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I would like to start by defending the title of this blog series. I’m a professional dieter. If degrees were given for dieting I’d have a PhD. There is nothing I don’t know about dieting, nothing I haven’t tried, including the popular program in the ‘70s consisting of injections from the urine of pregnant women and all the major diets: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I can lose weight and I have lost hundreds of pounds. I always end up back in my current state: matronly.
For those who do not diet or have never dieted or should diet but haven’t, these blogs are for you.
First, the word “diet” is not about weight loss. It’s simply what you eat. You may have a diet of M&Ms (I know someone who only ate M&Ms day in and day out and she was skinny) or a diet of tomatoes. Whatever you eat is your diet. I believe the more enlightened way of putting it these days is “weight management.” Or more correctly, weight mismanagement. That’s because it is the individual’s poor eating style for his or her body that is the problem. I know there are some people with glandular problems but most of us in the overweight world simply do not manage our weight properly. Note: never compare what you eat to what your friends, neighbors, or coworkers eat. It can be very depressing. I know a tiny woman who eats more than I do and we are about the same age.
I was a trim child, a pudgy adolescent, a less pudgy early teen, a skinny teen, a skinny young adult, a pregnant whale, twice, and then settled into yo-yo dieting with Type II Diabetes as a chaser. That’s where I am today.
During my life, especially as a child, I was always hungry. I was so hungry after school that I would shake and sometimes get foggy-headed. I could not do my homework until after dinner even though I was encouraged to do so because they did not want me to stay up late on a school night. I remember BEGGING for something to eat and when denied because dinner was in an hour I would sneak spoonfuls of sugar from the sugar bowl and would feel better immediately. I often had a small after school snack but it did not take care of the deep, gnawing hunger.
I learned years later that it was low blood sugar, the opposite of what I have now, and is a precursor to Adult Onset Diabetes, which oddly is “high” blood sugar. Go figure. Doctors determined I did not have Juvenile Diabetes. Had we known then what we know now perhaps I might have had a better handle on my health as an adult. (Probably not though. Who cares about health when you’re a kid or even a young adult?)
Some women find themselves with gestational diabetes when they are pregnant and that happened to me with my first child. It went away after my son’s birth and it did not appear during my second pregnancy. I was warned, however, that it would probably come back “some day.” That’s odd to me now because no one ever told me why. I believe I now know why. I gained too much weight with that pregnancy and though many women do, my body, in particular my pancreas, could not handle the insulin required. A little genetic squeeze I got from my dad’s side of the family. It meant that from that point forward I needed to pay close attention to my diet. I was 27 and not interested in that information. I loved to cook and I loved to eat and to go out and I was (and still am) addicted to sweets. Fortunately I have never been addicted to alcohol or drugs because I’ve known some diabetics who were and they are no longer with us.
I have taken a number of classes on nutrition over the years and one class was all about Adult Onset Diabetes. It was the best class I have ever taken on the topic of weight management. First, we were all there for the same reason: we were having a hard time managing our diabetes and needed help with meal planning and exercise. Many of my classmates were new to diabetes and were horrified to learn that the remainder of their lives would be devoted to planning and preparing foods in a completely different way than ever before in their lives. Many were very heavy, most were late middle aged, and all were worried. One was a chef’s daughter and about to launch a new restaurant with yummy foods. However, at the conclusion of the course she prepared treats for us but prepared them in the style she learned during the class and they were great.
Not all heavy people have diabetes. The reason we see more and more people with diabetes is because they may have a predisposition to it IF they do not manage their weight and health properly. And for a potential diabetic, that’s something that should be done very early on, particularly when women get pregnant. I know many women who gained tremendous amounts of weight during pregnancy but when talking with them about their family trees they do not know of anyone with diabetes. Just knowing your family health history would be a great benefit to preventing Type II diabetes in many cases. Or delaying its onset. My next onset occurred when I was 42.
Because of this disease I have tried many weight loss plans. Some have actually been quite good. However, most of them are unrealistic in our society and I have fallen victim to feeling deprived if I can’t indulge in life’s little food goodies. Though I have often managed to find a sensible, healthy weight loss plan I can’t seem to keep the weight off. I’m great at maintaining though! (Before I close for this week I would like to point out that I am currently eating a sensible high fiber, complex carb diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans and brown rice. I prepare these foods with little or no fat and I keep the meals simple. When testing my blood sugar it is normal. I haven’t lost a single pound.) Next Sunday the “E” word.
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