This may be a case of PMS (sorry boys), but as I try to take control of my diabetes, I find myself to be depressed as of late. My mother and sister dont take care of themselves and eat all kinds of junk and candy. Last night I think I came down with the 24 hr flu and after having not eaten for 24 hrs, all I wanted was something sweet (again, PMS? lol) to eat. I dont keep sweets in the house, but all I could think about is how I'll never be able to enjoy food, or life again. I dont want to say that food is my life, but I enjoy the finer things in life, decadent desserts, sweets, and anything that is bad for me. I know that to prolong my life, without complications, I have to have my diabetes under control. My mom suffers from neuropathy so bad in her feet and legs, she cant stand on them for long. I definitely dont want a life like that.
I guess this is more of a rant, but I was just wondering if others ever feel bouts of depression?
Sarah
Dear Jiggy66,
You only have to read my question on the forum"motivation to exercisedaily-help needed"to know that such situational depressions are so common that you'll be surprised!You feel down when you eat sweets,when you can't motivate yourself to exercise,when you gain weight,when your doc shifts you to insulin,when you can't eat sweets like all othets ,say,in a party ,when you have side-effects and the list goes on!
The trick is to "choose".There are no perfect beings in this world and there's a flaw somewhere for everyone,believe me.Isn't having diabetes,a controllable disorder,i refuse to call it a disease,better,than some of the incurable ones like(iam sorry to say)AIDS,liver cancer which is almost always fatal,loss of a limb,say in an accident,severe forms of schizophrenia,etc!
Your depression should be an object lesson for all of us that with the right attitude,tight control,the future will be bright for us all than an average individual.Diabetes is not a curse but something that should motivate us to take charge of our lives and proudly march into the horizon.Be a hero and an example for others to follow.As someone said "giving in to the lows of life with tears is liquid cowardice".Confidence comes with experience,though experience is a great leveller.Don't choose the basement!
sharer
Mind is a myth,thought is your enemy,no way out!
You only have to read my question on the forum"motivation to exercisedaily-help needed"to know that such situational depressions are so common that you'll be surprised!You feel down when you eat sweets,when you can't motivate yourself to exercise,when you gain weight,when your doc shifts you to insulin,when you can't eat sweets like all othets ,say,in a party ,when you have side-effects and the list goes on!
The trick is to "choose".There are no perfect beings in this world and there's a flaw somewhere for everyone,believe me.Isn't having diabetes,a controllable disorder,i refuse to call it a disease,better,than some of the incurable ones like(iam sorry to say)AIDS,liver cancer which is almost always fatal,loss of a limb,say in an accident,severe forms of schizophrenia,etc!
Your depression should be an object lesson for all of us that with the right attitude,tight control,the future will be bright for us all than an average individual.Diabetes is not a curse but something that should motivate us to take charge of our lives and proudly march into the horizon.Be a hero and an example for others to follow.As someone said "giving in to the lows of life with tears is liquid cowardice".Confidence comes with experience,though experience is a great leveller.Don't choose the basement!
sharer
Mind is a myth,thought is your enemy,no way out!
Hi Jiggy66,
I know how you feel - this makes me feel down sometimes too. But my sister always tells me that if we didn't feel down sometimes we wouldn't appreciate the better times. Yes, we have diabetes, but we can also enjoy the good things in moderation. I'm sure that moderation is the key - don't rule anything out as this will make you feel awful and want to rebel against it! Also, maybe look at other ways of treating yourself when you feel down other than food.
Hope this helps a little, but we are all here if and when you need a rant!
Claire x
Sharer,
Your response literally left me with tears in my eyes. I guess I need to quit having a pity party and start being grateful that I dont have any of the problems you mentioned. I guess it's easy to get down on ourselves, but we need to realize that life could be a lot worse. Thank you for putting things into perspective.
Claire Bear,
I think you are right when you say moderation is the key. I hear a coworker of mine say that sometimes if she has a craving, she just "gives in" instead of trying to ward it off because she ends up totally going overboard and completely binges. I guess 1 dessert in two weeks is better than 14 desserts in two weeks, now isnt it? 
Dear Jiggy66,
glad that my heart-felt words could be of help to you.Enjoying the finer things in life is fine,but i think it need not be restricted to a good meal,buffet ,fine wine etc.
The concept i have developed to cope with this disorder is that "though iam in a bubble called DIABETES,i'm the one who'll decide the size of it and never to feel restricted.My choices are made joyfully and sticking to them gives me a high".
If iam not wrong ,you live in the USA,and the choice of sugar free sweets,snacks and drinks is amazing!So ,no need to deprive your sweet-tooth.Ask Warren,the forum modulator and he has many recipes up his sleeve!Take care as care thrives on care,and life is and will be rosy and not blue(s) any more!
sharer
Mind is a myth,thought is your enemy,no way out!
glad that my heart-felt words could be of help to you.Enjoying the finer things in life is fine,but i think it need not be restricted to a good meal,buffet ,fine wine etc.
The concept i have developed to cope with this disorder is that "though iam in a bubble called DIABETES,i'm the one who'll decide the size of it and never to feel restricted.My choices are made joyfully and sticking to them gives me a high".
If iam not wrong ,you live in the USA,and the choice of sugar free sweets,snacks and drinks is amazing!So ,no need to deprive your sweet-tooth.Ask Warren,the forum modulator and he has many recipes up his sleeve!Take care as care thrives on care,and life is and will be rosy and not blue(s) any more!
sharer
Mind is a myth,thought is your enemy,no way out!
:::rolls up his sleeve and shows her the tattoo that says "DIABETIC GOURMET":::: They have a magazine and daily emails all devoted to recipies. You can google them and find them on the web.
::wonders how sharer knew about that tattoo::
Warren
Sugar Free sweets, primarily ones that contain sugar alcohols, wel.....let's just say they make my bowl movements 
ahhahahhahhaha
ahhahahhahhaha
I crack myself up somedays. >snicker<
Iam from the east,warren,so pure clairvoyance,pure clairvoyance!
Mind is a myth,thought is your enemy,no way out!
Mind is a myth,thought is your enemy,no way out!
Jiggy,
Part of the decadence you crave may be involved with fats. Let's face it... nobody craves hard candy. When I want to make the cakes in my bakery taste moist I don't add more water, I add more oil. Shortening and oil give a rich mouth-feel to foods. Adding some good fats to your daily meals might just help with the cravings and lift the blues. When I make a sandwich with my super fiber bread that I make at home I use lean turkey or tuna or what ever and then to make it delicious I put olive oil on my bread. Olive oil is monounsaturated and a healthy fat that will curb your appetite, slow your stomach emptying time and help keep your skin glowing as well as help you absorb your fat soluable vitamins.
Being diabetic doesn't mean you will never have the foods you had before, you just can't have a healthy diet PLUS those foods everyday. When you put a rich, gooey dessert into your food plan you have to take out some bread, potatoes, maybe milk, and make the numbers come out right for the meal. Obviously if you choose to have that dessert instead of milk, whole wheat bread and baked potatoes every day you are going to lose out on the thiamin and calcium and potassium and a lot of other good stuff in those foods and eventually your body will feel the lack of them. That's why those desserts are called empty calories. They don't bring anything valuable to the table.
Save your decadent desserts for once in a while. Only buy them one at a time from a local bakery or store. That way you can't go bonkers. If you only take one home you can only eat one, right? They aren't going to quit making them and you can buy another one next week... Eventually as you start eating healthier your cravings for those foods will diminish and you won't have so much trouble resisting them.
You may want to talk to your doc about the depression. Many depressed people crave carbohydrates because they help raise seratonin levels in the brain. A SSRI (seratonin reuptake inhibitor) like prozac or zoloft at a low level might help not only the blues but the cravings as well. Good luck!
~ Jeannie
"As one goes through life one learns if you don't paddle your own canoe you don't move."
-Katherine Hepburn
"Madness takes its toll.
Please have exact change."
Part of the decadence you crave may be involved with fats. Let's face it... nobody craves hard candy. When I want to make the cakes in my bakery taste moist I don't add more water, I add more oil. Shortening and oil give a rich mouth-feel to foods. Adding some good fats to your daily meals might just help with the cravings and lift the blues. When I make a sandwich with my super fiber bread that I make at home I use lean turkey or tuna or what ever and then to make it delicious I put olive oil on my bread. Olive oil is monounsaturated and a healthy fat that will curb your appetite, slow your stomach emptying time and help keep your skin glowing as well as help you absorb your fat soluable vitamins.
Being diabetic doesn't mean you will never have the foods you had before, you just can't have a healthy diet PLUS those foods everyday. When you put a rich, gooey dessert into your food plan you have to take out some bread, potatoes, maybe milk, and make the numbers come out right for the meal. Obviously if you choose to have that dessert instead of milk, whole wheat bread and baked potatoes every day you are going to lose out on the thiamin and calcium and potassium and a lot of other good stuff in those foods and eventually your body will feel the lack of them. That's why those desserts are called empty calories. They don't bring anything valuable to the table.
Save your decadent desserts for once in a while. Only buy them one at a time from a local bakery or store. That way you can't go bonkers. If you only take one home you can only eat one, right? They aren't going to quit making them and you can buy another one next week... Eventually as you start eating healthier your cravings for those foods will diminish and you won't have so much trouble resisting them.
You may want to talk to your doc about the depression. Many depressed people crave carbohydrates because they help raise seratonin levels in the brain. A SSRI (seratonin reuptake inhibitor) like prozac or zoloft at a low level might help not only the blues but the cravings as well. Good luck!
~ Jeannie
"As one goes through life one learns if you don't paddle your own canoe you don't move."
-Katherine Hepburn
"Madness takes its toll.
Please have exact change."
Thank you for the insightful information. I find myself satisfying that small craving and then I am fine. I am also noticing small changes; for example, I find myself picking healthier foods not because I have to, but because I want to. Amazing, really.
You GO girl!
~ Jeannie
"As one goes through life one learns if you don't paddle your own canoe you don't move."
-Katherine Hepburn
"Madness takes its toll.
Please have exact change."
~ Jeannie
"As one goes through life one learns if you don't paddle your own canoe you don't move."
-Katherine Hepburn
"Madness takes its toll.
Please have exact change."