It's Not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder -- It's Diabetes!

Some people accuse me of being strange because I really like sticking to the same schedule every day. I like to wake up around the same time, go to the gym at the same time, eat the same foods at the same time, go to yoga at the same time, go to bed at the same time. Even my aunt subtly accused me of a being a little rigid this summer while I was living with her.

I don't have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder -- I'm simply diabetic!!!

Now, I can understand why an insulin-producing non-diabetic wouldn't quite understand this. I can understand why my friends give me a hard time for never wanting to stay up late or "party hard" ...or "party" at all. But it's my responsibility to ignore their chiding, ignore the fact that they may never really understand how hugely important simply going to bed at the same time every day can be to my blood sugars and my entire body's health.

What they also don't understand is that a night of hardly any sleep or a day of eating unhealthy foods at odd hours throughout the day doesn't equal rebellious fun; it just leaves me drained and lacking the energy I need to do everything else the following day-along with blood sugars that are totally out of whack!

So, Rule Number One for being "boring" is: Ignore your friends. Especially because I often suspect some of them simply wish they had the discipline of a healthy diabetic.

Rule Number Two: Eat good foods at regular times of the day. I didn't know this for a really long time, but going too long with out eating, especially in the morning, can lead to high blood sugars. I would've guessed it would be the opposite, but my lovely endocrinologist explained that when you don't eat anything at breakfast and wait until noon to eat lunch, your body has not only gone without food, it's also gone without any insulin besides your basal rate, which can have your liver thinking it's time to pump out a little glucose.

So...eat. Breakfast. A snack. A small lunch. Another snack. Dinner.

And maybe you don't need all those snacks. I personally like to eat several really small meals throughout the day because I hate the feeling of being "stuffed" and I know I need it to keep my energy levels up and my blood sugars level.

Rule Number Three: Exercise. I get a lot of slack for this one, too -- not giving up a yoga class or a trip to the gym in the morning for the sake of staying up late or seeing a movie, etc. I often find myself saying, "I can't, I've gotta wake up early to go to the gym." And I usually get a raised eyebrow and a, "C'mon, Gin, just skip it for one day."

But the truth is: I like going and I couldn't care less about college parties, so even if I didn't have to workout that morning, I'd probably still say no, thanks.

Thanks for listening to that five-sentence rant.