I hate the word Diabetes. Maybe I'll use a different word...

Like, SugarBoogers. "My SugarBoogers is getting better." Or Daisy Bee Bees. That sounds too cute to be a *disease*, you know? "That's my Daisy Bee Bees medicine!" Anyway. Sorry, I digress....

So, how's it goin'?

Me, I'm officially a week into my new diabetic lifestyle, and for the most part I'm doing well. This week I started checking my blood sugar every day, which has been much less traumatic than I thought it would be. I thought I would be a wuss about pulling the trigger on the lancet device (I remember my grandmother's sounded like a staple gun to me when I was a kid), but this one is super gentle and it's just a teeeeeny tiiiiiiny sting. My sugars continue to be high (but getting better) and so far I'm only taking 1/4 of the dose of medication I'll eventually be up to. This stuff does funky things to you (my side effects are cramping, mild nausea that lasts for hours at a time, and, um, other intestinal joys that I won't detail for you here) so we are stepping up the dosage gradually to let my body adjust. Today, in fact, we go up to one pill in the morning and another at night (eventually it will be two pills at those times). Having just begun to adjust to the side effects, I'm a little wary of how I'll feel this evening, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right?

On the food front, I'm doing well. I miss the hell out of some chocolate, so I got some Dove sugar free chocolates, and those at least help me not feel completely deprived. I also got some reduced carb, no sugar added ice cream bars, because I cannot sit and watch my husband have an ice cream sandwich and be happy with a stupid sugar free popsicle. Otherwise, the changes are minimal really--whole wheat tortillas, bread, pasta, and english muffins; reduced fat cheeses, 1% milk instead of 2%, and heart-healthy margarine (I'm still upset about this, I once vowed never to use anything but real butter ever again); salt substitutes and Splenda--it's sounds like a lot, but they are minor alterations since, really, we ate pretty well before.

I know I sound a little like a broken record on that subject, but if I thought for a second I was just saying that to make myself feel better about the way Matt and I eat, I got confirmation of how well we are doing yesterday, when I had to go to stupid mandatory "Healthy Eating" class. Of the six of us in the class, I was the youngest by 3o years (no joke), and apparently the only one that doesn't subsist on pre-packaged processed foods and Fried Stuff with Cheese and Gravy. The whole room groaned when the dietitian said to stop drinking whole milk (are you kidding me? I didn't think anyone drank whole milk anymore...), and bless their hearts, only half of them had working hearing aids. It was a long two hours, and while I did learn a thing or two about servings of carbs and the origins of trans fats, tips like "when you go out to eat, don't eat the whole basket of rolls, and try to order water, unsweet tea, or diet soda" were kind of a no-brainer for me. I also have a mandatory one-on-one session scheduled with the dietitian, and I really can't wait to break out my weekly menus and recipes to show her and say "Okay, you tell me, what *else* can I possibly do?"

Speaking of menus, this is what we're having/had this week, just to show (and remind myself) that it's not all that bad...
Monday: Bourbon and Mustard Marinated Flat Iron Steaks, Whole Wheat Couscous with Mushrooms and Rosemary, and Spicy Broccoli with Garlic and Red Pepper Flakes
Tuesday: A recipe courtesy of my mother, Southwestern Turkey Soup, topped with Avocado and Sour Cream (mom swears this soup is magic and always reduces her blood sugar--true to reputation, my sugar last night was my lowest so far)
Wednesday: All recipes from my Diabetes cookbook--Super Lean Meatloaf, Green Peas, and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Thursday: Sezchuan Tempeh Stir Fry over Brown Rice (also from the cookbook)
Friday is leftover free for all, and Saturday we have plans to go out.
Sunday: All fresh Veggies from the Garden--yellow squash, green beans, navy beans, tomatoes and cucumbers, and maybe some purple hull peas if we get lucky.

So, I'm still cooking like Cortney--we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief ;) Katie, there is a Pez picture post in the works for next time...