Knowingly making poor food choices

I've been invited out to lunch at a wine farm. It's a gourmet meal, but a set menu and I have no idea what's on it.

I'm not on meds and am just supposed to be watching my diet. I would love to go to this place, but what if it's food I can't eat safely? Do I not eat it and just sit and look at everyone else eating? Do I eat it and feel terrible for the rest of the day because of high blood sugars? Do I tell my host to go without me or make her skip the meal too?

snack.

God bless,
Brunetta

I would go and snack on the cheese.
God Bless,
Brunetta

You can have chocolate without out it being self-injurious, if you are careful.

I cheat once a week. I don't feel guilty, but I also don't overdo it, and I am careful. You have to determine what your limits are and stay within them.

If someone at work is having cake, I would take insulin and take one or two bites. Then I wait about a half hour to an hour to have more. It takes me about 2 hours to eat a piece of cake b/c I coordinate it with my insulin peaking. That keeps my BG quite flatlined.

I also sometimes take a longer walk at lunch so I can eat more carbs. About 30 min of walking gives me about an extra 15 carbs I can have without needing extra insulin. They also have to be fast acting carbs, so I get to "cheat" whenever I feel like doing extra exercize.

Remember, though, insulin is a growth hormone that causes you to store fat. You should cheat infrequently and in a way that you are not having to take too much extra insulin, or you might get FAT. = )

amazing

For the second time this week, i'm SO GLAD i found this place. I also have this problem and find that I can't really control my blood sugars when I have desserts or super-carby food. Also, high carb food + fats = delayed absorption that even the square wave on the pump can't conquer. My sugar just goes high hours later when the square wave is done. I'm also sober, so I still have a lot of sugar cravings, even though it's been years since i have booze. I haven't had anyone to tell on myself to because most people around me don't really understand and just think i know what i'm doing. I'm positive I'm addicted to sugar and don't even know where to begin to correct this. My blood sugars are so much more stable when I eat low-carb. Just lucky to be brittle, i guess

Cat, food addictions are common with people in recovery. Unfortunately, the misconception that people recently off booze "need" or "crave" sugar is a very persistent one. What it usually is is not a physical need but a "replacement addiction", especially for women. I don't want to make any assumptions about how serious this is for you, but if you are truly struggling with sugar addiction one suggestion (especially if you are already comfortable with 12 step meetings) is to attend an OA meeting. I've been to many, and they have a large number of people who are also recovering addicts or alcoholics.

You're probably right on that one. I'm aware that biochemically, food addicts and alcohol addicts are identical because they carry the same dopamine receptor. I always assumed that there was some truth in replacing alcohol sugar with sweets in early sobriety and figured I just got hooked then. Truthfully, I've always binged on sugar. I'm not overweight but i do find myself self-sabotaging in the diabetes department

Just wanted to pipe in, i have been sober since 1987 and am almost 2 yrs in AlAnon, which has totally altered my life (especially with my husband and my family) but, like Zoe said, women tend to find "replacement" addictions, and since i am D, sugar could not be one of them. so Anorexia took over. i am in recovery from that as well, but i swear, although i am at a healthy weight now, i still struggle with my ED.Sobriety has become a way of life that is so wonderful i cannot imagine anyone living w/out a 12 step recovery program. IN FACT: that is the reason i sought out this particular D. site. i knew i needed to find other people like myself with regard to my D. i'm new to this, maybe a month, but i love it and i dont feel like a leper or a freak anymore.

Sugar addiction and Diabetes is a rough combination. I'm very grateful that I had 13 years recovery from my eating disorder when I was diagnosed with D. Besides the insanity of sugar addiction, it definitely is something that can seriously undermine your D management and put you at serious risk. You're lucky because already you know about Recovery.Your A1C is dangerously high, Cat, please get some help.

<3 alanon for sure. it's helped me to get better about asking for what i need with my diabetes too! This is maybe the first time i've reached out for support with diabetes. I hit a bottom, dealing with it alone. Glad you found some serenity in your recovery!

believe me, i've tried. I'm so brittle i can't seem to find a medical team that can do anything but scratch their heads over my situation. That's why I binge on sugar sometimes, it really doesn't make a difference if I eat healthily or not, my BGs are out of control. My daily insulin needs shift and i can't find patterns. My blood sugars will plummet whereas the day before they would barely budge. i've read books, sought out specialists, wrapped my head in tinfoil and prayed to allah. con side yourself lucky you have a more manageable diabetic situation

I do consider myself lucky, though my management is hardly always smooth sailing. I do think we all have a different degree of difficulty in managing our D, I think mine is in the middle. But some of us believe "brittle" is an outdated term for "the doctor doesn't know how to help us". I hope you find a good endo who can help you tweak things to get better control. But whether you are able to do that soon or not, eating poorly it sounds like is an entirely separate issue for you and ultimately does make a difference, though I know it is not easy to resolve those issues.

Don't throw in the towel just yet, Cat! And, please tell me if that is a real animal and if so what it is!

Yes, those of us for whom it's a natural instinct to seek out support of others to me have an easier time of it. whatever "it" is. But some people just stumble on TuD looking for information and find so much more than that! Yeah, being a PWD with 20,000 other PWD friends beats a leper colony any day of the week!

I'm third steeping it - reaching out here for new info and ideas. I live in NYC and have a fantastic endo, she just doesn't seem to know what to do. I went to see a specialist at duke and he recommended the pump which wasn't an option for me (the infusion sites all occluded within hours when i tried the minimed). I'm gonna follow up with him. I really wanted to give up the other night. I check my BG 25x/day, spend so much money out of pocket and still can't wrangle it. Hoping maybe I can find someone who addresses these things holistically and see if I have some blood ph or yeast overgrowth or who knows. I'M TRYING!!!

I think it's a hedgehog. I keep it on my desktop for days like these :)