Eat Like A Diabetic, Even If You're Not

Wednesday and writing group tonight with seven writers RSVP'd. No Lucas though because today is the day she and her entire family drive to Baltimore for her deaf son, Henry's implant activation. The implants were installed in his head in August, but not turned on, I guess because they want to give his body a chance to heal from the surgery. Lucas (Liza) has watched countless YouTube videos of kids hearing for the first time when the switch is flipped. It's unpredictable how Henry will react - if he's like some kids he will be delighted to hear but there are also those who are disoriented and upset. The volume will be set very low initially so as to not assault his new sense., giving him a chance to acclimate. Very exciting and scary for their entire family. And if you're of the mind, and want to help this struggling family with the expense of all this, consider going to this website and making a donation. Soon Lucas and Henry will be headed to live in Urbana for the school week, returning only on weekends. It's the only program that will take him, given how behind he is (Liza didn't want to implant him sooner because of the risk of meningitis which is a side effect of implants and the reason why he went deaf in the first place).

Last night Women's Club President's dinner - I was special with stars on my name tag because I am one of a handful of new members. I can tell I'm going to love it - the women are interesting, diverse and enthusiastic and share a love of Evanston, their club, each other and their work for the community. Fun and welcoming to boot! I was asked repeatedly what committee I had joined, and while I am going to be in their spring Cabaret parody show, the committee I signed up for is Welfare Sewing. Folks seemed surprised and amused by my choice, I guess because I'm so outgoing. Welfare Sewing, it seems is maybe for the more shrinking violet types in the organization and the impression is that it's for the older gals. Met with my committee to take pictures and they were lovely. This Thursday is the my first sewing meeting and we will be sewing breast forms for mastectomy post-op women who have not yet had reconstructive surgery.

These days, among other things, I'm fixated on eating well and losing weight because, truth be told, the weight is just not coming off like it should. I'm up a pound, down a pound, week after week. True I've lost 16 pounds since returning to WW in the spring, but if I'm going to achieve my goals, I've got to kick this thing up a notch. It's the whole when the going gets tough.....  When WW changed its program, it got tons easier with the hugest change being, you can eat unlimited amounts of fruit. Each week I go to Whole Foods and buy the most luscious fruits in season regardless of cost: pre-cut pineapple, cartons of berries, Rainier cherries, pluots, Concord grapes, Comice pears, Honeycrisp apples, figs (did you know that all figs have wasp carcasses in them?) and more, more more.  And I usually eat 4-5 servings of fruit a day under the new rules. Hmmmmm....thinking I might have to cut that down to lose weight.

The post I wrote the other day got me to thinking that we ALL need to eat like we're diabetics even if our blood-work is perfect (and mine is). Thinking we need to understand just what is and what doesn't constitute a low glycemic diet. One thing people may overlook as they fill their plates with whole grain goodness is that, to keep your blood sugar from spiking, it's not just what you eat but also how much you eat.  Food eaten to excess, even good food, will raise blood sugar beyond healthy levels. In the last two days I have on, at least a dozen occasions, stared at my fist. Your clenched fist is approximately the size of your stomach. The food we consume at any one sitting should not exceed the physical size of a clenched fist. That's not a lot of food, right? I keep that image in my head and counsel myself, after eating a small lunch of a half a sandwich and an apple - I tell myself, "You are perfectly filled. I know how big you are and I just consumed an amount of food that fills you perfectly - be satisfied.  It works - the imagery. Try it! If you are still hungry, close your eyes and picture your little stomach the size of a fist filled with the sandwich and apple - that is plenty - there is no need to stretch it beyond its original shape.  this is yet ANOTHER new muscle to work and get to know!

Rambly today, I know. Up so early these days working the "early to rise" muscle, keeping all the plates aloft. Another huge list day so I've got to run and get things underway. Your challenge, if you can relate, is embracing the whole "eating as a diabetic" challenge. Let's learn more - get on some diabetic web sites - learn the do's and don'ts. And portion control - the fist. Stare at yours and memorize its size then start eating in proportion what is really a pretty small organ.

Peace,
Sarah