I work at Universal in the Simpsons store called Kwik-E-Mart. We have these huge Lard Lad donuts that yes are real and yes you can eat them. At least 30 times a shift, I get asked if I ate them and when I say no, I try and avoid them because I’m diabetic they look at me like I’m crazy…and it’s annoying. Then I get the, “oh, you don’t look diabetic” or my favorite, “you’re not fat.” I sometimes just want to punch them in the face and tell them duhh I am a type 1 diabetic.
I know, what a pain…just keep in mind that we’re a puny portion of the diabetic population, so it’s unrealistic for people to know any better. I just take a deep breath and seize the opportunity to educate. Since you get this on a super-often basis, if it’s just passing visitors you could say, “No way, I don’t want to look like Homer!” but if it’s co-workers, you could say, “No, I’m diabetic, the Type 1 kind you get as a kid, so I’m kinda choosy about my carbs.” That should give them enough to chew on, and anyone who is genuinely interested can grill you more later.
People at work all the time ask me why I can’t eat stuff and if they know why then they say, you can’t eat that, right?" I tell them I CAN eat it. I just shouldn’t and neither should they. That usually keeps them quiet.
I say something like, “I have to watch my carbs carefully, so even though I can eat most foods, I try to keep my carbs in a certain range per day, so sometimes I have to make choices.” They mean well, and that usually helps them understand.