Lessons from a ‘junk food’ addict

As a self-confessed “junk-food addict,” participating in the annual Diabetes Celebrity Challenge is something I never could have imagined myself doing.
That is, until George Bartlett, carrying a fuzzy teddy bear and sporting a Diabetes Awareness shirt, walked into the Times office last month and asked if I would like live as a diabetic for a week.
Since I am always up for challenge, I immediately said “yes”–albeit without fully considering the consequences.
I wouldn’t be able to live off my favourite foods, like French fries, pizza, popsicles, and chips. Instead, I would have to eat HEALTHY! Which, up until last week, was something I didn’t think I did, at least not often.
George went on to explain that I would receive a teddy bear and twice a day for one week, I would have to take my blood sugar and give the bear (who I have since named Ralph) “insulin.”
He also mentioned to me that wherever I went, my bear absolutely had to be with me. I was fine with that because I figured most people would know or understand why I had this bear. And if they didn’t know, they would ask.
As it turned out, it wasn’t that way at all. Most people, if they didn’t know why I had this fuzzy little bear, just started at me like I was a lunatic.
Not being able to eat “junk food” was hard for me but I stuck it out–and even avoided temptation when it was tossed in my face.
Here at work, a few of my “helpful” co-workers were determined to make me cave. They spent much of their time eating chocolate-covered almonds, chips, and talking about going to the Pizza Hut lunch buffet.
But I avoided it all.
When my week began, I was completely oblivious as to how much time it would take for me to prepare a meal, and how much effort I would actually have to invest into making them.
Maybe for some people that was not the challenge but for me, it was just one of many.
I found myself taking the time to organize my meals and make sure I had enough of each serving. That was a lot different for me. Usually when I go home for lunch, I just throw a frozen pizza in the oven, grab a pop out of the fridge, and maybe snack on some chips (hey, I warned you I wasn’t the world’s healthiest eater).
But as the week went on, I found it easier to prepare my meals and I was starting to eat foods that normally I would never have touched.
Oh yeah, another thing that took some getting used to was having to prick my finger with the needle everyday. Whenever I would do it, the sharp prick would send shivers down my spine.
To be totally honest, I have a lot more respect for people that have to live with diabetes. Although I did find this challenge interesting, I’m glad it only lasted a week.
I could do this for one week but definitely not for two.
I found it almost inconvenient to live like this and to have to change the way I eat, take my blood sugar on a regular basis, and giving myself insulin (for real).
Well, I didn’t win the challenge, which is okay because winning wasn’t what it was about for me. This was a learning experience.
I would like to say congratulations to all the participants and, of course, to the overall winner, Jim Brown of the Royal Bank. Good job!