Nobody Is Perfect: Giving Yourself Grace with Diabetes

Why Trying to Be Perfect Doesn't Work

No one is perfect. Diabetes is hard to manage. Trying to be perfect just makes it harder. I am very routine in what I eat and when I eat it. It helps me manage my diabetes. However, there are times when I want something I should not eat (even with taking Mounjaro). This is normal. And as long as you do it right, it is ok!

A Week That Tested My Routine

This week has been a long one. There are some things going on in my personal life that have added some extra stress this week. Yesterday, I was up for 38 hours taking care of some things. I had only managed to get about 3 hours of sleep in two different naps. Due to the lack of sleep and the fact that I was so busy, I did not feel hungry or think about eating. I had a piece of chicken at 2 am yesterday morning and a piece of string cheese at about noon. That was all I ate. So, on the way home last night I was starving and way too tired to cook when I got home.

I decided to stop and eat out. I got a chicken sandwich, fries, and a medium shake. And I ate everything but the fries. They had given me the fries for free. I wasn’t going to order them, so I ate a few and didn’t want anymore. Normally, when I order a shake, I only get a small and don’t usually drink it all, but I drank the entire medium shake and did not regret it at all.

Learning to Treat Myself

This is not something I do all the time. I used to eat ice cream every week. I always looked forward to the weekend because I knew I was going to have some ice cream. Well, I started eating this way in June and it is now October, and I have only had one small shake and the medium one I had yesterday.

I have learned that if you do not treat yourself once in a while it makes it that much harder to stay with your diet. You will not succeed and instead of it being a life change like it is supposed to be, it will be just another diet that you could not stick with.

Of course, you do not want to splurge every day. Even once a week is too much for me. I have lost over 30 pounds since June and as long as I do not splurge too often, I keep losing weight. It is also said that it helps to have a “cheat” day once in a while. It helps to reset your body. This is something that people seem to have a hard time agreeing on whether it is true or not. But it seems to work for me. I stick to my “diet” all the time. However, when I have a crazy day or if I just can not shake that craving, I will go off my plan and satisfy the craving. This helps me get back to focusing and stay on track better.

How Mounjaro Helps Keep Me Balanced

I should also add that Mounjaro really helps with this as well. Mounjaro makes it so that the “food noise” is not so loud. I can ignore it most of the time. But as you know there are times when nothing can shut up that annoying nagging that tells you to eat that piece of chocolate or order that shake. After eating that piece of chocolate or ordering that shake just get back on schedule.

Also, to help with blood sugars make sure you eat protein. Now, without Mounjaro my sugars would have gone sky high with that shake I drank. With the Mounjaro they only jumped to about 140. Mounjaro helps keep my sugars at a good level no matter what I eat. This does not mean I can eat whatever I want. I still have to be careful. If I eat whatever I want, I will not lose weight. My goal is to reach goal weight and get off Mounjaro. I can not do that if I eat whatever I want. Plus, I want my body to manage my sugars. If I eat whatever I want and the Mounjaro fixes the problem for me, it is still hard on my body. My pancreas will still struggle, and my liver will still have to filter out the bad that I put in my body. This causes issues for the liver. Even if the numbers look good with Mounjaro, it is more like a cover up. You still have to be careful if you want your body to keep up with you and not start to fail due the “junk” you put in your body.

Give Yourself Grace

It is important to watch what you eat and to eat the right foods. However, no one is perfect and it is ok to slip once in a while. Just watch your body and don’t slip too often. You want your body to be happy, but you also want it to last you a long time and stay healthy!