Things I miss

You know it's so hard to watch TV now seeing all the yummy foods that are out there. There are a few things that I do miss eating because of my diabetes. Like ice cream, pasta, bread and chocolate.
I can remember that I used to get ice cream all the time. And oh a nice piece of apple pie would be soo good right now.
Of course they make no sugar added desserts, but these still have the fat and carb. counts in them. So you have to be very careful when you eat these selections.
Having diabetes doesn't mean that you have to completely give up on all desserts. You just have to create new ones if you still have a sweet tooth like I do. I inherited my sweet tooth from my Dad. My mother always tells me that "your father always wants something sweet."
So, what I do is freeze a banana, then put sugar free cool whip on top of it. Yogurt is another sweet thing you can eat. I've gotten used to eating sugar free pudding. Now, I can eat sweet things that are good for me.
Pasta is another weakness for me. Now if I want something like pasta, I'll eat white rice. You have to limit your intake of rice since it is a starch, but it has the consistency and the bulk feeling of pasta.
I've gotten used to eating alot of protein now, whereas before I would only on occasion eat meat.
Bread. I would love to toast bread then put lots of butter on it with jam. Ohhh that was so good. Now I have bread very sparingly maybe once or twice every two to three weeks. But no butter or jam now.
So, I guess the best rule of thumb for a diabetic is  eating in moderation. You eat smaller amounts of food. You can still feel satisfied.
But I do have to say that having diabetes is something to get used to. You have to stop having a relationship with your food. You have to find a new outlet of entertainment rather than eating all of your favorite foods.
That is if you want to be healthy.

Cleaning Day

Usually on  Thursdays I do my house cleaning. So, today I have vaccumed, dusted, cleaned the hardwood floors, cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom. I still have to vaccum the curtains. If I don't dust and vaccum weekly, then I have dust the size of softballs on the floor and cat hair everywhere. This is one of the joys of having a long haired cat.
My volunteering is going good. Haven't found any hints on the job search. I'm looking for a PT job because I plan on filing for disability. Jobs are hard to come by still. And the economy is still in poor shape. I hope I don't upset anyone, but Obama really needs to get out of office. He is proclaiming to raise taxes to pay off the 9 billion dollar debt in our nation.
Yea, it's always the tax payers responsibility to get the country out of debt because of politicians spend much more than is in the bank.
Don't get me started. Thats why I hate politics.
Back to my cleaning.

Volunteering your Time

You know what helps me stay connected to the outside world? Volunteering. I've had so many pleasant experiences and will remember all of the good people I've worked with these past few years. I also think it makes you feel good to "give back." You never really realize how blessed you are until you see others who do not have the things you do and who struggle everyday just to keep food on the table.
I think everyone needs that lesson. We all get too wrapped up in our lives to even notice others around ourselves.
 Even if I disability and a part time job, I think I will continue to volunteer. Of course I will be volunteering indoors. Right now the heat is so bad outside. I tried to volunteer when the 4/27 storms came through. But it was located outside and I couldn't handle that. I felt really bad about walking away from that. But I have heard that they have enough volunteers for that now and are looking for carpenters to help with the rebuilding.
So, the next time you have some free time on your hands, volunteer somewhere. Free time- whats that anyway.

Dieting

You know it's so important to get nutrients in your body while you are counting fat. I'm sure you have seen this diet on TV. It's called the Six Week Body Makeover. It has alot of protein and vegetables. You also eat fruit. Having diabetes, it's important to eat protein. So that is fine. But the fruit part, I have to limit this to apples and pears only. With diabetes you can only eat "hard" fruit. No oranges, grapefruit, berries or grapes. These have too much sugar in them.
So, I eat a salad for breakfast, with a little bit of cheese and dressing. Then I eat chicken,vegees and sugar free pudding for lunch and lastly I have turkey or chicken for dinner with two egg whites. If I get hungry again before bed, I'll have more protein.
I'm getting in the caleries I need with less fat. With the makeover plan you have to eat six times a day.
So, if you are a diabetic, you can follow this program. You just have to tweek it a bit.
This keeps my blood sugars in check. One of the misconceptions of crackers is that their loaded in fat. In alot of diets you can eat crackers. Not me. Thats just like eating bread and bread is a no no on a daily basis for diabetics.
Since I have been diagnosed with diabetes, I have learned alot about food. Also, this helps me keep my weight down. Which is always good. :]

A Neat Trick

You know since I have had diabetes, my skin has been in poor condition. I'm apt to getting these sores on my body. They have left scars all over my arms and legs. So, I went to buy some Vitamin E. I got it in liquid form and have been applying it to my skin. And you wanna know something? Their disappearing.
Before I tried all sorts of ointments that did nothing.
Also my cat has scratched me and this has left marks too. When you have diabetes, it takes you longer to heal from scrapes and infections. It's just part of the course.
I know it's gross talking about infections, but this is the ugly side of diabetes. Your immune system is slow. Whats also good is drinking alot of fluids. Keeping your skin well hydrated.
You also get bugs alot when you have diabetes. I'm working with kids right now. For about three weeks now. I have had a cold twice. It's so funny when I'm out, I always carry an anti-bacterial wipe with me. I try not to put my hands on anything that I haven't wiped off first. I was never germaphobic before I had diabetes. Every little bit helps.

Weird

I think the next time I see something like this, I'll tell my Dad first. When I went over to my parents house today to pick up something my mother had left me on their front porch, I saw this guy sitting on a chair in my parents front yard. Of course it startled me. When I said Hi, he just walked away. A few hours had passed and I called and told my mother. She got really worried. I told her to call my Dad to talk to him about it before she decides what to do. She did, then she said she was fine.
She sounded really worried about it when I had spoken to her,so I should have gone through my Dad first.
Lesson learned. Plus, I told her that I didn't think she had anything to worry about. She has a security system at the house. And I didn't think this guy was "casing" the house.
It all worked out and she was calmer. I guess if that were my home, I would have been worried too.
I went to the farmer market yesterday and bought some vegees. One of them were black eyed peas. When I ate them last night, my blood sugar was high. So thats that. No more black eyes peas. I think it was the starch in them. I swear I have to be so careful all the time. I was eating alot of fruit, because I had a sweet fix months ago. This was also affecting my blood sugar. I hope my A1C has not been affected. If it has, another lesson learned. Oh well....

Lucky Dog!!

My sister is going to a resort in Mexico today for a whole week. I envy her. But she does deserve a good vacation by the way she works. She must put in about 70 hours a week for her job.
Then at the end of the month, my family is taking their annual trip to the beach. I thought about going but my cat would hate it at the vet and I don't even know if I could get her in her crate to take her to the vet.
It's like having a child. Always have to clean up after her, feed her, don't leave small things on the floor because she'll eat them.
I don't need a vacation since I don't work. But still, it would be nice to take a walk on the beach. I'm going to be glued to my TV today. There running all of the Indiana Jones's films today. I shouldn't stay cooped up inside, but it's going to be triple digits degrees outside today. So, inside is where I should be.
Well thats about all for today. Talk later....