My latest blogpost which I couldn’t publish without mentioning the three donuts.
Also a discussion of my struggles with balancing perfection, failure, a good life, and all of the cr*p that comes with diabetes. My jealousy of those of you who do better and my realization that I am doing okay.
Well written, Laddie! Your perspective bridges the gap we’re feeling between the hard-charging glucose number dominators and those who would rather focus on quality of life, especially a more relaxed attitude toward foods they enjoy but know the negative effect on their glucose.
I don’t believe for a minute that either extreme of diabetes management philosophy will work for everyone. We each need to strike that balance for ourselves. We also need to respect the choices others make.
I ate nachos at at Applebee’s for lunch today 120g carbs, and I finished off some of my daughters batttered fish…
Heck of a lot more carbs than 3 donuts I’d venture
Took 19u of aspart and 8 of Afrezza to do it
Peaked as high as 190 after a couple hours but beat it down rather quickly with Afrezza
Food is an important part of life to a lot of people
I don’t find a single donut particularly challenging to bolus for
190 is out of range so you failed that one.
Yup, I noticed that too. Whole thing was an exercise in “Yeah, you can if you’re determined, but it’s a lot easier not to.”
Actually the ADA recommends spending less than 25% of time above 180…
Of course I like to do much better than that
Pardon my ignorance, what is GRIT? Thanks!
Rage bolus! Been there, done that! 
It’s a closed and exclusive Facebook group for people who practice a very low carb way of eating (under 30 grams a day) and follow the methods in Dr. Bernstein’s book Diabetes Solution closely. People there generally maintain very tight control and an A1c under 5.5.
Ah! So it’s “grit,” as in doing the hard work, not an acronym?
Not exactly “hard work” as eating fewer carbs actually simplifies diabetes management and life in general, but it’s more of a “going against the current” type of attitude and sticking with it despite the general criticism, to achieve success.
This psychologist (who wrote a bestseller book about the topic) has a great TED talk that I believe inspired the name somewhat? Regardless of how you choose to eat or manage your diabetes, it’s a great general attitude in life, IMO.
I think I realize now why this video with the doctors bothered me so much. I ate mostly what I wanted most of my life. Dx in 1959, it wasn’t until about 1981, that I started watching my glucose levels. I kept my A1C under 7, but I still I ate whatever I wanted. Lots of pie, cake,donuts, cookies, pizza, pasta, whatever.
I loved food, I still love food. I understand the love of food and share it. Eating and drinking is a joy of life.
I started following Bernstein around 15 or 16 yrs ago. I always ate under 30 carbs a day while following Dr. Bernstein. I started following him because I was gaining weight and I don’t like being overweight. I switched to eating meat, eggs, cheese etc. My A1c’s were often in the 4’s. I followed this woe for 11 yrs.
While on this diet, after 51 yrs of having type 1, and thinking I would never have serious diabetic complications, I was in sudden need of heart stents. My parents, and my older sister never had clogged arteries, nor were they diabetics. The heart stents were a result of having diabetes.
I was shocked and extremely dismayed to have a problem with my heart. 11 yrs later, I am still shocked and dismayed. I am afraid of having a stroke or heart attack.
I love my life and want many more years. If I could take back my years of eating whatever I wanted or staying as long as I did on the Bernstein diet, I would do it.
More life is what is important to me now, and not so much food. I love the food I eat now and don’t at all feel deprived, but watching those doctors eat unhealthy food just made me want to shout “STOP,”because what you eat does matter. I wish I had understood that better earlier. I didn’t think heart disease could happen to me, heck I never considered it happening, but it did and it is serious.
I am sorry if my thoughts offend anyone, but that is all they are my thoughts.
I hear you. That’s why I wish they went with one doughnut, just to show you could do it if you wanted to.
I view food as fuel. I always have, I really don’t crave anything.
I rarely feel deprived if I’m eating something.
I like eating veggies. They taste good and they are good for me. I only eat protein because I need protein.
If I was fed something different at home, I would eat it probably.
When I see fast food commercials I feel queasy. Not because it’s high carbs or grease or meat, but because it looks like crappy low quality food.
If we stick to food that is unprocessed, close to how it grew you can’t go wrong.
Even meat that is just meat is better than eating hot dogs and hamburgers or fake processed chicken.
Not everyone is like that though. We need to accept that fact.
Many people crave unhealthy food, some people are in the habit and some addicted.
We should allow people to plot their own course and hope for the best.
If you are going to eat doughnuts, at least you can do it the healthiest way possible. It’s still. It healthy, but that will not stop a person from eating doughnuts if he wants them.
Yes. Perseverance is a much better way to put it. I am familiar with her work, from a totally different context. Great stuff and very apropos! Thanks.
This is again, what works for one person might not work for the next person.
Not everyone is into low carbs. Not everyone is in to eating doughnuts. Not everyone is in to working this hard for a special meal.
Neither one of these doctors are telling everyone to eat 3 doughnuts. I do believe they said it isn’t something they would normally do.
As I have worked with them both and find them very refreshing and down to earth.
They both know how darn hard this disease is. They live it everyday. They both know and Steve does a low carb diet most of the time. They know what works for them and for their patients. But they also know this disease is exhausting, so if you need a break or really need that doughnut or cupcake, there are ways to make it work.
Neither one suggested that we should do this all the time. Neither one said this was their diet of choice. They just said, if you want to, there are ways to make it happen.
It took me over a month to figure out pizza. But sorry, I am not giving up pizza, ever! So after many, many failures, I finally figured it out. Do I do pizza everyday? No, but I now know how to make it work for me.
So, a little laughs while watching grown men running around a parking lot, why not?! I think laughter is the best medicine especially when dealing with a crappy, 24/7 disease.
Oh I recognize this Sally Pizza lover anywhere 
Issadora with Daria (aka pump)
Thanks for sharing! I’m wondering why they didn’t extend their bolus. (Sorry if others had the same reaction…I didnt read all the way thru the thread.)