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You may have heard in the past couple months that the FDA ruled that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and anything that contains it could no longer be labeled "natural".  Surprise, surprise, the Corn Refiners Association has convinced them to change their minds this week.

It turns out that the "synthetic fixing agent for the enzyme used in the process does not come into contact with the high dextrose equivalent corn starch hydrolysate".  So all the ingredients it takes to make HFCS are natural, except the major one that doesn't end up in the product, so it's "natural".  Even though you or I could never cook it up in our kitchens.

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I'm always looking for easy, fairly fun ways to control my diet. I usually just keep a running track in my mind of what I've eaten in the past few days. Sometimes this helps me say no to the cookies or the extra servings of something yummy. Other times, it just makes me feel guilty that I can eat so poorly and not seem to care.

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In my nutrition class, an entire chapter is devoted to carbohydrates. Dreadful, but life-sustaining carbohydrates. Of course, the class goes into much greater detail than the familiarity that I have with carbs, but I still feel knowledgeable in the area.

One piece of information did strike me as very interesting and a little concerning. Someone (I believe the government) recommended that everyone consume at least 130 grams of carbohydrates per day in order to merely give the brain enough energy to survive. Apparently, 45% to 65% of my daily caloric intake should be from carbohydrates.

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As an engineer by training, I find quantitative analysis -- numbers -- an expression of control. Self control, exercise, body function, health and illness... So while I'm fortunate enough not to have to be "Bionic Betty" with a peripheral pancreas, I still refer regularly to six separate instruments, plus additional Web-based resources, to manage my food intake, exercise output, and biometric information.

Weight. Some folk say weighing once a week is enough, but I find that if I don't weigh in every morning, my weight can go off on very health-unfriendly curves. I log my weight both in The Daily Plate and in my personal Excel workbook.

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For the past few days, I've been battling a terrible thing (I'm being quite sarcastic here, with a little hint of truth). This thing comes around every once in awhile, but usually it comes with explanation (hello, Mother Nature!). However, this thing of late is out of the ordinary. This thing is hunger.

For the past week or so, I've been ravenously hungry all the time. Occasionally I get this way when it's that time of the month so I eat a little extra and go on my way. But this time, I'm perplexed. And annoyed.

Is it the extra exercise? Have I been skipping lunch? Am I not consuming enough calories in general? I'm quite annoyed because food is such an integral part of everything.

Food is expensive. Food is time-consuming. Food spikes blood sugars. Food can lower blood sugars (by this, I mean crazy crashes after boluses). Food is life. But now, food is just plain annoying.

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I've worked really hard the past few months to lose some weight. I've been eating better (cutting out fast food, "extras" like dinner rolls or second servings, and leaving the snacks on the snack aisle at the grocery store). On top of that, I'm working out about three times a week either at the gym or on the treadmill at home. And I'm proud to say that I've lost six pounds and several inches.

But the past week has thrown a major kink in my progress. I'm too scared to even step on the scale to see how these low and "lower" blood sugars are affecting me. I know my calorie intake has increased between the cokes, snacks, and extra carbs I'm consuming to offset these things.

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When the lows hit last week, I was frustrated. I'm desperately trying to lose weight and get my blood sugars in range without dropping to one extreme or soaring to another. So I lowered my insulin by one unit. The Lantus at least. Humalog stayed the same.

I've been pretty consistent with walking every day or at least every other day. I'm also using the hand weights and just generally trying to stay more active (taking the stairs when possible, not parking super close to the store/office, etc). My food intake has stayed the same where I eat a normal breakfast, a low carb/calorie lunch, and usually a normal dinner. I try to make healthy choices on a regular basis, but I do splip on occasion.

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I'm a bit behind over here so I'm wishing all of you a late Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all the best for 2012. This holiday season I was fighting an upper respiratory infection that completely side swiped me. I was voiceless for almost 6 days, had constant coughing for three or four, and still have a lingering cough at certain points.

For the past week and a half, I've slept as much as possible. By that, I mean constantly. I was sleeping 12 hours at night, napping through most of the day, and just making it out of the house in the evening to see Marvin and some friends that were in town. I'm back to work tomorrow and sincerely hoping that I haven't ruined my sleep patterns (which are completely off thanks to this craziness).

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In battling whatever bug got ahold of my immune system last week, I fell off the diabetes wagon. My usual attempt at 5 blood sugar checks per day fell far short and resulted in multiple days with two or three checks total. That's not what I want to see, but sometimes we all need a vacation of sorts.

I also took a break from exercise last week. My energy was down and I just didn't have the drive to do much other than sleep. I didn't work out once in the entire week, which is highly unlike me. I did offset it with a lowered calorie intake so at least I didn't pack on any pounds while I was resting up.

This week, I'm back on the diabetes wagon though and trying to hit all my goals. I aim for 5 blood sugar checks per day as many times in a week as possible, at least four workouts in a week, and allow myself one splurge (restaurant dessert, fried food, etc).

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"So can you eat whatever you want?," a coworker recently asked. She wasn't being rude or telling me not to eat cake; she was curious about type 1 and how I managed. But the question knocked me off balance for a moment.

Most people don't want to know what I can or can't eat. They automatically assume that I can't eat sweets or bread or Mexican food or whatever stereotype they've heard. They put the rumors and myths on my own diet and never even stop to ask.

Since I don't normally have a chance to even answer this question, I guess I don't normally think about what I "can" and "can't" eat. Technically, I CAN eat whatever I want at any time because I'm on a sliding scale with Humalog. One of the "perks" of type 1, if you will.

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