Why "diabetic diets" fail — and what to do instead

I was diagnosed in 1983. There was nothing made for us back then — no specific diet, no real guidance, certainly no technology. You were handed insulin and sent home to figure it out.

Because I'm insulin dependent, for years I used to think, "Well, if I want to eat more, why can't I just give myself more insulin?" But the shots were so restrictive that it wasn't possible. So I grew up, I got older, and yes — I got sick. I made myself sick. I knew every excuse for why I ate what I ate, and I stepped on every landmine on purpose just to see what would happen. When it didn't work, I rerouted and tried something else. That's basically been my forty-three years.

What actually changed things

When the technology got better and I got an insulin pump, it was absolutely amazing compared to shots. If I didn't want to eat breakfast, I didn't have to. The pump was working for me behind the scenes. That was the first time food felt like it belonged to me again instead of to the schedule.

And here's something nobody told me for years: your body doesn't know if you had a baked potato or a Snickers bar. Carbs are carbs.

You can eat whatever you want. Just in moderation. Change your portion sizes. That's the biggest thing of all.

Moderation, not deprivation

Find what you like. Change your portion sizes. If you want something sweet, eat fewer carbs somewhere else in the day so you can have it — instead of eating the full dinner and the dessert. You don't cut everything out. You just alter it a little so you can actually enjoy your life.

And forget the people giving you the side eye. "With your blood sugar, are you supposed to be eating that?" Those people just need education — and honestly, family is the worst category for that. Love them, but they're not the boss of your plate.

Why this works when diets don't

We don't get to put this down on Friday and pick it back up on Monday. Diabetes is in every decision we make, every single day. A diet has an end date. Diabetes doesn't. So whatever you build has to be something you can actually maintain — not for thirty days, for the rest of your life.

That's why I start with a real conversation about your lifestyle as it is right now. Then we modify from there, so it works for you. Not a meal plan. A life that fits.