Healing Type 1 Diabetes

Recording Blood Sugars for my Appts on the 12th

Don't you hate recording all your blood sugars, insulin dosages, and what you eat in a log? At the last Diabetes Sisters meeting, I think we all agreed that we hate doing it but sometimes it's necessary.

I finally started recording mine yesterday for my appointments with my endo & diabetes educator on the 12th. I was supposed to start on the 1st, but we were busy with preparing for and then recovering from having the carpets cleaned in our house over the weekend. At least I will get a little over a week recorded, so that's good.

Yesterday

• 7:30 am      155 bs    .6 units - Disconnected pump and showered & got ready for work.
• 8:30 am     172 bs     .6 units
• 12:30 pm  220 bs     1.5 units - Ate big salad & took 3 more units
• 5:15 pm     179 bs     .9 units
• 6:30 pm - ate small cheese snack
• 8:50 pm     174 bs    .9 units - Ate sausage & cheese omelet & took 1 more unit
• 11:00 pm   163 bs     .7 units

Today so far

• 7:11 am     145 bs     .5 units - Ate 2 slices bacon & took .5 more unit & then disconnected pump
• 8:30 am    161 bs     .4 units
• 12:17 pm  198 bs     1.2 units - Ate big salad & took 4 more units

I'm not sure why my blood sugars are hovering in the upper 150's right now. I did recover from my healthy grains experiment last week and then over the weekend I tried shiritake noodles which I read about in a health article and have no grains in them (by the tofu in the refrigerated section next to the packaged greens). That did not appear to affect my blood sugars long term as I had a morning blood sugar of 100 after that.

I did drink a little Biotta fermented beet juice and also a little red wine over the weekend, so maybe that's it.

But in talking to other Type 1's, sometimes we just don't know why. You can eat & do the exact same things on 2 different days and get different blood sugars. It's very frustrating. I am hoping reading Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution will help. I am thoroughly enjoying that book.

It's possible that I need to rase my basal (24 hr insulin) rate on my pump, but I am going to watch it for a few days before I make that decision.

 

Amazing Eyes for a 56 Year Old!

My blood sugar was 158 this morning. Woo! No hoo yet, but getting there. I think eliminating quinoa & millet, as well as all other grains, is working for me. I expect it will take about 3 days for my morning blood sugars to recover.

I went for my yearly eye exam today. The doctor told me I have amazing eyes for a 56 year old. That deserves a woo-hoo! It's nice to have some things work well, even if my pancreas doesn't. lol

Back in 1995 I had Lasik eye surgery at a TLC center in Tulsa. I highly recommend these centers as that is all they do and they are very well trained. You can go to http://www.tlcvision.com/ to find the TLC center nearest to you.

When I had Lasik done my eyes were very, very nearsighted with astigmatism. I know, I know, you are saying, so what, I (or someone I know) is very nearsighted too. Well, I bet you anything mine was worse (big smile). I asked the eye doctor to estimate and he said I was about 20/6,000 in one eye and 20/10,000 in the other. Without glasses, if you put your face inches from my face it would still be blurry. I had to put on glasses to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. My glasses were so thick, they were like coke bottle bottoms.

I had a co-worker once claim hers was worse because her eye doctor said only his 70 year old patients had worse vision than her. I asked my eye doctor if only their elderly patients had worse vision than me, and she said, "Oh no, they see much better than you. We have one patient that we can't correct to 20/20 who is worse off than you, but that's it."

The TLC center I went to did a fantastic job and gave me 20/20 vision. Sometimes, after 16 years I take it for granted. But it is so nice to not have to wear glasses or contacts and to be able to see ALL THE TIME!

Today, my vision is still 20/20. I remember I was juicing (carrots, celery, etc.) back when I had the surgery done and at my eye exam afterwards he said I was one of the few that did not have scar tissue. I had reabsorbed it. But, even though my eye doctor thought it was great that Lasik has held this long, that wasn't what he was complimenting me on.

He asked me what kind of reading glasses I used and I said I didn't use any. He said it was amazing for a 56 year old to still have flexible lenses like I have. He said many people start losing that flexibility and wearing reading glasses at 42 years old. I asked what can be attributed to that and he said they don't know.

Well, here is my guess:

1. Nutrition - whole foods, plenty of vegetables and fruits (for me nowadays it is only those fruits that people think of as veggies because of the blood sugar effect of the others), and antioxidants from foods and supplements. No transfats but include some omega-3 fats (either in supplements or in omega-3 enhanced eggs or grass-fed meat) and also some saturated fats.
2. Eye exercises - when I walk I focus on trees far away and then the ground up close, then an in-between spot, etc.
3. Genetics - I'm sure they play a part but I will have to check with my mom and see when she started getting far-sighted or needed reading glasses. But since her and all my siblings still wear glasses and contacts for nearsightedness, it might be hard to compare.

Whatever the reason, I am grateful for my amazing eyes!

 

Easy & Tasty Chicken Recipe

My blood sugar was 222 this morning. I say it's time for me to stop this experiment with the healthy grain, quinoa. I believe this grain is great for many people, just not for me.

I did feel a little woozy last night like I was crashing so I drank 4 ounces of beet juice (Biotta brand) to resolve that. Then I went to bed with a great blood sugar of 103. So the high blood sugar this morning could have been due to the beet juice, but I skipped breakfast and took insulin to bring it down and I was still at 157 by lunch time.

I figure maybe this experiment helped to prepare me for the philosophy in Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, because I don't think he eats any grains. I started reading it today and am very excited to learn his approach which has worked for many people.

Here is the yummy & easy chicken recipe I made up.

Take 1 package of pesto marinated chicken breasts from Trader Joe's (or any marinated chicken from any grocery store) and pour the entire package into a casserole dish. Sprinkle some frozen veggies on top (I used a 9 oz box of Bird's Eye mixed vegetables). Cook covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. If you can tolerate grains, then while the casserole is cooking - cook a healthy grain like millet, quinoa, or buckwheat on top of the stove. Cook up one serving. Normally this requires 1/4 cup of the grain and 1/2 cup of water, boil, and then simmer for 15 minutes until the water is gone. But use the package directions to get it right. When the grain is done, cover with a lid to keep it warm. When the casserole is done, spread the grain on top of the chicken and let it sit with the lid on for a few minutes to absorb some of the moisture.

What I Learned from my Sweet Transgressions

My blood sugar was 204 this morning. Not woo-hoo.

I skipped breakfast and with my boluses (fast acting insulin) it did get down to 179 by lunch. I didn't eat anything sweet yesterday, so it looks like it might be due to the quinoa. I ate 1/3 of a serving last night with chicken and veggies. I have one last serving to eat tonight and then I will probably give up this grain also.

One thing I learned from my recent sweet relapses is that my wheatgrass/l-glutamine powder helps - when I drink it! On the days that I remember to drink this in the afternoon my sweet cravings are lessened. I use a rounded teaspoon of wheatgrass powder & another rounded teaspoon of l-glutamine powder and mix them in 8 ounces of water.

Wheatgrass helps my body to become more alkaline and as it becomes more alkaline, I crave acidic foods like sugar less. An acid body craves acid foods, whereas an alkaline body craves alkaline foods. Anyway, this is what I was taught in my nutrition classes. It even gets to the point where sweet foods do not taste good anymore, when your body becomes alkaline balanced.

The supplement l-Glutamine helps reduce cravings also. This article on the BENEFITS OF THE AMINO ACID L-GLUTAMINE talks about all the benefits of l-Glutamine and if you scroll down to the section on STABILIZES BLOOD SUGAR & DECREASES ALCOHOL CRAVINGS you will discover how it helps reduce cravings.

The other thing I learned from Changing for Good is that I haven't changed my lifestyle; I've only changed one thing - my diet. Okay, I have changed one other thing - I am attending support group meetings.

But I started out exercising, walking 30 minutes 5 times a week, and I did not stick with it. I believe sticking with a healthy diet is much easier when you are exercising also. You just feel so good and proud that you hate to bring yourself down with junk food.

The reasons I stopped are many. I got sidetracked getting my daughter settled in at college and sending her care packages of stuff she needed. I got sidetracked helping my son build/assemble his new bed. I also got sidetracked cleaning house.

I had some livingsocial coupons that were going to expire. One for house cleaning and one for carpet cleaning. I swear most of the house cleaning happened because I had to pick up before they came. lol

The carpet cleaners are coming Saturday and I am busy getting things off the floor for their arrival. The good news is that I am getting some exercise, walking up and down the stairs, lifting heavy boxes, etc.

After the carpet cleaners come on Saturday, I am recommitting myself to walking! If anybody reads this and wants to share how exercise helps them, I would love to hear it.

Sliding Down that Sweet Slope...

My blood sugar was 195 this morning. Not woo-hoo.

Also, even with taking insulin to bring it down I am hovering at around 200 today. I took two boluses this morning, one before my shower and then after getting dressed (because I disconnect my pump during that time). I skipped breakfast so I could see if my blood sugar would come down, which is a tip one endocrinologist taught me for checking my basal (24 hour insulin) rate. It stayed at around 200.

There are two possibilities for this. I ate something sweet on Saturday & Sunday. Sweets have always been my addiction and since I determined that it wouldn't affect my basal rate to eat non-grain sweets, I have been sliding down that sweet slope. I was afraid this would happen. Once I opened the door a crack, I swung it wide open.

The other possibility is that I have eaten a little bit of the grains that I have been told I am not hypersensitive to - millet, quinoa, & buckwheat. I had millet & quinoa Friday, Saturday, & Sunday. I only ate a fourth of a serving at each meal, so I did keep it moderate. It was very yummy and I will have to talk about my recipe in another post.

So to figure this out I will not eat sweets this week, but will finish up my leftovers with quinoa in it and see if my blood sugars go down.

I finished reading Changing for Good today and think I have figured out one reason why I slid down the sweet slope which I will post about tomorrow. I am going to start reading Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution tomorrow which I think will also help.

But I am still doing great and finding my path.

I'll Start Fresh Tomorrow

My morning blood sugar was 80 this morning! Wow, I remember when I was happy with anything under 200.

Have you ever said to yourself, "I'll start fresh tomorrow (or next week/month/etc.)." ?

I used to say that to myself a lot. If I made a slip in my diet I would give up, pig out for the rest of the day, and tell myself I would do better tomorrow.

I think a lot of people with addictions must do this. That phrase was in Jeff Garlin's book My Footprint: Carrying the Weight of the World a lot. I did not enjoy this book very much. I thought it would be inspiring about how a celebrity with food addictions conquered them. But the end of the book didn't seem to have a resolution. It wasn't inspiring. The main thing for me was that I totally identified with the "starting over tomorrow" philosophy and saw how it just does not work - at all.

So I am very proud to say that I am no longer using that approach. I had something sweet after lunch for the last 3 days, took my bolus (fast acting insulin for those not on a pump) for it, and continued to eat low carb for the rest of the day. My sweet treats did not have any grains in them and they have not affected my basal rate (24 hr insulin amount) nor my overall blood sugars.

On the other hand, if I ate a slice of bread I think it would affect my basal rate and my blood sugars for 3 days minimum.

I know I probably should not eat sweets that often, but I'm accepting the fact that I'm not perfect and moving on. My main goal is good blood sugars and a good A1c. The lowest A1c I have ever had is 8 and I am hoping to do so-o-o much better! Wish me luck!

Tempted

My blood sugar was 94 this morning and no crash! Woo-hoo!

Boy that chicken piccata with gravy and mashed potatoes sure does look & smell good in the cafeteria today. I might even have gotten the chicken but the gravy has wheat in it and I don't want to mess up my blood sugars for a minimum of 3 days.

Sweets tempt me a little bit nowadays, but not too much. I think it's because my blood sugars have been good. My whole body craves sweets when my blood sugars are high, because the sugar is not getting into my cells. I also am allowing myself something sweet, sans grains, about once a week.

But the craving for chicken, potatoes, & gravy today is in my mouth only. I can taste it and I salivate for it a little. So this is a memory craving I suppose, because I grew up on potatoes & gravy. But my BAS (big ass salad) looks yummy too and I look forward to how it tastes.

I read today in Changing for Good that one of the ways that you know you are in the termination stage, the last stage, is when you are no longer tempted - ever. It also said about 16% of ex-smokers and alcoholics reach this stage - after years of being in the maintenance stage. Some of us stay in the maintenance stage and never reach the termination stage. That's okay though, we can still maintain our change for life. We just have to be more vigilant and continue to use our maintenance coping tools.

So I was tempted today, but not too strongly. My rewards are feeling good and good blood sugars. Oh, and also seeing a few pounds drop off and clothes fitting better...

First Crash & Greek Yogurt

I've had great morning blood sugars lately of around 100, but this morning I had my first crash since I've been on this Primal Diet.

Now I'm wondering if I should lower my basal rate (10 units a day, .45 units per hour) all day or just at night or whether I am bolusing too much for my evening meal. I think I will try bolusing less and see if that works.

As crashes go, it wasn't bad. To me the bad ones are when I wake up sweaty and confused and can barely make it downstairs to get something to eat. With this one I just woke up feeling like I was crashing, but not sweaty or confused yet.

I found one very tasty low carb treat is greek yogurt. I especially like one from Trader Joe's that has 8 carbs & 3 gms of fiber from inulin. That works out to only a net of 5 carbs! This is the plain flavor, of course. I add slivered almonds and raw cacao nibs. Yummy!

Technically, I may be eating too much dairy for a true primal diet but my blood sugars are good so I am not worrying about it right now.

Like I mentioned previously I am trying to be less of a perfectionist and allow myself some treats. I even had an ice cream this weekend! I just made sure it had no grains (for example, no cookies & cream flavor and no ice cream sandwich), gave myself 5 units of insulin, and I seemed to do okay. I just relaxed and savored every bite and did not consider it a relapse on my diet.

Right now I am about to eat my BAS and so looking forward to it!

Tweaked my Bolus Settings

My blood sugar was 90 this morning! Woo-hoo!

I haven't had a single crash since I gave up starchy carbs & reduced my basal rate from 20 to 10.  I've gotten tired of the slight highs that my pump seems to think are okay. I'll use my bolus wizard for 160 bs and it'll deliver .1 units of insulin. Two hours later my bs is still 160.

So I decided to check out my bolus settings yesterday that my diabetes educator helped me to set up. We had my BG Target set at 100-140, because I did use to crash a lot. I have now changed it to 70-100. My pump warned me that target range is valid but outside the usual range of 90-140. My first endo told me good bs's are between 70-120, so that's why I picked 70 for the bottom of my range.

 I think this change is working great for me. I woke up with a 90 bs and now when I have a 160 bs, it will help me get it down to 100 instead of doing nothing - or me needing to do a manual bolus.

The other setting I changed was the Active Ins Time. It was set at 4 hours and because of this setting my pump would not deliver any insulin sometimes even if I had a bs of 211. Instead it would tell me that I had plenty of active insulin available. Then 2 hours later I would still have a 200 bs. So I changed that setting to 2 hours.

I know I can override what the pump will deliver with a manual bolus and I have done that, especially lately. But if I can get the pump to work more accurately on its own, why not?

If anybody has any similar experiences, I would love to hear them.

FREEEEE-DOMMMMMM!!!!!

I re-watched Braveheart recently. Wow, awesome movie. And when William Wallace yells out, "FREEEEE-DOMMMMMM!!!!!" it is such a touching moment.

The year I was absent from blogging and not sticking to any particular diet, one word kept popping up in my mind when I would think about trying a strict diet again - freedom. I would think it, my heart would sink, and I could tell that I was not ready for that again.

My inner child was so sick of my parental side telling me what I could and could not eat. My inner child was also sick of hearing that it was for my own good. I had to work through this and I believe I have now.

As a Type 1 diabetic don't you get jealous of people who can eat or drink something and not have to think about how many grams of carbs is in that and how much insulin they should take? I mean, something as simple as drinking a glass of orange juice. Seems so innocuous. For them it is, but not for us. We have to think about and plan every bite, every sip.

What I have come to realize though is that there are other freedoms that I value more than the freedom to eat whatever I want. The freedom to feel good. The freedom to use less insulin. The freedom to do other activities because I do feel so well.

When my blood sugars are good, I do feel free. I feel free, to some extent, of my diabetes.

The pump has helped me to feel free also because I am free of daily injections.

My blood sugar was 100 this morning. Woo-hoo!!!

My basal rate is 10 now, when it used to be 20 (when I ate grains). My bolus is usually 1/2, 1, or 2 units - occasionally 3 or 4. That's much better than the 10 or 15 unit boluses I used to need.

I feel free!!!

I Skipped Steps & Wrong Eating Plan for Me

I didn't blog for over a year and during that time I tried to figure out what I was doing wrong. I wanted to figure out why I couldn't stick with my eating plan. As I mentioned in my last post, I started reading Changing for Good.

That book has helped me to realize that it isn't all about willpower. I also needed to go through precontemplation, contemplation, and then preparation before I would be ready for the action stage. In the past I was just skipping right to the action stage and trying to force myself to stick with the plan.

I started planning, learning from how my body was reacting to junk food, finding support groups, thinking about how to learn from past mistakes, and contemplating the benefits versus costs of making changes.

One thing I learned is that junk food didn't taste as good as it used to and wasn't nearly as satisfying as it seemed it would be before I ate it. I have really learned to love the taste of a yummy salad and most of the time a piece of cake ends up being just too sweet and fake tasting. I found some great support groups, which I mentioned in my last post.

I also had to finally accept that a raw vegan diet was not for me. I think it might work great for some people. Intuitively, it seemed to make sense to me, raw veggies, fruits, & nuts should be the ultimate in nutrition. After all, that's the way all the other animals in the world live - mostly. Although I do know that apes and chimpanzees eat bugs and occasionally even meat.

A green smoothie would require 10 units of insulin and if I was off by a couple of units (which happened a lot because fruit varies in its sweetness) I would either go too high or crash. My blood sugars were a roller coaster on the raw vegan diet. And did you know that there has not been one human society that they have found that eats raw vegan? They all eat an animal product of some kind.

So, sadly, I had to accept this and that was hard, because I can be pretty stubborn. One doctor found I was low on carnitine (which you get from meat). A chiropractor found that I am hyper sensitive to most grains. I've long admired Dr. Richard Bernstein who eats a very low carb diet and puts his patients on that diet also. His Type 1 patients have the A1c of non-diabetics. I plan to read his book next - Dr Bernsteins Diabetes Solution. I also now follow the primal guy at http://www.marksdailyapple.com/.

I am working on reducing my stress and exercising more. I also learned from Changing for Good that a lapse is not a relapse. I am not shooting for perfection, except in terms of avoiding most grains, and I am trying to love myself and all my imperfections.

When you think about it, we are kinder to others than we are to ourselves. Try to look at yourself as if you were a good friend. Would you, as a good friend, belittle yourself for little mistakes or support yourself and point out how far you've come? I am still working on that also and I am making progress.

You are doing great, Karen! :-)

Support is SO Important!

I am almost done reading Changing for Good. What this book has taught me is that it is NOT all about willpower. Also, I learned that not everyone is ready for the action stage yet. That's why diet programs like Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem often don't work long term. There are 6 stages and you have to go through pre-contemplation, contemplation, and preparation before you are ready for action. I also learned that what I needed more of was support. But if you read the book, you might realize you need more of something else.

I have been lucky to find some great support groups. There is a diabetes support group at my work that meets once a month for lunch. The interesting thing is that it is mostly adults who got Type 1 later in life, like me. That group also has a listserv where we can ask questions of the group.

I have also started going to a pump support group that meets at a local hospital. A couple started it as a support group for their son years ago and tried to stop when their son went off to college, but as they jokingly say 'you wouldn't let us'. This group meets once a month and sometimes has great guest speakers. The main thing for me is the sense of camaraderie, the feeling that you are not alone, and that we are all doing okay.

Then my endo's office had a pamphlet about http://www.diabetessisters.org/. I went to their website, signed up, and plan to go to a local meeting this month. Ought to be fun!

There is also a great Facebook page called Juvenation where everyone gripes, shares, and supports each other - adults with Type 1 or parents of kids with it.

Lastly, blogging is helping me too. I gave up playing Facebook games at lunch (I know, a big waste of time - I still play them in the evening some) so I could blog and I find it very helpful. I can put down my thoughts, share how I am doing, and vent my feelings. Sometimes, someone even shares a supportive comment and that is very rewarding. But even if no one comments, just getting it out helps.

One option, if you don't have any local support groups, is to start one. You can look for support groups or start one with the help of http://www.meetup.com/.

Here's hoping that everyone who reads this is getting the support they need!

That First Morning Blood Sugar Sets the Tone for the Day

My first morning blood sugar today was 109. Woo-hoo!

For those who aren't diabetic, they wouldn't understand. But us Type 1s, and maybe many Type 2s too, understand. If you wake up to a great blood sugar, it just sets the tone for the day. You feel on top of your diabetes, for the moment, and in control. You can do anything! Of course, part of it is physical because you feel better when you have a good blood sugar too. But part of it is mental.

When you have a high blood sugar you start thinking, "I failed again. What did I do wrong this time? Why can't I do better? It's hopeless."

While others are having their tone for the day set by things like - their spouse's mood, how their neck feels, or their dog's behavior during the night - ours is set by that one little number. Whatever that stupid little meter spits out determines our mood. It might even affect how we eat during the day.

If our blood sugar is good, we are motivated to continue with out health promoting ways. But if it's bad, we might be tempted to give up and decide that whatever we do doesn't help.

In my case, I think eating primal (lots of salads and some grass-fed meat, eggs, & a little cheese) and getting a pump has helped me. My morning blood sugars have gradually gotten better and it's very motivating to keep on trucking!

Here's hoping you find what works for you too!

Sometimes it's Just not Worth the Insulin

At the cookout this weekend everybody was so nice. But when it came to desserts a few people were really encouraging me to try them. In truth, it may have been because I looked like I was tempted and considering it. I'm not sure.

At first, I was like 'Nah', 'trying to be good', and 'I'm so full'. They probably thought I was on some silly diet and should loosen up for just one day. And in most cases, they are probably right.

So I eventually pointed to my pump and said I was a Type 1 diabetic and 'sometimes it's just not worth the insulin'. That worked! They were still very nice but seemed to understand then. One woman shared that her husband is Type 2 and she is prediabetic. I wonder though, if it was tmi. Was I being too open about my disease with new friends? If anyone is reading this, please let me know what you would have said or done.

I plan to post my blood sugars, etc. from October 1st - 12th because that is when I have to record them for my endo for my next appointment. I hate writing them down, along with my diet, but since I have to do it for him anyway - I will blog it too.

Perfectionism in the Diet - In Some Areas it's Necessary

I know in the past I have tried to be too much of a perfectionist in my diet (and in this case I don't mean the definition of diet people tend to think of nowadays, I just mean what I eat and drink). I am trying to loosen up in some areas but there are some areas in which I do need to be a perfectionist.

For example, my daughter is celiac. She HAS to be a perfectionist when it comes to avoiding gluten. I have been told that I am highly sensitive to gluten, although not celiac.

http://www.healthiertalk.com/gluten-what-you-don-t-know-might-kill-you-4521

This article talks about how the risk of death was highest for the people with ‘gut inflammation related to gluten’ and were not diagnosed as celiac. The celiacs did much better because they knew and avoided gluten. So, in essence, the best thing to do is try a trial period of not eating gluten and then reintroduce it and see how you feel.

When I eat the starchy carbs that I am sensitive to (and this includes rice, potatoes, & corn - I am only not sensitive to buckwheat, quinoa, & millet) my insulin needs go up for 3 days. My basal rate has to be 20 units. But after clearing my body of these grains, my basal rate can be reduced to 10 units. In fact, I have to reduce it or I start crashing a lot. Sugar, without grains, just seems to affect my insulin needs short term. But I am just eating sugar when needed for a blood sugar crash.

So, you see, a piece of cake or even a bite affects me for so long that it is just not worth it and it could also be causing gut inflammation. I need to be a perfectionist, unfortunately, when it comes to these starchy carbs.

This weekend I went to a neighbor's cookout and I enjoyed the non-grass-fed meat and a salad and bypassed all the desserts. They even had a made-from-scratch banana pudding with meringue on top where even the vanilla wafers were made from scratch. But I kept thinking about those 3 days. I am on 10 units of basal right now and losing weight (whenever I reduce the insulin I take I lose weight since insulin is the fat storage hormone). I avoided those desserts and don't regret not tasting them. When you eat plenty of protein and keep your blood sugar levels down, the cravings are just not as strong and sometimes are gone completely.

But I was not a perfectionist about the meat or the salad. I normally eat grass-fed and the salad had a dressing on it that I didn't know what was in it. So I can be a non-perfectionist in some areas. Oh, I forgot, I also had a couple of buffalo wings with some teriyaki sauce on them. What areas can you loosen up on and with what foods do you need to be a perfectionist?

I think Matt Monarch says in his books "It's what you don't eat that heals you" and sometimes that is so true!

How to Keep those Salads Interesting!

I got the term Big Ass Salad from www.marksdailyapple.com, the primal guy. I love that term because it makes me feel like I am eating something substantial instead of eating like a bird.

So how can we keep those BAS's interesting? I learned from Karen Knowler, www.therawfoodcoach.com, that it is not a good idea to make your salad the same way every day. That's what I used to do. I would put every healthy ingredient that I loved on my salad! It was yummy but it was such a mixture of tastes that nothing stood out. It also tasted the same every day. So now I do what Karen suggested and only put 3 - 5 ingredients on my salad and vary which ones I select each day. I also vary what my greens are - romaine, mixed greens, or baby spinach mostly. That way certain tastes stand out, your salad tastes different each day, and you don't get bored. Here is a good article by Karen - http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/salads-the-what-the-why-and-the-how-4626896.html.

Of course, if you are not on a raw vegan diet you can also vary what meat and/or cheese you put on your salad.

Here is a great video by the primal guy on how he makes his BAS - http://www.marksdailyapple.com/two-minute-salad/.

Enjoy! I know I will. Today I used mixed greens & baby spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, garbanzo beans, mixed nuts & seeds, and blue cheese dressing (normally I use olive oil, but for a treat I occasionally use blue cheese).

I'm back and Dependence on Insulin

Thank you for the comments I have gotten while I've been gone. I have been researching, reading, and relaxing. I've decided a 100% raw vegan diet is not for me. My blood sugars never stabilized. One doctor checked my vitamin levels and I was great on all the vitamins except I was low on carnosine which is provided by meat.

So I am now eating a primal diet. Lots of BAS (Big Ass Salads) and grass-fed meat. I will keep you posted.

One commenter said I shouldn't become dependent on insulin. I say we are all dependent on insulin, it's just that my body is not delivering it for me as it does for most other people. Here is the section in the insulin wiki that talks about all that insulin does http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin#Physiological_effects

When I first became diabetic at the age of 47 they assumed I was type 2 and put me on oral medications. I started wasting away and got down to 88 pounds. Before they figured out how to produce insulin, people did waste away and literally starve to death.

I am now on a pump. I chose the Medtronic mini-med. It has helped so much. The first advantage is that I no longer have to poke myself with insulin several times a day, I just have to poke myself once every 3 days to attach the pump. The second advantage is that I can suspend the delivery of insulin if I start crashing or go exercise - you can't suspend 24-hour insulin like Lantus.

I have joined a support group at work that meets once a month for lunch and has a listserv. This has been wonderful and they were the ones who first convinced me to get a pump. There is also a monthly pump group meeting in the evenings at a local hospital. I will attend the second meeting for that tonight. Support is so important!

Where is your craving coming from?

Lost another pound! Woo-hoo! New weight is 124. Of course, that is not my goal - better blood sugars are. But nice by-product...

Next time you have a craving, see if you can figure out where it is coming from - physically. Is it coming from your stomach, your heart, your mouth, your head, your whole body, or somewhere else?

I just realized recently that when it feels like my whole body is crying out for sugar, it's because my blood sugar is high and if I can bring it down the craving goes away. As I explained in a previous post, one doctor told me that was because the sugar is not getting into my cells, so my body is signalling for more because it hasn't really received it yet. Once I take my insulin, it opens the sugar door to my cells and my body is happy and content.

But yesterday, my blood sugars were good and I had a craving for chocolate. It was a smaller craving and it came from my head and mouth because I thought about how good a piece of my neighbor's stash of chocolate would taste. lol I did not have a piece of my co-workers chocolate, but I did have chocolate later that night. I will tell you about that in another post.

• Today - Jun 29th - 12:30pm - 304 - I had egg, cheese, & bacon for breakfast (which I rarely ever do) and I guess I needed to take a couple units for it
• Jun 29th - 7:45am - 126
• Jun 28th - 8:20pm - 174
• Jun 28th - 1:20pm - 198
• Jun 28th - 8:00am - 249
• Jun 27th - 6:30pm - 158
• Jun 27th - 3:00pm - 221
• Jun 26th - 8:40pm - 426 - I think this is because I ate some dried veggies without taking any insulin. I didn't know how much to take, apparently a few units. I think I will stick to fresh veggies from now on.
 

Sometimes it's just not worth the insulin

I am so proud of myself. I have avoided the donuts and chocolates at work and all starchy carbs. But I am most proud that I avoided all the junk, including cake, at a baby shower on Thursday night. I ate a few almonds and veggies and that was it. Someone asked me if I had had any cake and was very impressed when I said I didn't. So I told her I was diabetic and 'I could eat it but sometimes it's just not worth the insulin.'

I think sugar has a short-term effect on my need for insulin, because I have eaten sugar before to bring my sugar levels back up after a crash and it helped but didn't seem to bother me long-term. But starchy carbs, white flour in particular, seem to affect my insulin needs for about 3 days or more. That's why a piece of cake is not worth it. I know that allergies can cause symptoms 3 days later so that makes sense.

I also went to a Chinese buffet with co-workers and only ate meat and veggies, and they had some cool looking desserts. Woo-hoo!

The next morning after the baby shower I had an awesome blood sugar of 73 and I was not crashing. Thus confirming that avoiding the cake was well worth it because I felt so good. I have been able to reduce my 24 hour insulin to 10 units again. My weight seems to have stabilized around 125. Here are some blood sugars:

• 12:30pm today - 101
• 11:30pm yesterday - 149
• 9:00pm - 96
• 12:15pm - 102
• 7:45am - 73
• day before yesterday - some 200s and a couple in the 100s - I almost raised my 24 hour insulin by a unit but I'm glad I didn't. I just had to wait for starchy carbs I had days before to leave my system.

Cheated a little on Vacation...

Do you do that - cheat a little on your diet on vacation? I went to NY for college visits for my daughter and to see the Statue of Liberty. I didn't pig out. I did eat some salads and even got a Diabetes veggie juice (right out of Norman Walker's book). It's so easy to get fresh veggie juice in NY! I do love that. Here in NC there is not a single place to get one. There was one Whole Foods that used to do it, but they quit years ago.

But I also tried a frozen yogurt and an ice cream. The yogurt was non-fat and tasteless - not worth the cheat and the insulin! The best soft-serve (my favorite) ice cream was from those carts on the side of the street. That one was worth the insulin! lol

I also ate a couple of sandwiches, so the wheat - as usual - made my long-lasting and instant insulin needs go up.

With all the walking we did, I lost another pound. Woo-hoo! 125 pounds now.

The weeks before vacation though I am very proud that I continued to totally avoid sugars and grains. Now I am back at work and trying to get back on track. I had to increase my 24 hour insulin to 11 units, but I bet I will be able to reduce it to 10 again after I avoid sugar and grains for awhile. There were Krispy Kreme donuts at work today and fig newtons & m&m's in the breakroom. I did have one fig newton, but I avoided everything else. We went to a Chinese buffet for lunch and I stuck with meats & veggies. There were some awesome looking desserts, but I skipped them. Yea me!

I will try to post my bs numbers tomorrow. 

This is usually when I hit a wall, but not this time!

126.6 lbs - less insulin, means the weight comes off

I am feeling good. I am a few pounds lighter. My clothes are fitting better. My blood sugars are more stable and I am emotionally more even keel. So this is usually the point where I crack and start eating starchy carbs again. But not this time! I don't know why. Maybe it's because I don't really believe I can do it. Maybe there is emotional baggage that will get released as I lose more weight. Don't know. But blogging is really helping. Even if no one else is reading this, it makes me more accountable to myself. I can do this and I am very proud of myself for how well I have done so far.

Today I had chicken and steamed veggies at the work cafeteria for lunch. There were no starchy carbs in that meal and I felt like I needed a change from a salad. I did have a salad for supper. But next time I need to take 4 units instead of 2 units with a chicken and veggie meal, cause my blood sugar went way up.

• 6:30 am - 77 bs - fantastic blood sugar and I felt great!
• 9:45 am - 66 bs - I felt like I was crashing. Fortunately, they delivered the nuts to the breakrooms a day early so I ate a handful of nuts.
• 12:00 pm - 141 bs - 2 units with lunch
• 5:15 pm - 279 bs - 2 more units
• 7:30 pm - 183 bs - 2 units with supper

I am still taking 10 units of lantus at bedtime. If I crash tomorrow (3 day rule) then I will lower it down one more unit. 

Using less 24 hr Insulin - 3 day rule

127 lbs - went down another .4. Yippee!

After lowering my lantus (24 hr insulin that I take at bedtime) from 15 to 12 units, I had another sugar crash the next morning. So I lowered it to 10 units starting Saturday night. A past endocrinologist told me to wait 3 days before adjusting it again and in the meantime my sugars might run high. So that means I will not worry too much about my non-meal affected blood sugars until Wednesday.

On Saturday, my blood sugars ran in the lower 200s after a crash that morning. That may be due to the sugar I ate to recover from the crash. Sunday was better with my sugars in the 100s, my wake-up bs was 120. woo-oo.

Today:

• 6:30 am - 164 bs
• 2:00 pm - 218 bs
• 11:30 pm - 123 bs

The only sugar I have had during this last week is in ranch dressing that I had on 2 different occasions and twice to recover from a crash. I bought Dairy Queen for the kids this weekend and I ate their grilled chickend salad with ranch dressing. Ages ago I would have loved the chili cheese fries or hotdogs & their soft ice cream! This morning someone brought in homemade treats to work and they sure looked good! I think they were chocolate rice krispie treats and cheerios treats. I didn't touch them! So proud of myself and feeling good.

I have been eating a lot of green salads, eggs, some tuna, salmon, grass fed beef, olives, nuts, & cheese. Oh, I had some steamed broccoli & butter this weekend. That was yummy!

Crashed this morning

126,4 lbs - yea, downward we go...

I crashed this morning, big time. I woke up covered in sweat and had trouble focusing. I grabbed an organic sucker I kept by my bed and went downstairs and ate another small candy. Boy, that is always scary. When I took my blood sugar a half hour later it was good.

• 6:00 am - 99 bs

But this is always my sign that I need to lower my 24 hour insulin dosage. I've gone through this before. Whenever I am very good and avoid grains for a few days,my 24 hr dosage has to go down or I start crashing. I am going to reduce it to 12 units tonight. I've learned from experience that lowering it one unit isn't enough when this starts happening. But less insulin is always a good thing, right?

• 9:00 - 10:00 - took my morning supplements and ate my 2 soft-boiled eggs
• 12:00 pm - 167 bs - ate my salad, took my supplements, and 3 units of insulin
• 8:00 pm - 185 bs - splurged and had a salad from quiznos including their ranch dressing (which probably has a little sugar) and took all my supplements which includes 3,000 units of Vitamin D - 2 units of insulin

They had cinnamon chip bread at work today, which I love, but I didn't touch. Woo-hoo!

I only got 5,000 steps in today. Oh well, I will try to make it up over the weekend,

My eyes are getting blurry. This always happens when my blood sugars are improving, go figure. I guess they are healing something.

• 11:00 PM - 182 bs - ate a blue cheese stuffed olive and took 12 units of lantus.

It's Calories, not Carbs - for me at least

It always used to confuse me and my doctors (including endocrinologists - I have gone to a few over the 7 years since I was diagnosed) that I needed to inject insulin for a handful of nuts or a green salad, even for Omega 3 supplements! Sometimes I felt they didn't even believe me. They all taught count the carbs. Carbs, carbs, carbs. Finally, I gave up on these specialists (also because they were always wanting me to take cholesterol lowering medication - I will talk about that more in another post) and switched to a Nurse Practitioner at my company's clinic. It was such a sense of relief when she said, no it's calories. She said that's what they used to teach and that makes so much sense, for me at least. Calories provide energy but my body can't seem to put that energy into its cells without insulin.

• 6:00 am - 84 bs - wow, that is awesome!
• 8:30 am - alloxanum
• 8:45 am - ET6
• 9:00 am - panxyme
• 9:15 am - 2 soft boiled eggs & rest of morning vitamins

Someone brought Dunkin' Donuts to work and sent out an email. I didn't even go look at them. Way to go, Karen!

• 12:00 pm - 125 bs - it went up a little with the eggs. Maybe I should start taking a half unit with the eggs. I will watch it the next few days and think about it. Took one panxyme.
• 12:15 pm - mixed leaf salad with cucumbers, red onions, red/green bell peppers, black pepper, 1/2 avocado, a few walnut halves, a few almonds, and a tiny amount of pumpkin/sunflower seeds. Took 4 units of insulin.

I should have taken 3 units instead of 4  with my salad - no tomatoes or olives this time, makes a difference.

• 4:30 pm - I could feel myself crashing. 72 bs. Ate a tiny piece of chocolate from my co-worker's stash.
• 5:00 pm - Ate a handful of sunflower seeds and 1 oz of cheese.

I tried to take the long way around at work when I went to the printer or bathroom to get more steps on my pedometer. Then I went for a walk outside at home to get my 10,000 steps in.

• 8:00 pm - 178 bs - Ate a mixed green salad and a 2 oz grass fed burger with melted cheese and a wild onion out of my yard. Took 2 units of insulin and my vitamins.
• 11:00 pm - 102 bs - Awesome! Took 15 units of long-acting insulin.

Better Blood Sugar this Morning!

Weighed myself this morning. Of course, I always weigh myself with no clothes on, after a shower, after using the bathroom, before eating anything... lol

I weighed 127.2 lbs.

• 5:40 am - 107 bs - yea! eating well yesterday paid off.

I'm currently reading "Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting". Seems good. I will let you know what I think of it when I finish it. I recently finished "Against Medical Advice" and that was a really good book. It was all about a boy with extreme Tourette's and what he had to go through because of it. It makes any of my problems pale in comparison.

• 9:00 am - 10 drops alloxanum
• 9:15 am - 4 drops ET6
• 10:00 am - 1 panxyme (made by xymogen)
• 10:15 am - ate 3 soft boiled eggs and took renafood, diaplex, travacor, and capsaican.

They passed around gummy bears in a 9:30 meeting and I didn't have any. I'm patting my back.

• 11:00 am - free nuts and m&ms day at work. I ate a handful of nuts and took 2 units of insulin. I didn't eat any m&ms. Yeah me!
• 12:00 pm - 1 panxyme
• 12:15 pm - salad of mixed greens, romaine, mushrooms, green bell peppers, green olives, & ripe avocado for my dressing. I skipped nuts and seeds since I had them for a snack. 4 units of insulin. I didn't take my bs, because I don't think it would have recovered from the nuts snack yet even though I took insulin. Sometimes it can't take a couple of hours and I don't want to overdose. Took renafood, diaplex, travacor, capsaican, l-carnosine, and ultra oils.
• 3:15 pm - 131 bs - not bad. Also took 1 T of light olive oil. This is based on the Shangri-la diet. It helps with cravings and I also need to retrain my body to use fats for energy. The carnosine helps with that too, which a blood test showed I was low on.

Went to my son's high school graduation, so proud. They had yummy looking cookies and cake at the reception, but I didn't touch any of it.

I ate an olive and some sunflower seeds for a snack before the graduation and ate a salmon and mixed green salad very late with 2 units insulin. Also stayed up too late.

• 12:00 am - 147 bs & took 15 units of the 24 hour insulin.

I'm Back and I'm Struggling...

Thanks to all who have posted while I've been absent from blogging. A 100% raw food diet did not work for me and neither did eating whatever I cooked for the family. I have fallen back into some of my old bad habits and have gained about 20 pounds. I am 5'4" and weigh about 130 pounds now. I know that doesn't sound too bad, but I have an extra small frame and lived most of my life (up until about 50 years old) hovering around 105 to 110 pounds. I have read "The Obesity Myth" and do not believe these extra pounds are a threat to my health and believe that diets are a sure fire way to gain weight, so I just want to focus on bringing my blood sugars down, eating healthy, exercising, and hopefully using less insulin. If the weight falls off as well, then that is an extra bonus. Btw, in "The Obesity Myth" by Paul Campos, he does believe that being extremely overweight can be hazardous to your health but studies show that 20, 30, or even 50 pounds do not adversely affect lifespan. The studies that supposedly show that it does, do not control for activity level. An active overweight person will, on average, live longer than a sedentary slim person.

I would love encouraging words from anyone and, if you have Type 1, what has worked for you.

I went to a chiropractor/kinesiologist who helped pinpoint what supplements are good for me and which ones to stop taking. So I will try to blog about my thoughts, my blood sugars, exercise, and what I am taking & eating. I also want to start giving myself kudos when I avoid sugar, wheat, rice, corn (all foods the kinesiologist said I should avoid). Today, there was a yummy looking chocolate marble cake in the breakroom at work and it was disappearing surprisingly slow. I did not touch it. Yeah me! lol

• 6:00 am - 282 blood sugar - took 2 1/2 units of humalog (1 unit brings me down 80 bs)
• 9:00 am - 10 drops of succussed homeopathic remedy Alloxanum LM 1 in a tiny bit of water
• 9:15 am - 4 drops of Nutri Energetics ET 6 in a little water
• 9:30 am - 1 Panxyme capsule (pancreatic enzymes) to be taken 15 minutes before eating
• 9:45 am - 2 3-minute soft-boiled eggs & some supplements (will try to post tomorrow what those are)
• 12:00 pm - 1 Panxyme capsule
• 12:10 pm - 234 bs - my body is having trouble recovering from my bad eating yesterday
• 12:15 pm - salad made of romaine lettuce, cucumbers, baby tomatoes, black olives, red cabbage, 5 walnut halves, 5 almonds, and a small spoonful of pumpkin & sunflower seeds with a tahini dressing. 6 units of humalog - 2 for the overage and 4 for the salad.

Went home from work sick around 3. I kept having stomach pains and going to the bathroom a lot - detoxing maybe?

• 9:00 pm - 174 bs - ate mixed greens/salmon (Vital Choice canned 3.75 oz) - didn't inject any insulin because I'm sick. I'd rather go high than low.Also ate one olive stuffed with blue cheese and one dried veggie stick for a snack in the afternoon.
• 10:00 pm - 15 unit lantus

Got my Omron pedometer set tonight & put it on. Walked about 1000 steps.

• 10:30 pm - 244 bs - I should have taken 2 units for that salad. Took 2 units now.

Went to bed at 11:00, which is much better than I have been doing.

Healing my Environment First

I wanted to provide an update as to what is going on in my life. I used to think, first I am going to get my diet perfect and heal my diabetes and then I will work on everything else in my life. Well, guess what? I think I had it backwards. I have read about this also in certain raw food newsletters. You need to work on getting your life somewhat where you want it to be, before you switch to a 100% raw food diet. So, I recommend eating a high raw diet while you work on the other big issues in your life. Then when you feel more comfortable and supported, when your instinct tells you that you are ready - then go for it. But as Matt Monarch points out, high raw is good too and the best foods to eliminate are the starchy carbs like breads and pastries. It is better to stick with high raw for life, than to switch back and forth from all raw to no raw over and over again.

The family dinners are still going well. My hubby thinks it was a great idea to start that up again. We had a sit down family dinner 4 times last week. One night I worked late and my daughter fixed supper. One night my daughter was out. And one time we ate in front of the TV while we had a family movie night. We watch "Big". My kids had never seen it before, can you believe it? We have been doing family movie nights off and on for a few months now. I think we'll watch "Groundhog Day" next time.

I have also stuck with the elimination of the majority of my TV series watching and going to bed when the kids go to bed, at around 10:30. I get up at 5:40, so I should have been going to bed that early a long time ago. I have to get up that early to get my daughter to school by 7:15.

Not trying to catch up on my series watching on the DVR freed up so much time for me this weekend that I cleaned up and organized the formal dining room. It was a mess! I cleaned out piles of stuff that had accumulated under my buffets. Then I cleaned off the top of the buffets and moved all of my daughter's art work (mostly clay & ceramic) off the dining room table and onto the buffets. Then I set  out a puzzle on one end of the table and I work on it a little each day. Sometimes one or both of the kids stop and help me. The simplest things are really the most fun.

I feel like we are reconnecting with our kids again. I guess it is never too late since they are 14 and 16 years old. I asked for a gift certificate to help me buy a GPS for Mother's Day and to be given it early so I can buy it and we can go geocaching on Mother's Day. I'm sure the teenagers will complain, but hopefully it will be a fun time.

My blood sugars have been up and down. But I actually feel good and happier than in a long time. I feel like a cloud is lifting. Maybe it is better to eat a less than perfect meal together as a family, than to eat a perfect meal alone.

Getting More Sleep

• 6:20 - 341
• 11:40 - 350
• 2:25 - 332
• 5:00 - 139
• 7:15 - 135
• 9:40 - 101

It's going to take a few days for my body to readjust to the 10 units of 24 hour insulin per day. But even though my blood sugars were high half of the day, my ketones were low and I felt great.

The family dinners are going great. A little resistance from the teenagers, but the interaction with them during dinner has actually been really enjoyable. No withdrawals from TV. Probably because I still watch some of what other people are watching. We have actually been turning the TV off more and the quiet is awesome! Last but not least I am getting to bed earlier and getting more sleep which is really important for my health, especially since I have diabetes.

Here is one of many articles on sleep deprivation increasing the risk of diabetes - http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/results.php?storyarticle=1021,

Seeking Balance in My Life

I feel great today! I think part of the reason is because I had an epiphany. A fight with my daughter made me realize I am unhappy with so many other areas of my life. For example, I am a TV addict and we seldom eat together as a family.

When the kids were little, I never tried to keep up with any shows. If I caught part of them, fine. If not, fine. Mostly I watched Barney or Pokemon or a Disney movie with the kids. I really liked that. But now we have a DVR and I had become obsessive about keeping up with certain shows. I never watched Dallas or Knotting Hill (is that right?) and I don't think I missed out on anything not watching them. So why I am watching Lost and Desperate Housewives?

So starting today I am not watching any shows in particular. If something is on and I happen to be in the room  or we watch a movie together as a family that is great. We actually turned the TV off a few times today and the silence was great!

Then we cleared off the table, the kids helped me set it, and we all ate dinner together. It was very enjoyable. This feels so good and so right. My daughter and I even walked to a nearby grocery store for a few groceries. That was definitely fun!

There is more to healing than just diet and I feel better today because of non-dietary changes in my life. Now if I can just get this house cleared out and organized. Oh well, one step at a time.

I am going to Brenda Cobb's Living Foods Institute in Georgia in November for 10 days. She says some Type 1s have gotten off their insulin, but her approach includes more than just diet. They have emotional healing classes everyday. I am really looking forward to that.

I am eating fruits, veggies, and salads now. I've decided to gradually work on making it more alkaline.

• 7:20 - 289
• 10:30 - 344
• 12:15 - 283
• 1:30 - 369
• 3:10 - 131
• 4:30 - 81
• 6:30 - 128
• 9:00 - 150

I made my decision to trade TV for family dinners in the afternoon. This is crazy, but I think it improved my blood sugars!

I'm having a hard time trying to decide how much 24 hour insulin to take tonight. I used to take 10 and then I reduced it to 0 on the juice fast. I think I will go back to 10 now that I am eating and see how it goes.

Juice Fast vs Juice Feast - I Did it Wrong

Looking back I realize that I did a juice fast instead of a juice feast. Being Type 1 Diabetic that led to high ketones and could have sent me into ketoacidosis. So if anyone else reads "The pH Miracle for Diabetes", I recommend not doing the juice feast unless you have the time and appetite to eat and drink as much as he says and truly make it a feast instead of a fast. Otherwise, it would be better to go straight into the eating plan.

I was still struggling with high ketones today so I made and drank grapefruit juice most of the day to bring them down. Then I was still hungry at night, so I made lettuce wraps with tomato, cucumber, and avocado. Sure hit the spot and my cravings went away too. I plan to stick with eating alkaline raw foods and see how it goes.

I still reduced my 24 hour insulin from 10 units to  1 unit in 1 week so that is good. If I wake up tomorrow with high blood sugars again, I am going to take 1 unit of slow acting insulin tomorrow night.

Yesterday's blood sugars in the evening:

• 7:20 - 125
• 9:05 - 177
• 9:45 - 169

Today's blood sugars:

• 9:00 - 354
• 11:00 - 291
• 12:15 - 428
• 1:00 - 364
• 3:20 - 136
• 5:00 - 88
• 6:00 - 196
• 7:45 - 134
• 10:30 - 46
• 11:30 - 64

Day 6 & Nearing the End of my Juice Feast

When I went to bed I had a blood sugar of 87. I woke up with a 358 bs, nausea, and diarrhea. As my endocrinologist taught me, it takes 3 days for my body to adjust to a new slow acting insulin dosage. She said to ignore high levels until those 3 days are over and just take more fast acting insulin. Tomorrow is the 4th day without any slow acting insulin at night, and I used to take 10 units. So if my levels are still high tomorrow, I will start taking some slow acting insulin.

I took 3 units of insulin to bring down my morning bs. My ketones were also high again. I hoped the insulin would bring that down too. At 9:15 my bs was still 243 and insulin should definitely work within 3 hours. So I took 2 more units.

At  12:15 my bs was better at 175 but my ketones were still high. So I made & drank 8 ounces of fresh oj and took 5 units of insulin hoping to get my ketones down.

At 3:15 my bs was 215 so I took another unit. I drank 4 ounces of oj at 4:20 and took 2 units.

Here is my response to Claire today on her blog:

Yes, I think I haven't been eating & drinking enough either and the avocado soups are gross to me now too. The idea of drinking and eating as much as Dr. Young recommended just seemed too much to me. I just can't eat that much when I'm not hungry. But maybe you have to drink & eat that much to do this and not go into ketoacidosis.

Remember that blog you found of Charly who juiced to heal his Type 1? After one week he said his stomach felt bad and he switched back to raw food.

I think I'm about at that point. Maybe because of my very high ketones, even veggie juices sounded gross to me today. So I have been making and drinking orange juice all day and taking insulin. I find the only sure way to bring my ketones down is to get some sugar in me like orange juice and take insulin.

I'm thinking about drinking orange juice one more day so I can figure out my slow acting insulin level and then start eating alkaline foods on Sunday.

I know what Dr. Young wants us to do is retrain our bodies to burn fat for energy instead of sugar. So I know drinking orange juice won't work. I cannot stand the idea of avocados in a soup anymore, but I think if it was in a salad or squished onto some lettuce leaves I could eat it.

I'm so sorry you are having a tough time. I'm glad you are checking your ketones and blood sugars a lot. Maybe you should start eating right away. We should listen to our bodies like Charly did. If I had to do it over, I think I might just go straight into the eating plan and maybe other people with tough to control diabetes should skip the juicing part too.

I had diarrhea today and had to call in sick today again. I think it's partly due to the drainage. I want to feel good next week and not miss any work, so I am definitely going to start eating by Sunday at the latest.

Day 5 & Struggling a Little Bit

Here are my blood sugars today:

• 7:30 - 282
• 8:00 - 324
• 12:30 - 188
• 1:30 - 188
• 2:30 - 192
• 4:00 - 148
• 5:00 - 112
• 6:30 - 158
• 7:30 - 204
• 8:30 - 173
• 9:30 - 175
• 10:30 - 133

I took 2 units at 7:30, but my blood sugar went up instead of down (one possible sign of ketoacidosis I think). I had a dentist's appointment at 8:00, so I tried to drink some carrot juice before going in and took some more insulin but I threw up a little in the parking lot. So I went inside and cancelled my appointment and came home and called in sick to work. Part of it may be because I have a fair amount of drainage going down to my stomach also.

Today, I found out that you can buy Ketostix without a prescription (at least here in the U.S.). But you just have to ask the pharmacist for them because they are behind the counter. So I bought some and my ketones were at the highest range. I had already tried more carrot juice, salt water, and insulin and it was still high (and at the time my blood sugar was pretty good, below 150). So, I finally juiced myself two oranges and drank them. I also took 3 units. That did help. Now when I check my ketones they are at the moderate level. Then later I drank some carrot/green juice too.

I really recommend Ketostix for any diabetic trying a juice feast and checking your blood sugar often. I am going to try to make it one week at least and then I may switch to the alkaline eating plan.

Day 4 & We Don't Need Meat for Protein

After taking no 24hour insulin last night, my blood sugar was 183. Not bad!

I had a blood draw at the lab. I'll get the results Monday. I'm not expecting them to be too great since my blood sugars were going very high before I started on this juice feast.

At 8 am my bs was 192. I thought I'd wait and see if it came down, since I am not supposed to take insulin unless my numbers are over 200 if I'm not eating right then.

My stomach was feeling quesy, so I checked my bs again at 9:30 and it was 197. Close enough, so I took 1 unit of insulin.

I only sneezed once today and there isn't any drainage. My eyes are a little blurry though, so they must be healing something.

At noon I finally felt up to drinking my green powder drink. I just wasn't hungry. At 12:30 my bs was 109.

The sneezing and drainage started up again this afternoon. The bad thing is that even though my bs was pretty good - at 4:00 it was 167 & at 4:30 it was 154 - my stomach got very quesy. I felt like I was on the verge of throwing up. I know what this means for me - I am probably going into ketoacidosis. I don't have any Ketostix to check, because mine expired and they require a prescription. So I drank 6 ounces of undiluted carrot juice (all I had left) and took 1 unit. I hope that will snap me out of it.

I think I am feeling better now at 5:00. I will ask someone to smell my breath at home and make sure it doesn't have the fruity ketoacidosis smell. I have been to the hospital twice before, a few years ago, for keto and I don't want to ever do that again. I have some carrots with me to eat, in case I get desperate. I will try salt water at home. I could also juice some oranges and take insulin, that would probably work too.

Here is some information about why too much protein is bad for you and why we get enough protein on a raw food diet.

excerpt from this article - http://chetday.com/kidneyhealth.htm

By Dr. Ben Kim
DrBenKim.com

The link between eating too much protein and developing kidney disease is one that is not often talked about by supporters of a high-protein diet. While it is important to keep your blood sugar and insulin at healthy levels by avoiding sugar and other simple carbohydrates, please know that a high-protein diet poses many dangers to your health, especially if most of your protein is cooked. Your health is best served by replacing simple carbohydrates with lots of high quality fat, and moderate amounts of healthy protein and non-starchy vegetables.

Excerpt from a video by Jim Carey “Dispelling the Raw Food Myths” - http://www.chidiet.com/blog/free-stuff/dispelling-raw-food-myths.htm

Myth #7: You Don’t Get Any Protein

• Americans consume, on average, 5X the protein their body needs.
• Protein-induced calcium depletion is the leading cause of osteoporosis.
• Leafy greens, fruits and veggies contain protein.
  • – All the protein your body needs, even for athletes.
• Consider – Where do cows and horses get their protein? From grasses and grain.

Day 3 & Excerpt from a Dr. Young Interview

I woke up at 5:30 this morning sweating profusely. My blood sugar was crashing. I went downstairs and checked my blood sugar - it was 46! So I poured an 8 oz glass of carrot juice and drank it. By 6:30 I was okay with a blood sugar of 72. Because of this drop though, I am going to lower the 24 hour insulin from 3 units to 1 tonight. If I end up taking more fast acting insulin, that is fine because the lows are scary.

I am experiencing a little detox today. Sneezing and stuff draining down the back of my throat. Not a lot, but any detox is great!

My bs at 8:45 was 191. Not high enough to take any insulin. At 10:00 I drank a green powder drink. At 12:20 my bs was 205. Borderline high enough to take insulin without food. But I decided to drink a green/carrot juice (6oz/2oz plus water to make a quart) and not take insulin. I will take it later in the afternoon if my bs is still high. It will take my body 3 days to adjust to the changes in the slow acting insulin, so I will have to put up with the roller coaster ride for now. But it is still a better, more level roller coaster ride than when I eat cooked food or even a high fruit raw food diet.

At 3:30 in the afternoon my bs was 244, so I took 1 unit of insulin. Normally, one unit of insulin brings my level down by 80. So before this juice feast I would have taken 1 1/2 or 2 units. But I am trying to avoid those lows. It worked. At 5:15 my bs was 167. I drank a green powder drink and at 7:30 it was 160. I ate a raw soup and at bedtime it was 212, so I took another unit of insulin.

I tell you, I am really getting sensitive to the highs. When my bs is in the upper 100s or lower 200s my legs start to hurt. I used to go up to 300 or more before that happened. I think that is good though.

Tomorrow morning I have a fasting blood test and I can't eat anything in the morning before it. Since I really want to avoid a blood sugar crash, I am not taking any slow acting insulin tonight. I will just take extra fast acting insulin during the day. In fact, I am going to try that for 3 days and see how well my body adjusts to that. Then Saturday night I will take some slow acting insulin if I need it.

Here is an excerpt from a 2003 interview with Dr. Young. His CDs & supplements are available for purchase at www.innerlightinc.com.

We’ve had great success with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetic challenges. I’m reminded of what Thomas Edison once said. “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will involve the patient with proper use of food, fresh air, and exercise.” My book focuses on a holistic approach to Type 1 (insulin dependent) and Type 2 (diet related, not insulin dependent) Diabetes.

The wonderful thing we have found in the control studies that we have done, is we have had success in one hundred percent of the cases when they apply what Thomas Edison was talking about. When they apply the principles of alkalizing and energizing their body holistically, when they apply the principles of not treating the pancreas but providing the proper alkaline pH around the fluids that surround the insulin producing Beta cells - we’ve been able to reduce insulin usage by over 50% in every case. And in many cases in Type 2 Diabetes over 90% of them have been reversed.

The pancreas is a shock organ. It has to deal with the food that’s coming out of the stomach. So if the food is highly acidic, the pancreas’ front line is releasing bicarbonate to bring the alkalinity anywhere from 1.5 up to 8 or 8.2, a jump of over 1 million times. A pH of 6 is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 7, 5 is 10 times more acidic than 6, etc.

When the pancreas hasn’t got enough bicarbonate, it pulls it from the blood. In fact it will pull it from any source it can to alkalize that food. Because if that food is not alkalized, it will end up damaging a very sensitive and important part of our body - the intestinal villus.

It’s in the intestinal villus that the food is biologically transformed into new blood and then into new body cells. If that food is improper, and it hasn’t got the proper pH, and the pancreas is stressed everything can get out of balance. The pancreas is on the front line in the preparation of that food, in order to provide new cells that will eventually become body cells.

If you take a diabetic, someone who is doing Diabetes (and I say this literally, you don’t “get” Diabetes, you do it, with your lifestyle and with your diet) and you teach them how to not do Diabetes, then you get phenomenal results. A woman in Texas had been doing Diabetes for twenty-two years. She was taking 120 units of insulin a day, in 30 days she’s off all her injections.

Why? Because it wasn’t about the pancreas, it was about maintaining a proper internal environment so that cells can operate and function at their highest level.

If you put any matter into acid it's going to break down - it’s not going to be able to perform. When the context (i.e. the environment) is overacidic and you make that significant change - then we find that everything starts functioning better, functioning normally! That’s what we’ve found not only with Type 2 diabetics, but now also with Type 1 diabetics which is a miracle.

Yes, and I believe I am experiencing that miracle right now!

Day 2 & Article on Regenerating the Pancreas

After eating that bowl of raw soup, without taking any insulin, my blood sugar at bedtime was 140. Awesome! I had taken one unit less of the 24 hour insulin the night before and only one unit of the fast-acting insulin all day. Great for the first day!

I reduced the 24 hour insulin another unit last night to 8. At 7:00 this morning my bs was 120. Fantastic! I drank a quart of green drink at around 10.

I started feeling like my blood sugar was going down at around 11:30 and checked and it was 64. So I made a juice to drink with a little more carrot juice than normal to help bring my levels back up. I brought a glass jar each of green juice and carrot juice with me to work that I made yesterday and put them in the frig in the breakroom. Then I poured 6 ounces of green juice & four ounces of carrot juice into a pourable measuring cup and put it in my stainless steel bottle. I added 5 pH drops and water to fill it up and drank on that all afternoon. I immediately felt like my blood sugar was coming back up.

I checked my blood sugar at 3:30 and it was 102 - whoo-hoo!!

I found an interesting article today - Reams Biological theory of Ionization. It totally supports our pH & raw food approach to healing that Claire & I are taking. Here are some excerpts that specifically apply to Diabetes & the pancreas:

The liver
This is where the liver fits in. The liver produces huge amounts of bile to aid in the digestion of the food, but more important to balance the cations in the food with the anions in the bile. Besides that, the liver produces about 6 billion enzymes, which are used by the organs in our body. Let's take the pancreas as an example. The pancreas produces primarily three things: Insulin, alcohol and pancreatic enzymes that metabolise protein. Where does the pancreas get its input ? From the liver enzymes. Without the correct amount of liver enzymes, the pancreas can't do its job. Result: Diabetes (insulin), cold hands and feet (alcohol) and cancer (digestive enzymes). When any organ in your body is malfunctioning, you should always look at the liver first. If the liver was running at 100%, it would supply the right enzymes to all organs, so that the organs can heal themselves.. i.e. This means: No kidney transplants are ever needed anymore. Problems with the thyroid or the adrenals ? Again: Check the liver !

The article goes on to provide a liver regeneration protocol that uses lemon juice but warns to only follow this protocol with a doctor's supervision:

Why can it be fatal ? It's because the pancreas gets a lot more enzymes that it was used too and all of a sudden starts to produce a lot more insulin. You can imagine what happens. When bloodsugar levels fall too low, due to excessive insulin, you can fade or fall into a coma, which might very well prove to be fatal.

It also includes a pancreas rebuilding protocol:

Pancreas rebuilding protocol
This is a very easy one. Get yourself a vegetable-juicer machine and make 4 ounces of juice twice a day. Use good green leafy vegetables. Again, use distilled water to make the juice.

Based on this article, my last experience with lows on a juice feast, and Claire's successful tremendous reduction in her 24 hour insulin dosage - I am going to reduce my nighttime dosage to 3 tonight. I may not be using lemon juice, but I think the pH drops, green drinks, and raw veggie juices might still have the same effect. I will take more fast acting insulin during the day if I need to.

I drank another green drink at 6:00. Then at 8:30 my blood sugar was 74. So I ate a bowl of raw soup. At bedtime my bs was 91. Another great day!

Day 1 of the pH Juice Feast

I slept in today, Sunday, and got up around 9:30. My blood sugar was 160. A little high, but I'm not going to take any insulin for it since I know last time I experienced a lot of lows on my juice feast. Besides, my endocrinologist told me not to take any insulin unless my blood sugar is over 200 if I am not eating right then.

At 10:30 I made myself a green drink - 1 quart of filtered, distilled water in my stainless steel bottle, 15 pH drops, and 1 teaspoon of green powder. At 3:00 in the afternoon my blood sugar was 188. Still not high enough to take any insulin. My bs may be running high because I reduced my 24 hour insulin (lantus) by 1 unit last night. But I'm not going to worry about it because it takes my body 3 days to adjust to a change in my lantus dosage (as my endocrinologist warned me).

I drank some juice - 6 ounces of green juice (dandelion greens, celery, & cucumber), 2 ounces of carrot juice, 5 pH drops, and water to make a quart's worth.

I checked my blood sugar at 5:20 and it was 240. I took 1 unit of humalog. At 8:30 I ate a blended soup of avocados, tomatoes, dandelion greens, water, and tarragon. My blood sugar was 100 before I ate the soup. I made a bunch, but got full after one bowl so I saved the rest for another day.

Smoothie Day

I wasn't hungry this morning, so I didn't eat any breakfast. At about 1:30 I made a green smoothie with dandelion greens, mangoes. strawberries, blueberries, and a tiny bit of leftover orange/banana juice that I made for my son. My blood sugar was 180 before I ate the smoothie, so I took 1 unit of humalog for the overage and 2 for the smoothie.

At 4:30 I started getting tired. I checked my blood sugar and it was too high - 300. I definitely didn't take enough to cover that smoothie. So I took 2 1/2 more units.

I started getting hungry at 7:00 pm and had a green drink - filled up my stainless steel bottle with filtered, distilled water (about a quart), 10 pH drops, and 3/4 t of green powder. Then at 8 I made another green smoothie - 2 mangos, 1 pint blueberries, lots of dandelion greens, & 1/2 cup water. My blood sugar was 73, so I didn't take any insulin with the smoothie. Bad idea, when I checked my blood sugar at 11 it had gone up to 344. So I took 3 units to bring it down.

My usual 24 hour dose of Lantus is 10, but since I had so much trouble with my blood sugar crashing last time I tried this juice feast I reduced my dosage to 9 tonight.

I think this shows that green smoothies don't work well for me and I am looking forward to my juice feast.

We're Starting on Sunday!

Claire and I have decided to start our pH juice feast on Sunday. I plan to drink smoothies only on Saturday in preparation for the feast and will let you know how it goes.

Claire found another website with someone else's inspirational healing story at http://healing-diabetes.com. And he did it with raw food and juice too. Hats off to you Charly!

I have pH drops, green powder, and a colon cleansing supplement all ready for the feast. I will start distilling my filtered water and buy veggies for juicing. That's all I can think of for right now.

An Inspirational Story

Claire has received her book on the pH miracle plan for diabetes and is currently reading it. She is already eating healthy and juicing, preparing to start our juice feast. I plan to start this weekend. Claire may get a little head start on me and start in the middle of the week. Come join us!

Today I want to post an inspirational story by a former Type 1 Diabetic who reversed his condition with raw foods and green smoothies. This story was in the April 4th Raw Family Newsletter. Check out their website at http://www.rawfamily.com/. Victoria Boutenko wrote the introduction to his testimonial.

I believe Type 1 Diabetes probably has many different variations as to what causes the condition. Claire and I have tried green smoothies and raw foods and did not experience the wonderful benefits that this man did. But I wanted to post this because it may work for other Type 1 Diabetics.

Reversing Diabetes Testimonial

Disclaimer: This testimonial is very inspirational, however,this person made some high risk decisions. Even though we believe in natural healing, The Boutenko family will not accept responsibility for your medical choices. Whatever you decide to do is at your own risk.

What goes around, comes around. I was blessed to meet Alex at the recent Raw Food Film Festival in California. I didn’t know him before. Alex just walked right up to me and handed me his wonderful testimonial. It is my privilege to introduce to you this beautiful man.

My name is Alex Romanov, and I am writing this in thanksgiving for the help I received from the Boutenko family, which has forever changed my life.

As an adult, I was diagnosed as a type one diabetic. This was determined by the results of a C-peptide assay performed at Century City Hospital in Los Angeles, California while under the care of Dr. Englanoff. I was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia and a septic condition of the blood. I was in end-stage diabetic Ketoacidosis. It was determined that my body was no longer producing insulin.

The news that I was diabetic came as a total shock! Looking back, I realize that I had been experiencing various symptoms for some time. These included frequent urination, insatiable thirst, pain in my feet and legs, blurred vision and slow healing of cuts and bruises.

The diagnosis was devastating for me because, for many years, I had dabbled off and on with raw foods, and felt I was in control of my health. After reading Victoria's Green for Life, I had added smoothies to my diet occasionally with great results.  I now realize that it was those very smoothies that were keeping the diabetes at bay.

I spent 4 days in critical condition in the ICU followed by an additional five days in the hospital. During that time, I found it was difficult not to buy into the doctor's dire predictions. I was told that my life would depend on my taking a large amount of insulin daily.

When I got out of the hospital, I was so sad.  I felt like I had lost control of my health and this horrible "boogeyman" named diabetes had taken charge. I attended classes and clinics, and at every one, I was endlessly informed that I should expect one dire outcome after another.  I was told that the numbness in my feet was Neuropathy and that it could one day lead to amputation. I was warned to have my vision checked because I may develop Retinitis which could lead to blindness.  It was a constant diet of negative outcomes.

I was truly depressed about this, but I started to look to natural ways to deal with this.  I was inspired to contact Victoria from whom I had received great advice several times in the past.  I e-mailed her, described my condition and begged for her help.  She e-mailed me back and said that Sergei would answer my question on his teleconference the next day.

I tuned in via the web, and at the exact time that I connected, I heard Valya reading my question! Sergei said that green smoothies were good for keeping his own blood sugar levels normal, especially with dandelion greens since they contain some insulin. He also shared that mango is healing to the pancreas.  He said that the key to fruit smoothies was the fiber content which mitigates the sugar in the fruit.

I cannot describe the joy and relief I felt at that moment! Sergei's own story inspired me, and his referral to the April 2006 newsletter gave me so much hope. 

The information in that newsletter described others who overcame diabetes, and it made me realize that if they could, I could!

I rushed off to the market and came home with dandelion greens, mangoes and blueberries ready to make a delicious, green smoothie! I measured my blood sugar before the smoothie and two hours after. I made two quarts intending to have only one quart and save the other. It was so wonderful that I ate all of it.

Of course I knew that having a “fruit smoothie” was forbidden by the standard diabetic diet. I was told that I could not have more than one half an apple or banana. I had just consumed four apples, blueberries and three large mangoes in smoothie form!  I felt satiated and well. I tested my blood two hours later and my sugar was LOWER than the previous test. It was then that I knew I found the answer.

I stopped taking insulin that night. I have maintained my raw diet and have two quarts of smoothie per day. My sugar is 70 to 80 pre-meal and never more than 110 post-meal. As a result, I consider myself healed from diabetes since these are normal non diabetic levels.  I have stopped going to the clinic and do not need further allopathic treatment.

Victoria and her family gave me back my health. I turned to them in a moment of darkness and despair, and they made me believe that I could have perfect health again and that with the proper nutrition, my  body would heal this crisis. I cannot express in words how thankful I am. I am eating 100 percent raw with 2-3 quarts of green smoothie daily. My diet before was about 50 percent raw with some cooked vegan.

I understand that my story may be hard for some to accept.  In this society, doctors are respected if not worshiped. When I was under their care at the hospital, I bought into their dire prognosis. I was surprised because it had been years since I believed in allopathy or conventional treatment.

The Boutenkos showed me that there is another way, a natural, pleasant way that ensures a wonderful outcome. I realized that I had a choice.  I could believe in the allopathic approach OR I could believe in my own body's natural ability to heal.

This past weekend, I happily attended the Raw Film Festival and could not wait to tell Victoria my story and thank her in person.  One of the films shown was Valya Boutenko’s “Reversing the Irreversible” which touched me deeply!  In the film, she says that health and well-being “…are as natural as water flowing down a stream” and that“…it is unnatural to be ill.”  In the film, there are those who overcame their diabetes just as I had.

For me,the first step was being able to change my thinking.  This is the extraordinary help that the Boutenkos provide. They offer a personally tested strategy to attain well being and perfect health. I will always remember and be grateful for the hope that they gave me.

I hope my story will inspire others like me to choose a different way, to provide their wondrous bodies with the tools necessary to maintain perfect health. I encourage you to try green smoothies and raw food. Let your glucose meter be your guide as I did.  Allopathy does NOT have all the answers, and there is an alternative.  How blessed we are to have people like the Boutenko family who courageously share their love and hope with the world.

In this time, when disease has become prevalent in our society and the treatment of which is so profitable, their message reminds us that there is another way!

With deepest appreciation and respect,

Alex Romanov

pH Juice Feast

I am so excited. I have met a fellow Type 1 Diabetic with the same goals for healing. Her name is Claire and she has a blog at http://diabetesandcandida.typepad.com/.

We plan on starting a Juice Cleanse together as soon as she reads "The pH Miracle Plan for Diabetes" by Dr. Young. I think that is one reason why I couldn't force myself to start on this plan again. I think I was waiting to start with Claire and enjoy our mutual support. :-)

We are going to start very soon, maybe in a few days. If there is anyone else out there with Type 1 or even Type 2 Diabetes who wants to give this a try, come join us. Read Dr. Young's book and we will use a modified approach, one that we feel matches with our individual beliefs. I have found Matt Monarch's books helpful also. Of course, we recommend you check with your health care practitioner before trying this.

Type 1 Diabetes can be so frustrating. I read that around 50% of people with it have an eating disorder and I can see why.

In my next post I will talk about the bare minimum supplements I am going to use on the plan. You also probably need a juicer and blender. But read the book and make up your own mind as to what to use. If anyone joins us, they can comment on my blog or Claire's blog or start their own blog. Let me know where your blog is and I will mention it in mine also.

Vitamin D May Deter Type 1 Diabetes

You may be wondering why I haven't posted lately. Laziness I guess. ;-)

I just can't seem to get back to "that place" of sticking to a very strict alkaline diet. My dog's cancer was in remission but has come back. She is back on prednisone and pepcid and has more energy now, but now has the side effects from the medicine - incontinence or drippiness, drinking lots of water, and maybe ear infections.

We also went on vacation as a family last week during Spring Break. It was fun, but there was also some stress and yelling - just like at home. I don't want to go into any details, but it's not fun sometimes.

Karen Knowler's latest email newsletter really hit home with me. Here is an excerpt "Also figuring into this equation should most definitely be "how stable do I feel in my life right now?" I have found that for most people, coming from a sound stable place on all levels is usually the best recipe for success when going raw, because all the other ducks are in a row, so to speak, and this means that addressing the food seems much less of a deal than it might if someone were busy dealing with other "stuff" such as family or relationship issues, work dilemmas or stresses etc. Bear this in mind when deciding your next step so that you don't feel overwhelmed and then underachieving. The two together can be a really bad combination and give you the whole project a negative flavour that really didn't have to be there."

Here is more information on Karen. Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com

So, I need to get back to "that place". In pursuing that goal, I am now reading "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. I need to live in the Now more and be happy despite what is going on around me. I saw Eckhart Tolle on Oprah's show on youtube and it really impressed me. I need that inner peace and to let go of the past.

I also thought this article might be of interest to other Type 1s out there trying to heal. http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com/e_article001060544.cfm?x=bcqqsP1,b7B6BScW This article encourages me to keep taking my Vitamin D supplement, because I am not getting enough sunshine right now and my levels tested very low on my last blood test. I was given a prescription for ergocalciferol, which is the unnatural source of Vitamin D. I didn't fill the prescription and instead opted to buy cholecalciferol. I am taking 50,000 units a week right now and then I will be retested.

I also saw that I have a couple of emails about my blog that I need to respond to. I appreciate the emails and I will respond to them soon.

Monday - I've been sick....

In the middle of my last attempt at an alkaline juice feast per the pH Miracle plan, I had a healing crisis/stomach flu. Before the virus hit, I had reduced my 24 hour insulin from 10 units to 3 units and hadn't taken any fast acting insulin in a few days. Once I got sick, I went into ketoacidosis and had to ingest sugar (in the form of 7up) and take insulin to get out of that cycle - or else end up in the hospital where they give you the sugar and insulin through an IV. It worked and I was able to rehydrate and stop the constant vomiting. Then as I recovered, vegetables sounded horrid to me and I ate grains in the form of oatmeal, potatoes, rice, and bread.

I knew I was well when vegetables started sounding like a pleasant thing to eat again. :-)

So I am back drinking my green drinks and juices and plan to reduce my 24 hour insulin (I am back up to 10 units) as needed. I have two weeks to juice feast and then we are off on spring break, where I plan to eat mostly alkaline veggies.

• 9:00 am - 210 - 1 unit
• 1:00 pm - 177

Monday - Am I Eating Enough?

I continued to have problems with low blood sugars over the weekend, so I ate some raw food. I have rebumped my 24 hour insulin to 10 units and am now back on my juice fast. I plan to pay more attention to low blood sugars and respond quicker with slow lowerings of my 24 hour insulin.

I also found that even though I did not invest in all the supplements that the pH Miracle Plan recommends, I definitely need a fiber supplement. I did a home colonic over the weekend and bought an herbal fiber supplement - 5 capsules in the morning and 5 at night. We will see if that helps.

I want to respond to a comment I got awhile back where someone thought that I was not eating very many calories. Also, I got a recent email from a fellow Type 1 diabetic who believes the low calories with the juice feast is why my blood sugars are low.

I should point out that at times I am eating more than it appears on my blog. This is because when I list a smoothie or salad or raw soup, often it is actually a hu-u-uge smoothie, salad, or soup. Sometimes I fill 3 glasses with my smoothie, or eat from a huge serving bowl for my salad, or eat 2 or 3 bowls of raw soup. I definitely don't go hungry. I eat when I am hungry and eat until I am full and, unfortunately, a little past that at times just to finish up the smoothie, etc. I am not underweight. I will try to post a picture of myself soon so you can see for yourself.

As to low blood sugars and low calories, I want to tell you what my endocrinologist has taught me. She has taught me that my 24 hour insulin should not cover food at all. It should only cover my hormones, etc. and my fast acting insulin is for all food. So, to test my 24 hour insulin dosage she has me fast until 2 or 3 in the afternoon (if I wake up with a good bs) and see if my bs stays steady. If it does, that is a good dosage. Therefore, the amount of calories I eat should not cause low blood sugars. Too much insulin, at least for me, causes low blood sugars.

I have had some minor toe and foot cramping lately. Perhaps this alkaline diet is healing something in that area. Also, my eyes have gotten blurry for closeup work but still great for driving, etc. Something is healing there too I believe.

• 8:00 am - 110
• 10:20 am - 146
• 4:45 pm - 115

Wednesday - Continuing with the Green Juice Feast

I am still only consuming green drinks, diluted green juices, and raw soups/smoothies with an avocado or coconut base. I've learned that if I limit my juices/soups/smoothies to 3 veggies at the most, they taste better. Then you can taste those veggies and it is more like a smushed up salad. I like the avocado/tomato/cucumber/water combination best for a smoothie/soup.

I've been having trouble maintaining my blood sugars today and I have crashed two nights in a row. I am keeping carrot juice available for that. Early this morning, I drank a tiny bit of carrot juice straight. During the day today I have been mixing it in with my green drinks.

Based on this, I am going to reduce my 24 hour insulin to 9 units tonight. This is very exciting, as the entire time I was eating raw vegan I was never able to go below 10 units. My blood sugars will probably go high for 3 days. But as my endocrinologist taught me, it will take a while for my body to adjust and to wait for the 4th day to see if that is the right amount for me.

Tuesday:

• 3:00 am - 52
• 7:00 am - 164
• 8:16 am - 204 - 1 unit
• 10:30 am - 88
• 1:15 pm - 74
• 3:30 pm - 60
• 7:20 pm - 75
• 10:00 pm - 205 - 1 unit

Wednesday:

• 5:30 am - 52
• 7:45 am - 101
• 8:45 am - 58
• 9:45 am - 42
• 11:20 am - 41
• 12:40 pm - 56
• 1:50 pm - 54
• 3:15 pm - 62

Monday - I'm Back...

I took a raw food break since my last posting until I finished reading "The pH Miracle for Diabetes". The subtitle for this book is "The Revolutionary Diet Plan for Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetics". One of the first things that attracted me to this book is that it included "Type 1" on the cover. So many diabetic diet plans are supposedly for 'all diabetics', which means they are really geared towards Type 2s because they make up 95% of all diabetics.

The needs of Type 2s versus Type 1s can be so different. Type 2s are insensitive to insulin whereas us Type 1s don't produce any insulin, although we may be very sensitive to it. So sensitive that we can go high and low everyday on our blood sugars, despite frequent testing and injecting.

This book provides hope that some Type 1s may even reverse their disease with this approach. I've always believed there was a way, and I hope this is it. I didn't have diabetes for the first 47 years of my life, so there must be a way...

One article that backs me up in this belief is Beta-Cells Regenerate Even In Type 1 Diabetes. In this article they say "In type 1 diabetes, which by definition indicates a lack of insulin production, the insulin-producing "beta" cells in the pancreas are thought to be wiped out. However, that may not be exactly the case. The results of a new study provide some of the first evidence in humans that the pancreas continues to form beta cells even in the setting of long-standing type 1 diabetes, suggesting a possible new treatment strategy."

The scientist concludes, among other things, that "Therefore, type 1 diabetes may be reversible by targeted inhibition of beta cell destruction."

The pH Miracle believes "that diabetes is not a disease of the pancreas or the beta cells therein. Rather it is the result of a pH imbalance in the fluids of the body--systemic acidosis--that interferes with the optimum functioning of the cells they surround. Beta cells surrounded by acids do not or cannot produce sufficient insulin."

They recommend starting with a 2 to 3 week green juice feast, which I started on Saturday. The green juice feast consists of green drinks (pure water with green powder and pH drops added), green juice (10:1 ratio of pure water to green juice plus some pH drops), green smoothies sans fruit with some fat added for the calories (young coconut water & meat or avocado, for example), and pure water. Distilled water is acceptable, so that is what I am using. I filter it first and then distill it. I do not have any pH drops yet, so I am using ChlorOxygen drops for now.

I had about 2 green drinks, 2 green juices, 1 large green smoothie, and some water on both Saturday and Sunday. The size of my green drinks and juices are about 20 oz each - since I am using recycled water bottles. They recommend more but I got very full and a little nauseous. I especially got nauseous on Saturday and ended up throwing up late in the day. It was just one bout of 3 throw ups of acidic bile looking stuff, with some green stuff mixed in (I hope you don't mind the description :-)  ). I think it's actually exciting that I detoxed in this way. Today I felt a little nauseous, but I came to work and it did pass as I drank my green stuff.

I also lost the weight, over the weekend, that I had gained while eating cooked food. I want to say, that while eating cooked food I reacquainted myself with how unsatisfying and 'fake' it tastes. So, I am happy to go back to raw food, but with a new direction.

While eating raw vegan I averaged 10 units of fast acting insulin (Humalog) a day. While eating cooked food it could go up to 30 units or more. Since insulin is the 'fat storage hormone', or so I have read, that makes it very easy to gain weight. I also always take 10 units of 24 hour insulin (Lantus) per day, no matter what diet I am on.

Even though the raw vegan diet helped me to reduce my fast acting insulin requirements and keep the weight off, I was still unsatisfied because of my rollercoaster blood sugars and the resultant physical/emotional highs and lows. I am hoping for more stable blood sugars with the pH Miracle plan. They do allow some cooked alkaline food on the plan, but they recommend all raw for Type 1s.

So, I am shooting for a 3 week green juice feast followed by an alkaline raw diet - which does not include most fruit.

Here are my blood sugars:

Saturday:

• 8:10 am - 363 (cooked food hangover ;-)  ) - 4 units
• 12:00 pm - 171
• 4:38 pm - 259 - I hadn't yet figured out how much insulin to take with a non-fruit green smoothie. - 2 units
• 7:32 pm - 137
• 8:26 pm - 120
• 11:56 pm - 241 - I think this is from getting sick - 1 1/2 units

Sunday:

• 8:43 am - 69
• 10:02 am - 97
• 1:18 pm - 99
• 2:33 pm - 137 - 1 unit to cover a green smoothie (that's all the fast acting insulin I took all day - Whoopee!!)
• 4:08 pm - 109
• 8:54 pm - 119
• 11:35 pm - 91

Monday:

• 5:45 am - I didn't test, but I felt like my sugar crashed a little as I was sweating. But it recovered on its own.
• 6:59 am - 159
• 8:57 am - 147
• 11:15 am - 110
• 1:34 pm - 78
• 6:26 pm - 232 - I didn't take insulin for my raw soup. - 1 1/2 units
• 9:50 pm - 113
• 11:26 pm - 73

Monday - Don't Give up on Me!

I'm sorry I have not been posting lately. I totally failed at the 21 day challenge. It was like I was trying to do too much too soon and my body, mind, and spirit rebelled.

I guess with the raw food diet I was relying on my 'treats' to keep me going - raw chocolate, bananas, nuts, etc. When I tried to remove all of those at once, my cravings kicked in big time and I totally fell off the wagon. I've been thinking lately that maybe the problem is my acid/alkaline balance. My treats were keeping me acid and I never developed the alkalinity that I needed to let go of those foods.

I remember Dr. Joel Robbins teaching us that if you are eating acid foods, you crave more acids and that adding alkaline foods to your diet reduces the cravings. So then I found this book - The pH Miracle for Diabetes. I am halfway through this book and I am excitedly looking forward to trying their approach. Once I start, I will be posting what I am doing and how well it is working.

Wish me luck!

Tuesday - Starting a 21 Day Challenge

Yesterday I started a 21 day challenge through Frederick Patenaude. He is offering it free this time, to refine it, and he says next time there will be a charge. Well free is just the right cost for me, so I am giving it a try. The idea behind this is to make 3 doable changes in your life, carry them out everyday for 21 days and thereby make them a habit. He provides a workbook that you write in everyday and daily emails and so far it is great.

At first my 3 positive habits were:

• drink 1 veggie juice and/or 1 smoothie everyday
• jump 10 minutes on the mini-tramp or walk 20 minutes everyday
• head to bed at 11:00 pm every night

Then he asked us to refine them and provide more of the how, where, and when so I changed them to:

• I will drink one water bottle full of veggie juice for lunch and/or 1 green smoothie at supper everyday. When I run out of veggie juice, I will make some the night before. I will make sure I buy enough veggies for juice and smoothies on my grocery shopping trips.
• I will jump on my mini-tramp first thing (before I get distracted by chores) when I get home from work on work days or 5:00 pm on weekends, or walk 20 minutes outside at the same time of day. I will start and leave work 10 minutes earlier so this doesn't push my kids' & pets' evening meals to later.
• I will stop watching TV in the family room at 11:00 pm every night and head towards bed. If I am in the middle of a show, I will just save it to the DVR. I will complete all of my evening chores before I sit down to watch that last show, except perhaps transferring a load of wash to the dryer.

Is that specific enough or what? It is good to write this stuff down. In my workbook I also wrote down that I won't eat the free nuts in the breakroom at work, no raw bars, and only eat bananas in smoothies. I am ready to progress to the next level of eating/healing and I feel these things were good transition foods for me and it is time to let go - at least for 3 weeks and see how it goes.

• 7:30 am - 153 - a little high, but not high enough to take any insulin. My endocrinologist says not to take any unless I am over 200, if I am not eating. Last night I went to bed with 156, so at least it stayed pretty stable.
• 11:00 am - 128 - veggie juice - 2 units
• 12:00 pm - acupuncture & chiropractic appointment
• 2:45 pm - 49 - about 8 oz of grape tomatoes because I was crashing.
• 4:20 pm - 112

Friday - Professional Colonics can be Awesome

Right before the holidays, I was invited for a courtesy professional colonic at Intestinal Fitness. They had stumbled onto my blog and saw that I was pro-colonics and invited me to give them a try.

I have had several professional colonics done before. Most of them were when I lived in Oklahoma with a colon hydrotherapist that I really liked. Since our move to North Carolina in 2001, I had mostly relied on home colonics with my Bib Kit. I had tried two colon hydrotherapists, one with an open system in Durham and one that everyone raved about in Cary. I did not find the open system any better than me doing it at home and did not like the hydrotherapist (she just couldn't get over that fact that I was raw vegan). The one in Cary was okay, but I suspect her water pressure was low or something because she kept having to turn something to unblock the hose and that made it kind of uncomfortable.

Now with this newly opened clinic in Raleigh, I have finally found a local colon hydrotherapist that I like and the facilities are great too. Before and after the colonic you have complete privacy as there is a private bathroom right next to your treatment room. Gabrielle Diamante was my hydrotherapist and she was great! Very knowledgeable, sweet, and supportive of the raw vegan diet. They have the latest in colon hydrotherapy gadgetry and the water is triple filtered before it even goes into you. Check out their great FAQs on their website. For those who don't know much about colonics, these are very helpful.

Gabrielle pointed out what was coming out and there were tiny, tiny starters to stones, orange vitamin powders that I wasn't absorbing (maybe my Vitamin C powder that I just finished up - I won't be buying more of that!), some feces of course, and lots of gas. She suggested I should switch to liquid vitamins - less stress on the pancreas and since I have Diabetes that is a great idea. She sells some and I will consider it when I finish up vitamins that I have.

I felt much better after the colonic and then for the next few days I had very large bms. I think that was because all that gas got cleared out and now my body was playing catch up, now that there was room in the colon to be able to do so. I will probably still do some colonics at home on occasion with my bib kit, but I expect I will be back to Intestinal Fitness and I highly recommend them to anyone else who lives in this area.

• 6:45 am - 147 - after eating 2 raw bars last night (due to my sugar levels crashing) without insulin, I feared my blood sugars would be very high. So this isn't bad, considering...
• 12:30 pm - 195 - I guess this is my normal rise in bs after getting up - 2 bananas - 5 units (1 for being high)
• 2:45 pm - 190
• 3:20 pm - 20 oz of veggie juice - 3 units (1 for being high)
• 5:00 pm - 76

Thursday - I'm Back...

I took an extended holiday break from blogging, but I'm back now and plan to get into the routine again.

I did finish up that Rawvolution box and decided gourmet raw food for several days in a row is definitely not for me. My breath smelled, my stomach gurgled, I gained a couple of pounds, and when I went for a colonic (which I will post about soon) they mostly helped me to release lots of gas. If I lived near the restaurant, I would definitely visit it on occasion for a yummy gourmet raw meal but I will not be ordering another box. I think the box might be great if there were multiple people who were going to eat it up and that way it would be a one or two day treat. But, like I said, I may be weird and others may love to eat this type of raw food day in and day out and do very well with it.

I prefer ordering and having on hand some raw flax crackers, raw nut butters, and raw chocolate instead for an occasional treat. I can have a tiny raw flax cracker with just a dab of raw pecan butter and it will satisfy me and then I may not eat those again for another week. They last a long time, so no rush in eating them.

I did cheat over the holidays and drank some private label cranberry wine that we won at a party. My husband doesn't drink, so it was up to me. ;-) It was very good and I just drank a little each day.

For Christmas dinner I ate raw veggies and some raw yellow squash spaghetti and raw tomato sauce. For New Years eve dinner I ate raw veggies and onion bread (that I ordered and will post about later) with avocado, tomato, red bell pepper, and lettuce on it. Very yummy! One of these days I may get a dehydrator and make flax crackers and onion bread for myself.

My New Year's resolution is to start juicing again. Tuesday night I made some juice out of swiss chard, dandelion greens, carrots, celery, and rome apples with my Champion juicer. It made a three day supply, if I drink 20 ounces (a water bottle full) per day.

• 8:00 am - 263 - not sure why I am high this morning. I did fall down yesterday and injured myself (will post about this later), so maybe my body is out of whack from that - 2 units
• 8:30 am - handful of nuts
• 10:30 am - 177 - didn't take insulin with the nuts - 1 1/2 bananas - 4 units (1 for being high)
• 2:00 pm - 106 - handful of nuts
• 4:00 pm - 98 - veggie juice - 2 units
• 7:00 pm - 178 - a large salad of red leaf lettuce, red bell pepper, mushrooms, & tomatoes with a dressing made of 1/2 an avocado and juice from half a lemon and then some raw chocolate for dessert - 3 units
• 10:45 pm - 45 - started feeling low and getting sweaty, I guess that was too much insulin - 1 raw bar - 10 units lantus
• 11:10 pm - 43 - still crashing - 1 raw bar

Friday - Rawvolution Meals Continued

Last night I ate the Broccolini Salad and Nut & Vegetable Pate Wrap from my Rawvolution box. I liked them both pretty well. My kids complained about the smell of the broccolini salad and they don't normally complain about the smell of broccoli, so it must have been the spices used on it. I think it might have had garlic, but it tasted good to me - just ground up broccoli coated with oil and some spices. The wrap was good too. I think it was a kale leaf with nut pate and some vegetables wrapped inside. The only thing is that the greens don't keep too well in shipment. First I ate the Big Matt and the Pizza because they had a lettuce leaf in them. Now the wrap with a kale leaf. The moisture of the food kind of wilts the greens, but there is nothing they can do about that. It was still very good.

Then I ate my last Snackraw bar for dessert and it was very yummy. I think my favorite is the one with the hazelnut filling.

I tell you though, I am ready to get back to some lighter eating when I done with this box. Good stuff (except for the soups and Big Matt, to me) but you don't want to live on it.

I have been blowing my nose a lot though today and major bms, so despite my bad garlicy breath and some stomach gurgling, it doesn't appear to have stopped my body's detox.

• 6:45 am - 221 - I guess that's the after effect of all this rich eating - 1 1/2 units
• 9:30 am - 83 - I didn't get enough sleep last night so I got hungry early - 3 1/2 bananas - 7 units
• 1:30 pm - 123 - 1 apple - 1 unit