Monday, September 9, 2013
Developing a Fear of Carbs
I'm not sure if this is something I really need to be concerned about, everything is probably just fine but I have developed a fear of eating carbs. I feel that whenever I eat them, I have such an undesirable outcome (read: high blood sugar or blood sugar swings), that I have found myself avoiding them altogether. Good things have come out of this- I have lost weight and inches, and my BGs are pretty good and very predictable on a regular basis. My A1c has been at or below 6.0 since last November when I started eating low carb. I have been able to sustain tight control of my blood sugar without having many lows. I believe the bad association I have with carbs is a direct result of the bad blood sugars I get from eating them. It reminds me of when I was a child and I got a stomach bug while at the baby sitters. As a result of the stomach bug I threw up my macaroni and cheese. I wasn't able to eat macaroni and cheese again for over 20 years, because I associated it with stomach pain and nausea. I have developed a similar association with carbs. It's interesting how we develop relationships with food based on our individual experiences.
Do you fear any foods? Are there some you completely avoid (even thought you really like them) because of how they affect your blood sugar? I know that as diabetics we have been taught that "no food is off limits," and that we can eat anything as long as we bolus for it. But is that really true? Why is my bg SO MUCH BETTER (as are all my numbers) when I eat low carb? I have a few friends in the D community that eat low carb and have had good results. How come this way of eating isn't taught in the diabetes education classes I had to take?
I guess since my fear of carbs isn't harming me, I shouldn't worry about it. I don't like that one category of food can wreak so much havoc on my health. I don't like to feel limited, but the truth is diabetes does limit your diet. You can eat what you want, but you are going to pay for it. I fear bad blood sugar more than I desire carbs, if that makes since. But it would be nice to eat the occasional dessert without having fear or bad BG repercussions.
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I have a bigger fear of large amounts of IOB, not the carbs themselves. That being said, one leads to the other, so I go low carb. In addition to low-carb, pre-bolusing for meals has made an enormous impact on keeping my post-meal spikes down.
ReplyDeleteWhat I really miss is the ability to just truly snack. To sit down with a bag of chips and eat as many as you want. You just can't do this if you a) eat low carb and b) try to pre-bolus. Like you said, I care more about by BG than the high carb food, but it doesn't mean it is easy. Every day I am making this choice.
First of all, so glad you're back. Second: I think how carbs make you feel is really important. I have a fear of bagels now (if you can call it a fear), but I used to eat them for breakfast for about ten years. Now, I avoid them almost all the time because of what they do to my BG. But that doesn't matter. What matters: avoiding carbs is okay as long as you're happy and you're not suffering physically. Maybe it's not deeper than that.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're back too. I have a fear of a lot of things and I think I ignore it because men are supposed to be fearless. I'm kind of afraid I am just kind of moping along thru my diabetic life and doing generally okay, but...if I keep doing just "okay" they might put on my tombstone. "Preston. He got a C in life". I am going to have to dial it way down on the carbs to be successful. I want an A in life, and in my diabetes life too.
ReplyDeleteI think if I had a CGM I'd be more mindful of how the carbs impact on my blood sugar levels. I try and stay positive and eat things in moderation though, some days it works and some days it doesn't. Diabetes, is both an omnipresent foe and friend in my life.
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