Life with Diabetes

It's been about 2 months since I took the trip to the emergency room that lead to me finding out that I have Diabetes. Many changes were necessary for me to live with this life threatening condition ranging in various levels of difficulty. So for those interested here's the "two months later" blog on my health.

Most people thought the hardest adjustment I would make would be the sugar and carbs I eat. Not true! It's been easy for me to stay away from sweets for years, and after experiencing the consequences first hand, cutting back of breads and pastas was a no brainer. I actually went from having too high a blood sugar level to having too low of one. The balancing act is a bit weird, but manageable, and that leads me to my next adjustment.

With my blood sugar fluctuating I have very often had to deal with symptoms associated with low blood sugar. The ones that affect me the most deal with my mental state. I get irritable quick, depressed, and sometimes angry for no reason. At my worst I lose coordination. That being said I think it's wonderful when friends and families educate themselves on diabetes. They can then be supportive of your situation and give you space when needed. Unless, of course, if they're inconsiderate and unloving...

The biggest problem has been my eating schedule. Before, I used to skip meals or eat after both jobs, which lead to eating late at night, but I'm so active that if i was to not eat anything my blood sugar would easily fall into the danger zone. Keeping candy to adjust this is easy to do but I still need proper nourishment.

With proper nourishment comes eating smart. If you've read a previous blog I made, then you would know that I have recently been using fatsecret.com to track my calories and eat smarter. On top of that I have a regular exercise schedule that has been very fruitful. As of this posting I have lost a total of 16 more pounds in addition to the 30 lost from being in the hospital. 14 more and i'll reach my goal!

Overall, in conclusion I would say, "so far so good." But the X Factor that has been the biggest thorn in my side through all this has been STRESS! Trying to stay positive is hard, especially when everything seems to go wrong at once. My advice to anyone coping with diabetes is to avoid stress like the plauge. It will kill you. One of the best ways I take my mind of my problems is by writting/blogging (Maybe thats why I posted blogs 5 consecutive days versus the regular once a week schedule...)

Thanks so much for reading and I'll see ya' next blog!!

Its not a secret anymore...

It's been a interesting couple of months health wise and the internet has proven to be a great source of information when it comes to research on diets, diabetes, exercise, and support. (Note: Although the internet has countless resources it should never replace regular doctors visits)

Now, more than ever, it's been important for me to watch what I eat and in this day and age counting carbs is easier than ever before. It's one thing to buy supermarket items based on the nutritional information found on packaging, but what happens at restaurants, picnics, or anywhere else where your in the dark on how bad or how good a meal is for you? In the past I liked using a iPhone app called "lose-it." It's a great app with a large database of restaurant and supermarket foods. It lets you track calories, monitor weight, and combine common items for custom meals. The only problem I have had is while it does have a large database I still find many meals I eat not making the list. Making custom entries is possible, but time consuming.

So I started searching the net for a website with a larger database of nutritional info and I came across fatsecret.com. It's a great site. The first time I used it was to find the info on the Sizzlin Chicken and Cheese at TGI Fridays. The results were fast and accurate. I was also impressed at the fact that the site was free to use. Without any form of registration you can go and get info on tons of food. But so much more comes with registering.

I've been using fatsecret.com as a reference site for close to two months now, but only recently decided to register to see what else they had to offer. And that is what prompted be to write this blog. This is a great site for anyone interested in tracking and maintaining a diet. I'm still exploring the many resources offered but so far a few things have really impressed me.

First, the fact that it's free. No Subscription fee, no "lite" version, no trial period. Just free. To quote the site:

"...FatSecret is not like those other diet sites that promise free consultations, profiles, plans or advice and then try and push you into some paid product or 'premium' service. We are totally free and we very much aim to stay that way..."

The next impressive part of this site is the options you have in searching for, recording, and tracking diet plans. Lets face it, it's hard to stick to something when it becomes too much of a inconvenience in your daily life. I don't carry my iMac everywhere I go, but you know what I do carry? My phone!

"FatSecret has integrated applications for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, Android, BlackBerry & Windows phones, Facebook, iGoogle and a great tool for Firefox users."

Each interface is simple to use and syncs automatically so whether I'm at my PC or out and about all my information is up to date.

While on the subject of the interface. It's a breeze to work with. I just search for a item or meal, and it gives me the option to add it to my Food Diary. If it's something i regularly eat that I can find it again in the "Most eaten", "Recently eaten," or "Quick Pick" categories. Putting in goals is just as easy and you have the option of sharing your goals and progress with "buddies" through a integrated friends list similar to Facebook.

I'm sure there are hundreds of sites like this but all I need is one thing that works for me, and right now, this is the thing. The website fatsecret.com gets a A+ and my book. The Calorie Counter apps get a A+ as well. One small note though is that a internet connection is necessary for searching through the database so if you don't regularly have a internet connection I would still suggest the lose-it app since the entire database is actually on your iPhone vs. the web.

Everything's free so why not give it a try. Feel free to add me as well (dvdeluxe), and see you next blog!






PS: I am in no way affiliated to fatsecret.com and the opinions provided in this blog is based solely on my personal experiences with the site so far. Feel free to share your opinions below.