Diabetics Doing Pescatarian Lifestyle and Blogging with Alyssa Soukup

[00:00:07] Rob Howe: Welcome to the Diabetics Doing Things podcast. We've been telling the amazing stories of type 1 diabetics all across the world since 2015, and we have over a thousand years of living with T1D on the podcast. The interviews range from incredible feats to everyday victories, and we celebrate them all just the same. Thanks for listening, and if you want to get involved even further, just send me an email at rob at diabeticsdoingthings.com. What's up, guys? Do I have a deal for you? Not only are you about to get some fresh diabetes podcast material, but I come bearing gifts. Today's episode is brought to you by Real Good Foods. That's Real Good Foods. Makers of the 4 gram net carb per serving pizza. That's right, ladies and germs, 4 grams of net carbs per serving of delicious, trust me, I eat it on the regs, pizza. P-I-Z-Z-A. It's available at Walmart, Kroger, and you can check if your local store has it online at realgoodfoods.com. But you can also order the pizza and other products online, which is super dope. But not just that. Listeners of this podcast, that's Diabetics Doing Things, the podcast you're listening to, will get 10% off their order plus free two-day shipping when you use code ROBHOW, that's me, all one word, ROBHOW, at checkout. out. Did I tell you I came bearing gifts or what? So hit up realgoodfoods.com today and get your pizza delivered before I release another episode of the pod. It's that simple. Also, Real Good Foods raised nearly $25,000 for Beyond Type 1 during National Diabetes Awareness Month, and they've committed even more than that over the next year. So support companies that support you. Be right back about to use my code to order some pizza and get that 10% off code later. What's up, everybody? Just wanted to say thank you for listening to this podcast. It's been an amazing journey thus far. And I have a lot of really great stuff coming up in the future. So I'm going to do something that I haven't asked before. If you're listening to this podcast, a I would love it if you would subscribe to the podcast just so you get the notifications whenever we publish new episodes, because if you've been listening for a while, you know, I don't always publish them consistently. Sometimes I'll publish five in a week. Sometimes it'll be only a couple in a month and you need to know when these episodes drop. So be sure to subscribe. And if you like the podcast, be sure to go to your preferred platform like iTunes and leave a review. I would love to boost my reviews and I've never asked you guys to do that before. So I figured you don't ASK, you don't G-E-T. I would love a review from you. So I want to hear from you there. Also, we are now available on Spotify. Turns out I was just submitting it to Spotify incorrectly, but I corrected that. So now we're on Spotify. So if that's your preferred listening platform, be sure to subscribe on there. Also, just want to let you know that in 2019, we have an awesome new program coming called Tools of Type 1s. It's going to be on this podcast, so you don't have to subscribe anywhere new, but it's going to be an entirely new form of programming with some of your favorite type 1 personalities. So they're going to be two a week starting January 8th. Be sure to tune in and I'm going to blast all the messaging I can all around. So be sure to listen to Tools of Type 1s launching January 8th and thank you for continuing to listen to this podcast. Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Diabetics Doing Things podcast. We're telling the amazing stories of type 1 diabetics from all across the world and my very special guest today. Joining me from St. Paul, Minnesota is Alyssa Soukup. Alyssa, thanks so much for joining. Hi, of course. And, you know, in our typical fashion, I'd love to give you the floor so you can kind of tell us where your type 1 diabetes journey

[00:04:19] Alyssa Soukup: started and we'll get to know you a little bit. Perfect. So I was diagnosed just about two years ago. I was 25 at the time. And I am a professional dancer as my kind of main gig. And our dance company was actually in Cuba. My story is a little similar to Kira Richard's story. If anybody's listened to that on your podcast as well. She was in Afghanistan with dancing and I was in Cuba. So I related a lot to her story. But anyway, I didn't really recognize the symptoms while we were there. We were there for about two weeks. And I kind of just thought everyone felt like shit. Like, you know, we all were, you know, as travel happens, you're eating different food. And we were dancing a lot. So very physical. So you know, I was drinking a lot of water. Because I was drinking a lot of water, I was peeing a lot, which I feel like that equation makes sense. So I didn't think that was weird. But I was having really bad cramps in my legs. every night. But again, we were walking a lot. I was dancing a lot. That seemed pretty normal. You know, nobody was sleeping very well. All the kind of normal, you know, we're in a third world country stuff happening. But we also happened to be doing one of the hardest physical performances of my life. We were really trying to bring our A game down to Cuba. We were the first dance company to perform in the theater. We were performing in like 100 years or something from America. so it was a big deal that we were down there so it was a lot of pressure um so I just you know I was down there and I felt super fatigued my muscles were getting tired really quickly more quickly than normal and I kind of was like geez this dance is hard like maybe I'm retiring soon I don't know this is like it's getting really hard I'm not a kid anymore but um so yeah that's kind of how I was there we were there for two weeks came home and we had a couple weeks off and once I got home I think I was down a little bit of weight but I thought that was again normal really physical time while we were there but with our time off I was relaxing a lot because I was super tired and I continued to lose weight which that was kind of the first thing that I was like okay well I'm literally sitting on the couch like I shouldn't I shouldn't still be losing weight so I thought that was pretty weird and then I didn't go to the doctor quite yet because I still I was trying to recoup from Cuba and I just thought it was traumatic on my body. So I got my yoga practice back up and I was trying to live normally. And then just some other weird things started happening. I started experiencing not necessarily blurred vision, but I remember always wanting eye drops. I just felt like my eyes were really dry and I just couldn't really figure that out. And I was like, maybe I need glasses now. I don't know because I still don't wear glasses. But so that was happening. And then I started to think, you know, I am a pescatarian, which is vegetarian plus fish in my terms. But I was kind of like, oh, here comes the iron deficiency or something. And I haven't eaten over 10 years. This is here is coming back to haunt me or whatever. And so I actually started taking I'm not a big vitamin person. I take a couple, you know, fish oil and a couple other things. But so I started taking just this like women's ultra mega daily vitamin. And I was like, I should cover my bases here. So I started taking that. And then I still just didn't feel good. And I finally was like, you know what? I haven't been to the doctor in a long time. You know, I might as well go in whatever. So I went in new doctor had never seen her before because I didn't even have a primary doctor at this point. And she kind of, I mean, I brought in my vitamins because you're supposed to bring in everything you take. And I had this little post-it note because I live for post-it notes of like my symptoms written down. And she kind of, she sat there kind of with her arms crossed and like didn't totally, I mean, I don't want to say she wasn't taking me seriously. But I think she was looking at me being like, you know, you're in your mid-20s. You look like you're in good shape. You know, there's probably nothing wrong with you. Right. I kind of went down my symptoms, you know, and even even down to like, I remember having a funny taste in my mouth. And I even brought that up, like thinking it was silly. But she was like, you know, that's probably from those vitamins. Who knows what's in there? And I was like, oh, well, that I guess, you know, that's probably true. These are packed with, you know, all sorts of things. So she she kind of was like, well, do you have any other questions? And I was like, well, no, I just kind of want to know what's wrong with me. and she was like you know I don't think there's anything wrong I think Cuba was hard on you I think that you know you're you're just you're recovering from that so I was like okay and so I guess I felt a little relieved I went home you know she didn't do any blood work didn't do any like no test at all um which maybe I should have protested but at the time I was you know not a fan of needles not a fan of blood so I wasn't gonna volunteer myself for that if she didn't think it was a big deal. So I went home. I remember telling my mom and she was like, really? Hmm, that's a little surprising. She didn't do anything. So then I was like, well, she wasn't worried, so I'm going to stop worrying. And then I will never forget, like two days later, I was teaching a yoga class and I had to sit down and teach like the whole back half of the class because I was very dizzy. And I just remember being like, okay, this is not right. I can't even stand up. I'm teaching. This is not okay. So I called in to the doctor's office where I had gone three days before. And I asked to see a different doctor. And I went in. And I had talked to the nurse first, like you do. She tested my blood pressure and those things. And I had told her about Cuba. I told her what the doctor said a couple days earlier. And then when the doctor came in, he walked in with his clipboard. And he was like, what did those communists do to you? And I was like, hopefully nothing. But I would like, you know, if we could do some blood work just to make sure that I didn't, you know, pick any. At this point, I'm like, oh, maybe I picked something up down while I was there. So I went down to the lab, did some blood work, went home, started eating probably a carb filled lunch. And then I actually got my blood results online before the doctor called me. Oh, wow. Yeah. So, you know, you have your little online login for the doctor now and, you know, that those that information probably just got sent automatically from the lab. So I got it first. So I'm looking at it and every everything was pretty much in range. You know, my sodium was a little low. Not not much, but probably because I was peeing it all out. And then my my glucose level was, I think, like 659 or something like that.

[00:11:33] Rob Howe: Yeah, that'll catch your eye, right?

[00:11:36] Alyssa Soukup: Yeah. So, and you know, it was red and like bold and, you know, very out of range. So I was like, glucose, like, what is that? And so I called my husband, he was at work, it was the middle of the day. And I was like, yeah, my glucose, it says it's 659. Like, I don't really know. So we both like jumped on our computers. And while we're talking on the phone, you know, all these, you know, ADA popped up right away and all these other diabetes things. And I was like, well, that doesn't make any sense. This is like assuming I have diabetes. And I totally was still just like, this makes no sense. And then, you know, a few lines down on my blood results was my A1C. And at the time that I was diagnosed, my A1C was 14.8. So it was probably, you know, high for a while. So I was like, okay, well, that's really weird too. So then, you know, I continued to eat my lunch. I'm just sitting at home alone, just being like, well, okay, I'm not sure. Is the doctor going to call me? Should I just go back there? And so then he did call me and he was like, you know, we just got your blood results. And I'm sorry to tell you that you are diabetic. And I was like, okay. I kind of gathered that from the email or the blood results I already received. But okay. And he was like, you need to come back here right now. Your blood sugar is critically high. So I, you know, drove straight there. My husband met me there. My mom left work because she didn't know what to do with herself. So she came to. And so, yeah, then the whole thing where you sit in the room and you learn how to shoot up and poke your fingers and all that stuff. And I mean, it's still it's like a blurry, clear memory the rest of that day. But, yeah, you know, I did my first shot in my stomach and, you know, learned how to test my blood sugar. And I, yeah, I remember asking the, you know, it must have been a certified diabetes educator in there that was helping me. But I remember being like, so how do, where do I get, are you my drug dealer? Do I, how do I get more of this? I just remember being like, I'm so overwhelmed. I don't even know. And at that point, actually, that day, he did not specify that it was type 1. I do actually have an aunt and an uncle that have type 1. um but they were diagnosed as children um so they um only one of them I'm only um close with one of them and she you know she's since she's been managing it her whole life it's it's a little you know she doesn't talk about it much at holidays she just you know does her own thing and I've I had never up to that point really asked her about it it was just kind of something that you know she dealt with um so yeah so we went home we left the hospital that day um Um, and he kind of, the, the educator was like, you know, don't, this is what carbs are, you know, but you're going to have to come back here, you know, tomorrow and we'll really kind of dive into this. But he was like, for now, just go home. Um, you know, test your blood sugar when you wake up. And then, you know, you'll, he had only given me, uh, background insulin at that time, uh, basal insulin. So I, you know, didn't have to do another shot till the next night. So we went home and I just, you know, cried the rest of the night. And I felt, I mean, initially, I was relieved because I knew there was something wrong. I'm glad I went back to the doctor because I just knew that I didn't feel right. And I, but then, you know, all these other emotions rushed in. I felt guilty a little bit. My, my now husband had just proposed to me a couple months prior. And I'm just like, oh, my God, are you sure? Like, now you have all this to do with. And, of course, you know, he's the most amazing man in the world, in my opinion. So he has just been I mean, I'm so grateful that he was there when I was diagnosed because, you know, he knows just as much about this now as I do. We've done all the research together and he even daily helps me decide how many units of insulin to take sometimes.

[00:15:41] Rob Howe: And I think, you know, I want to unpack a little bit of this because obviously we've talked a lot about or a lot of information, a lot of things covered. So first, let's back up all the way because you were diagnosed when you were 25. And for people, especially athletes who are diagnosed later in life, I feel like the sensitivity and the proclivity, I guess, to listen to your body is higher than just normal people. So it's interesting to me, like my first, my first question, I guess, for you is how long was that first from that first time you noticed something was off when you were in Cuba to like you actually were in the doctor's office or in the hospital, like getting your insulin for the first time? How much time was between those two times?

[00:16:24] Alyssa Soukup: Yeah. So we were in Cuba in January, two years ago. So right about two years ago, actually from now. And then I came home and I probably was diagnosed a week and a half after I got home. um actually so so not that long yeah it actually was I should take that back it probably was closer to three weeks because right after we got back we had one more little performance tour a couple hours north of the cities and this is kind of a funny side story um at this point I'm feeling really bad like really low energy I couldn't believe we had to do another performance so shortly after Cuba um and I remember being backstage and we were at this community college performing and whoever was hosting us carted in this huge like rolling tray of donuts and I just remember being like oh I should eat one of those I'm super low on energy I'm like drinking a huge Gatorade in my other hand and I was like I should eat a donut I remember eating one and I remember how much worse I felt after it and at that point you know my blood sugar was probably so high um but then so then once we got back from that it was just a few days after that that I went um, into the doctor. So I forgot about that. We had one more little, little gig there and there, but yeah. So that's that timeline. Yeah. Well, and I think the other thing too, you know, as we're,

[00:17:48] Rob Howe: as I was thinking about this, um, so you get, you get through, you get diagnosed, like you had mentioned, you know, you and your husband had just gotten engaged. Um, the things that are running through your mind at that point is like, Oh, like what, you know, For me, when I was 16, all I wanted to do was play basketball. Obviously, you have a different set of priorities there later in your life. When you were talking to your doctors, how did they either reassure you? What were those conversations like with the doctors? Were they like, hey, you mentioned that they didn't specify type 1. When did you find that out? And then when did you know you were going to be okay?

[00:18:29] Alyssa Soukup: Yeah. I mean, I think I knew I was going to be okay right away. You know, being active and dancing and doing and teaching yoga is something that, like, I will do no matter what. So I don't think ever in my head was I worried that I wasn't going to do those things. I think it was more like, I need to figure this out quickly so that I can continue to live my normal life. So got diagnosed. I think I went, I mean, I remember going back in, I don't know, every day or every other day for like a week because I had to go in and do, you know, they wanted to do more blood work. The day I was diagnosed, they wanted to do more blood work. And I was like, you know what? I need to go home. If I'm okay, I'm going to leave here. I need to sleep. And then I will come back tomorrow to do more blood work. Because at that point, I was still like, no more needles. I'm good for today. So I went back the next day. I think they did like the antibody test the next day. You know, they were trying to figure out if it was type 1. And then I remember, I don't know, maybe a couple days off and then because they had to wait for an appointment with an endo to open up. So then they had called me to set up an appointment with an endo just, you know, three or four days after I was diagnosed. And when they called the nurse or whoever it was, she was like, oh, I'm calling to set up your first appointment for your type 2 diabetes. diabetes and I was like oh like what you said is news to me like is it confirmed that I have type 2 because you know like to me you know I because I am pretty active and I feel like I was pretty healthy at the time I that was surprising so I was like oh okay but to us I was like oh maybe that's a good thing like maybe I can somehow manage this with my nutrition because at that point we had done so much research in the just the short few days um so then we went in met with the endo and we walked in and we were like, oh yeah, so it's type 2. And she was like, no, it's not. I was like, oh, okay. And she was like, you very clearly have type 1. And she was like, very to the point. Um, she's no longer my endo. Um, mostly because she was like, I don't know why they booked you with me. This is my last week here. And I was like, oh, okay. So not only did I come here thinking that it was type 2 and that I could maybe manage it and get rid of it, you're leaving. So why am I sitting here talking to you? Um, but anyway, that was, I mean, everything was heightened because I was, you know, very, um, sensitive at that time. But, um, so yeah, met with her. She had then prescribed the, my, um, bolus insulin and, you know, taught me more about that and what to do with meal times. Um, so that was just a whole nother scary layer. I just remember being like more shots in a day like one was enough when did the injection stop yeah I was like you're telling me four a day now okay at least four but okay so that was you know a tiny step back so I was feeling you know as you remember too you start you start taking insulin and you feel so much better right away um right like instantly yeah I just I remember like and then you know a month or so later at my next performance, I remember skipping on the stage during a warmup being like, I love insulin. This is so great. I have so much. You guys have no idea. Like I have so much energy and my muscles like actually are getting nutrition and it feels so good. Yeah.

[00:21:58] Rob Howe: And kind of with that too, like, you know, immediately after now you've had, you've had it for two years now, like immediately after you have that sort of euphoric reaction, right? where you're, oh, it's like, finally, like I'm back to being myself again.

[00:22:12] Alyssa Soukup: Yeah.

[00:22:13] Rob Howe: And that sort of acceptance sets in. So you notice right away with your dancing that, you know, whatever you were doing, and I'm sure with your yoga teaching and practice as well, you know, you're back to being yourself. I was so surprised when I, you know, literally the next day after I diagnosed, I gained all my weight back and, you know, felt awesome. It was just, you know, there was a little bit of apprehension still because, you know, they couldn't release me because I didn't really know how to take care of myself yet. But the, you know, once you get the hang of it, it's, you know, you start feeling pretty good. What was, you know, going back to dancing and yoga? What was that like?

[00:22:51] Alyssa Soukup: Yeah, super great. My dance company, so we're a really small company. There's just eight of us. And then my boss, the artistic director of the company. But, you know, I had to tell them. Obviously, we work very closely with each other and very, you know, we are on a rehearsal time and lunches at this time. And so I was kind of like, well, they're going to have to know about this, obviously. And I will have to be a little extra cautious and, you know, have my backup sugar somewhere where they know it is, too. But I remember emailing my boss and just telling her, you know, hey, can you call me? I just have a little medical update for you. And she called me, you know, 10 minutes later and was really sounded very worried. And I told her, you know, in brief what happened. And she was like, oh, God, Alyssa, I thought you were pregnant. And I was like, God, I wish I was pregnant at this point. Like, no, that's this is a little more serious than that, because, you know, to her, a dancer getting pregnant means she loses a dancer. So she was I think she was relieved to hear that it was something that I was going to continue dancing in the company. But, yeah, so but, yeah, it felt really great. I, you know, dance and yoga, obviously, you know, when you any form of diabetes, they encourage exercise or, you know, just as a human being, encourage exercise. So I felt, you know, grateful that both of my jobs are also active. So I remember just going back and, yeah, having a lot of energy. You know, that's the initial stuff there. winner, you know, some kind of more delayed psychological struggles. I remember gaining the weight back and being really, you know, self conscious of being in front of the mirror most of the day. Oh, and, you know, like you said, I also gained the weight back really quickly, but back to my like, very normal, like steady weight that I had been for the last like decade of my life. So, you know, that is very natural and normal. But I, you know, since since apparently I had lost, you know, 15 pounds before diagnosis, I was used to seeing that. So I did, I did, you know, really struggle emotionally with that stuff for a long time, you know, my clothes felt tight again. And I was so, you know, self aware of that. And, you know, being in a profession where it is in front of the mirror, and you're, you know, in usually form fitting clothing, it's just like, I just didn't want to look at myself. So it took me a few months to get past that stuff. Um, so there were definitely a lot of emotions, um, involved, but the other nice thing that I have, uh, with dance and yoga is that those are two activities that always like really help to take my mind off of more serious things. So I'm so present and invested in those things that it, it really helped me in that way too, to be like, I thought I was going to be so worried about my diabetes during those things, but actually it helps to have that major distraction. And And, you know, of course I still have to check my blood during. And, you know, they all know I have to tell every new choreographer we work with. Like, you know, I probably don't have to tell them, but I just want to be like, you know, so if I, you know, sneak away and start eating something, don't just feel like I'm being rude. I just am trying to stay alive in here.

[00:26:11] Rob Howe: Well, and I think on that same vein, I did an interview with DiabetesMine.com recently. And one of the questions they asked me and I hadn't been asked too much was like, do I still play basketball recreationally? And and the answer is yes. And I was as I started to think about it a little bit, it was nice because I think it's very similar to you and dance and yoga. It's like something that makes me really happy and like, you know, takes my mind off of the day to day stresses of life also is good for my diabetes. So, you know, being, being fit enough to play at a high level, uh, helps me with insulin sensitivity and helps me keep my, you know, my levels in range and eat the right things. So, you know, it's, it's always rewarding to me. And I think I'm very fortunate and I'm sure you feel the same way that the things that you love and your passions and your job are, you know, in line and help you to keep yourself in line from a diabetes perspective.

[00:27:09] Alyssa Soukup: Yeah, definitely. We, um, on a, on a normal ideal schedule, we rehearse about five hours a day. So, I mean, even, even just being on your feet five, five hours a day, it makes a difference, you know, let alone also being active in that time. So yeah, I, I can totally notice, you know, if we have a week off a rehearsal or, you know, two weeks or something, it's like immediate, like I have to increase my insulin because I'm not, you know, totally as active as I was, you know, the week prior while we were rehearsing. um but i did um i have a dexcom cgm and i i can't well i shouldn't say i can't i don't always wear it in rehearsal um i i wear it when i can um some of our our dance and depending on the choreographer working with and what show we're doing it can be really physically active like with contact so we're doing partner work um and all sorts of you know sometimes we're improvising as well and so you kind of just can't really plan where you know someone's gonna you know grab your waist and throw you or whatever so I am really cautious about wearing it in rehearsal because I just I ripped it off once and I don't care to experience that again yeah ouch yeah so I did however I wore it on stage for the first time in November at our big show and it was awesome I was able to wear it kind of on my upper, upper hip. Um, and I wasn't trying to hide it by any means, but I, I knew that that was a, I had, you know, planned it in rehearsal and I had it on for a couple of weeks leading up to the show. And I just knew that that wasn't a place that was going to get bumped or, you know, ripped off. So, but it was interesting and you know, about exercise, you know, endurance stuff, walking, running, biking usually helps to lower. And then, you know, sometimes weight training or really intense stuff can help or not help, can raise it. your blood sugar. But then there's this whole other aspect when you're performing or, you know, maybe in professional athletes when they have a big game or something that adrenaline and nerves and all of that stuff really helps to skyrocket my blood sugar as well. So no kidding. That's,

[00:29:18] Rob Howe: that was one of the biggest surprises. And I think one of the hardest things to manage.

[00:29:21] Alyssa Soukup: Yeah, man. I, so I, I had it on and I, you know, kept my receiver backstage and I, I eventually, so we did, we had two weekends of shows and I eventually just stopped checking my receiver during the show, I was like, okay, well, clearly I'm going to go up to 300 no matter what. So, you know, no matter how many carbs I eat or no matter how much insulin I take before. So by me just even looking at it, it's stressing me out more. And I think it's going up even more. So, but it was nice to now have it on because usually, you know, our performances are at night often. So, you know, having the physical activity at night and then the stress of that and the adrenaline that sometimes will plummet then at night in the middle of the night so it was nice to have my decks come on so that I knew how I was reacting overnight and in the morning so but yeah it was really great to have that tool as well so kind of you know as you and I mean you're

[00:30:16] Rob Howe: this is year two for you are about to be a full two years um so you're probably I mean you're really just starting to get your feet under you and, uh, you know, move towards sort of the next level. I just celebrated my 13th year and I'm, I'm really looking forward to, I was joking about my like teen years of, of diabetes, my, uh, my rebellious where I discover who I really am as a diabetic. Um, so for you, you know, now, uh, I want to shift a little bit to, you know, you've got the, the diabetic, um, you've got the DDPY blog, right? Diabetic dancing, dancing, dancing, diabetic pescatarian yogi yeah which is which is a great I was like ddpy oh great this is fun like so talk a little bit about where that came from and give us a little bit of background on because you were a pescatarian before you were diagnosed yeah and just a little bit of insight as to kind of where that came from in your journey through through that time to the ddpy blog

[00:31:14] Alyssa Soukup: Sure. So I first became, well, first initially about 10 years ago became vegan, but that only lasted a couple of weeks and it was a complete accident. I was actually flying home from somewhere and I had a extended layover somewhere. And at that time I really did not prefer reading recreationally, but I was like, you know what? I can't stand this anymore. I need to just go buy a book. I'll just buy something short, whatever. So I walked by a bookstore and it was like on the front table. It was this really like small looking book and it was called, excuse my language, it was called Skinny Bitch. And I just thought I didn't even like look at the back. I didn't even whatever. It just was like a short looking book. And I thought it was just gonna be like a funny novel about a skinny bitch. It was like two animated girls on the front. And I was like, well, this should be entertaining at least. But I started reading it. And it was actually it's a book written by two LA fitness instructors that are preaching veganism. And it's a very like, in your face, very like, you know, harsh truth stuff about, you know, animal cruelty and all this. I mean, it is it's it's it's far on the spectrum. But I was like, Oh, gosh, a lot of this stuff is really gross. I don't do this anymore. And from that day on, I never ate meat again. And I was trying the vegan thing. But it was actually it was right before I started college. And I remember going, you know, my first meal in the dorm cafeteria, I was like, well, this isn't going to work. All this looks inedible except the ice cream and the cheese. So, uh, so the vegan thing's not going to work, but I was like, but that meat also, I don't think I can do. So I, I happen to, but I must, you know, I really must not have liked meat that much before because, you know, people ask me all the time if I miss it or if I crave it. And I, I, I don't know, I just never have. So I must just not have cared for it much. Um, but I do, I have always loved fish, kind of all kinds of fish. My dad and my brother fished a lot growing up. So we would have, you know, fresh lake fish a lot for dinner. And I love seafood and all that stuff. So that I wasn't really willing to give up. And I, so I still eat fish, I don't know, once a week or so, but that's kind of where that started. So it's been about 10 years, 10 years meat free, I guess, for me. and then the blog yeah it's called Dancing Diabetic Pescatarian Yogi I started it I remember the moment that I realized I wanted to do it it was shortly after a year of being diagnosed with type 1 and I kind of remember a shift happening well actually on my one year diversity I got the Dexcom kind of an accidental coincidence of dates but that's when I actually got my Dexcom the first one and I like my life changed I mean I couldn't believe how life changing it was to get my Dexcom um just to you know lose a lot of the worry I was sleeping better knowing that there was an alarm that was going to wake me up if my blood sugar went too low um it was awesome to see what my blood sugar was doing throughout exercise um so that really really it was really life-changing to me to get that so I remember at about that time I was like okay I I'm getting a hold of this thing I I'm starting to get to the point where like now I'm ready to help others like that first year was hellish and now I like I'm you know walking again got my chest puffed out, walking forward I'm gonna you know try to help other people so um kind of because of my vegetarianism like when I stopped eating meat I remember having to you know start to find replacements for meat, finding protein replacements and finding other things to eat. And I found that really fun. I remember buying a bunch of cookbooks and, um, I've always enjoyed cooking before that. I just, you know, I, I, I didn't necessarily think I was good at it or anything. I just, I liked to do it. Um, so when I got diagnosed and I was like, okay, well, here we go again. Like, this is just a, this is another, like, I'll use this as a fun experiment. Now I have to find, you know, some lower carb replacements for other things. And, you know, we really, my husband and I just, we really started enjoying like finding, I mean, we've got some new cookbooks and, you know, I got a spiralizer to spiralize vegetables to make different noodles. Oh my gosh, I love my spiralizer. I love it. Um, and I, you know, I got a food processor, which helped a lot. I, you know, food process up beans all the time and make different veggie burgers and other things like that. But so yeah, I just I kind of felt like I was getting into this like different creative mindset of how I was looking at food. And I felt like, you know, I started writing recipes down for the first time, mostly because I was like, I want to remember how I did this, I didn't have any way to document what I was even making. And I wanted to replicate things. And then I started developing this like, really huge, messy stack of papers and post it notes of like scribble recipes and I was like I need somewhere to like gather these and I you know so I was like I maybe I have never been a writer I've never liked reading my own writing I hated writing in school and my husband was like you should start like a food blog and I was like I don't know like I just I think I would spend too much time worrying about my grammar and I don't really want to do that and he was like well just try it so I like started writing out the first recipe and I was like oh this is really fun like this isn't just like creative writing in English where they make you like make up a story and I hate reading my own writing. This is like, I know how to make this. I've made it. Here's the recipe. Here's hopefully simple, clear steps on how to do it. And then, you know, I wanted to go a little step further. And at the bottom of all my recipes, I include, you know, different variations you can have because, because of my, you know, pescatarianism and now I, on a lower carb diet, I, I'm, I'm more aware of other food allergies and other food dietary needs for other people. So I always try to include different variations at the end of the recipes. Like, and most of them are also gluten free that I post. But if they're not, I try to include a gluten free alternative, you know, mention, mention, you can replace this for this if you don't like this ingredient or add this to or switch up the places, whatever. And then at the bottom one step further, I try to include nutritional benefits as well. And that's just kind of been fun for me too, because then, you know, I, I get to do more research on, you know, the ingredients that are in it and include some other reasons why I eat it or why they, they have been shown to be good for you and whatnot. Um, so yeah, I, I started my blog in, in just in May. So it hasn't even been a full year with that. Um, and then after I started the blog, then I was like, well, maybe I should create like my own social media presence for this. I don't know. Cause I, I just didn't really know like how many people actually go online and, you know, subscribe to blogs. And I just wasn't sure. So I was like, well, okay, well, I'll start my own Instagram and Facebook for this too, I guess. And at least invite, you know, my friends and family to like it. So, but then that is when I was like, holy cow, there's all these type 1 diabetics on Instagram and Facebook, Instagram especially, that like are sharing stuff like this. And they're sharing what works for them and what doesn't work for them. not even just food related, but everything related, all the, you know, millions of factors that go into our diabetes management. Um, so kind of found that venue and just like, I barely go on, I, you know, I have a personal Instagram too. And I like never go on that anymore. Cause I'm just so much more interested in this other, you know, account that I've created that I follow all these other type 1 diabetics and other foodies and, um, yeah.

[00:38:54] Rob Howe: And I think that's like, what a big surprise, right? You know, in really in the last two years, like since the time you've been diagnosed, almost it's exploded. And I think it's just, you know, in those first few weeks after you're diagnosed, like you used to, even five years ago, you would get on Google and you maybe find a few resources, like you said, ADA, JDRF. But now you just have not only more organizations and, you know, doing amazing stuff like beyond type 1 i think is you know one of my favorites especially new ones that you can't can't go wrong um they got amazing stories of people doing you know amazing things all across the board and they're easy to find so you get online you find them and you're like all of a sudden there's all these resources and people and then you take it a step further you get on social media and there are people you can actually reach out and talk to individually where you know that just didn't exist there was no place for that so i think now there's this sort of best kept secret of the healthcare internet, that there are these just, you know, people afflicted with chronic diseases who want to talk about it and help other people so that whenever a new member of the community comes up, there's just, there's, you know, there's room for more, right? There's so much knowledge being shared and so much experience. Um, and I think it's just really, really positive.

[00:40:13] Alyssa Soukup: Um, it's, oh, sorry. One more thing on that. It's nice to, to have a venue to like express yourself and talk about things besides like, you know, your three month or six month checkup with your endo where like you maybe have, you know, 15 minutes or 30 minutes to talk to your endo, but you have like all of this stuff to get out of your mouth. Um, and so it's nice, like, it's nice to be able to look at your Instagram at any time and see that someone else is going through the same thing.

[00:40:40] Rob Howe: Um, yeah. Yeah, it is. And I think like, you know, just being, just knowing that there's somebody else out there that you're not alone right there just gives you confidence. And I think when you were talking about getting your Dexcom and the, you know, walking with your chest puffed out. Uh, you know, the confidence is a huge part of everything, but especially when you're living with type 1, I mean, just knowing, uh, that you're better equipped, uh, whether emotionally or support wise, or actually, you know, with technology to face what's coming at you. Um, I think just gives, adds so much confidence and it's so positive.

[00:41:14] Alyssa Soukup: Yeah. I wore, um, so the Minnesota state fair is a really, really big deal here.

[00:41:19] Rob Howe: not as big as the state fair of texas i promise you yeah well i live about two blocks from it

[00:41:26] Alyssa Soukup: so um my like this especially this area is like i mean people some people like go out of town specifically in my neighborhood during the state fair so that they don't have to deal with parking and people and this disaster but anyway it's an amazing an amazing state fair but um i wore i don't know why what made me do this but I wore um one of Libby Russell's I have the sugars shirts to the state fair this year and I think I did it kind of like as a tongue-in-cheek like I really can't eat anything here this is like I hadn't been to the state fair in like 10 years but we just we walked there and we went and it's everything deep right on a stick that you can imagine um but anyway I wore you know a shirt it's a it's uh in quotes it said uh nah and then it says like my pancreas that my pancreas said that so but it's amazing I had two or three people come up to me and they were like you have type 1 me too and we were like yeah and I remember just like half like flashing the 10,000 people there to like show this perfect stranger my Dexcom like yeah man look at my cyborg status like and so it is I don't know it's it's funny I don't know how small the type 1 diabetes world can be once you yeah i think it took me a long time to actually run into

[00:42:46] Rob Howe: another t1d in the wild um i think i was in college i've told the story before but i was the guy at chipotle just like saw my pump tubing in my shorts and he he's like oh dude me too and uh yeah it was just like a it's a weird feeling you just know that person so much better it's just like you're meeting a long lost friend it's good yeah um alissa so you know you're you're two years in, if you had to say today, what are you most hopeful for over the next few years, even just tomorrow for your type 1? What would you say you're most hopeful for?

[00:43:22] Alyssa Soukup: Hopeful for? Like personally or for type 1 diabetes? Yeah, I think I think they go hand in

[00:43:31] Rob Howe: hand. I'm not looking for there's no answer specific I'm looking for. I just want to know, you know, for you, when you think of, um, you know, your life with type 1, you know, looking to the future, you know, what, what do you get excited about?

[00:43:45] Alyssa Soukup: Um, I am excited. So I, I do not have a pump yet. Um, I, for a couple of reasons, I think, you know, I already have the Dexcom on me and that was life changing. So I almost, you know, like, I think I was like, I just need some time with this and this amazing, like new discovery, new invention on my body that is helping me so much. You know, I don't have a pump yet. I kind of think it would interfere with my dancing a little bit too much right now. And I, I, I don't know, I, I, there's a, there's a thing I have like a wall up that I feel like it's not right for me, maybe right now, maybe ever, I don't know. But some something about me just like, you know, likes to do my shot. And then, you know, forget about needles for a couple hours. So So I think I'm hopeful for once I'm ready to have one or once there's one that I really feel like will be right for me. Yeah, that's what I would say for that. I'm looking forward to that day.

[00:44:47] Rob Howe: I love it. Yeah. And I think now, if you've listened to the podcast, I'm sure you've heard this question before. so if you're in an airport and uh and you know you're the gate that you're about to the gate to your flight is about to close you got 30 seconds but you run into somebody who you either you know either is struggling with their type 1 or has recently been diagnosed or that you maybe even have interacted with online in the online community um what's the one thing that you say to them before you jump on the, on the plane and get whisked away? Yes. Um, well, first

[00:45:25] Alyssa Soukup: I would give them like a huge hug regardless of their boundaries and just like, let them know it's going to be okay. Um, but I would have to say to practice gratitude. Um, I, that's kind of my like go-to answer, um, for any of life's struggles. Um, after I got diagnosed and I, you know, got through the, you know, the needles in the carb counting and all that stuff is like, that only took a couple of days to figure out. Then it's the flood of emotions after that you have to deal with. And, um, you know, I, I dealt with some anxiety for a while. Actually, my husband kind of coined the term anxiety, um, anxiety comes from diabetes stuff. Of all the, uh, of all of

[00:46:08] Rob Howe: the diabetes puns. I think that might be my, my new favorite. Anxiety, it's, it's, it's just so

[00:46:15] Alyssa Soukup: relevant for most things. Um, but anyway, I just, yeah, gratitude. I, we, we, we write in a gratitude journal every night before bed. And, um, I just think it's so important to remember, I mean, especially now, like 2017, holy cow, or 2018. Yay. Um, to be diagnosed, you know, in this time where there is so much technology. Like I feel spoiled with technology of how we can help to manage this. You know, my stupid watch on my wrist tells me my blood sugar. And I just, I think that any time that we are feeling down, I just try to, you know, think of all the great things and try to really turn something around. I saw a meme the other day or whatever those are called that said, next time you're feeling overwhelmed, overwhelmed be grateful that you're not underwhelmed and I was like oh my gosh that's I kind of love that too because it's like you know yes you do have all these things to deal with but they are things and you have them and you're gonna find a way to overcome them and find things that work for you and just be grateful for all the people and the I don't know doctors and husbands and wives and parents and everyone that is keeping you keeping you upright. And I like what you said

[00:47:31] Rob Howe: earlier, too, about like, you know, being grateful is sort of your default answer for things. But and I catch myself in that mode as well. But it's still true. And, you know, I really loved your, you know, when you're feeling overwhelmed, be grateful that you're not underwhelmed. That's super, that's super strong. I think it's just, you know, it's a good answer. It's just the challenge with gratitude, right, is that you're responsible for it and, you know, you never – there will be days where you just don't have it in you. You got to pull it out of yourself, especially with your type 1. But strengthening that muscle is something that, you know, just – it's so worth it. It pays dividends in the long run and just, you know, it's so worthwhile. So I love that you said that.

[00:48:20] Alyssa Soukup: Yeah. It's a life of practice.

[00:48:22] Rob Howe: It is. It is. Just like type 1 for now anyway. Exactly. Alyssa, thanks so much for coming on the show, for telling us your story and opening up to everyone. If our guests want to follow you, our listeners want to follow you on social media, we talked about the DDPY blog. Yeah. I believe you're on Instagram as DDPY blog, correct?

[00:48:48] Alyssa Soukup: Yeah, that's correct.

[00:48:49] Rob Howe: and then if they want to find you anywhere else where do they go

[00:48:53] Alyssa Soukup: I have a personal account too for all my non-diabetes postings and that's my first name A-L-Y-S-S-A the letter K and then Soukup S-O-U-K-U-P yeah so that's my Instagram and then Facebook same I have a personal one that's Alyssa Kelly Sukup or I have DDPY blog as well on Facebook. So, yeah.

[00:49:22] Rob Howe: Great. Well, we will include links to all of your pages in the show notes and when we post them go live. But yeah, thank you so much for your time, Melissa. It was great to meet you and can't wait to see you go through the rest of now. You're going into year three of your T1D and glad to have you as part of the community.

[00:49:42] Alyssa Soukup: Yeah. Thank you so much, Rob.

[00:49:45] Rob Howe: What's up, everybody? I just wanted to say thank you for listening to this podcast. It's been an amazing journey thus far, and I have a lot of really great stuff coming up in the future. So I'm going to do something that I haven't asked before. If you're listening to this podcast, A, I would love it if you would subscribe to the podcast just so you get the notifications whenever we publish new episodes because if you've been listening for a while, you know I don't always publish them consistently. Unfortunately, sometimes I'll publish five in a week. Sometimes it'll be only a couple in a month and you need to know when these episodes drop. So be sure to subscribe. And if you like the podcast, be sure to go to your preferred platform like iTunes and leave a review. I would love to boost my reviews and I've never asked you guys to do that before. So I figured you don't ASK, you don't G-E-T. I would love a review from you. So I want to hear from you there. Also, we are now available on Spotify. Turns out I was just submitting it to Spotify incorrectly, but I corrected that. So now we're on Spotify. So if that's your preferred listening platform, be sure to subscribe on there. Also, just want to let you know that in 2019, we have an awesome new program coming called Tools of Type 1s. It's going to be on this podcast, so you don't have to subscribe anywhere new, but it's going to be an entirely new form of programming with some of your favorite Type 1 personalities. So they're going to be two a week starting January 8th. be sure to tune in and I'm going to blast all the messaging I can all around. So be sure to listen to Tools of Type 1s launching January 8th and thank you for continuing to listen to this podcast. What's up guys? Do I have a deal for you? Not only are you about to get some fresh diabetes podcast material, but I come bearing gifts. Today's episode is brought to you by Real Good Foods. That's Real Good Foods. Makers of the 4-gram net carb per serving pizza. That's right. Ladies and germs, 4 grams of net carbs per serving of delicious, trust me, I eat it on the regs, pizza. P-I-Z-Z-A. It's available at Walmart, Kroger, and you can check if your local store has it online at realgoodfoods.com. But you can also order the pizza and other products online, which is super dope. But not just that. Listeners of this podcast, that's Diabetics Doing Things, the podcast you're listening to, will get 10% off their order plus free two-day shipping when you use code ROBHOW, that's me, all one word, ROBHOW, at checkout. Did I tell you I came bearing gifts or what? So hit up realgoodfoods.com today and get your pizza delivered before I release another episode of the pod. It's that simple. Also, Real Good Foods raised nearly $25,000 for Beyond Type 1 during National Diabetes Awareness Month, and they've committed even more than that over the next year. So, support companies that support you. Be right back, about to use my code to order some pizza and get that 10% off code. Later!