The Good, Bad, and Evil of Sugar

You didn't know sugar had three sides to it did you?

The Good -- I saw the good last night of what sugar can do for a person that needs it.  I hear every Sunday about being prepared, having knowledge, having faith, and believing in miracles.  Last night, I saw all of them come together in a matter of minutes when my friend went into diabetic shock.

The Bad --Everything has sugar.  There are good and bad sugars and we need to educate ourselves on them, how they affect us, and what to do for others when they are in trouble.

The Evil -- Addiction.  Sugar gets the bad rap because it is an addictive legal drug.  I know, you are not addicted to sugar right? If you can pass up that piece of cake or candy you really want for a week then I can probably side with you. But if all you are thinking about right now is the piece of cake you want, then I would be re-evaluating the whole sugar addiction thing.

What happened?

For those who know me or have been reading my blog, you probably know I love Family History.  It's just part of who I am.  I was looking forward to last night because I would get to see my friend from the FHC (Family History Center).  Last Thursday we got into a discussion about soda and her blood sugar levels, and part of me felt a bit guilty.  I knew she was a big girl and I decided it was not my "right" to come down on her.  That changed last night. As her friend, I am glad I called her out on when I saw a change in her last week.

As we were sitting in our FHC meeting last night, I noticed she tilted her head back.  She then moved it back down, and a few seconds later she tilted it back again.  The first thought that came to me, was "something is not right."  I had seen her before sitting at a computer before and tilting her head back to read the monitor, but this was a large screen.  The third time she tilted back, her friend next to her leaned over to talk to her.  Her friend gave me the "something is wrong" look and I looked over to my other friend Karen.  Let' me just say I am so grateful these two ladies were there last night.  To make a long story short, our friend went into a Diabetic Shock.  I had no idea what to do!!

I knew about the Glucose tablets and we gave her one, but it was not working.  We learned later, we needed to put it under her tongue. So I am curious, if you were in my situation last night, would you have known what to do?  Have you ever been there before?

A few things we learned:
We learned how to give a glucose tablet. Just putting in the mouth does not work you need to get it UNDER the tongue.

Call 911

Luckily our church building was packed with people and in the midst of all these people were a doctor and a nurse.  A miracle they were there!  My friend's bishop (like a pastor) had her information for the paramedics and EMT's. He knew how to contact her husband. I saw some incredible and knowledgeable people at work last night.

We were asked, do you have sugar packets? Do you have any Orange Juice? We had none.  They gave her an IV of sugar and water.  This saved my friend. 

Here are things I now KNOW from last night:

1. Orange Juice – A Diabetic's friend.  Make sure you have a small can on hand (with a straw). It acts fast into the blood stream. If you are diabetic, do you carry one in your purse or in the car with you?  If you are in an office, do you have a can or two on hand for emergency purposes?
2. Stress-- Stress can cause blood sugars to rise and nose dive.  Rep. Giffords who was shot in Tuscon over the weekend, is my friend's cousin. I am sure part of the reason for her diabetic shock was her worry for her cousin.
3. Behavior Change – Are they agitated? Have a glazed look? Unresponsive or short answers such as “yeahh” “ noooo”. Something could be wrong. Keep asking questions to keep them alert and get as much information as you can. Remember it is always better to be safe than sorry.
4. Prepare – Ask your diabetic friends what you need to do in order to help them should the time arise. Do they wear a glucose pump? Do you have emergency contact numbers? Do you know how to give them a glucose tablet? Do they carry tablets with them?

If you think this is not your problem, you are wrong.  We need to be there for each other, even when some of us think we can do it on our own.  I have many friends who are diabetic, and I never really thought of any of this before. I need to know how to be there for them if this happens and I am there. Ask your friends what you need to know and do, if this should happen to them. If they tell you not to worry, make them humor you!!! Be persistence!! Not mean, but persistence and then share this story!!!  My friend wears a pump, I have no clue how to work the pump, but tomorrow we are getting together so I can learn how.  Last night it was the EMT's who knew to turn it off.

Sugar is a big part of our lives, both for the good and the bad. We need to be educated on it and what are the affects it has on us. Not only what the signs are for us, but what they are for someone going into shock and what can we do till they get their sugar level back up.  As much as I think sugar is not my friend, last night I realized it was.

I know we all need some kind of sugar for our bodies.  There are different kinds we can get and my whole purpose of this blog is to just help us do the best we can with the sugar and soda in our lives.  There is alot of natural sugar in fruits.  I often see where bananas are not a "dieter's friend" due to the high level of carbs and sugars.  But at the same time, it is a better alternative for me than sitting down with a bag of M&M's (and yes I can eat the whole bag!) We all need to educate ourselves on our limits, and what sugar and soda do for us.  I saw the good of sugar last night, and maybe there is some good in soda as well.

In the beginning stages of my blog Bev shared her story as a mother of diabetic children.  I feel it needs to be shared again.  This is her story of being a Mom with diabetic children.

Bev's Story

Again, thank you Bev for shsaring your story!  By the way, I am looking for Guest Bloggers!!!  If anyone has ideas and would like to be a Guest Blogger please email me. I know you all have some great ideas!!!

Is It Really Day 7?

It seems hard that we have been doing this No Sugar No Soda for an entire week now!!! Congrats to all!!! Other than the one small challenge on Tuesday I have not really been tempted at all by all the other stuff because I am finally beginning to see the changes I made before are coming back very easily to me now.

So here is my question for you today? Looking back on your week, what were your challenges? How did you overcome them? I really believe that no matter who you are and how you feel you did, others can relate to you. Whether it be you had to have a soda this week, or that one piece of sugar, or you were perfect to a T. I would love to hear your ideas and thoughts of how your first week went.

On Kathy's blog someone had asked if Diet Soda was okay. Again I am not the Sugar Police, but I can tell you, part of the reason we are all so addicted to Sugar and Soda is because of the ingredients used to make us addicted. As I have said before, we often think of addiction as drugs, or tobacco, or alcohol. WRONG!!! So many things whether good or bad can be addictive. Is that a bad thing? What are you thoughts?

Going back to the no sugar and no soda thing for me, once again I am doing what works for me. I will have a future blog that discusses the affects of sweeteners and carbonation on us. I like to think that when the various sodas were made, they were made with the intent of satisfying a soul on a hot Midwestern summer day. There was nothing like getting a Big G

ulp full of ice and your favorite soda and playing the rest of the day. I feel very fortunate I got stuck with the 7-UP's and Root Beers growing up. Maybe that is why me getting off the soda is a bit easier for me, because I never had the headache withdrawals that others have spoken of.

So today I really want to hear from you! What were your challenges? Your most triumphant moment? Have you been able to inspire someone else this week? And before I forget, make sure you take a BEFORE picture so you can compare it to yourself on Valentine's Day!!!

Open Floor....let's hear it!!!

I AM SO PROUD OF ALL OF YOU!!!

Today we start Day 6 of our challenge. Some are only doing the Sugar and some the Soda and some are doing both. But did you ever THINK you could do this for even five days? Now we are almost through our first week and look what you all have done. Last September when I did this I was a bit shocked I made it my first week, but then I knew I was on my way! And when others starting asking me “What day is it?” I just kept going!! So Congratulations to all of you!! I know it was hard to even begin to think you could do it.....but I knew you could!!! You are all an inspiration to me!!

So I have an incentive (kind of) for all of you. We have 39 days left right? Yesterday my friend Kirsten and I were talking about the blog (with her soda sitting next to her <g>) and she said, “not to mention the cost of it.” I stopped and said, “yeah, you just gave me an idea for my next blog!!"

Stop and think for a second. How many times a day do you go and get a soda from the convenience store? Figure they are at least $1 each. Just by giving up one of those soda's for the next 39 days, you would save $39 dollars? Do you know what you can do with that? If you buy the plastic bottles, they are about $1.59 here in Austin. What about a candy bar? Normally 89 cents here or so. Do you see how much that can add up to? Now what if every time you took that $1 or $1.50 and put it in a coin jar or savings container and let it add up over the next 39 days. At the end of this challenge, you can have a bit of mad money to do something for you!!! It is not taking away from the food budget, or other budgets. Lets face it, that money was never really in our budget. Right?

My thinking is when I spend $1, it's only $1, it's not that much. But just like everything else in life when it adds up, that is where I begin to see my problems. I did this years ago with every pound I lost I would put $1 into a jar I had. Then when I got to the end of my weight loss I was going to buy a new wardrobe. I did really really good at first, then my friend I was going with stopped going. I didn't drive at the time and there were no buses so I had no way of going and went back to my old ways.  Guess what I did with the money I had saved? Spent it on soda and sugar because I became frustrated.

STORY TIME

I used to live in Nashville and work in downtown for the st ate. As a state employee I could park free in the parking lot that was about 1.5 miles away and take the shuttle up to my building everyday. Yes that would have been the smart thing to do, but it also added an extra 15 minutes each way (at least) just to get to my building and back to my car at night. There were also paid parking lots near by that ranged from $5-$7 a day. When it was raining, or cold, or too hot that was my excuse as to use them. But then everyday I had an excuse and it became a habit.

Also very seldom did I bring a lunch, it was easier to go out and get something quick. Downtown Nashville has a lot of little eateries and on a good weather day I enjoyed the walk downtown. Subway was down the street, easy to go to grab a sandwich, drink, and chips for $5 and then head back to work. In addition we had the vending machines. Soda and chocolate for an afternoon snack, $1.50, wasn't that much!  My mom used to have a saying, "It doesn't cost very much if you say it real fast!"  So true!!!

I was paid very well at my job and could not understand why I struggled to make ends meet after my first month. I looked at my budget to see where I could cut back costs. I had just taken money out that day and I noticed there was nothing left of my $20 I had just taken out that morning.  That is when I began to look at what I had spent that day and gasped at the amount of money I could spend EACH DAY! I decided for one month to cut back on some of those things mentioned above. I parked in the state parking lot four times a week, and brought my lunch at least 4 days a week. I tried to leave the snacks alone but my cravings were so fierce. I did  manage to cut them down to once a day instead of 2 or 3 times a day. How did I do it? I only brought enough cash with me for the machines once a day. I also changed my driving pattern to work so  was not tempted to park in a parking lot.  If I didn't make my lunch, I didn't eat. No extra cash for anything.

I learned very quickly after just a few days, the money I was saving. I figured it was at least $300 a month, but that extra money sure made finishing out the month a whole lost easier. Think of that $300 over a years time. It was at least a few thousand I saved. I was totally amazed!

So like everything else, I have learned it is not chopping out the big things in our lives,but the little things that add up. This goes for everything!!! One of the things I noticed right away was that I was so much more peaceful and calm off sugar than back on. I was an emotional roller coaster and my temperament went through the roof. I hated that because I had worked so hard on getting control of myself then I went back on sugar.  UGH Me!! . Now I can tell I am coming back into sync again. And see, it is all fixable I don't need to beat myself up although I did give myself a good scolding.

So for me every time I THINK about getting a soda or candy bar, I am going to put an IOU in my jar. Ha Ha I don't have a job so no money, so I will have to owe myself like everyone else!! Ha Ha

Thanks Kirsten for the inspiration for today!!!! 

What will your savings container look like?

Let's Learn to Substitute!!

Bev inspired me yesterday when she said she had a craving for Hot Chocolate, but didn't like the Sugar Free hot chocolate packets so she was going to crochet instead. It is great that she found an alternative to stay away from the sugar.  But I know those feelings. As much as you try to suppress them,you still think about it and want.  (Sorry Bev for ratting you out!!! You inspired me though!)

My background is computer technical support.  Whenever you have a problem with your software and call into a help line....that would be me.  I know you are all wondering "Why can't you just fix the problem!"  Because all problems are different.  And when you work in technical support, if you are a good technician you will ask questions and learn to think outside the box. 

STORY TIME

This is an incident that was related to us on how to think outside the box on a printing problem.  An office had to print all their documents in the morning by noonish or so, otherwise their printer would stop printing.  That is what they knew and what they saw and how they dealt with it.  It was very frustrating not to be able to print all day long.  Any documents they got after the 12:00 noon deadline was a hit and miss and had to wait to the next day, or go somewhere else to print.  I am sure you are like I was the first time I heard this and laughed thinking those stupid people!!  They were just doing something wrong!!! Printers cannot tell time.  No, the printer couldn't tell time, and no the people were not stupid.  How did they fix the problem?  The printer sat next to a window.  When the sun began to set in the afternoon it shined through the window, overheating the printer and so the printer would not work.  In the morning the sun did not come in that window, therefore the area was cooler than in the afternoon when the sun shined in.  They resolved this problem by simply closing the blinds a bit to take the sun away from the printer cooling down the printer and the work area.  This story is about 20 years old and technology has come along way since then.  But you understand how you need to be able to think outside the box to resolve a problem?  As crazy as it seems, while at Vanderbilt University I ran into something similar.  One of our networks would go up and down all day long.  I mentioned this story to our technician and discovered when ever anyone got on a certain service elevator the network went down. It had something I believe to do with the electricity in the air, or magnetics or something.  None the less once it was discovered what it was, problem resolved.

So when Bev said she wanted hot chocolate, I went on a mission for her to find a substitute on how she can still have hot chocolate, crochet and stick with her No Sugar No Soda Challenge.  Here is what I found!!  It came with rave reviews so I thought I would share it here as a reminder, if there is something you want, step back and see how you can have it within your guidelines.  

Years ago when I did Weight Watchers, I loved Bacon Cheeseburgers but of course they were not on the menu.  I looked at what I had to work with, and I could still have the hamburger patty, and cheese in small amount and bacon bits.  So that is how I made my Bacon Cheeseburgers.  If you have something you have been struggling with please share with us.  Maybe if we all put our heads together we can come up with a substitute for you!!!

Here is the recipe I found, I am not a hot drink person.  Years ago I burnt my throat and mouth and so I get leery of hot liquids.  I have tried, but it is very hard for me so I just don't go there any more.  Here is the recipe, I understand you can change the pudding out with different flavors so I would be interested to hear what you try and what you think if you make it.  The link to the website where I found it is at the bottom of today's blog.

Fat Free Sugar Free Hot Chocolate Mix

Ingredients

• 3 cups nonfat dry milk powder
• 1 cup Splenda granular (or other sugar substitute)
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 1 (1 ounce) package fat-free sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
  

Directions:

Prep Time: 1 mins
Total Time: 2 mins

1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Store in airtight container.
   

Add 3 Tbsps mixture to mug
Add COLD water (helps with clumping)
Heat to desired warmth


Fat Free, Sugar Free Hot Chocolate


Let me know what you all think!!!

Combatting The Sugar Portion....

Why is it we feel as though we must have that candy bar right then and there? Have you ever done that? Standing in line and right there is your favorite candy bar. We all have a favorite and it is most likely at the checkout stand as we are leaving. You hear it and it is screaming, “Wait you forgot me!!”

I was talking to a dietitian once and told her about my giving up sugar for a period of time. She found that interesting and asked, “Why do you feel you need to give it up?” I tried to explain to her my addiction to sugar and her comment to me was, “There is a piece of chocolate cake I have had my eye on now for two weeks in the cafeteria and it is still there. I know when I go back, there will be a piece of chocolate cake if I want it. So I tell myself, “I don't want this today, maybe tomorrow.” 

Two things I learned from her this day:

1. Those candy bars are ALWAYS going to be there the next day, I don't have to have one today for fear they won't be there tomorrow.
2. Do I have to have that candy bar or do I want that candy bar?

When I go through a checkout line and hear that Three Musketeers scream at me, “Hey Laura!! Here I am! Come get me!!” I think these two things, it will be there next time and is it something I have to have? The answer to those things usually help me get past the candy to the checkout line.  And just in case you are wondering, yes that Three Musketeers really talk to me! Ha!

Now don't get me wrong, I am in no way cured!!! I am far from it!!! But what I have learned is that I can control that sugar addiction and attraction a little bit more by creating new habits. I do ask myself these two questions and if I still feed the need for chocolate, I find sugar free chocolate to satisfy me.

Sometimes, GASP! I am not in the mood for chocolate but still want a “treat”. With that I do one of two things, nuts and fruits. I love Walnuts and I can get a small container for a couple of dollars. I also look for some fruit that looks tasty. On the days they have fresh pineapple samples, SCORE! I love that!! Sometimes, that is all I need to satisfy that craving--a sample. This Christmas I was given a dried berry mixture that was quite tasty. There was not the fructose and processed sugar content in it, although there were some sugars listed. I am just trying to find ways to break my habits and give me alternatives to the whole sugar addiction.

Another thing I have read that works for some is to limit your sugar intake to drop pounds. For me just limiting does not work, I need to find ways to cut it out completely. But if you are saying you want to try this No Sugar, No Soda thing but can't do without the sugar, try taking your Grams of Sugar down to about 30 or so a day and see if that helps.  Does that seem doable? 

Well that does mean you need to look at labels. So there are some options for you on No Sugar Thing. I have found lots of interesting articles on the net about this, that I will share along the way.  I am too lazy to do that, so I will just cut it out and live with it.

I have a little exercise for you.  We have all heard about healthy foods or what we think are healthy foods.  This is one of my favorite foods that I THOUGHT was healthy.  And it is healthier than most things, but when I saw the sugar content, I thought WHOA MAMA!! And my focus is cutting down my sugar content.  If I was to limit my Sugar Grams to 30, this would just about do it for the day.  Any guess what it is? 

 What do most of you have a harder time with the No Sugar? Or No Soda? What are your ideas on how you are going to combat this and succeed at it? Anyone have any major breakthroughs? I want to hear from you!!!

Just remember Day 2 is almost over and you all thought you couldn't get by one day!!! Yeaaa Us!!!