Monday, July 02, 2007

Exercise, Control, and Sunday Grocery Nightmares

Another lunchtime post...

I have always been a fairly active person. I have always tried to get exercise in at least three days a week - and I have mostly been successful in that effort. Lately, though, I've become somewhat obsessed with exercise. Everyday for about three weeks, I've tied on my running shoes, or put on my swimsuit at least once a day and gotten at least 35-40 minutes of aerobic exercise. Some days I'm doing both a run and a swim. And at least 4 days a week, I've spent some time doing yoga or pilates or some other kind of toning. The result - a net loss of 16 lbs since my appointment with my Endo back in May.



I must admit, I think I'm getting a little addicted. I'm actually enjoying, most days, the energy that comes with increasing activity. I'm getting up earlier, I've lost a dress size - (which does me no good at the moment since I'm not going to go out buying new clothes and lots of my things are hanging off of me), and I'm more aware of my eating because I hate to ruin my efforts with poor consumption habits. So - here's to continued daily exercise. Made easier, I think, by my new friend.



You'd think that an increase in exercise would decrease my overall insulin needs - right? Hmmmm... Not quite. Perhaps it's stress, or the heat, or something else - but my needs during the day have been increasing over the past few days. And my morning bloodsugars have been mostly low or high - with only a precious few days anywhere near my target. It's frustrating me to no end. I'm freaked out as I watch my TDD increase, even as I'm working hard to eat well and exercise. Any ideas as to why this could be happening?

Finally - Sunday Grocery Store Nightmares. I went to the local grocery store yesterday to pick up stuff for the week. The place was, as it usually is on a Sunday afternoon, a total zoo. Children everywhere - pushing carts into my shins, screaming down the aisles - a kid on the front of the cart like one of those women on the front of a pirate ship and another pushing as if his life depends on it and then jumping up and riding top-speed toward innocent passersby. People standing right in the middle of the aisle, cart blocking the right of way, reading boxes and generally getting in the way. I do most of my shopping and then head for the deli.



I find grocery store delis to be incredibly uncomfortable, especially when they're crowded. All those people, all in one place, and you can feel the energy of everyone being annoyed at having to take a number and having to wait and being inconvenienced by all the other wait-ers. It's kind of terrible. I take my number and stand with a mass of other people trying to breath and not feed the bad-energy torrent. I am in my own little fantasy land.

A tall, dark-haired man stands to my right. "It looks like you eat pretty healthy," I hear him say.

"Oh." I realize he's talking to me... "Yeah, I guess so." My knee jerk reaction is to look at his cart. I see water, fruit, bread... Not that different from what's in my cart.

"Don't you hate this?" He asks.

I'm a little uncomfortable now... But I respond, "Waiting at the deli, you mean?"

"No," he laughs, "Grocery shopping."

"Oh. No. But I do hate waiting at the deli."

"Yeah, I guess this part kind of sucks. So - pretty girl like you got a boyfriend?" He asks...

What??? This is not happening. I am at the grocery store. I have no make up on. I am wearing yoga pants, a totally ratty t-shirt, and sneakers. And I'm at the GROCERY STORE... Is this guy trying to pick me up? It is all I can do to stifle a burst of raucous laughter.

"Oh, yeah, I do," I say.

He looks - what? Disappointed? Surprised (I mean, I looked terrible)? Amused, maybe (at how uncomfortable he was able to make me)?

"Too bad." He says. And we stand there in silence.

I was unreasonably grateful when his number was called and he stepped away to place his order. He got his things - with me still waiting on my turn at bat - and as he wheeled away, he gave a little wave and said "See you."

I mumble "See ya."

Although I have to say I was a bit flattered by the whole thing, I was mostly just surprised and amused. First of all - I didn't know that people looked to pick other people up at the grocery store. And - you had to have seen me to get the full picture of how truly awful I looked. I laughed all the way home.

Now, I feel almost obliged to try to look at least half way decent next time I go to the grocery store. I mean, really, like I'm going to a meat market... Or maybe I just shouldn't go to the market anymore - avoid feeling uncomfortable altogether.

What's more amusing? I don't think I could pick the guy that tried to pick me up out of a line up if I had to. When, upon hearing this story, my friend Mona asked what he looked like, I had to admit "I don't know. I wasn't really paying attention."

11 comments:

Shannon said...

Shoot, my first question was going to be what did he look like. You're cute even without makeup...I could see why he hit on you.

And EXCELLENT job with the exercise and weight loss. If there's anything to get addicted to, exercise is something you don't want to quit!

Nicole P said...

Yeah, clearly, my head wasn't into the whole flirtation. All I can say is that he was tall and dark-haired, so maybe he looked like my crush, Vincent D'Onofrio? Yeah right. Oh, and Shannon, I was a sight. Seriously. The first thing I did when I got in the car was look in the mirror - and YIKES. I guess the dude had strange taste.

:) Exercise.

Kerri. said...

Oh YAY on the exercise bit! Hitting the point of "addiction" feels good - keep at it!! :)

And as far as being picked up in the grocery store, I laughed out loud when you referred to it as a meat market. Because it is. Literally. Again, :). But I agree with Shannon, you are very cute and this guy obviously has classy taste!

Nicole P said...

Although you ladies are surely stroking my ego, I am telling you that I looked bogus on Sunday. I'm telling you. I know when I look good - and Sunday was not one of those days. :P

Re: exercise. When I started I was aiming for the 33, now I almost always surpass it.... LOL

Shannon said...

Nicole,

There's this strange thing that happens when women think they look like crap. Men hit on them! I swear it's happened to me. When I think I look horrible, that's when guys show me attention. When I think I look good, nada..zip, zilch attention from them

Not that I'm out seeking it, LOL.

P.S. I never pay a compliment that in my opinion isn't true.

jill. said...

OMG, the same thing happened to me while grocery shopping on Sunday. I was trying to pick out spices and a guy came up and spouted out some lame pick-up line "you're a little spicy yourself, wanna catch a movie sometime?"

So weird!! I told him no thanks and then about 10 seconds later my boyfriend came back to join me from the produce section.

I was going to write a blog about this, but I guess there's no need to now :) What is it about grocery stores?

Nicole P said...

Meat Markets - I say!

LOL...

So funny, Jill.

Chrissie in Belgium said...

Oh, your "grocery store affair" was so much fun to read about. And you SHOULD be flattered. I LOVE stuff like this. Nicole, that your TDD doesn't decrease with all you extra exercise doesn't really surprise me. The general rule that all docs yap about is that we must decrease insulin BEFORE exercise. Then they say that you have to be careful about hypos after exercise..... Rarely do they mention that for MANY, MANY of us bg values rise after exercise. Not immediately, but later. Almost all the time I have to decrease my insulin before exercise, but then afterwards I have to take more insulin later due to the inexplicabe rise in bg values. I cannot say the rise always happens. Neither can I say when it will rise. How exercise will affect our bg values, and thus insulin needs, is really poorly understood! Bullshit that there is a simple rule to this! Exercise IS definitely good for our bodies, but it doesn't make managing D easier. If life werre so simple. Neither do I think there is a direct line between weight and insulin amount. Since February I have required a lot more insulin than normal, for the same exercise and food. I was worried that I would go up in weight. I didn't. I am about 2 punds LESS! There is so much we do not understand! Anyhow, be proud of yourself, for loosing the weight, for managing your D with the exercise and for successfully reaching toward your goals.

Nicole P said...

Chrissie -

I'm so glad you're back and commenting again :). My taudry supermarket affair was more like a sixth grade dance - all awkward.

This exercise thing has me totally flumoxed. This morning for example - I awoke at 143 (a bit elevated), did not decrease insulin - went to the studio, did a kickboxing workout (60 min) and minutes!!) and came home at 210... What the hell?? None of this is easy though - you're right. And I am very proud of what I've accomplished thus far.

:) Nicole

Scott K. Johnson said...

Way to go on the exercise & weight loss stuff! That is awesome!

Me? I just polished off a big bowl of ice cream, and now I'm all sleepy and over-stuffed, asking myself "why, oh why did you eat so much again?".

Urg.

Funny about the grocery store! I never hit on ladies at the grocery store. Has something to do with that whole "married" thing - but that doesn't stop many guys from doing it!

I usually save my sweetest "lines" for my daughter. She's a heartbreaker!

On the insulin thing - anything to do with the monthly cycle? Coming from a guy that probably sounds weird, but it's the first thought I had when reading... ??

Nicole P said...

Scott -

Seriously - I have gone and blown by diet this weekend. Wedding yesterday - ate too much and drank a bunch of champagne and wine.

And then today, my dad was in town from SC - so we had a cookout - a lot of eating and then they brought out a b-day cake for me - so yeah, I ate WAY too much...

But I got my exercise in both days - and I'm totally planning to get back on the food wagon this week.

Sometimes, it's just hard to eat right... But you'll get there. My cholesterol #s from May actually inspired me. I need to have those come down.

You are TOO CUTE, Scott - and a great daddy, I'm sure. :) The supermarket thing was really kind of funny.

Regarding the monthly cycle - not this time. Though I do have a totally different basal pattern for that time of the month - it's increased just before and then drastically decreased during. Of course, that's all changed again now - because my needs have increased for seriously no apparent reason. Annoying. I have five different patterns at the moment... :S

You're catching up on blog reading and commenting!! Yay!!