Sweet Peace #18: Lessons learned and relearned

Happenstance

It has been an interesting week and hectic enough that I missed my Tuesday Sweet Peace commitment. Packing for my trip to Santa Barbara, I managed to leave my computer bag on the couch, so dictating my thoughts into my iPhone was better than not doing anything. Now, reunited with my writing brain, here are the notes for the week:

Yesterday was a glorious day. It was a road trip day which comes with a road trip mindset of junk food indulgence. The morning started when I picked up my friend ReAnn Scott in Solana Beach for our trip to Santa Barbara where we will explore the next phase of our life as we tour a senior community in Isla Vista, home of UCSB. I’m already on the waiting list for an apartment and ReAnn is checking it out to see if it fits her also.

Along the way when it was time for a pitstop, we happened upon an Indian food place, one of my favorites and something that hasn’t been on the menu for many years primarily because of garlic intolerance. A short conversation with the waiter solved the what-to-order issue and, somehow, naan, a favorite carbohydrate, also wound up in the order.

By mid-afternoon, we arrived in Santa Barbara and, after introductions, proceeded to the Bacara, an ocean front resort, where we found an outdoor table looking out at the endless Pacific and proceeded to order drinks and bar food (nachos). While not indulging in the alcohol was easy, the nachos were above average and I definitely ate my share. When we got back to Barbara’s home, where we would spend the night, there were more snacks, including my favorite: blueberry goat cheese log and seed crackers. 

While that may sound moderate; it was three separate carbohydrates in three separate eating events. After five days of blood glucose readings in the 80s and 90s, the reading the next morning was 118 and brought me back to reality: everything counts. This is not a game to see how much I can get away with. I know perfection is not the goal … or even possible … but everything is a choice … and blood glucose is a significant indicator or health.

Somehow I thought the lesson I had learned was that as long as I avoided sugar, I could eat anything I wanted as long as it was part of a meal. It’s time to redefine the parameters. As much as I love carbohydrates, my body needs a rest from them, especially processed carbs … those lovely, crunchy things that come in bags which invite open-ended indulgences.

While reminding myself of the reality of carbohydrates, I am also congratulating myself for my successes. There were a lot of sweet things available and, when my blood glucose shot up, I had several moments of frustration when I thought, “Why not go for the sugar, too?” I resisted; and even though I’m no longer on the sugar fast, I have 46 days without sugary sweets.

All in all: lessons learned, commitment honored, and I am grateful to be on this journey.