Time to Heal: Part I

Change. It has been said that it is the only constant, though few of us ever seem to embrace change without some fear and trepidation. For over 3 decades not much has changed, however, regarding what the ADA and AMA recommend as a healthy, "balanced" diet to diabetics and overweight people. A low fat, high carbohydrate diet plan is the standard of perfection we are being sold, while over the last three decades diabetes and obesity have been increasing in epidemic proportions. Coincidence? Decidedly not. But, for some reason we can't seem to get away from the ideas that we've been spoon fed by the "powers that be" that fat makes us fat and the biggest, best food group to consume to be healthy is breads and cereals in the form refined, chemically laden carbohydrates.

It wasn't that long ago I thought I was doing better than some by ordering a diet cola with my Big Mac (at least I wasn't consuming all the sugar in a regular cola after all). I would pass on the fries even (sometimes). That was a good start, right? Well, it was better than indulging totally - - it took discipline to say no to those fries, especially since I loved them a LOT. Surely the "diet fairy" would see I was trying to be "good" and a few pounds would melt away, right? Heh. What I hadn't figured in was that the sesame seed bun was being metabolized in my body (as it does in everyone else's body) as if it were pure sugar. "But it's in a good food group, right? So what's the harm?" I knew, too, from personal experience that if I ate a Big Mac I wouldn't need to eat anything else for the rest of the day. I was always full and satisfied after downing one (I know now that was probably because of the high fat content), and one Big Mac was only about 700 calories. Seven hundred calories isn't much for one day, if one follows the notion that reducing calories is the way to lose weight. Unfortunately that never happened while I was eating Big Macs. As a matter of fact the opposite happened...there was always a steady gain.

Big Macs and fast food were an exception to my normal "BLC" (Before Low Carb) eating plan, however. Frequently I cooked at home for myself and my family. It wasn't uncommon for me to eat eggs, sausage and a slice of American cheese on toast or an English muffin for breakfast, or a bowl of cereal (whole grain being a favorite), or to skip breakfast altogether. Lunch and supper were free-for-all's, usually consisting of a protein with ample side dishes of high carb veggies and bread. Oh, and don't forget dessert - - a must after supper in an attempt to satisfy an insatiable sweet tooth. The thing is no matter what food I ate, main course or dessert, I was never really full and never satisfied.

I found that I usually felt like passing out in the afternoon, and especially after eating a meal which contained anything with grain or sugar in it. I had to sleep right then, as it was impossible for me to keep my eyes open. I had already been diagnosed as being hypoglycemic, and I knew what was happening was I was raising my blood sugar to great heights with every meal, only to have them crashing to a below basement level about 15 to 20 minutes after meal. It was a vicious cycle...eat, feel crappy, eat more to feel better, feel crappy again a short time later. I knew what was happening, I just didn't know how to stop it...until I remembered my mother (a diabetic) had told me that a low carb diet had made a positive impact on her blood sugar levels. I was willing to give it a try. I was tired of feeling sick and tired all the time. Maybe laying off the carbs would help?

To be continued...