I HOPE that was my cereal bowl I just uploaded… and not anything else.
But anyway. I’m not saying I’m buying anything just yet, but I’m up for a little window shopping. I’m curious what the word on the street is around here on portion sizes… It’s always been what I’ve most despised about this disease, since we’ve been talking about feelings and all. I’ve sat through far too many Diabetes Education sessions where they’ve laid out the plastic plate with the 3 ounces of chicken, 2 grains of rice, teaspoon of watermelon, and the 8 oz milk, and tried to use mindgames by telling me how much VARIETY there is, and how I really CAN eat whatever I want… as long as it’s in moderation (cue baby spoon). I hate moderation. I don’t want 1/4 cup of cooked rice. I just want “some”.
I have an interesting way of burying my questions under a lot of personal opinion and long qualifiers. My kids hate it when I “have a question” for them.
So WHAT are your thoughts? That red bowl is the “responsible diabetic” bowl. As you see, I can barely get my spoon into it. Those other bowls are a bit of who I’ve been… the one “reasonable” one (which is still technically 3 servings) is what I’d LIKE to eat cereal from. That big gluttonous one is from my carefree days where Lucky Charms was a diet food… because it was better than Chinese. That was actually a real thought at one point in my life.
Any thoughts on any of it? (Oh, how I hope it’s a picture of a bowl…)
It’s a picture of a bowl, if it can even be called that.
I understand what you mean. I hate limiting my portion sizes, but it’s a toss up of do I want to eat however much pasta/rice/potatoes/whatever I want rather than filling up on veggies, protein, etc (which would be healthier…), or do I want a shot at eating some of it and still maintaining decent control of my BG?
The question is - can you come up with a formula to properly dose for the moderate/3 servings bowl and still come out ok (realizing that with cereal, ok isn’t perfect)? If so, eat it! And another thought: check out Afrezza. Great rescue for the oops spikes and for times you want to just eyeball portions.
If you have a CGM and if weight control isn’t a concern, you could always take @Eric 's approach and just take quite a bit more insulin than your meal needs and eat your way out of the low in 2 hours. My son does this at times when he has the time and sensor that he feels good about, and doses for far more than he will eat, which allows him to keep the big rise from happening, and then he eats dessert or other stuff over time to keep his blood sugar at a reasonable level.
If you are watching your weight, this probably isn’t the best strategy except for very occasionally. But as we have seen with diabetes camp, occasionally forgetting you have diabetes can sometimes be the best medicine.
I think it’s not worth stressing about. I think you can ignore what you were told in your Diabetes Education sessions. (Let me guess: the instructor was thin as a twig and looked sort of … miserable.) I think “moderation” is subjective. I think a correct portion size is whatever satisfies you at that time.
There are issues if you suspect you’re eating, or overeating, because of stress. There are issues if you eat compulsively or reflexively. There are of course issues if you can’t match the insulin to the food and as a result are out of control (BG-wise ).
Yup, you’re in my head @Nickyghaleb. All those thoughts. In my head.
I like to use oversized ceramic coffee mugs as “bowls”. Perfect for ice cream or anything I try to eat in 1 cup serving sizes. Makes it feel less ridiculous all the way around.
(I used to eat 50 pizza rolls in one sitting…my mom always swore I had a hollow leg.)
I’m afraid then that you might also want to seek help… My head is a very unhealthy place, and you certainly don’t want me in yours. Because of cross-contamination.
You’re an inspiration. I’d like a little of that “I’m not diabetic” thinking. I think I could attain it with enough alcohol… if only I drank.
So since we’re both here, maybe I’ll put out another thought from the darkest recesses of my cavernous mind… about swimming…
My mom’s a swimmer. A great one. It’s her religion, and she’s been trying to get me into the water for years. I also have “great swimmer” in me, but diabeetus has prevented me. Fear of infection. Not being able to control sugars with my pump off. Worrying about hypos without access to my numbers. Worrying about neuropathy “shocks” and their ability to drown me. That’s real. I sure do have a million and one reasons to be in the water as it is so much more gentle on this body, and other forms of working out are taking its toll. How did YOU get to feeling like you don’t have diabetes when in the water?
in the water i feel free of everything negative. i love gliding through the water; i love the sound of my rhythmic breathing; i like that i can let go of all things and just feel D-free. for me, D doesnt exist in the water. it hasnt always been this way. its been a lot of work; but it has been the most worthwhile work i have done for myself as a D ever.
i have D neuropathy in my hands and my feet and legs. sometimes when i am swimming it becomes a real challenge. i used to stop to try and massage it out, but stopped bothering with it. i just keep going, numb or not.
as far as hypos go, i bring my meter and a large bottle of Gtabs with me to the pool. i get out every 1/2 hour and do a finger stick. if i need sugar, i have it right there. and, all the lifeguards know that i am D and they keep a careful watch over me
if you read through my thread, which i began last year, you will see how long i worked to get to where i am today. when i began swimming, i wouldnt get into the water with a BG below 180. now, like today for example, my BG was 85 before i jumped in. after 1.5 hours of laps, my BG was 105. sometimes i get out at 65, but i feel wonderful after a great swim. nothing really feels anything like it. its a very worthwhile experience. i highly recommend it
Thank you, daisymae. Actually I have not read any of it. It was about swimming. I don’t do that. but I will definitely check it out now. It would be a game changer… a summer with swimming.
I think that red bowl is absurd for breakfast cereal. I might use it for something concentrated like nuts, but not for cereal. We don’t have to starve ourselves to survive diabetes anymore. We can take insulin instead.
When I have Bob’s Red Mill Muesli I’ll pour out about 60g, which looks like a reasonable amount, and turns out to be about two servings. With lots of berries it’s enough. When I have rice with stir fry, I’ll take about 200g of cooked rice — and sometimes go back for seconds. When I have pasta it’ll be 300g to 400g, which looks like a fully ample amount but must be a huge number of official servings. It’s all a matter of knowing who’s in charge. Hint, it’s not the government nutrition labels. It should be possible to work out a dosing strategy that enables you to eat what you want. I’m sure folks here will chime in with suggestions for you to try.
That seems quite reasonable. When I do that, I like to use the kitchen scale. I zero the scale with the empty bowl, then fill the bowl with whatever looks like a good amount, then weigh it again so I can figure the carbs and bolus for it. I guess I just want “some” and so that’s what I serve myself. If I’m not at home, I just guess and watch the CGM and make lots of adjustments.
when i was first dx about 30+ yrs ago, i was taught “exchanges” and how to use my hand as a reference for measurements for food. i fist was a potato, an open hand was a slice of bread, etc.
but that was before all of this fancy stuff we have now. for god’s sake, i have some function in my MM pump called the “Wizard” which calculates for me exactly how much insulin i should be taking based upon a pre-programed system of information i have entered into my pump. it takes into account of everything. it doesnt work 100% of the time, but it certainly beats the old methods. i barely need to think anything through in my head when it comes time to bolus.
when i want 2 or 3 slices of pizza, i bolus and i eat and i enjoy. if i want a big burger with loads of ketchup, a bun and some fries i have it. whatever i want to eat, i eat. i just adjust my insulin dose.
insulin is one of the greatest drugs of the century
PS: i have never once in all of my years used a scale to measure anything. i like to feel more liberated and not feel restricted. i had one idiot endo who spent a large portion of our appt session talking about all the things i shouldnt be doing. who the hell was he to tell me how i choose to live my life?
In that lies the problem… the “some”. I experience carb lust. One bite is all it takes. My best bet would just be to not take the bite, but my brain manages to talk my brain into it every time…
About Afrezza… my lungs work really well. (Knock on wood). Since everything ELSE is less reliable, I’m really afraid of messing with them. No one is afraid of the long term effects here?
That would be really cool if that were how I got to handle my diabetes. That would be fun and kind of awesome. But I’m a middle-aged mother of 3, weight control is absolutely a concern, and, although I exercise, training for marathons is slightly more than my current routine. I’ve never done it, actually, but I bet you have a little more wiggle room with calories when that’s what you do.
Oh, I soooo get this. It is really hard for me to stop eating when I’ve started when it comes to certain carbs (don’t tell anyone, but the large amount of pizza I referred to in another thread was, erm, an entire small pizza… ). I had bbq pork tacos and chips and salsa tonight…I made myself stop, but the rest of the time I sat at the table, I just wanted to keep eating chips. I hate not being able to just eat whatever, whenever. I recognize I likely have some unhealthy eating habits, but…ha. Anyway. I get it.
I get this, too. I was worried at first. But I have so much going on in my life right now, the benefits outweighed possible risks at this point. While any damage wouldn’t be reversible, I believe you’re supposed to do yearly tests to make sure lung function is still ok. I feel like if I see any signs of abnormal decrease in lung function, then I would probably stop taking it before it got any further. Basically, I’m willing to risk slight damage because, right now, I would not be able to manage my diabetes well at all without it (or I would, and I would be absolutely miserable munching on just meat, nuts, and green vegetables).
).
!
but I will definitely check it out now. It would be a game changer… a summer with swimming. 
️
). I had bbq pork tacos and chips and salsa tonight…I made myself stop, but the rest of the time I sat at the table, I just wanted to keep eating chips. I hate not being able to just eat whatever, whenever. I recognize I likely have some unhealthy eating habits, but…ha. Anyway. I get it.