop treating obesity like an ugly red-headed step child!
Back to reality… I’ve been basically sugar-free for over 3 weeks (with the exception of a couple days where I fell off the wagon, but jumped RIGHT back on…). Eventually, I plan to try the South Beach Diet, but I know myself. If I try too many drastic changes all at once, I’m just dooming myself to failure. So, sugar-free is my first step. Next week (once I get over this cruddy summer cold that has sidelined me with a head full of mucus and a $3.99-a-minute gravelly phone-sex voice) I’m going to start some kind of exercise plan. It may only be walking a couple of times a week. But you have to start somewhere, right? Or maybe I’ll take up a new sport, like beer pong, the bastard child of ping pong and that favorite college drinking game of quarters... with one of those sugar-free low-carb beers, of course.
posted by Tacey at
10:00 PM
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3 comments
