The Sugar Solution

Last week – I was a pretty miserable mom.  I was stressed out and freaking out about every little thing.  It was NOT pleasant.  And it took almost the whole week for me to shake it off and get through to my somewhat “normal” me.

The weekend was better, although still stressful.  I’m having some medical issues – More this year than any other time in my life, except during pregnancy, and its been pretty wearing on me.   I think my miscarriage in November was just a sign or symptom of a lifestyle that needs changing, quite honestly.

I’m also not moving like I could or eating like I should, so I took the time to visit the library last week and came home with a few different books, including:

The Sugar Solution

The Maker’s Diet

I skimmed The Makers Diet, but am really digging into The Sugar Solution.  I have a family history of diabetes, and my lifestyle puts me in direct line for the same diagnosis.

While pregnant with Georgie, I developed gestational diabetes and it was NOT fun.  I was poking my finger 5 times a day, was taking medication and just before she was born my doctor prescribed insulin.   With gestational diabetes, the placenta is entirely in control.  It didn’t matter what I ate or how much I walked, my sugars were really controlled by the hormones and placenta itself.

I visited a registered dietitian and received great information about diet and exercise, and when I followed the eating plan as well as started walking 15 minutes every night, I actually LOST 9 lbs.  That wasn’t necessarily a GREAT thing, except it reduced my weight and I think that helped stave off the need for insulin for most of the pregnancy.  The problem is, somewhere along the way, I think I threw out most of the paperwork and information I received.  It must have been during my Blue period (postpartum depression…)

The point of all that is to come to this: I have not been diagnosed with diabetes, HOWEVER, I do know that I don’t feel good and am very much affected by my intake of sugar.  In conjunction with – and very much a part of food addiction – I have to know how the food I eats affects me in every way: physically, emotionally, mentally, etc.  And I’m learning this as I read this book!

With my ankle injury, it’s going to make things a bit more challenging in the area of exercise and moving, but I’ll just have to wear my brace a bit more and move around the house more.  I can walk for about 15 minutes with the brace on before I feel discomfort, so I’ll move at that level for now.

And it isn’t just “sugar” but how my body burns the foods I do eat.  Knowing which foods are better choices, and coming to understand how the Glycemic Index works.  (More about the Glycemic Index tomorrow…) THAT is a major key in this particular way of eating.  It isn’t a DIET.  It is learning how to eat better for my body to use the calories I’m taking in.  How to select between two choices based on the way the food is utilized by the body.

This does not mean I will never eat sugar again.  What it does mean, is that I have to choose to be smarter about the foods I eat and understand their real effects on my body.  I know when I’ve eaten too much sugar, and I know when I’m crashing down.  I believe I’ve had reactive hypoglycemia (undiagnosed) for over a decade, not understanding that’s what was going on.

It was also interesting to read how blood sugar levels are affected by normal hormonal fluctuations, and I can certainly attest to that. So I am taking responsibility for my eating and hoping that the changes I make are going to really give me a better handle on my physical self.

So now I’d love to hear from you.  Are you particular about what you eat?  Do you select only organic, or are you vegetarian?  Do you exercise every single day without fail, or are you more relaxed about “exercise” and just live an active lifestyle?

Do you follow a certain eating or food lifestyle?  What led to your decision?  How has changing the way you eat – or adopting your present lifestyle – affected your life?

Thanks for your comments!  Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe to The Queen Mommy’s Cafe either by email or RSS reader so you don’t miss any posts here.

About Debbie T

Welcome to my blog. Grab a latte and settle in for a good read! I'm Debbie - aka The Queen Mommy. I'm really just a Right-Brained woman who loves God, her husband, and her three children. I This means I'd rather write than clean... I enjoy writing about family & home, faith & life, marriage & parenting, food & addiction. I do participate in affiliate programs and use affiliate links and graphics throughout my blog. If you follow a link and make a purchase, I may make a small commission to help support my family at home. Click here for my Disclosure Policy.

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