Dear Diabetes:
You are so sweet that with you in my life, there is no room for any other SUGAR! You seem to be very territorial and not letting any other sugar hangout anywhere near me!
I mean seriously NO sugar at all….
Do you know what it means to go on a NO sugar diet? Do you know almost everything we eat either has sugar in it or it will turn into sugar after we eat it?
Going on no sugar diet for me meant to stop eating 95% of what I have been eating all my life. All the sweets, all the sugar in my morning tea, all the carbs, all the sauces and even fruits and…yes even some of the vegetables. It meant headaches and shaking body and extreme low mood and of course lots of crying.
I have a hazy memory of the 2 weeks period before I received test results and in which I started this diet.
Going off sugar was not hard, it was painful. I had decided I cannot do it gradually so I just cut all sugars at once. Not sure it was the best way to do it, but results were good as my blood sugar went under control and in the range of 120s. (with the help of pills of course).
My body was shocked however. I spent most of my days with very low energy and low mood. It might have been the very first time in my life that I had low level of motivation to get off the bed in the morning. It was a lonely time. Did not know who to share this with and what to say. My best companion was my dear friend Google once again and reading through all the information available online. Some horror stories and many stories of hope and long life with diabetes.
I also started noticing that sugar is everywhere and in everything we eat. In some food it is obvious and in many it is hidden. I also started learning that carb is not direct sugar but turns into sugar when we eat it. What ???
I was introduced to “Glycemic index” which means how much and how fast a particular food increases the blood sugar.
I was never a big fan of counting calories and paying attention to what each food does to the body. I thought food should be enjoyed and these things are for fussy people…OH dear….little did I know.
I was noticing how poorly educated I was around the topic of health and eating well. So I realized this new found passion in me but it came to life slowly.
Two weeks passed and I went to doctor to get the test results.
The test results were positive of course as I had felt it. It was LADA and it was for real.
To be continued….
