Well, I've finally come to the end of the 1000 page behemoth that is George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones, a cheesier, less complex American attempt at recreating something along the lines of Lord of the Rings. Everybody's reading it, and though I've become less social these days, I still want to equip myself with conversational fodder. To stretch an analogy, one might say Lord of the Rings is to Game of Thrones what the British diet of the 1940s is to the American diet of the 21st century. Our diet is less nutritionally dense, less filling but more addicting. But reading Game of Thrones won't cause cancer. So I read it, and am happy to be done.
I'm now moving on to a book that I have been anticipating reading for about four years. It's the book that turns meat eaters vegetarian and vegetarians vegan. So why am I reading a book that is likely to make me cut out even more food from my diet? Because, as the cover states, it is "the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted."
I'm only 100 pages in, so I haven't even gotten to the juicy stuff yet, but to reduce a several decade several thousand person study to a few lines, T. Colin Campbell outlines the affect of eating animal protein on the promotion of cancerous cells, illustrating how he can "turn on" or "turn off" cancer depending on the volume of dietary animal protein. How's THAT for a page turner!
I'll do a proper review later. But for any amateur healthies out there, this is a book - like Blue Zones, In Defense of Food, Animal Vegetable Miracle, etc. - that should be in your library.
Dailies:
11:08 -> 96 Took 2 Prandin w/cereal 110c. Had some macadamia nuts at 1:00 (Thanks Tom!) 4c, and an apple 20c at 2:00. At 4:30 I had some peanuts 5c. I was starving by the time I ate dinner.
5:39 -> 67 Nice! Better than being high. Took 2 Prandin with Dinner: Lentil soup 45c, salad 30c, apple 20c, fake coffee 5c. At 7:30 I had pb on toast 15c and a few more macadamia nuts 5c.
11:32 -> 82 Took 2 Prandin with Supper: broccoli w/roast garlic and homemade pesto (unsuccessful) 45c, salad 20c, yam 25c. Took 5 units of Lantus (late).
2:29 -> 178 More or less what I expected based on the way my body felt. Going to bed.
Crazy how some days the ratio is 100carbs to 1 pill and others like tonight 45carbs to 1 pill is still too high. And it's not as if I wasn't active today. I did two shows. There must be some other part of the equation that I'm not aware of yet, types of food maybe? Tomorrow should be better. I plan on going to yoga and maybe doing a little cardio work too, and in the evening Joey!
1.Grateful that I stayed under 200 today.
2. Grateful for a moment of perspective I had today while crossing backstage before an entrance. I suddenly remembered how cool this job is.
3. Grateful for a network of family and extended family who really love and care about me. I see evidence of this every day.
Day 71
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Making Metaphorical Lemonade
I came across this video today:
And even though it's pretty clear to me that the guy is not actually in need of crutches it still reminded me of the potential for people to overcome handicaps in truly remarkable ways.
Here's a more real example, this dancer goes by the name BBoy Junior:
He has polio in one of his legs. But look what he's done with the rest of his body!
Dailies:
11:53 -> 128 Took 2 Prandin w/cereal 110c. Did a 5x10 minute (mild, medium, 5xsprints, medium, mild) piece on the erg, about 12K. Then had a protein shake 6c.
3:31 -> 76 Back in action! After a day of rest and needing lots of Prandin I'm excited that a little workout knocks me down a bit again. Took 2 more Prandin with Broccoli 40c, quinoa 40c, split peas 60c. At 6:00 had fake coffee 6c and at 8:30 I had an apple 20c.
10:42 -> 97 Took 2 Prandin and had Supper: Salad 35c, split peas 50, quinoa 40c. Also took 5 units Lantus.
2:50 -> 225 Dang, you're high. I guess either not enough working out (meh). And I didn't even finish my meal. I have to remember that the Lantus stops working after my evening dinner so my late night supper needs to have fewer carbs than usual.
Also, I'd like to say to everybody who reads this (so that I'm held accountable) that ever since I've switched from bolus insulin to the pill Prandin I've become much more irresponsible when it comes to remembering to take my basal insulin (Lantus). I haven't missed a dose yet, but I don't do it at a set time, and when I'm about to sleep I find myself remembering in a panic and then rushing to take it. This is not a good trend. Suggestions? Maybe I'll try taking it earlier, closer to the end of the show so that I can habit link... you know what habit linking is, right? Sounds like an idea for a future post!
1. Grateful to be strong enough to push myself.
2. Grateful for my amazing apartment.
3. Grateful for the little inspiring emails and messages I get periodically from people about my diabetes.
Day 70
And even though it's pretty clear to me that the guy is not actually in need of crutches it still reminded me of the potential for people to overcome handicaps in truly remarkable ways.
Here's a more real example, this dancer goes by the name BBoy Junior:
He has polio in one of his legs. But look what he's done with the rest of his body!
Dailies:
11:53 -> 128 Took 2 Prandin w/cereal 110c. Did a 5x10 minute (mild, medium, 5xsprints, medium, mild) piece on the erg, about 12K. Then had a protein shake 6c.
3:31 -> 76 Back in action! After a day of rest and needing lots of Prandin I'm excited that a little workout knocks me down a bit again. Took 2 more Prandin with Broccoli 40c, quinoa 40c, split peas 60c. At 6:00 had fake coffee 6c and at 8:30 I had an apple 20c.
10:42 -> 97 Took 2 Prandin and had Supper: Salad 35c, split peas 50, quinoa 40c. Also took 5 units Lantus.
2:50 -> 225 Dang, you're high. I guess either not enough working out (meh). And I didn't even finish my meal. I have to remember that the Lantus stops working after my evening dinner so my late night supper needs to have fewer carbs than usual.
Also, I'd like to say to everybody who reads this (so that I'm held accountable) that ever since I've switched from bolus insulin to the pill Prandin I've become much more irresponsible when it comes to remembering to take my basal insulin (Lantus). I haven't missed a dose yet, but I don't do it at a set time, and when I'm about to sleep I find myself remembering in a panic and then rushing to take it. This is not a good trend. Suggestions? Maybe I'll try taking it earlier, closer to the end of the show so that I can habit link... you know what habit linking is, right? Sounds like an idea for a future post!
1. Grateful to be strong enough to push myself.
2. Grateful for my amazing apartment.
3. Grateful for the little inspiring emails and messages I get periodically from people about my diabetes.
Day 70
Listen to Your Body
You're body's smarter than you think. My body's way smarter than I knew. I can remember back to the months before I was diagnosed. I had started doing several new things that with further research turned out to be good for diabetics. My body knew and was searching for homeopathic remedies without me even knowing it. This is not unique to my body. Everybody is born with this knowledge, with the ability to understand the language your body is speaking. It's a language we unlearn from lack of use. But stop and listen. What is your body saying to you? Are you high? Are you low? How's your energy level? How does your stomach feel? your legs? your eyes? Are you tired?
Today mine was telling me to work out. I heard it, but unfortunately I had already committed to getting body work done. I had a massage and acupuncture scheduled (poor me, right?). Normally I would be thrilled to spend a day luxuriating myself, but today was 55 and sunny, and my body is getting so used to working out that taking a day off has two affects on me. First, it makes me antsy and more easily unhappy. Second, it makes my metabolism of glucose less productive.
BUT
Rather than stick to my normal pill to carb ratio, I listened to my body and was able to manipulate the medication accordingly. In doing so I ended up with fairly normal sugar levels throughout the day, although I did take more medication than usual.
Dailies:
11:55 -> 82 Took 2 Prandin w/cereal (no yogurt!) 95c and pb bagel 32c. At 2:00 had fake coffee 5c. At 3:00 had 1/2 Larabar 13c.
5:01 -> 127 Big slice of gluten free pizza 40c. Took 1 Prandin and had other 1/2 Larabar 13c.
7:06 -> 145 I'm averaging higher today it seems. Took 2 Prandin w/ Chipotle bowl 110c.
11:26 -> 158 Well, this is obviously the affect of not working out all day. I guess I'll have to hit it hard tomorrow. Took 2 Prandin w/ salad 30c and broccoli 40c, deliberately overmedicating to bring myself down a little. Took 5 units Lantus.
2:53 -> 111 I'm very pleased with this number, and am happy with the way I managed a drop in blood glucose. But I'd rather not take 7 Prandin in a day if I can avoid it.
Gratitudes:
1. I'm grateful for the free ticket to see William Shatner today which also featured a guest appearance by Brad Paisley.
2. I'm grateful for the ability to sit for a half hour in Riverside park while the sun broke through the clouds and struck me with its warmth.
3. I'm grateful for the privilege of complimentary massage and acupuncture, and practitioners who are very talented and also wonderful people.
Day 70
Today mine was telling me to work out. I heard it, but unfortunately I had already committed to getting body work done. I had a massage and acupuncture scheduled (poor me, right?). Normally I would be thrilled to spend a day luxuriating myself, but today was 55 and sunny, and my body is getting so used to working out that taking a day off has two affects on me. First, it makes me antsy and more easily unhappy. Second, it makes my metabolism of glucose less productive.
BUT
Rather than stick to my normal pill to carb ratio, I listened to my body and was able to manipulate the medication accordingly. In doing so I ended up with fairly normal sugar levels throughout the day, although I did take more medication than usual.
Dailies:
11:55 -> 82 Took 2 Prandin w/cereal (no yogurt!) 95c and pb bagel 32c. At 2:00 had fake coffee 5c. At 3:00 had 1/2 Larabar 13c.
5:01 -> 127 Big slice of gluten free pizza 40c. Took 1 Prandin and had other 1/2 Larabar 13c.
7:06 -> 145 I'm averaging higher today it seems. Took 2 Prandin w/ Chipotle bowl 110c.
11:26 -> 158 Well, this is obviously the affect of not working out all day. I guess I'll have to hit it hard tomorrow. Took 2 Prandin w/ salad 30c and broccoli 40c, deliberately overmedicating to bring myself down a little. Took 5 units Lantus.
2:53 -> 111 I'm very pleased with this number, and am happy with the way I managed a drop in blood glucose. But I'd rather not take 7 Prandin in a day if I can avoid it.
Gratitudes:
1. I'm grateful for the free ticket to see William Shatner today which also featured a guest appearance by Brad Paisley.
2. I'm grateful for the ability to sit for a half hour in Riverside park while the sun broke through the clouds and struck me with its warmth.
3. I'm grateful for the privilege of complimentary massage and acupuncture, and practitioners who are very talented and also wonderful people.
Day 70
Monday, February 27, 2012
Three Gratitudes
I'd like to share a video I came across on the internet. It's a lecture given at the 2012 Ted Talks by Shawn Achor about happiness. It's pretty remarkable, but there are a few things in particular that I took from it.
1. Only 10% of your happiness is determined externally, as in affected by your surroundings. The other 90% has to do with you and the way you look at the world.
2. You can improve your 90% with a few simple daily exercises. He includes: 3 daily gratitudes, journaling, exercise, meditation, random acts of kindness.
This means that even though I'm a super happy guy generally I can be happier still. I take on his challenge. For the next week I'll list three things I'm grateful for each day. So here goes nothing!
Gratitudes:
1. I'm grateful today that I was able to put together a great show for a sold-out audience.
2. I'm grateful for the opportunity to see Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark.
3. I'm grateful I have friends willing to join me for a Sunday night of jazz guitar.
That was easy. There are tons more, but three for now.
Watch the video, get inspired.
Dailies:
10:37 -> 99 Took 2 Prandin w/cereal 110c. Apple 20c at 12:30, and another 20c at 2:00
2:47 -> 120 Good Pre-Joey number. Had fake coffee 7c. At intermission (4:30) I had pb toast 14c.
6:21 -> 70 Had a salad 35c. At 11:00 had a glass of red wine.
12:54 -> 89 Took 2 Prandin with dinner: beans 67c, salsa 12c, avocado 15c, chips 18c, brussels sprouts 18c, 2 eggs = 130c. Because it's late I'll probably end up a little high, but that feels like a safer option than going to sleep low, especially because that one glass of wine got me a little tipsy.
2:58 -> 102 Hmm... Because of the wine, and the fact that I took 2 Prandin, and the fact that it's so late I'm going to say that I wanted this number to be a little bit higher before going to bed. The Prandin usually hits me slowly so I don't think it's done working. To play it safe I had 2 cookies 18c that I dunked in peanut butter 4c. I'm such a fatty sometimes.
This video and this message are pertinent to diabetics because they have a twofold risk of becoming depressed compared to the rest of the population based on the National Institute of Mental Health. I don't know the ins and outs of why, but it doesn't take a doctoral degree to realize that newly diagnosed diabetics are vulnerable to feelings of futility and hopelessness that can quickly escalate into depression. Rather than allowing these problems to grow empower yourself with the knowledge necessary to objectively deal with each and ultimately get your life back in under control.
Day 69
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Gluten Free Beers
I'm beat. A two show day and a mid-day workout of 10 quick sprints up a three story flight of stairs. So here's a quick round-up of a few beers I've had. All of them surprised me, in a good way. I'm also pleased to announce that there is some diversity between them so I'll start keeping them all on stock if such an opportunity arises.
GLUTEN FREE BEER!!!
Bard's Beer - Bards was a good place to start. I entered with very low expectations and yet it's cold crisp and pleasantly hoppy taste resurrected my faith in a benevolent God. This is beer, gluten free beer. There was a slight metalic taste and the aftertaste reminded me of my college red cup days, but it will suffice in a pinch and is worth the adolescent memories for the first few sweet sips. My life will not be beerless, just no more beers at bars. That's like going to the dentist expecting root canal and finding out it's just a cavity. It's a beer I'll drink if it's handed to me.
Greens - This is the closest I'll get to the Trappist Ales I've had to cut out of my diet. It is Belgian made which automatically makes it the best gluten free brewery in the world. It is the most expensive (to be expected) but has incredible depth, high alcohol content, and a robust sweetness that only comes from a Dubbel style beer. This is the cadillac of gluten free beers, best enjoyed cold, slowly, in a proper mug with a plate of strong cheese, gluten free bread, and a steaming pot of mussels.
New Grist - This beer was [very] light, crisp with a bit of a syrupy aftertaste. This will be the beer to fill those endless warm summer nights outside listening to the cicadas and crickets, or sailing down the coast of California, waves tickling my bare feet that hang over the deck, sun bleaching my saltwind swept hair. I guess what I'm trying to say is, though it's no wheat beer, it is similar enough in flavor quality to a Blue Moon to be my go to when I'm hankerin' for a fruity beer that is still masculine.
Redbridge - Of the four, Redbridge is the best all purpose beer. I'd be equally comfortable drinking this out of a tall and sexy glass at a Vegas club (although why would I be there?), or straight from the bottle at a monster truck rally. This is the beer for poker night, for drinking with a burger, for camping trips and tailgate parties, or for washing down the body aches of a long day working with your hands building a deck, or mending a fence or painting a house. It's gluten-free America in a bottle. Tastes like freedom.
Dailies:
12:00 -> 116 Took 2 Prandin with cereal 110c. At 1:00 apple 20c. At 2:00 had pb toast 15c and fake coffee 10c.
5:45 -> 68 After a few sprints up some stairs. Took 2 Prandin with 32 oz of chili 100-120c? At 8:00 had an apple 20c and quiche 35c. At 10:45 had half a beer.
12:01 -> 64 Based on this number I'd guess the chili was closer to 100c. Had a huge salad w/avocado 35c and chicken. Took my 5 units of Lantus.
2:45 -> 87 I'm going to sleep on this number. I'll keep sugar nearby, but honestly I imagine this to be slowly creeping up. I'll probably wake at 100.
Thoughts: I think the key to using Prandin successfully for me is understanding that it's affect on me is slow. Two of my pre-meal numbers were in the 60s and yet both times I didn't panic at all, felt no low affects and ate shortly afterwards. Those are not 60s that are dropping fast, but simply a reflection of a pancreas that is slowly ticking away and dealing with my obscene amount of food. One day soon I'll probably do a few 2-hour after my meal checks to make sure I'm not having any huge spikes as I was in the early days of Prandin.
Day 68
GLUTEN FREE BEER!!!
Dailies:
12:00 -> 116 Took 2 Prandin with cereal 110c. At 1:00 apple 20c. At 2:00 had pb toast 15c and fake coffee 10c.
5:45 -> 68 After a few sprints up some stairs. Took 2 Prandin with 32 oz of chili 100-120c? At 8:00 had an apple 20c and quiche 35c. At 10:45 had half a beer.
12:01 -> 64 Based on this number I'd guess the chili was closer to 100c. Had a huge salad w/avocado 35c and chicken. Took my 5 units of Lantus.
2:45 -> 87 I'm going to sleep on this number. I'll keep sugar nearby, but honestly I imagine this to be slowly creeping up. I'll probably wake at 100.
Thoughts: I think the key to using Prandin successfully for me is understanding that it's affect on me is slow. Two of my pre-meal numbers were in the 60s and yet both times I didn't panic at all, felt no low affects and ate shortly afterwards. Those are not 60s that are dropping fast, but simply a reflection of a pancreas that is slowly ticking away and dealing with my obscene amount of food. One day soon I'll probably do a few 2-hour after my meal checks to make sure I'm not having any huge spikes as I was in the early days of Prandin.
Day 68
Friday, February 24, 2012
The City of Unlimited Choices
Today was rough. Not diabetically, not physically, in fact for no reason related to my condition at all. I had a crappy day at work. It happens, we've all been there, I'll live to see another day.
But a bad work day coupled with more wind and rain than we've had in months gave me a positively negative demeanor. And then I passed this...
Choco Bolo
The sign in the window advertised Chocolate, Cake and Coffee.
Chocolate, Cake and Coffee!
CHOCOLATE, CAKE AND COFFEE!!??
I can't have chocolate because I'm Diabetic. I can't have Cake because I'm Gluten Free. And I can't have coffee, because I gave it up for Lent!! AAAHHhGGGGHHhhH!!!
Sometimes I feel as discriminated against as a black man in rural 1950s Alabama. They're all inside there looking so happy, eating away at their eclairs and viennese tortes, sipping their mocha lattes and macchiatos and mayan sipping chocolate, oblivious to the amount of carbohydrates in each, blind to how hard their pancreases are working, to the caffeine that's running through their bodies artificially spiking their heart rate and adrenal production. Oh I envy you coffee drinking chocolate cake eating affluent kept women of the upper west side with your double decker MacLaren strollers and your dogs with cute sweaters, and your Chanel bags and your precocious little children.
I hope you feel a particularly intense burn of lactic acid when you're at your group pilates class at David Barton's gym. I hope your gyrotonics instructor dropped his shot of wheat grass on his way to work and takes it out on you. So there!
Breath,
breath,
breath...
Phew...
Sometimes, you just need a good shouting session. A time and place to vent and the freedom to do so. It's not always easy, living in the city of a thousand choices with so many restriction on you. It's not easy getting the stink eye from cocktail waiters who, while collecting used beer bottles, realize the Gluten Free bottle didn't come from their bar. But what's not easy is hard (I swear. Look it up in the dictionary if you don't believe me). And doing things that are hard make you stronger.
I'll be strong if you will.
Dailies:
11:23 -> 78 Took 2 Prandin w/cereal 110c and an orange 17c. At 2:15 had toast w/pb 15c. At 3:15 had Larabar 15c.
6:00 -> 89 Took 2 Prandin with Chipotle 110c, apple 20c, peanuts 6c and face coffee 10c.
11:20 -> 102 Took 1 Prandin with dinner: brussels sprouts 18c, salad 20c, apple 20c. Took 5 units of Lantus at about 1:00.
2:15 -> 74 pbgft (peanut butter gluten free toast) 15c. Bed
Day 66
But a bad work day coupled with more wind and rain than we've had in months gave me a positively negative demeanor. And then I passed this...
Choco Bolo
The sign in the window advertised Chocolate, Cake and Coffee.
Chocolate, Cake and Coffee!
CHOCOLATE, CAKE AND COFFEE!!??
I can't have chocolate because I'm Diabetic. I can't have Cake because I'm Gluten Free. And I can't have coffee, because I gave it up for Lent!! AAAHHhGGGGHHhhH!!!
Sometimes I feel as discriminated against as a black man in rural 1950s Alabama. They're all inside there looking so happy, eating away at their eclairs and viennese tortes, sipping their mocha lattes and macchiatos and mayan sipping chocolate, oblivious to the amount of carbohydrates in each, blind to how hard their pancreases are working, to the caffeine that's running through their bodies artificially spiking their heart rate and adrenal production. Oh I envy you coffee drinking chocolate cake eating affluent kept women of the upper west side with your double decker MacLaren strollers and your dogs with cute sweaters, and your Chanel bags and your precocious little children.
I hope you feel a particularly intense burn of lactic acid when you're at your group pilates class at David Barton's gym. I hope your gyrotonics instructor dropped his shot of wheat grass on his way to work and takes it out on you. So there!
Breath,
breath,
breath...
Phew...
Sometimes, you just need a good shouting session. A time and place to vent and the freedom to do so. It's not always easy, living in the city of a thousand choices with so many restriction on you. It's not easy getting the stink eye from cocktail waiters who, while collecting used beer bottles, realize the Gluten Free bottle didn't come from their bar. But what's not easy is hard (I swear. Look it up in the dictionary if you don't believe me). And doing things that are hard make you stronger.
I'll be strong if you will.
Dailies:
11:23 -> 78 Took 2 Prandin w/cereal 110c and an orange 17c. At 2:15 had toast w/pb 15c. At 3:15 had Larabar 15c.
6:00 -> 89 Took 2 Prandin with Chipotle 110c, apple 20c, peanuts 6c and face coffee 10c.
11:20 -> 102 Took 1 Prandin with dinner: brussels sprouts 18c, salad 20c, apple 20c. Took 5 units of Lantus at about 1:00.
2:15 -> 74 pbgft (peanut butter gluten free toast) 15c. Bed
Day 66
Hour of Power
I swear, sometimes I only workout because I know that at the end of the day I'll have something to write about. I dread a blank screen more than I dread a painful training session and so I give myself a minute to decide what sort of workout is best and then I just do it. I wonder if that's the best thing that comes of writing this blog. But if so, then this blog is successful indeed. They call that something, don't they? Doing something not of your own accord but for somebody or something else. They do - they call it accountability.
Who or what are you accountable to? We all have things we could do better. If you're a Type 1.5 diabetic like me, maybe your A1C lives near the 8% mark and you want to get it lower. Maybe you're a type 2 and your goal is weight loss. Or you've taken on the Gluten Free Challenge and find yourself faltering, standing in the aisles at the grocery store with a hand on a box of mac and cheese, or in line at a sandwich shop. Maybe you're training for a competition, or just working towards your own personal goal. Are you a creative type who keeps resolving to start that novel, or finish that screenplay?
Everywhere I look I see people with wonderful wonderful goals. One friend wants to learn Portuguese so he can go to Brazil for the world cup. Another wants to save enough money to buy a house. One has aspirations to be a great banjo player. But goals are cheap. They are. It's a beautiful word that belongs somewhere near maybe or could in the dictionary.
I wrote a bit about willpower yesterday. But today I want you to think about what role accountability can play in fortifying your willpower. And when you're done thinking about it, choose one of your goals (preferably one that is attainable in the near-term, say a month or two) and find a way to hold yourself accountable. Make a pledge to someone who will check in on you and monitor your progress.
So what's an hour of power anyway?
Well, it's a very unoriginal name for sitting on an ergometer...
...and pulling you're butt off...
...for an hour.
It hurts. It's long. It's boring. BUT...
When you finish you realize you've just rowed 9.5 miles, a solid hour, burned over 1000 calories and you know that you are stronger and healthier than you were before. And what's more, you've built your self-confidence and strengthened your resolve. Next time will be easier and easier still until you'll have to make the workout harder to keep up with your progress.
But for those of you who read this only for the fitness aspect, yes, I realize that I've done two epic cardio workouts in one week. I had to do it to prove to myself that I could. It was mental training. Did I have what it would take to push through a distance. I answered that question. My question for next week is, how much intense pain can I suffer in the short term. In other words, sprints, and things like sprints, and lots of them.
Dailies:
12:17 -> 120 Seems a peculiar number. had 2 Prandin w/cereal 110c. Rowed a POWER HOUR! Had an orange 16c and salad w/quinoa 45c and chicken.
5:37 -> 77 Took a Prandin with chicken, quinoa 40c, indian eggplant 26c, orange 16c. Did Joey. At 9:30 had pb toast 15c, protein shake 5c and fake coffee 8c. At 10:45 had a shot of tequila, beer and Larabar 26c. Took 5 units Lantus at 1:50
2:40 -> 74 Don't feel like taking meds and waiting, so I just had baby zucchini 12c w/ tahini 5c.
Day 65
Who or what are you accountable to? We all have things we could do better. If you're a Type 1.5 diabetic like me, maybe your A1C lives near the 8% mark and you want to get it lower. Maybe you're a type 2 and your goal is weight loss. Or you've taken on the Gluten Free Challenge and find yourself faltering, standing in the aisles at the grocery store with a hand on a box of mac and cheese, or in line at a sandwich shop. Maybe you're training for a competition, or just working towards your own personal goal. Are you a creative type who keeps resolving to start that novel, or finish that screenplay?
Everywhere I look I see people with wonderful wonderful goals. One friend wants to learn Portuguese so he can go to Brazil for the world cup. Another wants to save enough money to buy a house. One has aspirations to be a great banjo player. But goals are cheap. They are. It's a beautiful word that belongs somewhere near maybe or could in the dictionary.
I wrote a bit about willpower yesterday. But today I want you to think about what role accountability can play in fortifying your willpower. And when you're done thinking about it, choose one of your goals (preferably one that is attainable in the near-term, say a month or two) and find a way to hold yourself accountable. Make a pledge to someone who will check in on you and monitor your progress.
So what's an hour of power anyway?
...and pulling you're butt off...
...for an hour.
It hurts. It's long. It's boring. BUT...
When you finish you realize you've just rowed 9.5 miles, a solid hour, burned over 1000 calories and you know that you are stronger and healthier than you were before. And what's more, you've built your self-confidence and strengthened your resolve. Next time will be easier and easier still until you'll have to make the workout harder to keep up with your progress.
But for those of you who read this only for the fitness aspect, yes, I realize that I've done two epic cardio workouts in one week. I had to do it to prove to myself that I could. It was mental training. Did I have what it would take to push through a distance. I answered that question. My question for next week is, how much intense pain can I suffer in the short term. In other words, sprints, and things like sprints, and lots of them.
Dailies:
12:17 -> 120 Seems a peculiar number. had 2 Prandin w/cereal 110c. Rowed a POWER HOUR! Had an orange 16c and salad w/quinoa 45c and chicken.
5:37 -> 77 Took a Prandin with chicken, quinoa 40c, indian eggplant 26c, orange 16c. Did Joey. At 9:30 had pb toast 15c, protein shake 5c and fake coffee 8c. At 10:45 had a shot of tequila, beer and Larabar 26c. Took 5 units Lantus at 1:50
2:40 -> 74 Don't feel like taking meds and waiting, so I just had baby zucchini 12c w/ tahini 5c.
Day 65
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Gluten Free Support
Hello GFers,
How was your first day? I still remember mine. It was as if suddenly, by being forbidden to eat gluten it was the only thing I wanted. I swear I would have had pizza for breakfast, pasta for lunch and beer for dinner. What was more desirable than the gluten itself, however, was the thought of breaking the rules.
So I'll offer you this quote to help you on your journey:
"It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not."
- J. Gordon
Are you ready to change?
Dailies:
11:15 -> 77 Wow, lowest morning number I've had in a long time. I think that's a good sign. It's also the most sleep I've had in awhile... correlation? Took 2 Prandin w/cereal 110, orange 16c, blueberries 20c and 1/2 larabar 14c = 160c spread over three hours.
5:09 -> 97 Good number. Took a Prandin with dinner: Chicken and veg 30c, quinoa 30c. Later a Larabar 31c and peanuts 5c.
7:57 -> 141 Good. I was a bit hungry, but I guess I'll wait.
12:21 -> 59 Okay, low. Not crashing low, but slowly lowering because I have a semi-functional pancreas. I didn't worry and just had a low-carb dinner without Prandin: Salad 30c, chicken.
2:45 -> 99 That's a 40 point raise 2.5 hours later with a meal that had lots of protein and some fat (avocado, olive oil) so that number is probably rising slowly. I'll sleep on this number.
Day 64
How was your first day? I still remember mine. It was as if suddenly, by being forbidden to eat gluten it was the only thing I wanted. I swear I would have had pizza for breakfast, pasta for lunch and beer for dinner. What was more desirable than the gluten itself, however, was the thought of breaking the rules.
So I'll offer you this quote to help you on your journey:
"It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not."
- J. Gordon
Are you ready to change?
Dailies:
11:15 -> 77 Wow, lowest morning number I've had in a long time. I think that's a good sign. It's also the most sleep I've had in awhile... correlation? Took 2 Prandin w/cereal 110, orange 16c, blueberries 20c and 1/2 larabar 14c = 160c spread over three hours.
5:09 -> 97 Good number. Took a Prandin with dinner: Chicken and veg 30c, quinoa 30c. Later a Larabar 31c and peanuts 5c.
7:57 -> 141 Good. I was a bit hungry, but I guess I'll wait.
12:21 -> 59 Okay, low. Not crashing low, but slowly lowering because I have a semi-functional pancreas. I didn't worry and just had a low-carb dinner without Prandin: Salad 30c, chicken.
2:45 -> 99 That's a 40 point raise 2.5 hours later with a meal that had lots of protein and some fat (avocado, olive oil) so that number is probably rising slowly. I'll sleep on this number.
Day 64
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The Gluten Free Challenge
It was in Turkey back in September of 2009 that I really understood for the first time the purpose of giving something up for Lent. It does not feel so long ago that I was there, wandering the stalls of the Istanbul spice market, feasting on river fish, fresh figs, walnuts crushed with honey and cheese, sipping their dark and syrupy tea in a glass delicately held between my two fingers. A few days later I was on my own in the small seaside town of Amasrat, where I could sprawl on great sun baked rocks and watch the locals exchange village gossip or sit themselves in the shade of the cliffs. But it wasn't until I went to Bolu, a large but unimportant town in central Turkey that the meaning became clear.
Let me start by explaining that there is nothing in Bolu. It is a very dull place unless you are being hosted, which I suppose I was. He met me at the local park, spotting me easily, a tall blonde man made whiter by the goopy thick sunscreen I bought from the nearest convenient store. I've since forgotten his name but he was a slight man, short, dressed in a short sleeved collard button up one size to big tucked into his khaki shorts which were cinched tightly in an effort to give him the waist his God overlooked. When we met he was tired and irritable, nursing a headache and fatigue, but he put his physical troubles aside and took me to a local favorite spot of his for some food. I ordered two sandwiches and some exotic pastries before it dawned on me that he was a very religious man.
September of 2009 was Ramadan, a time of year when Muslims eat only when the sun is down. If you're thinking, "hey, I could just become nocturnal for the month" then you're just where I was two years ago. But even if you did choose to spend your Ramadan sleeping during the day and dining in the dark, which wouldn't be so fun after a few days, you'd be missing the point. As it was explained to me by my Turkish host, the point is to experience life, if only while the sun is up, as the poor and hungry do. He had been fasting since 5am, no food, no water and it was nearly sun down and still in the mid 80s. To feel, actually feel the hunger and the thirst is to understand better their lives. There is no better foundation for compassion than this shared experience.
That night when the sun finally went down he met with friends around a table sagging under the weight of the food. It was a buffet set for kings and as they filled themselves with all the bounty of the very generous Turkish land I saw them come to life again, enjoying food as you never can when it's always there. They had gained an appreciation for the gift of nourishment.
It's not Ramadan, and I'm not Muslim. But tomorrow is Ash Wednesday which means the beginning of Lent. I don't think I've successfully given something up for Lent in years, or even decades. Partially this was due to laziness (I couldn't think of anything big enough not to feel guilty but small enough not to really change my day to day life), partially this was due to a lack of motivation. I asked myself, "what's the point? Why should I give up chocolate... beer... ice cream? What will that teach me?" But those questions are selfish.
And so I come to my challenge for you.
I challenge you, the readers of this blog to learn what it is to be afflicted by gluten free living, to walk for a month in the footsteps of Celiacs and others with dietary restrictions around the world. Feel the small burden of our daily restrictions and sacrifices and know that no matter how annoying it may get, some day your inconvenience will end, but ours is for life.
I welcome you to share your experiences as comments on this post. What was the hardest thing to give up? What did you crave the most? What new foods did you learn to love? How did you find eating at restaurants? Would you be able to make the switch if you had to? I hope we all grow from the experience.
Dailies:
10:33 -> 116 Higher than I've been in the morning, I blame my late night. Took 2 Prandin w/Breakfast: Cereal 110c, banana 25c. At 1:00 had an orange 20c.
3:10 -> 108 Took 1 Prandin with Lunch: 1/2 rotisserie chicken, plantains 70c, salad 5c. At 5:00 had 1/4 protein bar 6c, peanuts 6c, 1/2 orange 10c and teeccino 7c. At 8:30 had peanuts 7c and 1/2 orange 10c.
10:48 -> 79 Took 2 Prandin with Dinner: Salad w/quinoa 60c, asparagus with onions 30c, bagel 26c, banana 26c, peanut butter 8c = 150c.
1:54 -> 256 Felt high, was high. The bagel was too much which is too bad. It was really really delicious. I'm sure I'll drop into range by tomorrow as the Lantus and Prandin continue to work.
Lessons:
1. Don't overshoot it late at night, it's easier to correct a low at night than a high.
2. If you aren't very active during the day expect your ratio to be smaller than usual. Afer the run I was almost 240c:2 pills. Today 150c:2 pills is too high.
3. If you don't sleep long enough you tend to run a little less efficient which can lead to highs.
As for me, since I'm already gluten free, I'm giving up caffeine.
Day 63
Monday, February 20, 2012
How to Run 8 Miles
Leave your apartment. Start running. Ignore the pain. Don't stop for 8 miles.
That's all it took. Crazy how easy something like that is. The longest I had ever run previously was 6 miles and that was only once and over a year and a half ago. The next longest would have been 5 miles and that was only once and over three years ago. I just decided it was time to run really far, and the park happens to be .6 miles from my house and the park happens to be 3.45 miles around. One lap wasn't enough.
So... I guess I can run 8 miles. Sweet!
Wanna know what else the 8 mile run did for me? It made me need a lot of carbs today. You'll see, but today was a glorious day of eating.
In fact, here's a recipe I've started enjoying pretty regularly as an alternative to my all time favorite dish of brussels sprouts.
2 Heads of Broccoli
1/2 a Cauliflower
5 cloves of garlic
tin of anchovies
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
Cut the Broccoli and Cauliflower into florets, place with the garlic in a greased cast iron skillet and throw in the oven at about 375 for about 30 minutes, maybe longer. With a mortar and pestle crush the anchovies into a paste, add the olive oil to thin it out. When the broccoli is soft enough to cut with a spatula, pour into a mixing bowl with the anchovy mixture, parmesan and red pepper flakes. Mix until everything is evenly distributed. Enjoy.
Dailies
11:22 -> 103 Took 2 Prandin with Breakfast: Cereal 110c, banana 25c, went for an 8 mile run and had gu 25c after the first lap. When I finished running I had an orange 20c, apple 20c, protein shake 18c and blueberries 10c.
3:47 -> 79 Had a pack of snow peas 24c.
7:01 -> 77 Nice! Broccoli and Cauliflower 50c, beans 35c, salsa 12c, avocado 15c, chips 36c, 2 eggs, sorghum beer*, 2 cups teeccino* with soy milk.
3:06 -> 76 Blueberries 20c and Bed.
Day 61
*more on these products later.
That's all it took. Crazy how easy something like that is. The longest I had ever run previously was 6 miles and that was only once and over a year and a half ago. The next longest would have been 5 miles and that was only once and over three years ago. I just decided it was time to run really far, and the park happens to be .6 miles from my house and the park happens to be 3.45 miles around. One lap wasn't enough.
So... I guess I can run 8 miles. Sweet!
Wanna know what else the 8 mile run did for me? It made me need a lot of carbs today. You'll see, but today was a glorious day of eating.
In fact, here's a recipe I've started enjoying pretty regularly as an alternative to my all time favorite dish of brussels sprouts.
Broccoli and Cauliflower
2 Heads of Broccoli
1/2 a Cauliflower
5 cloves of garlic
tin of anchovies
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
Cut the Broccoli and Cauliflower into florets, place with the garlic in a greased cast iron skillet and throw in the oven at about 375 for about 30 minutes, maybe longer. With a mortar and pestle crush the anchovies into a paste, add the olive oil to thin it out. When the broccoli is soft enough to cut with a spatula, pour into a mixing bowl with the anchovy mixture, parmesan and red pepper flakes. Mix until everything is evenly distributed. Enjoy.
Dailies
11:22 -> 103 Took 2 Prandin with Breakfast: Cereal 110c, banana 25c, went for an 8 mile run and had gu 25c after the first lap. When I finished running I had an orange 20c, apple 20c, protein shake 18c and blueberries 10c.
3:47 -> 79 Had a pack of snow peas 24c.
7:01 -> 77 Nice! Broccoli and Cauliflower 50c, beans 35c, salsa 12c, avocado 15c, chips 36c, 2 eggs, sorghum beer*, 2 cups teeccino* with soy milk.
3:06 -> 76 Blueberries 20c and Bed.
Day 61
*more on these products later.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Bareburger: Review
Bareburger, Multiple Locations, http://www.bareburger.com/
With an interior reminiscent of the Splash Mountain ride at DisneyLand and amusement park prices I was a bit skeptical when I first visited Bareburger. Several of my colleagues had recommended it, but they were the types who wore flashy wristwatches and go to driving ranges and own recreational vehicles--affluent adults. Our buxom host greeted us with an accent (serbian) and in classic eastern european style corralled us into one of their booths without ever betraying her desire to be somewhere else. The heavy lacquered mid-section of a tree in front of us matched the paper mache busts of bears and was dressed with condiments befitting a boutique hamburger shop.
The menu has ample selections in all the diner categories: burgers, sandwiches, side dishes, milkshakes, etc. But what sets this place apart is their attention to quality ingredients. All their hamburger beef comes from grass-fed cows, along with their milk and cheeses. Their lamb, bison, elk and wild boar are pasture raised. The chicken, turkey and ostrich are free range. Vegetables are entirely organic. And they offer a gluten free bun option! They care about food and the planet, and it shows.
The first time I went I was steered towards getting the California Burger a clean and hearty sandwich of cheddar, avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion and your choice of meat--my server suggested ostrich. The 6oz patties makes for a manageable sandwich that fills you up without giving you the meat sweats. The burger arrived shortly, cooked rare and stacked high with the bright colors of a California summer bursting from beneath the top bun. It was juicy and fresh tasting, maybe too fresh, I felt robbed a little of the dark savory flavors I associate with a "dirtier" burger. On my next visit I felt similarly about the Canadian Burger with swiss, fried onions, bourbon sauteed mushrooms and two kinds of bacon on an Elk patty. You would think the sandwich would have exploded with the salty smokiness of bacon on the cracklingly sweet onions, with a quick stab of sharpness from the swiss and a lingering muskiness from the bourbon. They were all there, but... underwhelming. I wanted more flavor from the meat, a more careless salting hand perhaps, or a more seasoned grill, but the depth in the meat was lacking. The burger was not bad, but didn't seem worth the $15 price tag. I did better with a lamb patty in the Mediterranean burger, essentially a Bareburger take on a gyro. And the Maui Wowie, a decadent stack of pineapple, bacon, fried onions and smoked mozarella atop a wild boar patty that looked and tasted more like a greasy breakfast sausage was so delicious it made me feel guilty despite being free-range and organic. The Jalepeno Express delivers a welcome punch of spice in a glove of colby jack gooiness. And the Big Blue Bacon is big and stuffed with melting blue cheese and thick cut blackened bacon.
Where their burgers aren't all created equal, their fries are uniformly perfect. Deep fried in peanut oil the fries taste like... "potatoes," remarked a dining companion. Their served with a curried ketchup, chipotle mayo and Bareburger's signature "special sauce." The impressive basket slowly disappearing as I tried and tried again to determine my favorite of the three sauces. In the end i couldn't decide, and to make matters worse ordered a few additional flavors--pesto mayo and chipotle ketchup. I tried a salad once, and it was fine, but I make better salads at home, and besides only a fool would substitute those fries for a salad. One of these days I'll have to try the onion rings as well which are nearly the size of donuts and look individually browned to perfection.
Their milkshakes may be what they do best. I had the pistachio and now I can never have another flavor.
In short, when I saw a Groupon advertised for Bareburger I quickly bought the 3 coupon limit knowing that at 50% off I'm getting at the very least a solid hamburger with delicious sides and drinks made from quality ingredients. At the best, I'm enjoying one of the more unique, balanced and ultimately satisfying versions of this American classic offered anywhere.
$16-25
Dailies:
10:57 -> 104 Took 2 Prandin with cereal 110c. Half hour later had an apple 20c. Half hour later had a tangelo 20c. At 2:00 had toast with peanut butter 14c and 1/2 cup coffee 4c.
4:55 -> 79 Took 1 Prandin with Dinner: Bareburger 35c fries 105c = 140c. Shouldn't have eaten so many fries but they were so dang good!
7:57 -> 250 Well, it's another high pre-show number. I hoped that the fat from the fries would help slow down the sugar rise and keep it in tandem with my insulin production. At least I'm about to do Joey which should help it back down a little.
12:26 -> 56 Wow, so the Prandin must still have been working even so many hours later. Had an apple 20c. Then at 12:45 I had a Prandin with Supper: Salad 25c, broccoli and cauliflower 20c, beans 40c = 105c
3:26 -> 143 A safe number to go to bed.
Day 60
Friday, February 17, 2012
First Family Visit Since Diagnosis
The title says it all. Today my sis arrived from DC, the first family member to see me since my diagnosis. I gotta say that missing the first 8 weeks was probably good in the respect that they never saw me super weak, but also bad in that none of them will ever have quite as specific of a sense of how bad it got. I'm better now, not cured, but under control.
The reunion was sweet. She cried a little, but, she's a crier. I laughed a little, but, I'm a laugher. I showed off my insulin pen, taught her how to use a glucagon pen* and in general threw all my new gadgets and knowledge and excitement about the disease in her face and hoped she would share some of my new forced passion for the subject. She will, in time, but for now in classic fashion she's tired and wants to sleep.
Dailies:
11:32 -> 106 Hooray! Took 2 Prandin with cereal 110c. At noon I had a banana 25c. At 1:00 I had an apple 20c. I rode 18.5 miles with Seth. At 2:30 I had toast 25c, carrots 14c and cucumbers 2c = 41c.
6:15 -> 74 Not a bad number considering the big morning workout and distance from my first pill. Took a Prandin. Dinner: yams with onions 45c, broccoli rabe 12c, 3/4 of a chicken, apple sauce 10c, 2 tangelos 40c = 107c. Felt a little light mid show and had a few bites of chocolate 7c. At 11:30 I took 5 units Lantus and had a gluten-free beer.
12:56 -> 71 Had a salad 25c but didn't take a pill.
2:34 -> 79 Moving in the right direction, and it will continue to move because the olive oil and avocado are slowing down the break down to glucose. But because of the workout and because I'm going to bed I'm going to play it safe - apple 20c.
Nothing quite like family.
* Here is what the Glucagon Kit looks like. It's in a sexy red medical case that I will ALWAYS keep in my diabetic bag. Inside, along with some confusing instructions are the two items you see. The syringe is filled with some sort of saline, something unoffensive to your body, think of it as water. The vial is filled with some sort of powdered broken down sugar (glucagon), think of it as the medicine. If I'm passed out or convulsing or something else frightening like that please administer an injection of Glucagon.
1. Pop off all the caps, the syringe should have just the needle showing. As for the vial pop off the plastic cap, there's probably some sort of porous covering underneath.
2. Stick the syringe into the vial and drain all the fluid so that it's in the vial. Remove the syringe.
3. Swirl (don't shake) the vial until all the powder has dissolved.
4. Draw the now mixed medicine cocktail back into the syringe.
5. Make sure there are no air bubbles in the syringe.
6. Find muscle tissue on me (I assumed this was a no brainer but then my sister pointed to the spot on my arm
between tricep and bicep right where the bone was and said "there?") preferably in the meat of the shoulder, meat of the butt or meat of the thigh.
7. Wait a few minutes for it to work.
8. If it doesn't work call 911.
Day 59
The reunion was sweet. She cried a little, but, she's a crier. I laughed a little, but, I'm a laugher. I showed off my insulin pen, taught her how to use a glucagon pen* and in general threw all my new gadgets and knowledge and excitement about the disease in her face and hoped she would share some of my new forced passion for the subject. She will, in time, but for now in classic fashion she's tired and wants to sleep.
Dailies:
11:32 -> 106 Hooray! Took 2 Prandin with cereal 110c. At noon I had a banana 25c. At 1:00 I had an apple 20c. I rode 18.5 miles with Seth. At 2:30 I had toast 25c, carrots 14c and cucumbers 2c = 41c.
6:15 -> 74 Not a bad number considering the big morning workout and distance from my first pill. Took a Prandin. Dinner: yams with onions 45c, broccoli rabe 12c, 3/4 of a chicken, apple sauce 10c, 2 tangelos 40c = 107c. Felt a little light mid show and had a few bites of chocolate 7c. At 11:30 I took 5 units Lantus and had a gluten-free beer.
12:56 -> 71 Had a salad 25c but didn't take a pill.
2:34 -> 79 Moving in the right direction, and it will continue to move because the olive oil and avocado are slowing down the break down to glucose. But because of the workout and because I'm going to bed I'm going to play it safe - apple 20c.
Nothing quite like family.
* Here is what the Glucagon Kit looks like. It's in a sexy red medical case that I will ALWAYS keep in my diabetic bag. Inside, along with some confusing instructions are the two items you see. The syringe is filled with some sort of saline, something unoffensive to your body, think of it as water. The vial is filled with some sort of powdered broken down sugar (glucagon), think of it as the medicine. If I'm passed out or convulsing or something else frightening like that please administer an injection of Glucagon.1. Pop off all the caps, the syringe should have just the needle showing. As for the vial pop off the plastic cap, there's probably some sort of porous covering underneath.
2. Stick the syringe into the vial and drain all the fluid so that it's in the vial. Remove the syringe.
3. Swirl (don't shake) the vial until all the powder has dissolved.
4. Draw the now mixed medicine cocktail back into the syringe.
5. Make sure there are no air bubbles in the syringe.
6. Find muscle tissue on me (I assumed this was a no brainer but then my sister pointed to the spot on my arm
between tricep and bicep right where the bone was and said "there?") preferably in the meat of the shoulder, meat of the butt or meat of the thigh.
7. Wait a few minutes for it to work.
8. If it doesn't work call 911.
Day 59
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Reading Labels for Dibetic and Gluten Free Living
Well don't I feel like a fool. I made one of the classic schoolboy errors. Here I am, a guy who grew up reading labels, searching for key words like sugar and high fructose corn syrup and monosodium glutamate and other various additives that aren't good for you my whole life. Since my diagnosis I've gotten even more anal, checking for any glutinous ingredients or any of the manifestations of refined sugar. And I've gotten good, really good. I eat more and more macrobiotic foods, whole plants, unprocessed meats, fresh fruits and unrefined grains. But despite my obsessiveness mistakes happen. Here's an example from yesterday which may explain why my post breakfast numbers have been a bit higher than I'd like.
As one of the components of my breakfast "cereal" I include 3/4 cup of yogurt - organic, nonfat, unsweetened yogurt. I go through it pretty quickly and so I'm always back at the store buying more. Trader Joe's has a few good choices, so does Whole Foods. Both of these stores however get crowded, especially at peak hours. And when I only have 15 minutes to grab what I need, sneak through the line and bolt back to work I rush, and get sloppy and make mistakes. When reaching between an asian couple with a child (in stroller) a man restocking shelves, and an indecisive middle-aged tree-hugging type for yogurt I grabbed what looked like the last of the nonfat yogurts.
Over the next few days I made my cereal concoction as usual, guessed it to be about 110 carbohydrates, ignored my taste buds complaints at how uncharacteristically saccharine it was, and then was surprised at post-breakfast highs. When am I ever above 180 after breakfast? Why don't two pills knock out the carbs from a breakfast of cereal and fresh fruit? What the devil is going on?
I had had it with all these inconsistencies and so this morning went back to the drawing board measuring all my portions and checking it against the food labels. Everything was lining up as it usually did and I was at 100carbohydrates with only yogurt left. Unsweetened plain yogurt should have popped me up to about 110, but the stuff I was shoveling into my mouth was 30 carbohydrates! I was 20c higher than i should have been. I had compromised my health for the sake of saving a few seconds. That explains all the wacky numbers. Luckily the fix is quite simple, use less yogurt until it's done and then go back to what you usually buy.
Later in the day (after I had come up with the idea for this post) I invited a friend of mine out to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. The conversation got serious before we managed to order so I quickly browsed the menu, ordered the enchiladas, haphazardly looked up the carbohydrate content, guestimated the total and threw down a few pills. Once again my health had taken a back seat, this time to save a heartfelt conversation from interruptions. As I was about to finish my meal something began nagging me, so I went back to the carb counter book, added them up again and got a higher number, so high in fact that I decided to take a third pill (that still only totals 1.5mg, max dosage per meal is 4mg so don't freak out about the quantity). But now I was left in a strange situation, I had taken two pills a minute before eating, and then a third pill with only a few minutes left of eating. And what's worse is the book's estimate of the carbohydrate value of enchiladas seemed wrong. After all, they're little more than a tortilla wrapped around chicken with a little sauce. How could that be 49c? I added up the components and got closer to 25. Which put me way under, and since I was still hungry anyway I had a piece of peanut butter covered toast. Now I was one big mess, pills dissolving at different rates, food breaking down at different rates, my Pancreas getting the green light, followed by a second green light. And I was doing Joey tonight!
(this is me unhappy about doing Joey when my body's raging a war inside!)
If you're not used to reading labels as a diabetic or celiac it's time you started. Counting carbs is an art not a science but a good degree of practice is required before you get comfortable. Sometimes the book is wrong. It's your body, use your own judgment. The same goes for recognizing gluten and derivatives of gluten in products. If you're not sure, why risk it. Similarly with diabetes and carbs if I'm not sure I round the carbs up. Better (in my opinion) to start to descend a bit earlier than usual and correct with an extra snack then end up in the stratosphere having to decide whether to take a prandin or shot of insulin on top of what you've already had.
Dailies:
11:00 -> 126 Good enough, wish it was a tad lower though. Took 2 Prandin with cereal (actually 110c) a banana 25c, and apple 20c = 155c. At 3:00 I had a piece of bread with peanut butter 17c.
5:21 ->84 Dinner. Took 2 Prandin with enchiladas 40c, beans 40c, rice 70c, chips with salsa 40c = 190c. But, the carb counter book mislabeled enchiladas as 49 each so I took a third Prandin on mis-information, figured out my mistake later and had an additional piece of bread w/pb 19c. Total carbs 209c with 3 Prandin (1.5mg)
8:17 -> 231 High. Damn it. Probably because my meal was so carb heavy and I didn't give myself anytime to digest the Prandin before I started eating. Performed in Joey and drank a lot of water.
11:00 -> 128 Well either the Prandin is still working or Joey really uses a lot of glucose. Took 5 units of Lantus. Went bowling. First game 115, second game 124. End of year goal 180.
2:20 -> 58 What the hell?? Is the Prandin still working? I mean, I took it 6 hours ago! Unless the Lantus just decided to work really quickly. How can I possibly regulate a medication that takes up to 6 hours to fully work but not at a constant speed at all. Ugh! At least I felt able to eat an apple without worrying about a spike 20c.
2:58 -> 89 Well, finally I catch a break with a decent number. Chances are my blood sugar's on the rise, but how high can an apple put it? Just to be safe I'll also have a bunch of snow peas 12c. And some herring 0c.
These numbers do not a happy GI Jon make. Especially because I was hungry most of the day. I was hungry after breakfast despite eating 155c, and hungry after dinner despite eating 209c. And I'm tired of feeling like I ALWAYS have to load up on protein now! I mean, I eat a lot of vegetables, maybe not today, but in general. I need to be eating probably in the range of 150 carbs per meal, and yet the annoyingly slow rate that Prandin metabolizes my sugar means that that many carbs will probably create a sine curve - first high, then low. The only way i can think to avoid that would be to eat medium sized meals followed by snacks similar to what I did this morning. I would hate to see what a continuous glucose monitor would say about me.
Mamma said they'll be days like this!
Tomorrow, despite rehearsal and a show in horse I'm going to workout. With temperatures projected in the mid-high 40s, I gotta take my bike out for a ride!! :)
Day 58
As one of the components of my breakfast "cereal" I include 3/4 cup of yogurt - organic, nonfat, unsweetened yogurt. I go through it pretty quickly and so I'm always back at the store buying more. Trader Joe's has a few good choices, so does Whole Foods. Both of these stores however get crowded, especially at peak hours. And when I only have 15 minutes to grab what I need, sneak through the line and bolt back to work I rush, and get sloppy and make mistakes. When reaching between an asian couple with a child (in stroller) a man restocking shelves, and an indecisive middle-aged tree-hugging type for yogurt I grabbed what looked like the last of the nonfat yogurts.
Over the next few days I made my cereal concoction as usual, guessed it to be about 110 carbohydrates, ignored my taste buds complaints at how uncharacteristically saccharine it was, and then was surprised at post-breakfast highs. When am I ever above 180 after breakfast? Why don't two pills knock out the carbs from a breakfast of cereal and fresh fruit? What the devil is going on?
I had had it with all these inconsistencies and so this morning went back to the drawing board measuring all my portions and checking it against the food labels. Everything was lining up as it usually did and I was at 100carbohydrates with only yogurt left. Unsweetened plain yogurt should have popped me up to about 110, but the stuff I was shoveling into my mouth was 30 carbohydrates! I was 20c higher than i should have been. I had compromised my health for the sake of saving a few seconds. That explains all the wacky numbers. Luckily the fix is quite simple, use less yogurt until it's done and then go back to what you usually buy.
Later in the day (after I had come up with the idea for this post) I invited a friend of mine out to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. The conversation got serious before we managed to order so I quickly browsed the menu, ordered the enchiladas, haphazardly looked up the carbohydrate content, guestimated the total and threw down a few pills. Once again my health had taken a back seat, this time to save a heartfelt conversation from interruptions. As I was about to finish my meal something began nagging me, so I went back to the carb counter book, added them up again and got a higher number, so high in fact that I decided to take a third pill (that still only totals 1.5mg, max dosage per meal is 4mg so don't freak out about the quantity). But now I was left in a strange situation, I had taken two pills a minute before eating, and then a third pill with only a few minutes left of eating. And what's worse is the book's estimate of the carbohydrate value of enchiladas seemed wrong. After all, they're little more than a tortilla wrapped around chicken with a little sauce. How could that be 49c? I added up the components and got closer to 25. Which put me way under, and since I was still hungry anyway I had a piece of peanut butter covered toast. Now I was one big mess, pills dissolving at different rates, food breaking down at different rates, my Pancreas getting the green light, followed by a second green light. And I was doing Joey tonight!
(this is me unhappy about doing Joey when my body's raging a war inside!)If you're not used to reading labels as a diabetic or celiac it's time you started. Counting carbs is an art not a science but a good degree of practice is required before you get comfortable. Sometimes the book is wrong. It's your body, use your own judgment. The same goes for recognizing gluten and derivatives of gluten in products. If you're not sure, why risk it. Similarly with diabetes and carbs if I'm not sure I round the carbs up. Better (in my opinion) to start to descend a bit earlier than usual and correct with an extra snack then end up in the stratosphere having to decide whether to take a prandin or shot of insulin on top of what you've already had.
Dailies:
11:00 -> 126 Good enough, wish it was a tad lower though. Took 2 Prandin with cereal (actually 110c) a banana 25c, and apple 20c = 155c. At 3:00 I had a piece of bread with peanut butter 17c.
5:21 ->84 Dinner. Took 2 Prandin with enchiladas 40c, beans 40c, rice 70c, chips with salsa 40c = 190c. But, the carb counter book mislabeled enchiladas as 49 each so I took a third Prandin on mis-information, figured out my mistake later and had an additional piece of bread w/pb 19c. Total carbs 209c with 3 Prandin (1.5mg)
8:17 -> 231 High. Damn it. Probably because my meal was so carb heavy and I didn't give myself anytime to digest the Prandin before I started eating. Performed in Joey and drank a lot of water.
11:00 -> 128 Well either the Prandin is still working or Joey really uses a lot of glucose. Took 5 units of Lantus. Went bowling. First game 115, second game 124. End of year goal 180.
2:20 -> 58 What the hell?? Is the Prandin still working? I mean, I took it 6 hours ago! Unless the Lantus just decided to work really quickly. How can I possibly regulate a medication that takes up to 6 hours to fully work but not at a constant speed at all. Ugh! At least I felt able to eat an apple without worrying about a spike 20c.
2:58 -> 89 Well, finally I catch a break with a decent number. Chances are my blood sugar's on the rise, but how high can an apple put it? Just to be safe I'll also have a bunch of snow peas 12c. And some herring 0c.
These numbers do not a happy GI Jon make. Especially because I was hungry most of the day. I was hungry after breakfast despite eating 155c, and hungry after dinner despite eating 209c. And I'm tired of feeling like I ALWAYS have to load up on protein now! I mean, I eat a lot of vegetables, maybe not today, but in general. I need to be eating probably in the range of 150 carbs per meal, and yet the annoyingly slow rate that Prandin metabolizes my sugar means that that many carbs will probably create a sine curve - first high, then low. The only way i can think to avoid that would be to eat medium sized meals followed by snacks similar to what I did this morning. I would hate to see what a continuous glucose monitor would say about me.
Mamma said they'll be days like this!
Tomorrow, despite rehearsal and a show in horse I'm going to workout. With temperatures projected in the mid-high 40s, I gotta take my bike out for a ride!! :)
Day 58
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Long Term Complications of Diabetes
Since I switched from thrice daily injections of Bolus insulin in the form of a Novolog pen to .5 mg doses of Prandin I have lost a degree of blood glucose control. For almost two weeks leading up to the switch I had managed to keep my blood glucose under 200 with few lows. It seemed that my average number would have been somewhere in the high 120s to the low 140s. The rules of the game had been set, and I had been able to take down enough data to conclude with precision how many units of insulin would offset a number of carbohydrates. If my pre-meal check was a little high or a little low I could modify the number of carbohydrates to end up where I wanted to a few hours later. The insulin reacted immediately, and if I injected properly and into a good site on my body the results were predictable. But that was synthetic insulin, bio-engineered in a factory somewhere, it was not mine.
Prandin is a pharmaceutical that activates the production of insulin by your pancreas and comes in different strengths from .5 to 4 mg per meal. I was started at .5 mg because of my active lifestyle and regular hypoglycemic spells. After the first pill it was clear that my body was responding positively to the drug since my blood sugar stayed level despite an intake of over 100 carbohydrates. However as the days progressed it became clear that Prandin did not work as mathematically as synthetic insulin. One day a pill metabolized 110 carbohydrates and left me stable, another time two pills were insufficient to metabolize 180 carbs and left me 100 points higher than I began. Another shortfall is the rate at which it stabilizes your blood glucose. With synthetic insulin I knew it would activate within 15 minutes and lose the majority of its potency in three hours. With Prandin it seems that the affects can be seen several hours later, and often don't effect blood sugar levels until almost an hour after being consumed.
The bottom line is that with Prandin I have lost confidence in my ability to adequately regulate my blood glucose levels and I wonder if the advantages gained by taking a drug that encourages your own insulin productions are favorable to taking synthetic insulin that offers you a stricter degree of control. Common sense may forgo sticking bits of metal into your skin and injecting something foreign if you can avoid it, especially if the thing your injecting can be produced naturally. However, common sense probably knows little of the A1C tests administered quarterly to well-monitored diabetics.
The A1C measures your average blood glucose over the past 90 days in the form of a percentage. This percentage roughly corresponds to the kind of numbers we're used to seeing on a glucometer. Here are some numbers presented by About.com:
A1c (%) to eAG (mg/dl)
6.0% = 126 mg/dl
6.5% = 140 mg/dl
7.0% = 154 mg/dl
7.5% = 169 mg/dl
8.0% = 183 mg/dl
8.5% = 197 mg/dl
9.0% = 212 mg/dl
9.5% = 226 mg/dl
10.0% = 240 mg/dl
Notice the pattern? For every half percent the eAG goes up 14 points (15 for every third). When I was diagnosed I had a A1C of a little over 13% and so following the pattern I extended the chart.
10.5% = 255 mg/dl
11.0% = 269 mg/dl
11.5% = 283 mg/dl
12.0% = 298 mg/dl
12.5% = 312 mg/dl
13.0% = 326 mg/dl
Three hundred and twenty six miligrams per decaliter! Holy hell! I was in some serious trouble. Why? Because A1C is one of the best indicators available to show your predisposition towards diabetes related complications. Wanna live with diabetes for 100 years and die of old age at home in your sleep? Keep your A1C under 6%. Wanna slowly watch your health deteriorate until you're on your deathbed at 40? Let your A1C live in the 9s and above. I'm not being hyperbolic. Look at the following chart taken from the Bayer website:
Let me translate. As your A1C grows incrementally your chance of developing diabetes related complication increases exponentially! And if you're not worried about contracting some disease with a long Greek name let me break it down.
Retinopathy is damage to the retina which can lead to blindness (and you'd better believe it will if you don't get it under control). "Almost everyone who has had diabetes for more than 30 years will show signs of diabetic retinopathy"
Nephropathy is damage to your kidneys which is usually not reversible and instead leads to dialysis, a procedure that is considered a temporary solution until a kidney transplant is available. "Diabetic kidney disease is a major cause of sickness and death in people with diabetes."
Neuropathy is damage to the nerves which can lead to a whole host of bigger problems from amputations to heart attack. "About half of people with diabetes will develop nerve damage."
Can you see now why it's so important to keep your A1C in check? Keep it under 6, live forever. Keep in under 7, live a long healthy life. Over 7? I don't want to find out.
Dailies:
11:10 -> 133 Alright, this number isn't so bad, but after the lowest post dinner number I'd yet had on Prandin last night I was hoping for lower. I took 2 Prandin with cereal 110c, banana 25c, and a piece of toast 25c = 160c.
1:52 -> 196 That seems unjustifiably high. Should I have taken 3 Prandin? Would it have helped? Three hours since taking the pills I should have leveled off a bit more than that.
5:37 -> 80 Wow, finally a good number, but what explains the drop from before. Could my Lantus have caused the drop, or simply a late reacting Prandin? Took 1 pill with Dinner: wild boar burger 35c and fries (7oz) 80c = 115c.
11:58 -> 113 Alright, that's another pretty good number. Took 5 units of Lantus and one Prandin with Supper: Salad w/avocado 32c, snow peas 12c, carrots 14c, celery 12c, peanut butter 6c, tahini 6c = 82c.
2:44 -> 172 Again, I seem to be higher than I should be at night.
Thoughts: All in all the numbers weren't too bad. I stayed below 200 (just) and my lowest was 80 which is a perfect number. Oddly enough an 80:1 ratio didn't seem to work for breakfast or supper but was more than enough for dinner... or was it? Does Prandin just work slower than synthetic insulin? A good indicator will be my number tomorrow because I had a relatively low fat supper so most of the sugars should have already been released. If Prandin works slowly I'd expect my number tomorrow morning to be low.
Tomorrow I think I'll also call the doctor and see if there are any adverse side affects to taking multiple pills of Prandin per meal because, to be perfectly frank, I often am hungrier than is reflected by my meals. I can't always stick to 80 carb dinners and have been known to eat upwards of 250 carbs at dinner. How many mg of Prandin would it take to offset that?
Day 57
Prandin is a pharmaceutical that activates the production of insulin by your pancreas and comes in different strengths from .5 to 4 mg per meal. I was started at .5 mg because of my active lifestyle and regular hypoglycemic spells. After the first pill it was clear that my body was responding positively to the drug since my blood sugar stayed level despite an intake of over 100 carbohydrates. However as the days progressed it became clear that Prandin did not work as mathematically as synthetic insulin. One day a pill metabolized 110 carbohydrates and left me stable, another time two pills were insufficient to metabolize 180 carbs and left me 100 points higher than I began. Another shortfall is the rate at which it stabilizes your blood glucose. With synthetic insulin I knew it would activate within 15 minutes and lose the majority of its potency in three hours. With Prandin it seems that the affects can be seen several hours later, and often don't effect blood sugar levels until almost an hour after being consumed.
The bottom line is that with Prandin I have lost confidence in my ability to adequately regulate my blood glucose levels and I wonder if the advantages gained by taking a drug that encourages your own insulin productions are favorable to taking synthetic insulin that offers you a stricter degree of control. Common sense may forgo sticking bits of metal into your skin and injecting something foreign if you can avoid it, especially if the thing your injecting can be produced naturally. However, common sense probably knows little of the A1C tests administered quarterly to well-monitored diabetics.
The A1C measures your average blood glucose over the past 90 days in the form of a percentage. This percentage roughly corresponds to the kind of numbers we're used to seeing on a glucometer. Here are some numbers presented by About.com:
A1c (%) to eAG (mg/dl)
6.0% = 126 mg/dl
6.5% = 140 mg/dl
7.0% = 154 mg/dl
7.5% = 169 mg/dl
8.0% = 183 mg/dl
8.5% = 197 mg/dl
9.0% = 212 mg/dl
9.5% = 226 mg/dl
10.0% = 240 mg/dl
Notice the pattern? For every half percent the eAG goes up 14 points (15 for every third). When I was diagnosed I had a A1C of a little over 13% and so following the pattern I extended the chart.
10.5% = 255 mg/dl
11.0% = 269 mg/dl
11.5% = 283 mg/dl
12.0% = 298 mg/dl
12.5% = 312 mg/dl
13.0% = 326 mg/dl
Three hundred and twenty six miligrams per decaliter! Holy hell! I was in some serious trouble. Why? Because A1C is one of the best indicators available to show your predisposition towards diabetes related complications. Wanna live with diabetes for 100 years and die of old age at home in your sleep? Keep your A1C under 6%. Wanna slowly watch your health deteriorate until you're on your deathbed at 40? Let your A1C live in the 9s and above. I'm not being hyperbolic. Look at the following chart taken from the Bayer website:
Let me translate. As your A1C grows incrementally your chance of developing diabetes related complication increases exponentially! And if you're not worried about contracting some disease with a long Greek name let me break it down.
Retinopathy is damage to the retina which can lead to blindness (and you'd better believe it will if you don't get it under control). "Almost everyone who has had diabetes for more than 30 years will show signs of diabetic retinopathy"
Nephropathy is damage to your kidneys which is usually not reversible and instead leads to dialysis, a procedure that is considered a temporary solution until a kidney transplant is available. "Diabetic kidney disease is a major cause of sickness and death in people with diabetes."
Neuropathy is damage to the nerves which can lead to a whole host of bigger problems from amputations to heart attack. "About half of people with diabetes will develop nerve damage."
Can you see now why it's so important to keep your A1C in check? Keep it under 6, live forever. Keep in under 7, live a long healthy life. Over 7? I don't want to find out.
Dailies:
11:10 -> 133 Alright, this number isn't so bad, but after the lowest post dinner number I'd yet had on Prandin last night I was hoping for lower. I took 2 Prandin with cereal 110c, banana 25c, and a piece of toast 25c = 160c.
1:52 -> 196 That seems unjustifiably high. Should I have taken 3 Prandin? Would it have helped? Three hours since taking the pills I should have leveled off a bit more than that.
5:37 -> 80 Wow, finally a good number, but what explains the drop from before. Could my Lantus have caused the drop, or simply a late reacting Prandin? Took 1 pill with Dinner: wild boar burger 35c and fries (7oz) 80c = 115c.
11:58 -> 113 Alright, that's another pretty good number. Took 5 units of Lantus and one Prandin with Supper: Salad w/avocado 32c, snow peas 12c, carrots 14c, celery 12c, peanut butter 6c, tahini 6c = 82c.
2:44 -> 172 Again, I seem to be higher than I should be at night.
Thoughts: All in all the numbers weren't too bad. I stayed below 200 (just) and my lowest was 80 which is a perfect number. Oddly enough an 80:1 ratio didn't seem to work for breakfast or supper but was more than enough for dinner... or was it? Does Prandin just work slower than synthetic insulin? A good indicator will be my number tomorrow because I had a relatively low fat supper so most of the sugars should have already been released. If Prandin works slowly I'd expect my number tomorrow morning to be low.
Tomorrow I think I'll also call the doctor and see if there are any adverse side affects to taking multiple pills of Prandin per meal because, to be perfectly frank, I often am hungrier than is reflected by my meals. I can't always stick to 80 carb dinners and have been known to eat upwards of 250 carbs at dinner. How many mg of Prandin would it take to offset that?
Day 57
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Diabetic Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine's Day!!!
I've never really had a particularly great Valentine's day. Never had somebody to buy flowers for, or to take out to dinner, or to sit next to on a park bench, or to gaze longingly at. And I haven't really minded that. So to say today was my best Valentine's day ever may actually be true, but don't get too excited.
Here's what happened!
I woke up!! Always a good start to the day. The sun was shining and I was feeling well rested despite a persistent post-nasal drip. Suddenly I had a bolus of inspiration and decided to do something I had been meaning to do for awhile. I went to Yoga. Twenty women and me... THAT's how to spend Valentine's day. I grunted and sweat and trembled for the next hour and fifty minutes and by the time it was over I was weak in the knees. Note to self: do that again, fortnightly if possible. From there I had some food, read a bit, took a walk around the neighborhood and did some errands.
Then while at work I got the most lovely and unexpected Valentine's day message from a girl far far away. It has made me feel truly loved. It has also made me question whether the advent of globalization is a good thing or not. It's nice to know where all the pretty girls live... except when they live thousands of miles away. Maybe some day I'll Good Will Hunting it, until then, I'll be here philosophizing what love is while working out, counting carbs, and injecting insulin.
Dailies:
11:06 -> 100 Had 1 Prandin and 15 minutes later had Cereal 110c and Vitamin D. Did almost two hours of yoga.
3:08 -> 149 Hmm... I wish that wasn't quite so high. Lunch: Eggs and soy chorizo 16c, rice and salsa 91c, beans 33c chips 20c = 160c. Had 2 Prandin and ate 15 minutes later.
6:19 -> 132 Pre-show number. Checked because I wanted to see if my new ratio for two pills worked. It did, dropping me ever so slightly. Took the rest of my vitamins with some peanuts 4c and chicken 1c.
12:19 -> 84 Nice! Love pre-meal 80s!! Supper: Salad w/avocado 30c, brussels sprouts and cauliflower 18c, mung beans w/ mustard greens 48c = 96c. Had 1 Prandin and took 5 units of Lantus. Starting in the 80s and using a lower pill to carb ratio than usual. Will I avoid my bedtime spike??
2:55 -> 177 Well... it's still a spike, but it's under 180 so I'll consider that a victory. And since this is a full 2.5 hours after I took the pill and started eating I'm pretty sure I'm not going any higher. For whatever reason (circadian hormone activity?) I always seem to go high at night. Maybe it's just that the previous day's Lantus has already worn off and the new day's Lantus hasn't begun to work yet. At any rate, considering two days ago I went to sleep at 380 and woke at 114, and yesterday i went to sleep at 218 and woke at 100, since I'm going to sleep tonight at 177 what will my morning number be? Fingers crossed for 80s.
So here's a Valentine's Day present to all of you!
Day 56
I've never really had a particularly great Valentine's day. Never had somebody to buy flowers for, or to take out to dinner, or to sit next to on a park bench, or to gaze longingly at. And I haven't really minded that. So to say today was my best Valentine's day ever may actually be true, but don't get too excited.
Here's what happened!
I woke up!! Always a good start to the day. The sun was shining and I was feeling well rested despite a persistent post-nasal drip. Suddenly I had a bolus of inspiration and decided to do something I had been meaning to do for awhile. I went to Yoga. Twenty women and me... THAT's how to spend Valentine's day. I grunted and sweat and trembled for the next hour and fifty minutes and by the time it was over I was weak in the knees. Note to self: do that again, fortnightly if possible. From there I had some food, read a bit, took a walk around the neighborhood and did some errands.
Then while at work I got the most lovely and unexpected Valentine's day message from a girl far far away. It has made me feel truly loved. It has also made me question whether the advent of globalization is a good thing or not. It's nice to know where all the pretty girls live... except when they live thousands of miles away. Maybe some day I'll Good Will Hunting it, until then, I'll be here philosophizing what love is while working out, counting carbs, and injecting insulin.
Dailies:
11:06 -> 100 Had 1 Prandin and 15 minutes later had Cereal 110c and Vitamin D. Did almost two hours of yoga.
3:08 -> 149 Hmm... I wish that wasn't quite so high. Lunch: Eggs and soy chorizo 16c, rice and salsa 91c, beans 33c chips 20c = 160c. Had 2 Prandin and ate 15 minutes later.
6:19 -> 132 Pre-show number. Checked because I wanted to see if my new ratio for two pills worked. It did, dropping me ever so slightly. Took the rest of my vitamins with some peanuts 4c and chicken 1c.
12:19 -> 84 Nice! Love pre-meal 80s!! Supper: Salad w/avocado 30c, brussels sprouts and cauliflower 18c, mung beans w/ mustard greens 48c = 96c. Had 1 Prandin and took 5 units of Lantus. Starting in the 80s and using a lower pill to carb ratio than usual. Will I avoid my bedtime spike??
2:55 -> 177 Well... it's still a spike, but it's under 180 so I'll consider that a victory. And since this is a full 2.5 hours after I took the pill and started eating I'm pretty sure I'm not going any higher. For whatever reason (circadian hormone activity?) I always seem to go high at night. Maybe it's just that the previous day's Lantus has already worn off and the new day's Lantus hasn't begun to work yet. At any rate, considering two days ago I went to sleep at 380 and woke at 114, and yesterday i went to sleep at 218 and woke at 100, since I'm going to sleep tonight at 177 what will my morning number be? Fingers crossed for 80s.
So here's a Valentine's Day present to all of you!
Day 56
Monday, February 13, 2012
Learning about Prandin
Day two on the pill. After finally allowing myself to sleep I lay down and only woke a few times during the night because of sweating (it wasn't that warm) and stuffy nose (argh!). Without a doubt I'm fighting a little cold of some sort but I won't let it get me down.
Despite feeling congested I found the resolve to go outside and workout. I ran about 3 miles total and did a bunch of stairs and other exercises with Seth. If any diabetics (or anybody else for that matter) want to know exactly what I do for workouts message me at the bottom. If I get enough requests I'll make a post about it.
After working out I called my endocrinologist Dr. Susan Thys-Jones. I told her about the previous morning and afternoon. Naturally she got quite excited. After all I had several tests in the 70s pre-meal and all under 200 after meal... until the night. I then explained how my sugar level then went absolutely CRAZY!!! She agreed with me that those were crazy numbers. I told her my hypotheses: the carbs at dinner were too simple, I was feeling sick, I had the pill with dinner. She countered with a few ideas of her own.
Dr. Thys-Jones' advice for my new Prandin therapy:
1. Start counting carbs again. Your first two meals were about 120c and your last meal was closer to 190. Based on this information she'd like me to try to take one pill for that 120c range, and another pill if I'm in that higher range. She didn't give specific numbers, but I'm going to start experimenting and see how it goes.
2. Try to change your circadian rhythm to more closely align with the sun. In other words I go eat too late and go to bed too late and then wake up too late. Your hormones are most active in the early morning and least active late at night. She thinks I may be able to improve my late night numbers by eating earlier when my own hormones are more active. This will be a hard problem to solve, but perhaps I can modify my habits a little. I could try making my meals ahead of time, but I'd still be eating around or past midnight. The other option would be to decrease my night time carb:Prandin ratio. Maybe try 90:1 or 70:1 instead of the successful morning ratio of 110:1.
3. Take basal insulin at the same time every day, ideally between 11 and 12 at night.
So, her advice plus my observations and hopefully I'll start to learn the rules of this new game. And I was just starting to get the hang of bolus insulin injections. Oh well, gotta keep it exciting.
The Dailies:
11:53 -> 114 Wow, so after my crazy out of control high night, I woke up with a sweet number...sweeeet! Cereal 110c. Three mile run w/stair training and circuits w/Seth. 1/2 Larabar 13c.
4:41 -> 127 Good! At 5:16 I took Prandin, then at 5:30 I had Dinner: salad 18c + brussels sprouts 18c + yams 50c + shrimp 4c + orange 20c + chips with tahini 10c = 120c.
7:40 -> 114 A little more than two hours later and I'm at a sweet number again. Awesome!
10:33 -> 121 Rising a little, probably the previous day's Lantus has worn off. Took 2 Prandin at 10:35 with Dinner: rice 70c + salsa 21c + mung beans 41c + miso 2c + kale 5c + asparagus 14c + chips 30c = 183c. Ate at 10:49. Took 5 units Lantus at 12:20.
1:01 -> 218 Bad news is that I'm HIGH again. The good news is that compared to the same situation yesterday (2:20 after dinner last night I was at 380) I'm 160 points lower.
So what will I do differently tomorrow? For starters I'm not planning a crazy workout, just something light (yoga? finally?) so I'll probably aim for a lower ratio in the morning, or for that matter, maybe I'll try using lower ratios all day.
Day 55
Despite feeling congested I found the resolve to go outside and workout. I ran about 3 miles total and did a bunch of stairs and other exercises with Seth. If any diabetics (or anybody else for that matter) want to know exactly what I do for workouts message me at the bottom. If I get enough requests I'll make a post about it.
After working out I called my endocrinologist Dr. Susan Thys-Jones. I told her about the previous morning and afternoon. Naturally she got quite excited. After all I had several tests in the 70s pre-meal and all under 200 after meal... until the night. I then explained how my sugar level then went absolutely CRAZY!!! She agreed with me that those were crazy numbers. I told her my hypotheses: the carbs at dinner were too simple, I was feeling sick, I had the pill with dinner. She countered with a few ideas of her own.
Dr. Thys-Jones' advice for my new Prandin therapy:
1. Start counting carbs again. Your first two meals were about 120c and your last meal was closer to 190. Based on this information she'd like me to try to take one pill for that 120c range, and another pill if I'm in that higher range. She didn't give specific numbers, but I'm going to start experimenting and see how it goes.
2. Try to change your circadian rhythm to more closely align with the sun. In other words I go eat too late and go to bed too late and then wake up too late. Your hormones are most active in the early morning and least active late at night. She thinks I may be able to improve my late night numbers by eating earlier when my own hormones are more active. This will be a hard problem to solve, but perhaps I can modify my habits a little. I could try making my meals ahead of time, but I'd still be eating around or past midnight. The other option would be to decrease my night time carb:Prandin ratio. Maybe try 90:1 or 70:1 instead of the successful morning ratio of 110:1.
3. Take basal insulin at the same time every day, ideally between 11 and 12 at night.
So, her advice plus my observations and hopefully I'll start to learn the rules of this new game. And I was just starting to get the hang of bolus insulin injections. Oh well, gotta keep it exciting.
The Dailies:
11:53 -> 114 Wow, so after my crazy out of control high night, I woke up with a sweet number...sweeeet! Cereal 110c. Three mile run w/stair training and circuits w/Seth. 1/2 Larabar 13c.
4:41 -> 127 Good! At 5:16 I took Prandin, then at 5:30 I had Dinner: salad 18c + brussels sprouts 18c + yams 50c + shrimp 4c + orange 20c + chips with tahini 10c = 120c.
7:40 -> 114 A little more than two hours later and I'm at a sweet number again. Awesome!
10:33 -> 121 Rising a little, probably the previous day's Lantus has worn off. Took 2 Prandin at 10:35 with Dinner: rice 70c + salsa 21c + mung beans 41c + miso 2c + kale 5c + asparagus 14c + chips 30c = 183c. Ate at 10:49. Took 5 units Lantus at 12:20.
1:01 -> 218 Bad news is that I'm HIGH again. The good news is that compared to the same situation yesterday (2:20 after dinner last night I was at 380) I'm 160 points lower.
So what will I do differently tomorrow? For starters I'm not planning a crazy workout, just something light (yoga? finally?) so I'll probably aim for a lower ratio in the morning, or for that matter, maybe I'll try using lower ratios all day.
Day 55
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Taking Prandin
Prandin, a new solution I'm trying out to help with my blood glucose control. It's a pill that comes in .5, 1, or 2 mg forms. It's like feeding Red Bull to your pancreas. Click the link to learn more about it, but basically it encourages your pancreas to produce its own insulin. I was told originally to take it with my meal and that the number of carbs in my meal shouldn't really make a difference. I'm also to take the pill in place of Bolus Insulin. That means I'll go from 4 shots to 1 today, taking only a paltry 5 unit dose of Lantus before going to bed.
Let the experiments begin!
Numbers:
11:21 -> 78 This is the lowest I've ever woken up at but it's quite a good number. I blame the two glasses of wine from the previous night. Had a 1/2 Larabar 13c then rowed 10k at 1:55.7 rate 22.
12:40 -> Cereal 110c, apple 20c = 130c = NO INSULIN I'm taking one Prandin instead.
3:00 -> 128 Starting the show as Crow.
8:04 -> 79 At 6:00 I felt sweaty and confused so had Pez 9c, then had chicken. Dinner: rice 60c, endives 20c, chicken, 2 apples 40c = 120c = NO INSULIN I'm taking one Prandin instead. At 9:30 had an orange 21c, salad 5c and sake.
11:16 -> 163
12:50 -> 73 Damn that was a 90 point drop. Mac and cheese 125c, 2 apples 40c and 2 cookies 18c with NO INSULIN one Prandin instead.
(now for the madness)
2:46 -> 325 F me!! I was going to go to bed but I can't now. Where did that come from?
3:11 -> 380 AAAAHHHH!!! The only symptom I feel is eye irritation, but why is the number climbing??? This is the highest number I've had since getting diagnosed. Is it from feeling ill? From the pill? From too many fast carbs at dinner? Going to bed but setting my alarm for an hour from now.
4:17 -> 297 Phew!! Still not a good number but at least it's going down. If it had gone up I would have called Mariss/my nurse/my doctor/gone to the freakin' hospital. But it's going down, at last, so I'll go to sleep.
So: What did I learn?
1. Getting sick, any kind of sick messes with your hormones and drives you a bit high. Expect this in the future.
2. Never eat an entire meal made of simple (bad) carbs. If you want to have indulgences you need to balance them and have them in modest amounts. Sorry buddy.
3. I still have to count carbs with Prandin. Breakfast and Lunch seemed alright with about a 120:1 pill ratio (oy vey! Must I eat in increments of 120 carbs?).
Tomorrow I'll call the doc and see if I can't shine some light on this ordeal.
Day 55
Let the experiments begin!
Numbers:
11:21 -> 78 This is the lowest I've ever woken up at but it's quite a good number. I blame the two glasses of wine from the previous night. Had a 1/2 Larabar 13c then rowed 10k at 1:55.7 rate 22.
12:40 -> Cereal 110c, apple 20c = 130c = NO INSULIN I'm taking one Prandin instead.
3:00 -> 128 Starting the show as Crow.
8:04 -> 79 At 6:00 I felt sweaty and confused so had Pez 9c, then had chicken. Dinner: rice 60c, endives 20c, chicken, 2 apples 40c = 120c = NO INSULIN I'm taking one Prandin instead. At 9:30 had an orange 21c, salad 5c and sake.
11:16 -> 163
12:50 -> 73 Damn that was a 90 point drop. Mac and cheese 125c, 2 apples 40c and 2 cookies 18c with NO INSULIN one Prandin instead.
(now for the madness)
2:46 -> 325 F me!! I was going to go to bed but I can't now. Where did that come from?
3:11 -> 380 AAAAHHHH!!! The only symptom I feel is eye irritation, but why is the number climbing??? This is the highest number I've had since getting diagnosed. Is it from feeling ill? From the pill? From too many fast carbs at dinner? Going to bed but setting my alarm for an hour from now.
4:17 -> 297 Phew!! Still not a good number but at least it's going down. If it had gone up I would have called Mariss/my nurse/my doctor/gone to the freakin' hospital. But it's going down, at last, so I'll go to sleep.
So: What did I learn?
1. Getting sick, any kind of sick messes with your hormones and drives you a bit high. Expect this in the future.
2. Never eat an entire meal made of simple (bad) carbs. If you want to have indulgences you need to balance them and have them in modest amounts. Sorry buddy.
3. I still have to count carbs with Prandin. Breakfast and Lunch seemed alright with about a 120:1 pill ratio (oy vey! Must I eat in increments of 120 carbs?).
Tomorrow I'll call the doc and see if I can't shine some light on this ordeal.
Day 55
Sick Scare
Getting sick as a diabetic is supposed to be a very problematic situation. Your blood sugar becomes a more jagged rollercoaster than usual and hyperglycemia seems to be around every corner. Add to that the dehydration that generally accompanies an illness and you have a recipe for hospitalization. My nurse advised me to check my glucose levels every 2-3 hours if I felt sick and if I consistently read in the mid to high 200s to admit myself to a hospital. Good advice, especially because the minute my number goes over 200 I try to get it back down with corrections.
I woke up feeling dodgy. I had spent a good part of the night trying to swallow the post nasal drip that incessantly deposited mucus in my throat. I swallowed my throat raw and today talking and singing and swallowing hurt a little more than they should. But was I sick? The numbers suggest I wasn't. It was probably just a combination of 6 interrupted hours of sleep, a very irregular eating pattern (including under-eating at all meals) and a two show day. Plus it's finally gotten cold in this strange metropolis.
12:41 -> 102 Love this number. At 1:30 I had a strange breakfast: pb&j 36c, apple 20c, protein 5c, nuts 5c = 66c = 1 unit. At 3:30 I had oysters 8c.
5:13 -> 120 Indian Restaurant: Ayurveda - really f-ing good! Poppadum 7c, broccoli 14c, turnip 12c, lentils 40c, pakora 22, rice 22c, salad 1c, raita 8c, sweetened squash dessert 20c = 146 = 2 units.
7:28 -> 105 Still hungry: pb&j 36c, apple 20c, coffee 10c, macadamia nuts 5c = 71c = 1 unit. At 12:30 Larabar 13c and 2 glasses of red wine.
2:09 -> 96 Quinoa 60c and curried spinach 14c = 74c = 1 unit.
3:37 -> 135 Good number for going to sleep especially considering the wine.
Tomorrow I start on the Prandin!
Day 54
I woke up feeling dodgy. I had spent a good part of the night trying to swallow the post nasal drip that incessantly deposited mucus in my throat. I swallowed my throat raw and today talking and singing and swallowing hurt a little more than they should. But was I sick? The numbers suggest I wasn't. It was probably just a combination of 6 interrupted hours of sleep, a very irregular eating pattern (including under-eating at all meals) and a two show day. Plus it's finally gotten cold in this strange metropolis.
12:41 -> 102 Love this number. At 1:30 I had a strange breakfast: pb&j 36c, apple 20c, protein 5c, nuts 5c = 66c = 1 unit. At 3:30 I had oysters 8c.
5:13 -> 120 Indian Restaurant: Ayurveda - really f-ing good! Poppadum 7c, broccoli 14c, turnip 12c, lentils 40c, pakora 22, rice 22c, salad 1c, raita 8c, sweetened squash dessert 20c = 146 = 2 units.
7:28 -> 105 Still hungry: pb&j 36c, apple 20c, coffee 10c, macadamia nuts 5c = 71c = 1 unit. At 12:30 Larabar 13c and 2 glasses of red wine.
2:09 -> 96 Quinoa 60c and curried spinach 14c = 74c = 1 unit.
3:37 -> 135 Good number for going to sleep especially considering the wine.
Tomorrow I start on the Prandin!
Day 54
Friday, February 10, 2012
I'm in Love with my Bike
I can't really remember the last time I bought a bike. I used my dad's 20 year old mountain bike the summer of 2009, and before that I hopped around on different used and busted hoopdies. But this bike called out to me. A good metaphor for love. I wasn't even looking when I found it at last. It's perfect - my size, my style, fast, sturdy, classic.
Even though it's mid winter I was desperate to take her out for a spin. So today I threw on my new biking shoes, a down vest, and some wool leggings and clipped in. The virgin ride was a mere 8 miles, two laps of Prospect Park which was all my ungloved hands could take. Forty degrees may not be cold when your walking, but when your barreling down a hill at 30 mph it makes what started as dry skin into chapped and bleeding skin. But the speed was thrilling, and over the course of the ride I became familiar with the mounting and dismounting of clip pedals.
I guess I'm in the market for some riding gloves, and maybe a few better suited pairs of leggings to match.
Numbers:
11:27 -> 102 Breakfast: Salad 30c, snow peas 8c, grapefruit 26c = 64c = 1 unit. Went on an 8 mile bike ride. Had 6c beverage.
3:34 -> 80 Lunch: Brussels sprouts and broccoli 20c, salmon, rice 70c, beans 44c, protein shake 50c, apple 20c, chips 20c, orange 15c and my vitamins = 243c = 4 units.
6:11 -> 85 Checked because I was feeling a little bit lightheaded. To prepare for Joey I had an apple 20c, macadamia nuts 4c, coffee 4c. During Act 2 I had 12c of a Larabar.
12:54 -> 76 Dinner: Salad 30c, sweet potatoes 50c, shrimp 5c, beans 44c, chips 20c, grapefruit 26c, 2 cookies 18c = 194 = 3 units Novolog and 5 units Lantus.
3:33 -> 171 Bummer, that's the highest I've been in almost a week. I wonder why. I guess I did have 14c too many at dinner, but I didn't want to be low before bed. I did start to go low during dinner, as if the insulin was working faster than the sugar. Hypothesis: The insulin reacted faster than my food causing hypoglycemia mid meal, but post meal the insulin started wearing off whereas the fat from the meal finally allowed the carbs to be broken down causing late hyperglycemia.
I hope I wake tomorrow between 80-125.
Day 53
Even though it's mid winter I was desperate to take her out for a spin. So today I threw on my new biking shoes, a down vest, and some wool leggings and clipped in. The virgin ride was a mere 8 miles, two laps of Prospect Park which was all my ungloved hands could take. Forty degrees may not be cold when your walking, but when your barreling down a hill at 30 mph it makes what started as dry skin into chapped and bleeding skin. But the speed was thrilling, and over the course of the ride I became familiar with the mounting and dismounting of clip pedals.
I guess I'm in the market for some riding gloves, and maybe a few better suited pairs of leggings to match.
Numbers:
11:27 -> 102 Breakfast: Salad 30c, snow peas 8c, grapefruit 26c = 64c = 1 unit. Went on an 8 mile bike ride. Had 6c beverage.
3:34 -> 80 Lunch: Brussels sprouts and broccoli 20c, salmon, rice 70c, beans 44c, protein shake 50c, apple 20c, chips 20c, orange 15c and my vitamins = 243c = 4 units.
6:11 -> 85 Checked because I was feeling a little bit lightheaded. To prepare for Joey I had an apple 20c, macadamia nuts 4c, coffee 4c. During Act 2 I had 12c of a Larabar.
12:54 -> 76 Dinner: Salad 30c, sweet potatoes 50c, shrimp 5c, beans 44c, chips 20c, grapefruit 26c, 2 cookies 18c = 194 = 3 units Novolog and 5 units Lantus.
3:33 -> 171 Bummer, that's the highest I've been in almost a week. I wonder why. I guess I did have 14c too many at dinner, but I didn't want to be low before bed. I did start to go low during dinner, as if the insulin was working faster than the sugar. Hypothesis: The insulin reacted faster than my food causing hypoglycemia mid meal, but post meal the insulin started wearing off whereas the fat from the meal finally allowed the carbs to be broken down causing late hyperglycemia.
I hope I wake tomorrow between 80-125.
Day 53
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Running Mileage - 4
By the time my alarm let fly its second beep I was standing up, curtains drawn, hands to the ceiling in a glorious morning stretch. There was no third beep. I was full from the previous night's massive dinner so I forwent breakfast, bundled up in wool underwear and a down vest and put the rubber to the pavement for a 4 mile run. The weather was perfect and the run went well. Seth and I each carried his pack (7 pounds maybe?) half the distance. We did about 8 minute miles. Afterward we did some basic parcour drills around a kiddie park until our bodies ached all over.
It feels so good to be able to push my body again, to see the wall approaching and then accelerate through it. And the quality of my soreness has changed. My muscles feel the aftermath of a brutal workout but almost instantly I feel them rebuilding. It's a bit like this scene in Family Guy. Peter represents me, and the various weapons he uses are the various exercises I do. The barn is my muscular system, and the Amish represent cell repair. A better example would show the barn growing each time.
Also I saw my other training partner Peter today. He gave me a high five with the careless force of demolition ball - proof that he's been hitting the gym. Accountability, an oft overlooked but so crucial element in any training program. If you lack the mental strength to hold yourself accountable then bypass that weakness and find yourself a workout partner, or better yet two, or three. The more the better. If you're in NYC contact me. I'll workout with you.
Today also marked the first day of Broadway Bowling League. I bowled a 113 (pretty bad), but I also clocked the fastest single bowl of 21.4 mph. So I guess I half won...?
Numbers:
10:43 -> 130 Even though I'm probably high because of fat last night I'm going to take this as a sign and replace my Lantus.
1:02 -> 84 Just finished 4 mile run with exercises in the park which caused a 46 point drop. Must remember this for TM time. Cereal 110c, protein shake 5c = 115 = 2 units. At 2:24 I had vitamins and an apple 20c and at 5:20 I had peanuts 5c.
6:59 -> 72 Knew I'd be a little low because it had been a long time since my last proper meal. Dinner: Chicken, broccoli rabe 11c, spinach 12c, pb cookie 25c, coffeecake 20c, coffee 5c = 73c = 1 unit.
11:22 -> 100 Pb&j 50c, 1/2 grapefruit 13c = 63c = 1 unit. At 1:41 I took 5 units of my new Lantus.
2:47 -> 81 Because of my big workout this morning I'm going to protect nocturnal hypoglycemia with a shake: peanut butter 6c, almond milk 2c, protein powder 4c, ice = 12c.
With rehearsal tomorrow cancelled I have big plans for tomorrow. Taking my bike out for a spin, and maybe some writing, and errands. The future looks bright indeed!
Day 52
It feels so good to be able to push my body again, to see the wall approaching and then accelerate through it. And the quality of my soreness has changed. My muscles feel the aftermath of a brutal workout but almost instantly I feel them rebuilding. It's a bit like this scene in Family Guy. Peter represents me, and the various weapons he uses are the various exercises I do. The barn is my muscular system, and the Amish represent cell repair. A better example would show the barn growing each time.
Also I saw my other training partner Peter today. He gave me a high five with the careless force of demolition ball - proof that he's been hitting the gym. Accountability, an oft overlooked but so crucial element in any training program. If you lack the mental strength to hold yourself accountable then bypass that weakness and find yourself a workout partner, or better yet two, or three. The more the better. If you're in NYC contact me. I'll workout with you.
Today also marked the first day of Broadway Bowling League. I bowled a 113 (pretty bad), but I also clocked the fastest single bowl of 21.4 mph. So I guess I half won...?
Numbers:
10:43 -> 130 Even though I'm probably high because of fat last night I'm going to take this as a sign and replace my Lantus.
1:02 -> 84 Just finished 4 mile run with exercises in the park which caused a 46 point drop. Must remember this for TM time. Cereal 110c, protein shake 5c = 115 = 2 units. At 2:24 I had vitamins and an apple 20c and at 5:20 I had peanuts 5c.
6:59 -> 72 Knew I'd be a little low because it had been a long time since my last proper meal. Dinner: Chicken, broccoli rabe 11c, spinach 12c, pb cookie 25c, coffeecake 20c, coffee 5c = 73c = 1 unit.
11:22 -> 100 Pb&j 50c, 1/2 grapefruit 13c = 63c = 1 unit. At 1:41 I took 5 units of my new Lantus.
2:47 -> 81 Because of my big workout this morning I'm going to protect nocturnal hypoglycemia with a shake: peanut butter 6c, almond milk 2c, protein powder 4c, ice = 12c.
With rehearsal tomorrow cancelled I have big plans for tomorrow. Taking my bike out for a spin, and maybe some writing, and errands. The future looks bright indeed!
Day 52
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Inspiration: Friends
I've called this blog "The Fittest Diabetic" largely as a way to inspire myself to become just that - the fittest diabetic, or at least the fittest diabetic I can be. It wasn't so long ago that i was frail, weak, dehydrated, cramping, and dangerously hyperglycemic. The memory still shows up in late morning lucid dreams. I started this blog so that I would be reminded every day of my commitment to myself, to transform my body as I haven't done since I was in college. But despite my workouts, and my daily postings, I have been a bit lax. I need more concrete goals, and a plan of attack to achieve those goals, in fitness and in life.
The first lightbulb went off when I was flipping through a newspaper and came across an image of New York Giants long snapper and special teams captain Zak DeOssie '03. This two time superbowl winner taught me how to bench press and was the first person to show me the power of the mind over muscle when lifting weights (although I didn't realize it at the time). His achievement injected me with just a little bit of envy, just a bit, maybe half a unit's worth. Not so much that he has two awesome rings, or that his arms are the size of blue fin tunas, but that he has dedicated himself to achieving a goal... and succeeded. He lived football, it defined him. If i want to be defined as a screenwriter, I better start living the part.
The second metaphorical light bulb went off when talking to good friend and uber-manly man Ian Lassiter. We've been trying to encourage each other to train for a hypothetical future competition. He mentioned he'd been running, but so have I. "How many miles are you doing?" I asked.
"7"
Woah. I talk the talk, he's running the run. That's it. I'm hitting the pavement tomorrow. Sweet ol' Seth is joining me (holding me accountable). I'll report back tomorrow (knee deep in ice no doubt).
11:48 -> 124 Cereal 110c = 2 units.
1:50 -> 100 Man I feel heavy, but the sugar's perfect. Must just be fatigue. I went to bed too late last night. Have to change that.
4:51 -> 81 Dinner: Salad 15c, Chicken w/veg 40c, quinoa 30c, 2 oranges 30c, banana 27c, snap peas 8c, toast with peanut butter 25c = 175 = 3 units. At 6:00 I felt low and had a Larabar 24c.
11:58 -> 83 Supper: Salmon w/broccoli 28c, rice 71c, avocado 16c, 2 apples 40c, chips 19c = 174c = 3 units.
2:25 -> 84 Wow, almost no movement. I think I'm safe to sleep on this. The avocado fat will probably hold back a little sugar anyway. Plus I've never experienced hypoglycemia overnight. I'll keep a pez near my bed.
Day 51
The first lightbulb went off when I was flipping through a newspaper and came across an image of New York Giants long snapper and special teams captain Zak DeOssie '03. This two time superbowl winner taught me how to bench press and was the first person to show me the power of the mind over muscle when lifting weights (although I didn't realize it at the time). His achievement injected me with just a little bit of envy, just a bit, maybe half a unit's worth. Not so much that he has two awesome rings, or that his arms are the size of blue fin tunas, but that he has dedicated himself to achieving a goal... and succeeded. He lived football, it defined him. If i want to be defined as a screenwriter, I better start living the part.
The second metaphorical light bulb went off when talking to good friend and uber-manly man Ian Lassiter. We've been trying to encourage each other to train for a hypothetical future competition. He mentioned he'd been running, but so have I. "How many miles are you doing?" I asked.
"7"
Woah. I talk the talk, he's running the run. That's it. I'm hitting the pavement tomorrow. Sweet ol' Seth is joining me (holding me accountable). I'll report back tomorrow (knee deep in ice no doubt).
11:48 -> 124 Cereal 110c = 2 units.
1:50 -> 100 Man I feel heavy, but the sugar's perfect. Must just be fatigue. I went to bed too late last night. Have to change that.
4:51 -> 81 Dinner: Salad 15c, Chicken w/veg 40c, quinoa 30c, 2 oranges 30c, banana 27c, snap peas 8c, toast with peanut butter 25c = 175 = 3 units. At 6:00 I felt low and had a Larabar 24c.
11:58 -> 83 Supper: Salmon w/broccoli 28c, rice 71c, avocado 16c, 2 apples 40c, chips 19c = 174c = 3 units.
2:25 -> 84 Wow, almost no movement. I think I'm safe to sleep on this. The avocado fat will probably hold back a little sugar anyway. Plus I've never experienced hypoglycemia overnight. I'll keep a pez near my bed.
Day 51
Diabetic Purchase - Bike Accessories
Yoga didn't happen today. Instead I went to my local bike shop and got sorted out. The bike was tuned up, i bought some bike shoes with clips,
They look super casual but have clips on the bottom which you can adjust for where you want the pedal to land on your foot. Perfect for a diabetic with two different size feet. I also got pin wheel locks, and a headlight.
The guy (Tristan) also recommended that I get a new chain, a new free wheel and a pump, but I'll wait to invest in those things until I've proven to myself that I'll find time to ride. I'm sure I will. I've already fallen in love with my bike. Seriously, from the moment I first set eyes on her. I've named her Seaway. But with two days of snow expected this week, I'll probably have to keep her shacked up in the apartment for awhile. Come on warm winter weather!!
Numbers:
12:36 -> 101 Cereal 110 and 2 units of insulin. At 2:00 I had 1/2 Larabar 15c.
3:38 -> 140 Chicken and veg 30c, 2 oranges 30c, salad 26c, 1/2 lara bar 12c, toast with peanut butter 17c = 115c = 2 units. All vitamins.
6:33 -> 92 Low for Pre-Joey. Piece of chocolate covered macadamia nut toffee 8c, macadamia nuts 4c, coffee 4c = 16c snack.
12:19 -> 88 Dinner: quinoa 60c, indian vegetable curry 20c, chips 19c, beans 39c, snap peas 8c, 2 apples 30c, red pepper tapenade 9c = 185 = 3 units Novolog and 5 units Lantus.
2:51 -> 159 Looks like I overshot just a little, but it's not too bad. Let's hope I produce some insulin in the night and wake up in the range!
Let it snow!!
Day 50
They look super casual but have clips on the bottom which you can adjust for where you want the pedal to land on your foot. Perfect for a diabetic with two different size feet. I also got pin wheel locks, and a headlight.
The guy (Tristan) also recommended that I get a new chain, a new free wheel and a pump, but I'll wait to invest in those things until I've proven to myself that I'll find time to ride. I'm sure I will. I've already fallen in love with my bike. Seriously, from the moment I first set eyes on her. I've named her Seaway. But with two days of snow expected this week, I'll probably have to keep her shacked up in the apartment for awhile. Come on warm winter weather!!
Numbers:
12:36 -> 101 Cereal 110 and 2 units of insulin. At 2:00 I had 1/2 Larabar 15c.
3:38 -> 140 Chicken and veg 30c, 2 oranges 30c, salad 26c, 1/2 lara bar 12c, toast with peanut butter 17c = 115c = 2 units. All vitamins.
6:33 -> 92 Low for Pre-Joey. Piece of chocolate covered macadamia nut toffee 8c, macadamia nuts 4c, coffee 4c = 16c snack.
12:19 -> 88 Dinner: quinoa 60c, indian vegetable curry 20c, chips 19c, beans 39c, snap peas 8c, 2 apples 30c, red pepper tapenade 9c = 185 = 3 units Novolog and 5 units Lantus.
2:51 -> 159 Looks like I overshot just a little, but it's not too bad. Let's hope I produce some insulin in the night and wake up in the range!
Let it snow!!
Day 50
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Diabetic Purchase - Bike
Days like today make me wonder if, even hypothetically, a diabetic (me) can workout so much that they don't need insulin anymore. When I don't workout I seem to live around a 40:1 ratio, but after I workout I often need more than 60 grams of carbs per unit insulin. That was a two hour workout. What if I literally worked out 10 hours a day by say... hiking across Spain, or cycling across America?
Did somebody mention cycling? What a coincidence. Because today i bought my first bike since... since, well I dunno, since a long time ago. This is what I got.
As listed on Craigslist:
"Classic 1992 Trek 1000, original owner, 58cm Alloy frame made in the USA, Mavic Open Pro wheels, Ultegra Hubs,San Marco Rolls saddle, Shimano 105 brakes, Chain is not stretched nor damaged, Shimano 7 speed RSX group set. New back tire. Bike is in a great condition."
Well, whaddya think? Tomorrow I'm going to head over to Ride Brooklyn and see if they can get me set up with either pedals or clip in shoes (probably pedals) and maybe a second bike lock.
Just another cross-training tool on my road to being the fittest diabetic.
Here are my numbers:
11:53 -> 119 Not bad. Had Cereal 110 with 2 units. Then did a BIG workout with Seth including at least 3 miles running and lots of circuit training including stairs. Had a Lara bar 31c during the workout.
3:22 -> 122 Lunch: Salad 30c, 2 blood oranges 30c, apple 22c, peanut butter on toast 18c = 100c = 2 units with vitamins.
5:43 -> 46 Dang it!! I should have known after such a big workout 50:1 wouldn't work. I had 13c of oj and 14c of a brownie.
8:40 -> 94 Dinnertime: Chips 31c, oysters 8c, brussels sprouts 18c, cheese 1c, pumpkin 32c, beans 67c, salsa 12c, sugar 4c = 173 = 3 units.
11:24 -> 97 Good.
12:45 -> Hungry again: chorizo 13c, tortillas 46c, beans 39c, eggs 3c, cheese 1c, apple 22c = 124c = 2 units.
3:15 -> 105 Good, I'm going to sleep on that number.
Tomorrow - yoga!
Day 49
Did somebody mention cycling? What a coincidence. Because today i bought my first bike since... since, well I dunno, since a long time ago. This is what I got.
As listed on Craigslist:
"Classic 1992 Trek 1000, original owner, 58cm Alloy frame made in the USA, Mavic Open Pro wheels, Ultegra Hubs,San Marco Rolls saddle, Shimano 105 brakes, Chain is not stretched nor damaged, Shimano 7 speed RSX group set. New back tire. Bike is in a great condition."
Well, whaddya think? Tomorrow I'm going to head over to Ride Brooklyn and see if they can get me set up with either pedals or clip in shoes (probably pedals) and maybe a second bike lock.
Just another cross-training tool on my road to being the fittest diabetic.
Here are my numbers:
11:53 -> 119 Not bad. Had Cereal 110 with 2 units. Then did a BIG workout with Seth including at least 3 miles running and lots of circuit training including stairs. Had a Lara bar 31c during the workout.
3:22 -> 122 Lunch: Salad 30c, 2 blood oranges 30c, apple 22c, peanut butter on toast 18c = 100c = 2 units with vitamins.
5:43 -> 46 Dang it!! I should have known after such a big workout 50:1 wouldn't work. I had 13c of oj and 14c of a brownie.
8:40 -> 94 Dinnertime: Chips 31c, oysters 8c, brussels sprouts 18c, cheese 1c, pumpkin 32c, beans 67c, salsa 12c, sugar 4c = 173 = 3 units.
11:24 -> 97 Good.
12:45 -> Hungry again: chorizo 13c, tortillas 46c, beans 39c, eggs 3c, cheese 1c, apple 22c = 124c = 2 units.
3:15 -> 105 Good, I'm going to sleep on that number.
Tomorrow - yoga!
Day 49
Sunday, February 5, 2012
A Giant Win
Today was a good day, but a step back from the type of days I've been having. Emotions were flying high at work due to the constant uncertainty of our performance schedule. It was the end of the week so many people's walls of professionalism had suffered all the battle blows they could take and were more moody, distracted, goofy or irresponsible than usual.
Then I hosted a superbowl party with three people in attendance: Gardner, Seth and Tiffany. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people. We all felt the same sense of general apathy towards the game but enjoyed each others banter. When the movie finished (and the well timed roast chicken came out of the oven) we put on the movie "The Trip" the type of film, we all agreed, we never would have watched on our own accord but in this particular setting was perfect.
We finished that and as we all began prying ourselves off the couch and looking for a direction something magical happened. An idea sneaked into the room. We didn't all notice at once. First it was only seen by two of us, but then the others eyes adjusted and suddenly we all saw it, and vividly! We passed it around in an intellectual ping pong match only we were all on the same team. And the more we passed the quicker we passed, and the quicker we passed the larger this idea grew. It grew so large we had to involve first a dry-erase white board and then my computer.
I am - very excited! If my posts grow a bit thread bare it is (hopefully) because I am nose to the grindstone on another project.
My numbers were a bit wacky. Woops, sorry body.
12:25 -> 100 Cuss yeah! had cereal 110c with 2 units of Novolog.
4:11 -> 79 I checked here after the first charge sequence because I was feeling a little low despite having a cookie 11c at about 3:30. At 4:30 I had an apple 18c and some peanuts 5c to get me through Act II.
8:11 -> 82 I wanted to make sure my "sugar" was alright because I was going to start snacking (dangerous) at my superbowl party. I didn't want to inject until I figured out what my whole meal was going to be so I just started munching. 12 chips w/ salsa 20c and almonds 4c, and a hard cider.
10:03 -> 192 Well no surprise here. That's what happens with 24c and no insulin. Dinner: Chicken w/ veg 60c, brownie 12c, cookie 16c = 88c + 1 adjustment = 3 units Novolog.
2:06 -> 80 Awesome!! :) Had 5 units of Lantus and about 5c worth of salad/tomato/sprouts/mini slice of bread. Time for bed. I have a big day ahead of me!
Day 48
Then I hosted a superbowl party with three people in attendance: Gardner, Seth and Tiffany. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people. We all felt the same sense of general apathy towards the game but enjoyed each others banter. When the movie finished (and the well timed roast chicken came out of the oven) we put on the movie "The Trip" the type of film, we all agreed, we never would have watched on our own accord but in this particular setting was perfect.
We finished that and as we all began prying ourselves off the couch and looking for a direction something magical happened. An idea sneaked into the room. We didn't all notice at once. First it was only seen by two of us, but then the others eyes adjusted and suddenly we all saw it, and vividly! We passed it around in an intellectual ping pong match only we were all on the same team. And the more we passed the quicker we passed, and the quicker we passed the larger this idea grew. It grew so large we had to involve first a dry-erase white board and then my computer.
I am - very excited! If my posts grow a bit thread bare it is (hopefully) because I am nose to the grindstone on another project.
My numbers were a bit wacky. Woops, sorry body.
12:25 -> 100 Cuss yeah! had cereal 110c with 2 units of Novolog.
4:11 -> 79 I checked here after the first charge sequence because I was feeling a little low despite having a cookie 11c at about 3:30. At 4:30 I had an apple 18c and some peanuts 5c to get me through Act II.
8:11 -> 82 I wanted to make sure my "sugar" was alright because I was going to start snacking (dangerous) at my superbowl party. I didn't want to inject until I figured out what my whole meal was going to be so I just started munching. 12 chips w/ salsa 20c and almonds 4c, and a hard cider.
10:03 -> 192 Well no surprise here. That's what happens with 24c and no insulin. Dinner: Chicken w/ veg 60c, brownie 12c, cookie 16c = 88c + 1 adjustment = 3 units Novolog.
2:06 -> 80 Awesome!! :) Had 5 units of Lantus and about 5c worth of salad/tomato/sprouts/mini slice of bread. Time for bed. I have a big day ahead of me!
Day 48
The Cost of Diabetes - Life
I started reading a new book today. The same one that was recommended weeks ago by Zim.
I have to say it may be the best $0.14 I've ever spent. With my new longer commute to and from work I'm finding I finally have ample time to encourage a reading habit. I'm devouring books and couldn't be happier. This particular work is everything it should be, informative - detailing much of the history of the disease, compelling - components of a memoir add a lovely human element, contemporary - it's paced like a modern film with constant cutting between topics. There isn't a dull moment, especially for somebody with diabetes. It is also a good read for people who know somebody with diabetes. I will likely be sending mine the direction of the sun so that my family can add to their ever increasing knowledge of this disease.
For now, let me share with you some facts that I've found particularly striking:
"Scientists can quantify the number of years that diabetes will cost an average patient as well as measure the quality of those years. According to the CDC, men diagnosed by the age of forty will lose more than eleven years; women will be denied fourteen years. When calculated for 'quality-adjusted life years,' the men give up nineteen years of quality life; the women, twenty-two."
Nineteen!! What? Holy crap that number is high! For the past several years I've been taking a vitality quiz which used to tell me I would live to the ripe old age of 91 or something like that. Subtract 19 and you've got 72. No.
No, that won't do at all. I have every intention of still being competitive athletically in my seventies. Knowing how much I procrastinate I'll probably still only be in the early stages of writing the great american novel. And I don't want to be one of those authors whose work is published posthumously without me getting a look at the final edits. No, I'm gonna have to beat this thing. Forget 15 rounds, I'm going to have to stand toe to toe with this condition for another sixty years at least! (the good news is that on the vitality quiz I can now confidently answer that I NEVER eat junk food anymore).
Another awesome quote from the book:
"Someone with type 2 has the same risk of a heart attack as a nondiabetic who's already had an attack, while virtually all patients with type 1 have significant arteriosclerosis by the time they're forty."
Did I read that correctly? "Virtually all..."? I don't think so buddy. My arteries are going to stay as loose and elastic as this woman!
Today's numbers:
11:23 -> 147 This is okay but a tad high. Last night's cookie correction was too much. Also I wasn't that hungry when I woke up. Breakfast: Pb&j bagel 45c = 1 unit Novolog.
2:16 -> 131 This was my number after the auction scene and before starting Joey. I had a half Lara bar 15c just to keep me up there.
5:06 -> 83 Wow, awesome! Dinner: Salad 30c, chicken and veg 30c, 2 apples 35c, blueberries 22c = 117c = 3 units. At 6:40 I had a cookie 10c and another at 7:50 11c, and also a glass of milk 11c at 8:20.
1:38 -> 87 Had a glass of red wine and 3/4 of a Larabar 23c. Took 5 units Lantus. Dinner: 2 pieces of toast with eggs 28c, b sprouts 18c, salad 15c, grapefruit 30c = 91c = 2 units of Novolog.
4:12 -> 63 I felt fine and was thinking of not checking. Glad I did. This is why I must ALWAYS check before bed. Had 1/2 cup orange juice 15c, and finished a Larabar 10c.
I need to restock my fast and slow sugar supply (Gu and Larabar)
Day 47
I have to say it may be the best $0.14 I've ever spent. With my new longer commute to and from work I'm finding I finally have ample time to encourage a reading habit. I'm devouring books and couldn't be happier. This particular work is everything it should be, informative - detailing much of the history of the disease, compelling - components of a memoir add a lovely human element, contemporary - it's paced like a modern film with constant cutting between topics. There isn't a dull moment, especially for somebody with diabetes. It is also a good read for people who know somebody with diabetes. I will likely be sending mine the direction of the sun so that my family can add to their ever increasing knowledge of this disease.
For now, let me share with you some facts that I've found particularly striking:
"Scientists can quantify the number of years that diabetes will cost an average patient as well as measure the quality of those years. According to the CDC, men diagnosed by the age of forty will lose more than eleven years; women will be denied fourteen years. When calculated for 'quality-adjusted life years,' the men give up nineteen years of quality life; the women, twenty-two."
Nineteen!! What? Holy crap that number is high! For the past several years I've been taking a vitality quiz which used to tell me I would live to the ripe old age of 91 or something like that. Subtract 19 and you've got 72. No.
No, that won't do at all. I have every intention of still being competitive athletically in my seventies. Knowing how much I procrastinate I'll probably still only be in the early stages of writing the great american novel. And I don't want to be one of those authors whose work is published posthumously without me getting a look at the final edits. No, I'm gonna have to beat this thing. Forget 15 rounds, I'm going to have to stand toe to toe with this condition for another sixty years at least! (the good news is that on the vitality quiz I can now confidently answer that I NEVER eat junk food anymore).
Another awesome quote from the book:
"Someone with type 2 has the same risk of a heart attack as a nondiabetic who's already had an attack, while virtually all patients with type 1 have significant arteriosclerosis by the time they're forty."
Did I read that correctly? "Virtually all..."? I don't think so buddy. My arteries are going to stay as loose and elastic as this woman!
Today's numbers:
11:23 -> 147 This is okay but a tad high. Last night's cookie correction was too much. Also I wasn't that hungry when I woke up. Breakfast: Pb&j bagel 45c = 1 unit Novolog.
2:16 -> 131 This was my number after the auction scene and before starting Joey. I had a half Lara bar 15c just to keep me up there.
5:06 -> 83 Wow, awesome! Dinner: Salad 30c, chicken and veg 30c, 2 apples 35c, blueberries 22c = 117c = 3 units. At 6:40 I had a cookie 10c and another at 7:50 11c, and also a glass of milk 11c at 8:20.
1:38 -> 87 Had a glass of red wine and 3/4 of a Larabar 23c. Took 5 units Lantus. Dinner: 2 pieces of toast with eggs 28c, b sprouts 18c, salad 15c, grapefruit 30c = 91c = 2 units of Novolog.
4:12 -> 63 I felt fine and was thinking of not checking. Glad I did. This is why I must ALWAYS check before bed. Had 1/2 cup orange juice 15c, and finished a Larabar 10c.
I need to restock my fast and slow sugar supply (Gu and Larabar)
Day 47
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)