Thursday, May 10, 2012

Points of Contention

Weight Watchers is very D-friendly. While we as people with diabetes very frequently get turned away from programs like Jenny Craig and Nutrasystem, Weight Watchers will turn a blind eye. You'd think weight loss programs would cater to people with D. You hear about NutrasystemD specifically for people with D. Yeah, unless you have Type 1, use insulin, or use an insulin pump. Then they 'review' your health history, freak out, and want nothing to do with you.

So I've always respected Weight Watchers.

I adapt it to meet my needs though, working in incentives to handle my diabetes correctly in the process.

For instance, low blood sugars.

In the beginning, I remember wanting to exempt myself from the foods I ate to treat a low, thinking it was unfair to ask me to give up 'points' for food I wasn't eating by choice. But that's part of the problem. I was eating whatever I wanted to treat the low. I might have 2-3 lows a day and treat each with 2-4pts.

So I decided early on that, if I treat the low with glucose tabs, I may exempt it. If I treat with food, I have to count it. There have been two days this week where I ate food for the lows and watched a third of my daily points slip away on banana peels and crackers. And one day where I used glucose tablets and a juice box and lost a mere two points.

See my point?

Hubster argues that I'm still taking in calories, so I should count the glucose tabs, too. But it'd be too easy for me to turn my nose up at the tabs if they cost me my precious points.

This way, there is an incentive for me to treat with the tabs - which is the faster, smarter, grosser way to handle a low from the diabetes standpoint.

From a weight loss standpoint, it is highly doubtful that 60cal of fat free chalky tablets will be my downfall.

And from a motivation standpoint, I won't give up the program from resentment or burnout because I can insure that my points will be used for meals and snacks (like regular people).

That being said, it's hard. I had three lows Tuesday - a 49 upon waking, a 50 around 3:30p, and an I-didn't-check-because-I'm-busy-cooking-dinner around 7p. They cost me a juice box (2) and coffee (1), a banana (2) and 2 rice krispie treats (4), and another banana (2). 11 points. Ouch.

Wednesday was worse. I used at least 15 points to treat low blood sugars. And only reached for glucose once. =\

Today, I'll do better. I'll really try to do better. And maybe I'll start dialing back some of my insulin, too. Nobody should be low as often as I am. Sigh.

Disclaimer: I'm neither a medical professional nor a nutritional expert. Please pursue nutritional programs and make adjustments with the help and advice of your own medical team.

1 comment:

  1. i did WW in college, with great success. i found the program to be very diabetes friendly too. i didn't count my low treatments, unless i went overboard. which is so hard!

    i so admire your determination. you can do this!

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