Eating and Consequences

Everybody, diabetic or not, can eat whatever they want, whenever they want, and however much they want.  So why all this talk of diets, good foods, bad foods, entire bad categories of foods?  Why not just eat what makes you happy?

Eating has consequences.

Let’s take this past weekend for me.  There was a final four watching party I went to, and more sports to watch after that all weekend.  I basically just ate what I wanted including deserts, including a LOT of deserts and pizza.

I can do that.  I’m a grown man who can do as he pleases, eat what he wants.  I’m not diabetic anymore, either.  At least – not at the moment.

Ah – but – there will be consequences.  Eating has consequences both good and bad.  But let’s focus on the bad side of this story.

I had heart burn for the first time in a long time.  I used to take Pepcids and Tums all day every day.  Eating like this makes me feel bad.  Doesn’t matter if “I’m allowed” to eat what I want.  If I eat this way I’ll feel bad.

I took myself one step closer to becoming a diabetic again.  One meal, one desert, one entire weekend of indulgence isn’t going to redevelop diabetes in me.  BUT — it’s a step on the path that very well could.  In my two and a half years of being off all meds, I have had my A1c rise back into pre-diabetic levels twice.  Each time I knew that I had indulged too much too often.  Getting back to “eating properly” brought my A1c back into normal/healthy.  Eating has consequences.

I delayed the day I’ll be at a healthy weight.  I still have so much fat to loose.  I’m tired of being fat.  And I extended my fatness by how I ate.

I hurt my heart.  I have heart disease, it’s serious.  Eating like this is what has caused the disease.  If I was a healthy person with a healthy heart, then one isolated weekend of indulgence would be no problem.  For me?  It was unwise.  Why work so hard exercising to strengthen my heart if I’m going to fail to eat in a heart healthy way?

I could go on.   In the grand scheme of things, a single weekend of indulgence is a small thing.  If it’s ONLY a single weekend of indulgence.  However, I can easily indulge too much far too often.  That’s how I put back on 40 of the 85lbs I had worked so hard to lose.  Eating has consequences.

The sandwich in the photo – that’s a low carb bread.  Even so, I don’t eat even this type of bread very often.  There are better things for me to eat.  And eating has consequences.

Eating has good consequences as well,  but that’s a story for a different post.

p.s.  Always consult your own health team for your specific needs

p.p.s. Educate yourself to fully participate in your health strategy