Food Addiction and Diabetes

Hi, my name is Curtis and I'm an addict. I've been a junk food addict all my life and a Diabetic for the past 8 years. By making my story public, and providing a documented record of my efforts on The Diabetic Food Addict, I hope to once and for all make the lifestyle changes necessary to avoid the possible next step in my treatment.

My Doctor recently informed me that if I can't get my blood sugar down further than what medication has been able to do, I will be forced to use insulin injections. Beyond the medical implications this will dramatically effect my well being because diabetics who need insulin injections can not drive commercial vehicles. I would in effect become jobless and unable to work.

DIABETIC HISTORY:

The day I was declared Diabetic was a shocker for me. I was taking a pre-employment physical and when I was informed that I had failed because my blood sugar was out of control my jaw fell open in surprise. Anxiety immediately rushed through my body as I tried to grasp this life changing news.

Fortunately, by being under a Doctor's care for the condition, I was allowed to accept the job and retained my commercial driver's license.

That first year it was a simple matter of taking one Metformin pill a day, and life continued with very little change. The new job included plenty of walking back and forth with me on my feet all day. I had no trouble keeping my blood sugar numbers well within the safe region. The job ended after about a year and I turned to School bus driving to make my living.

School bus driving led to a position driving developmentally disabled adults to and from work. Very similar to school bus driving, but without the stress of unruly kids. As you can imagine this is a much more sedentary career which fit my needs well because I also suffer from arthritis and have had lower back surgery.

After 6 years of this very pleasant job, I have spiraled downward in the world of Diabetes. My medication is now increased from 1ea - 500mg Metformin pill a day to 2ea - 1,000 mg Metformin pills plus 2ea - 10mg Glipizide each day. The next step is Insulin which would cause me to loose my job.

My Goals:

The key to correcting what might appear as a hopeless situation is for me to include 2 important measures into my treatment schedule that have been sadly ignored. Improve my diet, and establish a regular exercise routine.

The most popular method used to ensure you are following a nutritional and well balanced diet is the exchange method. The goal being to eat smaller portions spread throughout the day that contain similar amounts of carbohydrates. This will help keep your blood sugar levels more constant and avoid large spikes in your blood sugar.

This video will help me understand the exchange method of maintaining a proper diabetic diet:

I have a ways to go, and this is just the beginning. Please follow along as I work towards an A1c test that pleases my Doctor.