2002-09-08 - 11:40 p.m.

How To Save Your Own Life

Last night I had a very vivid dream.

It seems that Lily and I were in Europe somewhere, and somehow we got mixed up with some people who had stumbled across the secret of cheap energy. Various people (oil companies and the like) were trying to kill them (and us) and get the components before the secret got out.

A lot of time could be spent analyzing various components of this dream. Is the fact that I have a lot of "adventure" dreams mean that my mind thinks there is too little adventure in my real life? Or does it simply mean that I read too many comic books and play too many video games?

Actually, all of that is irrelevant compared to what that dream REALLY signifies. A vivid, narrative dream like that is a sign that my blood sugar is far too high. I had all sorts of dreams like that just before I was first diagnosed with diabetes in 1995.

Sure enough, when I got up this morning I found that my blood sugar was 292. To give you an idea of how not good that is, a normal reading is around 105, and a Type I diabetic that I knew used to have seizures when her blood sugar got over 250. Therefore, the reason for the cool dreams is that my brain is being basted in maple syrup. Lovely.

As I've said before, one of the projects that I want to work on while Lily is away is to improve my health. Besides the obvious reasons (so I don't die, like duh) I'm hoping to go visit Lily over in China at the end of her semester. That is going to be a no-go if I'm having stomach problems or running to the bathroom every five minutes or having to take three naps a day.

Just before I started this diary, I was reading a book called Protein Power by Michael and Mary Eades. I think I got turned on to the book by a diarist named Replitwank, who, sadly, hasn't been hard from for at least two years. Where did you go, Reppie?

Anyway, the central point of this book, and of most of the high-protein, low-carb books, is that the reason for the epidemic of obesity and diabetes and other related diseases is the fact that we eat so much starch and sugar. Especially damning is the fact that, according to recent surveys we are eating "healthier" than ever before (i.e.: eating less fat), but still getting fatter and sicker.

The authors of Protein Power argue that the cause of many of the "diseases of civilization" is "hyperinsulinism" which is the result of the large amounts of sugars and starches in our diet. This is actually a political issue: notice that the huge "base" of the government's Food Pyramid is starches, grains and bread.

Once upon a time it was thought that people became adult-onset diabetics because their pancreas stopped producing enough insulin. Recently its been discovered that most diabetics are producing plenty of insulin, it's just that the insulin receptors in the body get sluggish after 30 or so years of constant barrage by our starchy diets. It just takes more insulin to get the same result.

The authors also make a point that is probably going to piss off some vegetarians, namely that even though humans are omnivores (that is, we can eat meat, AND plants) our digestive systems are MUCH more similar to those of various carnivores than they are to herbivores. They argue that thousands of years ago humans were hunter-gatherers, and that is our optimal healthy diet. Once humans settled down and started farming and eating lots of grains is when the trouble started. While 10,000 years ago seems like a long time to you and me, as far as evolution goes it's barely the blink of an eye.

They don't say that you CAN'T do the diet and be a vegetarian, they just say it's going to be a little harder. You are going to be eating a LOT of beans and tofu. My opinion is that considering how meat is processed and the effect that the meat industry has on the environment, I would say that vegetarianism is probably the future of humanity, but right now I'm just trying to get my blood sugar down enough so I can actually think of this stuff. Baby steps, baby steps.

Before I started this diary I did the Protein Power diet for a while, and as I recollect I had some pretty good results with it. Then I stopped. Why? Probably because the diet is hard. I have to admit that I'm very lazy when it comes to food. When I'm hungry, I want the food to be right there. I don't have much patience for cooking. Lily would tell you that I'm constantly going out to eat at sub shops because I'm too lazy to stock sandwich fixings at home.

Well, if I'm going to go on this diet, I'm going to have to learn to cook. Otherwise all I'm going to be eating is cottage cheese and tuna fish straight out of the can. That's going to get old pretty fast. Also, so I won't be driven crazy by hunger I'm going to have to keep fruits and vegetables in the house. I have to find things to eat that don't have so many carbs in them, and that pretty much leaves out most processed foods.

Again, baby steps. I'm going to keep moving forward and keep finding ways to follow the diet that don't make me crazy. I feel I really didn't give the diet much of a chance the last time, so I want to see if it really works this time. The authors make some pretty bold claims about the diet, especially when it comes to lowering blood sugar. Well, we shall see.

I also rode my exercise bike for the first time in a while today. I did about half an hour, and that was enough to leave me limp as a wet dishrag. My legs felt very shaky after I was done and I had to really push myself to finish the half hour. I've been trying to start exercising again, and this usually takes the form of me riding my stationary bike once a month. Checking my records, the pattern is kind of ridiculous - May 9, June 2, July 1, Aug. 23, and now Sept. 8. I'm going to have to stick to it better than that if I'm going to be well enough to travel out of the country in two and half months.

I have to work, and I have to educate myself. It's going to take some time, but I have to keep at it. Wish me luck, folks.