The First Few Weeks
An insight into the state of my diet a couple of weeks in.
To tell you the truth, I don't remember too much from over eight years ago. I do remember, however, that I was fairly strong-willed with my meals. I did stick to my meal plans, on the whole. I did cheat sometimes. I did eat a few chocolate bars and biscuits occasionally.
Did I tell you I have a Sugar Addiction?
I cut my bread intake right down. I bought a calorie-free fry spray for cooking. No more alcohol. Just diet soda-type drinks and water. I detest the taste of Coke, so Diet Pepsi was my main vice in those early days. No snacking items like crisps or tortillas and dips.
I took tubs of salad to work for my dinner. I tried lots of low-calorie, low-fat, low-satisfaction type foods. I attempted to satisfy myself with this stuff.
Oh, how boring my life had become. But hey! I’m losing some weight. Plus... my sugar levels must be coming down. RIGHT?
Poor Deluded Billy!
After a month, I was asked to give blood again in order to check my glucose levels and see if my health kick had borne any fruit. I go to see the surgery blood letting nurse.
I don't know if many people have the same problem as I do, but the minute a needle goes into me, my veins collapse. This makes it difficult to give blood and it also becomes very painful.
After multiple stabs in both arms and no luck, I advised the increasingly frustrated blood letting nurse to bite my neck instead, as it would be less painful.
Well, that went down like a dollop of poo in a swimming pool. SILENCE! No sense of humor... She did, however, get half a vial of blood from me eventually...
So where is all this sugar coming from?
The next blood letting appointment came and went fairly painfully again. This time I raised the idea of leeches with my newly named Vampirella, the mega unimpressed blood letting nurse.....
Nope. Still Nothing! Not even a grin.....
I'm recalled back to the surgery by my actual diabetes nurse, Sandy. She gives me the results of my full check-up: heart, kidney, liver, cholesterol, BP—the lot. Everything is fine. Plus... I had lost over half a stone in weight. If I were a dog, I would have broken furniture with my wagging tail. I was so encouraged.
So how my glucose levels? That’s blood sugar to normal people.... It should be much better?
What? It was fluctuating up and down. That didn’t compute with me. If I am cutting out just about all of my sugar intake, why is it spiking and dipping...?
"I haven’t been cheating!" I protest most profusely to my sweet suffering Sandy. "I’m not eating sugary things..." Honestly!
So where the hell is all this sugar coming from?
I'm doing the right thing but these readings are making me look like a liar..... I run through everything I can remember eating, in an attempt to identify how the sugar was entering my body. NOTHING! I can recall.
The next blood letting appointment came and went fairly painfully. This time I raised the idea of leeches with my newly nicknamed Vampirella, the mega unimpressed blood letting nurse.....
Nope. Still Nothing! Not even a grin......
Sandy, my diabetes nurse calls me in to discuss everything again. I informed her that I had finally worked out where the extra sugar had come from. It was from a place that nobody had informed me about....
