Friday, December 12, 2008

CANDY ADDICT




~Sigh~


I was sweeping out the game room today at the campground. Behind one of the game machines I found a vanilla mini-Tootsie Roll, one of my favorites, still wrapped. I stuck it in my pocket. Then I found a caramel, one of those round ones with the white center. I love those. It was lying there bare in the dust and I actually considered eating it. Ewwww.....


I didn't eat the caramel. And I figured, if I could pass that up, I could pass up the Tootsie Roll, too, and I threw it in the trash.


It could have started me on a days-long sweet binge, yes, just that one little piece, and I've currently got 5 days straight of no sugar and very conservative carbohydrate intake. Believe it or not (I don't know whether to believe it or not) I've been running some borderline-ish sugar levels and my doctor is, well, I wouldn't say concerned, but kind of on the alert. So am I. I CRAVE sugar, breads, etc. I can keep it under control if I don't eat any. When I do, more than likely twenty minutes later I'll be having trouble staying awake.


Doc said it's all a sign that my body isn't handling carbohydrates well and it would be best to keep them down. She said it's not impossible that I could develop diabetes if I don't take control now.


I don't have a family history, or excess abdominal fat, I'm not overweight (never thought I'd see the day I'd say that) but I did have a baby over 9 pounds (the others were close,) which is considered a red, or at least yellow flag. And while, as I said, I'm not overweight right now, it's a constant battle. I've lost and regained 20-30 pounds 5 times in the last 25 years.


And of course my cholesterol is always an issue. Sugary stuff and refined carbs don't help that one bit.


Nutritional goals right now:
  • Emphasize lower-calorie, high-fiber vegetables as my major carbohydrate source
  • Grains, if any: Oat bran, oatmeal, flax seed meal, brown rice, occasional half-calorie bread(I do way better gastronomically without wheat)
  • Fruits: very conservative, mostly berries
  • Protein: Plentiful; lean
  • Fat: Mostly olive oil and nuts

Five days I've stuck with it. Let's see if I get healthier...



2 comments:

Flo said...

I have the exact same problems with sugar and carbs. As long as I don't eat them I'm fine, but one taste and it's all over. Good going staying away from them. It's a battle I fight all the time.

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

Same here. There's no such thing as "one" when it comes to candy, so it's best just not to go there. Luckily it gets easier with time. Knowing how much other crap is in most commercial sweets anyway is a big help. I have a rule that helps a lot: no sweets unless I made them myself. That way I know what's in them, and it also means I have to do a little work for them. :-)