OCDiabetic

Low carb living with type 1 diabetes

How fragile we are

After a wild night out with friends that included shooters and the loss of a scarf, I woke up shouting Europe at the sink. My blood sugar tends to be on the lower side the day after I’ve had alcohol, and this was no exception. Feeling feeble, I skipped breakfast and went for a can…
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On one leg

A few years back, I visited my great-uncle in the hospital. He was post-amputation of his leg below the knee following diabetes complications. At the time, I didn’t know much about diabetes. I doubt my great-uncle did either. He was a morbidly obese type 2 diabetic who never really paid attention to the disease. When…
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Paying for insulin in Europe

I felt a bit nervous this morning as I went to the pharmacy with my prescription. It was the first time since I got diabetes two and a half years ago that I would pay for insulin. I lost my Czech medical insurance, which also covered prescriptions, along with my job in the pandemic. What…
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Why is my blood sugar high in the morning?

I see this question asked a lot. People go to bed with normal blood sugars and wake up high the next day. What could be causing it? There are a few obvious candidates that are worth considering. It could be your insulin dose, what you had for dinner, or a release of hormones that cause…
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Pretending like I don’t have diabetes

I’m having a terrible diabetes week. My blood sugar average is 7 mmol/l (126 mg/dl), and today I went into the teens again with a whooping 18.3 mmol/l (330 mg/dl). For someone following a ketogenic diet, these are not good results. Let me explain. I’ve been thoroughly tired of having diabetes. At times I’ve pretended…
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Don’t listen to experts

When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, I was super confused. I had needle phobia, and the thought of having to inject myself made me ill. You quickly have to get over that if you want to live. The other thing was food. I would never again eat a meal without counting carbs and injecting…
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One reason not to eat crisps

Today I woke up with an astronomical blood sugar of 16 mmol/l (288 mg/dl). I haven’t been at that level since Christmas when I got drunk and ate a loaf of banana bread. What did I do this time? Well, I had half a bag of crisps. And some peanuts. And a little more cheese…
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The Carbohydrate-Insulin Model of Obesity

We speculate on the causes of the obesity epidemic. At first glance, easy access to delicious food everywhere you go definitely has something to do with it. But there’s more to it. The Carbohydrate-Insulin Model is interesting from a biochemistry point of view. It suggests that a diet heavy in carbohydrates leads to weight gain…
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A pint of Guinness later

Yesterday I met a fellow type 1 diabetic in a bar. She spotted my libre sensor and showed me hers. We were libre buddies. There the resemblance ended. Her blood sugar was at 15.2 mmol/l (274 mg/dl), and she was drinking a pint of Guinness. When she pulled out her iPhone with the librelink app…
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What’s the biggest misconception of nutrition?

I’m following a Twitter discussion where the OP asked: What’s the biggest misconception about nutrition that you wish you knew 5-10 years ago? The answers are interesting coming from people who’ve done a lot of research and embarked on diets that differ from the Eatwell plate. The misconceptions include: All calories are equal Whole grain…
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