A hot topic around my office--and in my email inbox--is food. If we're not talking about what's for lunch or dinner by 9 a.m. something's wrong.

My cooking is driven by few things--mainly time and ease. I'm like a four-ingredient cook. If it takes more than about 20 minutes of prep and actual cooking, I likely won't do it. While I like baking more than cooking, baking still has to be quick and easy. It's that whole patience thing that I lack.

A few days ago I was at a friend's house for dinner. She made an incredible chicken dish, good enough to make at home. But when she started rattling off the recipe, I lost interest--too many ingredients=too much to do. (READ MORE)

lisascenic

Diabetes is sometimes the best way to get out of things. It really can be an easy excuse in times of "emergency (parties, dates, movie hunger)." (READ MORE)

I should have known that there would be frustration. I guess I thought that since I wasn't new to basal/bolus therapy that my transition from MDI to the pump would be smooth. And it mostly has, but the last two days I have been running higher than usual with no explanation. Enter frustration.

So when Mom called last night to see how Toohey and I were getting along, I was telling her about all the things that could be making me high:

*basal rate set too low
*active insulin time set too long
*were my jeans too tight today?
*I think I'm ovulating
*or maybe my period is going to start soon
*does my infusion set need to be changed?
*when I was on Lantus, I took it at night; do I need a higher overnight basal rate?
*is all this stress about my high numbers making things worse?

I think I exhausted her with all these possibilities! I took it all in stride yesterday, but today--not so much. (READ MORE)

Mike Cohn

(To the tune of "Jingle Bells")

Andy Bell, Andy Bell, Andy had a great holiday.
Even with all the food, sugars were good most of the waaaay. Hey!
Now it's time to get back to work and focus on fitness for the day..
Here we go, do a curl and burn that fat away. Hey!

(To the tune of "Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer")

Andy had one day of high sugars,
Eating his face off with a jello mold.
You can say there's no such thing as hyperglucose
But as for this diabetic, I am sold.

(To the tune of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer")
(READ MORE)

One of the ways I break up my day is to frequently check in with my sisters at Diabetic Mommy. This morning I posted a question on the message board that has gotten me thinking lately.

I wanted to know how much everyone spends on groceries on a weekly basis. For our family of five, I spend an average of $200 a week on food, toiletries and other incidentals. Basically, anything I can pick up at WalMart. Our budget, though, needs some tweaking and there are few things left to adjust besides our grocery bill. (READ MORE)

Hate: That I can't eat cereal (even so-called healthy cereal) for breakfast without taking an excess of 10 units of Novolog.
Love: That I have rediscovered that I love having oatmeal for breakfast--and it requires only three to four units of Novolog.

Hate: That "healthier" fare is more expensive. I love cereal for breakfast, but some of my favorite, non-sugared cereals cost twice as much as the sugary stuff and you get half as much in a box.
Love: I'm choosier about my meal choices based on carbs and cost.

Hate: That finding a variety of food I like and how to bolus appropriately often involves some seriously high numbers.
Love: That I have found some tasty staples I can count on and not have to count carbs or think about how much insulin to take; I just do the same thing I always do and know that it's going to work. (READ MORE)