Is that a Real Low? or do you just want chocolate?

One of the best things about this country is the weather.  After spending two months in Paris in the middle of winter last year, I have a huge appreciation for our beautifully sunny, temperate and (mostly) non-soggy winters. (Although I do sometimes wish there was somewhere we could go to make snow angels!)

Take this winter for example- April and May felt like extensions of summer, with autumn and chilly nights slowly creeping into the mix at the end of May.

But not these past two weeks - it feels like winter has hit us in full force with waves of cold fronts, icy wind, and today; rain.

I’m not that upset about suddenly having to pile on the layers. I do, however, have a complaint to file with whoever decided to crank the winter up to freezing without letting us adjust to the cooler temperatures first.

You see, while I know that it’s just a cold front, that it will pass soon, and that we’re only about two months away from spring anyway; my body is not taking this sudden change so calmly. It is apparently concerned for our continued survival, and has shifted to “stockpiling” mode. You know, that mode where you’re suddenly always hungry and craving rich stews and starchy meals and soups and cookies and chocolate and anything else that might help, just incase of hibernation?  (Or is this just me?) So, even though I’m eating just what I normally would (or even a little bit more), and I know that this is enough,  my body insists on telling me its starving. One hour after a meal.

You’re lying, body! I know it! See that empty lunch box? That, right there, is proof that you have been fed. Now stop being silly and get back to work.

Except... that starving signal tends to come in the form of that hole-in-the-stomach kind of shaky feeling. Yup, that exact same one I get when I’m starting to feel low, just minus the fuzzy-head feeling. And I get a little freaked out, walking around the whole time feeling like I’m almost low. And I’m wasting so many test strips; testing to make sure I’m really not low, and finding out I’m 7.5 mmol/L (about 130 mg/dl) or something similar. 

The problem is, more than once in the past few days, I’ve stubbornly walked around with this fake-low feeling, only to test after a few hours and see a real low staring back at me from the glucometer screen. Darn it.

So, dear body, here’s the deal: how about you stop telling that you’re low and want chocolate, when you’re clearly not; and I’ll be able to more easily make sure I give you sugar when you really do need it? Ok?