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    Showing posts with label cake. Show all posts
    Showing posts with label cake. Show all posts

  1. Making Friends With My Scales

    Thursday, 20 May 2010

    We had cake in the office again today. I was 'good', and did not partake. However, I decided that in honour of the fact it is no longer absolutely freezing, I wanted ice cream. I have just finished it, and it was very good. 

    Before diabetes, my diet wasn't exactly a shining example of excellent nutrition. It wasn't awful, don't get me wrong. But I probably would have had the cake, and also had the ice cream, and not given it a second thought. Now, on the other hand, I didn't have the cake, because it was a (pretty great looking) home made cake, and I wasn't confident that I could come up with a decent carb estimate. And I weighed the ice cream. My scales are pretty good friends now. They're out all the time on my kitchen table, and if I'm at home, I weigh most things. Cereal, pasta (ice cream). Not rice for some reason - I've never worked out why I don't weight that. I'm strange? That seems like the most realistic reason. 

    I hear a lot of people saying 'insulin makes you gain weight'. I don't understand this, myself.  It could be because I've re-evaluated my diet, portion size control and exercise, but I've continued to lose weight. I may be naive about it, but I don't see why there's any reason that you would put on weight, if there aren't extra factors involved.  I know that insulin helps you turn unused carbohydrates to fat, but so does insulin in everyone non-diabetic, surely? I don't think that you can accuse diabetes for that? If you were eating and not burning off the same amount of carbs, it would make you put on weight regardless of whether or not you have diabetes.

    Now I don't want anyone to think that I'm having a go at people who struggle with their weight. That would be unbelievably hypocritical of me, as someone who has a lot of issues with her size, and has battled with issues with food. I just find this thing confusing, and haven't really seen any scientific proof that insulin makes you gain weight, rather than it being what you're putting in your mouth. I would be both happy and extremely interested to read any studies anyone could point me to, though!

    I definitely think about food differently now, though. I'm starting to build up a mental guide to how much carb is in many items. A glass of juice, a slice of bread, half a tin of baked beans, my usual portion of pasta. I'm nowhere near fluent in the 'language' of carb values yet. I used to sleep with my radio on when I was younger. This meant that I acquired a rather sponge-like ability to soak up music and lyrics. I'm rather encyclopaedic, which you'll know if you've ever met me in real life. Maybe I need to make a song out of all of this?

    ***************

    As a little side note, I'm guest blogging today for Kerri over at Six Until Me. Thanks for having me, Kerri! A big welcome to you as well, if this is the first time you've read INI, after seeing me there. You're most welcome, and feel free to say hi!

    Posted by Becky at 23:19 | Labels: , , , , , , | 2 comments |

  2. Then, Now and Next

    Saturday, 1 May 2010

    Today I suppose is a day like any other, really. Nothing has actually changed. Except I find myself thinking things through a lot today.

    A year ago today I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. That day, everything did change. Suddenly I wasn't just me any more. I was me with diabetes. Now I suppose that's getting a bit existential, but it's true. I didn't just have the regular, every day things I used to worry about and handle. I suddenly had this whole new set of things that I needed to factor in to my life. The regular 'every day's' of diabetes - injecting, testing, making sure I have enough glucose tablets, strips, needles, lancets. Remembering to eat at the right times. Then learning how to navigate prescriptions, appointments and GP receptionists. Then there's the big ones. The thoughts that I try to avoid by reminding myself that 'if I take good care of myself, that won't ever happen to me'. The thoughts of blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, limb amputation. The gory 'myths' of what diabetes can do to you, but they're always there somewhere at the back of the mind. But they're the ones that have been known to keep me awake at night, or wake me up at four in the morning. That and the guilt. Oh guilt has been my companion for a lot of the past year. 

    But am I looking past a lot of things on the other end of the spectrum? It's way too easy for me to get caught up in all the 'heavy' things that have happened, but what about the flip side? I'm now the lightest I've been in a very long time. According to the Wii Fit, I've gone from bordering on obese at the start of 2009 to now bordering on 'ideal'. That, my friends, is a huge deal for me. I'm eating better. I exercise more. I've taken up ballroom dancing, which I've been wanting to do for years. I don't know if I would have done that if I hadn't felt the impetus to exercise more, because it helps me keep my levels steadier. I've met some really amazing people who I wouldn't have otherwise known. I'm writing more. I started this blog for heaven's sakes! I was really slacking off my writing, and this has been both therapeutic and helped me sharpen my skills. I've seen some of the big issues out there and felt the need to get involved. I've helped form DiDkA. The list does go on.

    One of the big things that happened was that I realised, in a whole new light, just how amazing my friends are.  They've been so unbelievably supportive in different ways. So in recognition of that, I decided to throw a party today. It was supposed to be a garden party, but because it absolutely threw it down (with a few hailstones in the mix for good measure), we had to move it inside. It seems that a good time was had by all - although somebody did point out that it was a little bit perverse to mark a year of diabetes by throwing a party that consisted mostly of cake. As I have mentioned in the past, my baking skills far outweigh my other culinary skills, so the party was very cake, cookie and scone heavy. 

    But apart from a few moments of 'argh, I haven't got the meringues ready!' and similar, it's been a day filled with fun and laughter. This evening though, I found my mind wandering back to that first night in hospital, and how absolutely scared I was. And how determined I was not to admit it. I'll say that it's an odd experience, because I remember those emotions so strongly. That experience will be with me forever, I think. I plan to write the whole thing out in more detail soon though. Just in case I forget. I want to remember how far I've come. I was terrified then, though like I said, I didn't want to admit it. Now? I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a part of me that was on some level scared about where things will go, or what the future might hold. But for the most part? Things aren't so bad.



    Posted by Becky at 23:24 | Labels: , , , , , , | 5 comments |

  3. I've been baking again. If you watched yesterday's vlog, you would have seen that I possess a copy of a book called 'How To Cook'. So knowing that I've been baking might alarm you. But worry not. I'm actually not a bad at cooking. But though I'm 'not bad' at cooking, I'm good at baking. Baking I can do. 

    So today's experiment consisted of lemon muffins. I say muffins, but it's basically a general cake mixture that I adapt to suit whatever I have in the cupboard at the time. 

    Now, these cakes aren't for me. These are for my friend from work. He's trying to give up smoking, and as a way of encouraging him (because I HATE those dirty cancer sticks and the thought that they could be stealing life away from the people that I love), I promised a variety of baked goods for ten weeks. 

    During my joint birthday shinding this time last week, he and I were talking about the blog. He asked me who was going to play me in the movie. I had to laugh. I told him I'd cast Dave Gorman to play him if he didn't want to play himself, and that he could tell me who would play me. He came up with a fairly bizarre set of suggestions, but hey it was a good giggle. Suggestions ranged from Emily Mortimer to Sandra Bullock, and ended up with the strangest one of all.....


    OK, you probably don't know that I personally believe that this tree has more acting ability than Ms Knightley. So that one puzzled me no end. But like I say, it was an entertaining thing to chat about. 

    So that is who the cakes are for. And whilst I'm pleased to support him in this weird way, there's something about baking when you know you're going to give it away. That's what I tend to do with most of my baking, these days. I know if I have a bit of it, I'll really struggle to stop. It's not that I think I'm greedy, or that I have no self control. It's just that it's difficult sometimes. If I have one, I want a second. I'm sure you know what I mean. I think everyone has something that they act that way around. 

    So I try to give it away. I like to think that it makes other people happy. Here's hoping anyway.

    Posted by Becky at 22:55 | Labels: , , , , , | 1 comments |

  4. Restaurant Review: Sanctuary, York

    Thursday, 18 March 2010

    If you read yesterday's post, you'll have seen that I was all dressed up with somewhere to go. I was off out for a joint birthday party with my lovely friend, Jenny. Both our birthdays are this week, so it has made sense, for the past few years, that we split the difference and do a joint thing between the two days. 

    So off we went to Sanctuary. Now, this really is one of my favourite restaurants in York. It has been for a while now, since I went there for another friend's birthday a couple of years ago. It's a very quirky little place. And when I say little, it's because well, it is. You can't fit a huge number of people in there. But whilst in a lot of other places this might seem like a bad thing, here it seems like nothing of the sort. Full of candles, beautiful flowers and soft lights, it reminds me of being in someone's home. Which I think the building may have been at some point in the past. It wasn't really practical last night, but I know in the summer, there's a lovely garden out the back as well, where you can sit and eat. 

    The whole place feels very welcoming, as are the staff. I'd rung up in advance to arrange the whole thing, and they were nothing but accommodating throughout. We changed the numbers? Not a problem. I remembered two of our party were dairy-free? Didn't even faze them. Another dessert is added to the menu (since we were ordering in advance), and all the dairy-free options are marked on the menu. And whilst we're on the subject of the menu, I can't praise the food highly enough. And that is rather important when we're talking about a restaurant, naturally!

    They'd put together a party menu for us, with two courses for just under £15.00, and three courses for just under £19.00. Hey, this was a birthday celebration (and I LOVE their food), so I decided to suck it up and ordered three. Tempura battered tiger prawns with sweet chilli jam. Supreme of chicken, wrapped in Parma ham on a thyme risotto. And a chocolate brownie with handmade praline and pecan ice cream. Oh yes, it was WONDERFUL.

    But what was the best part of the evening for me? Well, I'm having some rather botched attempts at trying to carb count at the moment. I'd decided to split my injection, and do a second one before I had my dessert. I had my ever faithful Collins Gem Carb Counter with me, but of course, I didn't know the weight of the brownie. So I went up and asked. I told them that I knew it was a bit of a weird request, but did they know how much it weighed? Apparently yes, it was a bit of a weird question, but as soon as I'd explained that I was a type 1 diabetic, and I was trying to work out how much insulin to take to cover it, a light clearly came on. It wasn't a problem, they could go and weigh it for me. Was there a certain weight that I wanted? Was there anything else I'd like to know about the recipe?

    My WORD. That was so utterly refreshing, that I don't think I took a grin off my face for a good half an hour. I went and sat back down, and someone came over and told me the weight, and when I was actually served, they'd made a note which one was for me, so that I was certain to get the right facts. Finding a restaurant that is willing to accommodate your requests, and understands that you're not just being picky or awkward is wonderful!

    Oh, and the Diet Coke is definitely diet. And if you ever have a problem with a drink, they'll most certainly change it. I went there once when there had been a problem with the line, and the drink had separated the fizz from the flavour, or something to that end. Swapped with an apology the moment I brought it up. That's service for you.

    Oh, and the food is local. Much of it is organic. Lots of stuff is FairTrade. In a word, I love this place. I very much recommend that you go there if you're ANYWHERE nearby. Sanctuary by name, also very much sanctuary by nature. I promise you won't be disappointed!


    Posted by Becky at 23:42 | Labels: , , , , , , | 3 comments |

  5. Part two sees us continue from the beginning of the great cake saga, from all the way back in June.

    There are days when you do the right thing. Then there are days when you don't. On Facebook, there is a recipe that claims to be 'the most dangerous cake recipe in the world'.


    Five minute chocolate cake. In the microwave. Oh yeah. And because of my breadmaker, I happen to have proper measuring spoons, which is a useful thing. What was also great was managing to work out more or less the correct carb value for it. 


    I thought about using Splenda instead of sugar, but past baking experience has taught me that Splenda is good for biscuits, but not good for cake. So sugar it was.


    Now, sometimes I wonder what people think of me when I'm eating cake in public, and they know about my diabetes. I KNOW I can have it, and I know it's not like there's some sort of law that says I can't have cake. But I still wonder what people think. Whether they think I'm 'cheating', or handling my diabetes badly, or being irresponsible. Or whether they think that I've been telling them rubbish. Am I being a poor advocate for responsible behaviour? Do I have to be? Sometimes you just want cake. And even though I find carb counting difficult, I actually managed to work this one out. 


    Now I've made myself all confused. Where's the rest of that cake? 


    DISCLAIMER: Cake should be consumed responsibly!

    Posted by Becky at 20:26 | Labels: , , , , | 2 comments |

  6. My heart belongs to German desserts

    Sunday, 29 November 2009


    There are too many nice things in the shops at the moment. It's quite irritating in a lot of ways. Threshers was going out of business, so I bought a rather nice bottle of port. I'm still in rather a 'trial and error' phase with alcohol and what it does to me. It all seems to be ok so far.

    The deli where I go and get my lunch most days has a huge basket of nice things, all out for Christmas. Liebkuchen (yes Sam, I like them too!), stollen and Pfeffernusse. I've yet to see any Spritzgebäck, but man, I want some of them so badly.

    Damn Christmas food. Why are you all so sweet?

    But at least I get to assemble my Advent tree tomorrow. And get my Saint Nicholas gifts ready for Saturday.

    Spritzgebäck.....*sigh*

    Posted by Becky at 23:25 | Labels: , , , | 2 comments |

  7. Before we say goodnight...

    Friday, 13 November 2009

    Friday the 13th. I'm not a particularly superstitious sort, so I've never been one of those people who hides away from it. I think that whole concept is a bit dumb, personally, but I guess everyone has their foibles. Thus, I don't imagine anything particularly dreadful or concerning to happen on a Friday the 13th more than any other day. However, I had an interesting moment, when I tested before my dinner tonight, and found that I'd gone down to 3.1 mmol/l without even noticing. I'm rather afraid of hypo-unawareness. I seem to have about a 50/50 chance of noticing one or not seeing it coming.  With this in mind, does anyone have any tips for how to prevent losing hypo-awareness?

    Other highlights of the day included:

    Trying to sort out the SHOES so that they don't kill me at practice tomorrow by sticking various bits of foam padding inside. This involved me being drawn on with a biro to see which bits of the shoe needed the most attention.

    Being in the mood for an 'argument' (read 'lively discussion') with the baker's stall on the farmers' market about products labelled as 'suitable for diabetics' that I'd seen in the past. Obviously, wanting to know why they considered them suitable, and to point out that just because it has slightly lower sugars, doesn't make it automatically suitable. However, there was no example of this on this occasion, I also ended up getting a sample of their chocolate brownie, and then buying three different ones to take in to the office. These things were incredible, for no other reason that I've seen roof tiles that were smaller. But that's one interesting marketing tactic. I was a good girl though, and only had a little bit.

    Right, I'm off to bed. I nearly actually went off to bed without posting, which would have completely blown my NaBloPoMo agenda. Thankfully I saved myself, but now I am tired, and have about four hours of dance practice tomorrow, which includes learning new choreography for the YCD dance display, so it's off to bed I trot.

    Goodnight xx

    Posted by Becky at 23:39 | Labels: , , , , , , | 0 comments |

  8. The wall....

    Friday, 6 November 2009

    Today is my wall. I have very little to say, especially not diabetes-related today. However, I am currently engaged in making a storage bag for the shoes. They will be making their first outing tomorrow, to learn beginner's Jive and improver's Quickstep. Tomorrow I will also be baking a cake for my friend's birthday. Cake and handicrafts - I'm a veritable hive of domesticity (who also seems to have lost her lovely collapsible umbrella, boo.) 


    So in lack of anything immensely constructive to say, I give you a brief list of things I have observed/wondered today instead.


    1: V For Vendetta is a completely amazing film
    2: There is a great satisfaction to be had in making a thing for yourself instead of just buying it
    3: I am really looking forward to fireworks and fun tomorrow night

    4:  What the hell is Powerade anyway? I'm trying my dietician's advice that Isotonic sports drinks might be a better choice than cereal bars for maintaining BS when exercising, but what IS it?
    5: What the hell are isotonic sports drinks meant to be whilst we're at it?
    6: I'm getting sad and frustrated about my MIA umbrella. I miss it.
    7: My bread came out nice again.
    8: The fact I can't get a HCA appointment, eye exam and hair cut all in the same morning is rather annoying. Hmph.


    Hopefully I'll have something more exciting to say tomorrow. And possibly pictures of the bag and cake :D




    Posted by Becky at 22:58 | Labels: , , | 0 comments |

  9. Life's a funny old thing. Today, it leads me to talk to you about a very important issue, which concerns us all.

    Cake.

    Yes, cake. I was planning to just talk about food in general, but since several mildly interesting events have happened over the past hour or so, cake is definitely on my mind.

    For those of you who don't know, I work in a theatre. Albeit, not in a creative capacity these days (though I have in the past, and still hope to in the future), rather I manage the Box Office, and look after 1800 or so lovely people all over the country who donate money and other things to us. We call them Members.

    Now, if you've never spent time around people in theatre, I'll let you in on a (not very well kept) secret. We like cake. Oh yes. We do. Doesn't matter where you work within the theatre - it's a rare exception if this doesn't hold true. Cake is good. Cake brings people together. However, as you can imagine, cake is not exactly my best friend these days. Cake will send me spiking up, but without the option of a bolus to counteract the baked goodness.

    So what's a girl to do? It's an interesting question. Because what has been happening is one of two things. When cake arrives, either I am bypassed in the passing around of the plate (since my desk is in the foyer - Box Office, remember), or I get offered it, and being sans bolus, have to turn it down. I can imagine that in the mind of others, this is a potentially difficult subject. Do you offer, and possibly tempt, or do you decide not to, and possibly alienate? How do you decide? And do you know what? I don't blame you if you find that a difficult choice to make. Because the thing is, dear reader, is that I'm not sure which I prefer either.

    On other notably cake-related matters, I went out to buy my lunch today, to discover that, to my joy, the Farmers' Market was in full swing. This is usually a good thing. It means really nice, locally produced food, and the possibility of amazing sausages or a venison burger for lunch (I'll get to the cake again, I promise). However, the lack of any sort of bread other than white rolls for these sandwiches, and weirdly enough, no-one selling bread made this a bad choice. Which made me sad. As did the sight of my favourite cake from this market. Ah Porter cake....you are truly heaven. Yet, on this stall, and the stall alongside it, I saw those interesting words:

    'Suitable for diabetics'

    Oh really? When I ask the people at the stall why, this is apparently because the cakes in question (including a rather amazing looking chocolate fudge cake) are low in sugar. Yes, well that's all well and good, but they're not really low in carbs now are they? And, when the very kindly man at one stall actually had the recipe to hand (which I was impressed with), there was very little low in sugar about it. I suppose I have to give them points for trying, however, I left with no cake for myself, (although with a Porter cake loaf for my housemate) and the feeling that these labels were somewhat misleading.

    I then returned back to work to discover....

    cake.

    And so the circle continues.

    xx

    Posted by Becky at 14:25 | Labels: , , | 1 comments |