Nov 20 2008
Feed Me
If you go down the list of diabetes symptoms, you’ll find that many of them sound like judgment calls: Frequent urination, excessive thirst and excessive hunger. The problem is what counts as excessive or frequent? Where’s the line between wanting food because you’re diabetic and wanting food because you just you need food?
A few days ago, I had a day where I couldn’t stop eating. I had dinner. I had my usual nightly snack. I made a small sandwich. I drank a glass of milk. I had some water. I still felt a little nibbly.
The thing was I couldn’t figure out if this was normal hungry or “I should be concerned” hungry. None the dishes I had seemed all that outrageous in proportion. I had some carbs, but I don’t think I went over 60 for the evening. It made no sense.
Looking around the internet, I found one person who explained it thus: If you are insulin resistant (like, say, a type 2 diabetic), even if you have a normal, reasonable meal, you body is going to use a little less of the energy you put into it than it should and convert it directly to fat. The body then tells you that you haven’t eaten enough because not enough got into the cells. After that, you end up staring at the contents of your fridge in your underwear, debating on the merits of fried chicken vs. telling your stomach to shut up and going to bed weeping.
A few diabetics pointed out they saw persistent and irrational hunger as a warning sign that their blood glucose was probably a tad high. I didn’t test myself the night in question, but I don’t doubt it.
I keep myself on as regular a meal schedule as possible to prevent overeating. I count carbs and try to keep myself honest. I know I need to keep myself in check.
Now if I could just tell my body that when it ignores everything I’ve put in it that day and cry’s out, it’s screaming demand a single, fervent word: More.
