Cheat day

Zero (2)

“From now on, Diet Coke is banned.”

Muk-bok dropped a bombshell on me on my way home.

“That’s too harsh.”

“After all that trouble, you still think Diet Coke is good for you?”

“I felt fine after taking the medicine Eun-ji gave me.”

Muk-bok fell silent.

“Woo-jin said it’s a problem when you drink too much. I’ll only have one a day.”

“I hope you’re not talking about one 1.5-liter bottle.”

“…….”

“…….”

“Uh, of course. I meant one can.”

Muk-bok sighed.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s one can a day or ten liters. I just hope you stay healthy, Chan-yong.”

I think the same.

Since I want Muk-bok to be healthy too, I’m looking for nutritious foods that she would enjoy eating.

“Okay. I’ll try to cut back.”

I parked the car in front of my one-room apartment.

After a quick kiss, Muk-bok opened the door.

“Drive safely.”

“Yeah. Sleep well.”

I drove toward Cha Ji-chan’s house.

If I lived with Muk-bok, I wouldn’t feel this kind of longing every day, so I want to find a house quickly.

Starting next week, I’ll make sure to find some time to look at real estate.

When I arrived at Cha Ji-chan’s house and opened the door, I intended to greet him, but the lights were all off, so I quietly headed to the bathroom. After washing up, I peeked into Ji-chan’s room and saw him sleeping on the bed.

He must have gone to bed earlier than usual, but I didn’t think much of it and headed to the kitchen for some water, only to find an unfamiliar snack on the table.

It was chocolate snacks labeled “Zero Sugar” and “No Sugars.”

It seems he’s not only been into donuts but has also ventured into this territory.

When I opened the fridge, I found a mountain of fruit piled high.

Pineapple, mango, kiwi, and dragon fruit were neatly cut and packed in plastic containers.

While fruits are rich in nutrients, they contain a lot of fructose, which can be a threat to people with diabetes like me and Ji-chan.

I have no idea what he’s thinking.

“Wow.”

Underneath that, there was a dozen individually wrapped donuts.

***

The next day.

To earn my keep for living here, I make breakfast every morning, and today’s menu is pork belly rice bowl with miso soup.

I learned this recipe from a Buddhist monk, and it’s easy to make yet delicious, so I often cook it.

First, I score the fatty side of the pork belly and season it with salt.

I heat the frying pan and cook the fatty side until it’s nice and crispy.

Meanwhile, I prepare shiitake mushrooms, green onions, and onions, which I sauté in the pork belly fat.

Now it’s time to make the rice bowl sauce.

I mix 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of tsuyu, 4 tablespoons of cooking sake, and 600 ml of water well, then pour it into the frying pan with the pork and vegetables.

After lowering the heat, I let it simmer until it’s done.

The sauce seeps into the scored areas of the pork belly, enhancing its flavor.

Next, I serve the low-sugar rice I cooked in a rice cooker in a bowl and top it with the pork belly cut into bite-sized pieces.

I also add the sautéed shiitake mushrooms, green onions, and onions on top, finishing it off with a little wasabi for a nice touch.

As I prepared the retort miso soup that only requires boiling water, Ji-chan came out of the kitchen.

“Yawn.”

“Sit down. It’s all ready.”

“What is this?”

Cha Ji-chan sat at the table with his eyes wide open.

“Wow~ The side dishes look great! Did you learn how to cook?”

“It’s a matter of survival.”

I took the seasoned vegetables and kimchi from the fridge and sat down.

“Hmm.”

Cha Ji-chan put wasabi on the pork belly and took a bite, nodding his head. It seemed he found it tasty.

“This was originally a recipe with mirin and sugar, but Ji-seung said that would raise blood sugar, so I substituted it with cooking sake and didn’t add any sugar.”

“It’s delicious!”

I took a bite too.

The chewy texture of the pork belly and the savory fat blended well with the rice bowl sauce.

If it felt greasy, I could eat it with wasabi or kimchi.

For breakfast, this was quite a luxurious spread.

“There’s fruit in the fridge.”

“Yeah. Eat some if you want.”

“There are donuts too.”

“I’m fine. Do you know how much I exercise every day?”

“You said exercising doesn’t burn that many calories.”

I recalled Cha Ji-chan saying that before.

Humans adapt to their environment, so unless you keep increasing the intensity of your workouts, the calories you burn will decrease.

You get used to exercising at the same intensity.

“I’m paying attention to everything.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I’m a pro.”

Cha Ji-chan replied confidently and put his dishes in the sink. Without hesitation, he took the donuts and fruit out of the fridge.

Is he crazy?

“Are you out of your mind? Are you really going to eat that again?”

“I told you, it’s fine!”

It’s been two weeks since he started eating donuts, but I hadn’t noticed any significant changes in his appearance.

He says he checks his blood sugar every day, so I can’t say much, but it’s surprising.

Perhaps he has a lot more muscle mass than other people, so his blood sugar doesn’t spike suddenly.

Still, it’s hard to believe he can consume so many carbohydrates without any issues.

Right now, it might be okay because he has been managing it, but in the long run, it will likely cause problems.

“……No matter how I think about it, this seems strange.”

“What’s so strange about it?”

He took a bite of the donut and savored the taste.

“You’ve been on a really strict diet for the competition, right? That means your body was probably in a state of carbohydrate deficiency.”

“Right.”

“If you’re deficient in carbohydrates, the absorption rate goes up.”

“You’ve studied hard.”

“But isn’t it dangerous to eat like this?”

Cha Ji-chan paused, momentarily distracted from chewing.

I thought he had come to his senses, but he quickly started eating again.

“What did I tell you? The reason people gain weight is that their blood sugar rises, right?”

“Yeah.”

“But I have muscles. Before the sugar goes into the bloodstream, my muscles take it up, so my blood sugar doesn’t spike.”

“Are you saying what you’re eating now is okay?”

“Plus, I’m eating this and exercising, right? There’s no time for the sugar to enter my bloodstream.”

I felt a familiar vibe from Cha Ji-chan.

I could see myself, someone who used to hypnotize himself just to enjoy delicious food.

“I don’t know why I’ve been holding back from this delicious food. It’s perfectly fine!”

“Aren’t donuts high on the glycemic index?”

“Even if they are, so what?”

I opened my smartphone and searched for the glycemic index (GI) of different foods.

Glucose, which is pure sugar, has a GI of 100, while donuts have a GI of 86.

That’s higher than strawberry jam (82), French fries (85), and even ice cream (65).

In other words, eating a donut is akin to pouring sugar directly into your body.

“Hey, the GI for donuts is 86.”

“Do you think I don’t know about the GI?”

“If you know, then stop eating them.”

“Why? It’s fine to eat them. Does my blood sugar spike or do I gain weight?”

“…….”

“I feel like I’ve found the happiness I’ve lost in life. I’ll handle it, so don’t worry.”

Cha Ji-chan picked up another donut.

Despite my repeated concerns, his suppressed appetite seemed to burst forth, and his binge continued unabated.

“Hey, have you tried this?”

Cha Ji-chan asked while munching on a tub of ice cream from Two Some. He had even bought it in a party pack, clearly having crossed a point of no return.

“I know.”

“You know? Why am I just finding this out now?”

“……Hyung.”

“What? Want a bite?”

“A bite? Are you really okay with this?”

“What’s not to be okay about?”

“Are you checking your blood sugar?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve checked it for two weeks, and it’s only gone up a little.”

“So, you haven’t checked recently?”

“I’m fine. You know how annoying and bothersome it is to prick your finger.”

I pulled out a bottle of water I had drunk this week.

“What’s this?”

“I’ve drunk 28 liters of bottled water in a week. Just by yourself.”

“……And?”

“Get a grip. That’s polyuria. It’s a sign your blood sugar has risen.”

Cha Ji-chan blinked his eyes in surprise.

“And you’re not gaining weight? This isn’t weight?”

I grabbed his belly fat. Unlike before when I could only pinch skin, there was now a noticeable layer of fat.

“Do you remember we planned to check our InBody next week? What are you going to do about the competition?”

Cha Ji-chan touched his chest and belly, tilting his head. Then he went into his room, took off his shirt, looked around, and nodded before coming back to devour the ice cream again.

“Hyung.”

“This is fine. I used to gain this much during the off-season. I can lose it within a month.”

“No, you should gain weight healthily. I told you to eat unrefined foods, not just simple sugars.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

“You said that’s how you should live!”

“You can eat that way once you build your body. You’re just irritable now because you’re lacking carbohydrates.”

“I’m just saying this because I’m worried since you’re eating without a plan!”

“Hey, am I a kid? I can handle it. Why do you always nag me?”

“I’ll be leaving next week. If I’m here and you’re eating like this, what will happen when I’m gone?”

“I’ll just order takeout.”

“No! You can’t do that! What on earth happened to you? You weren’t like this before.”

“I’m struggling too, man. I work and exercise every day. What’s the point of living like this if I can’t eat anything delicious?”

“…….”

“I’m eating ice cream for the first time in ten years. I’ve finally tried things like Noted donuts, macarons, Two Mumba pasta, and rose tteokbokki that everyone else has already had. They taste great.”

“……They do taste good.”

“Yeah, man. I just want to be happy now. I’m not doing anything bad, so why do you nag me like a mother-in-law?”

“Is that so?”

Thinking it over, Cha Ji-chan’s words weren’t wrong.

The reason I felt frustrated after being diagnosed with diabetes was that I had to restrict many foods that had been my joys in life.

If I gain a little weight but there are no major health issues, isn’t it better to eat what I want and enjoy life?

After all, the reason I’m trying to lose weight is to become healthier so I can occasionally enjoy delicious foods.

“Then just one thing.”

“What?”

“Check your blood sugar. If it’s okay, I won’t say anything more.”

“Ugh. Fine, fine. It’s so annoying.”

Cha Ji-chan pulled out a blood sugar monitor.

Since we had just eaten dinner and then immediately went for ice cream, we could consider it about an hour after the meal.

Generally, the normal blood sugar level one hour after a meal is 180 mg/dl.

“…….”

“How much is it?”

Getting no response, I leaned in to check, and the blood sugar level was showing 260.

“Why is it like this?”

“See! I told you! It can’t be normal!”

Cha Ji-chan seemed flustered, unable to focus his gaze and pacing around before he hung onto the pull-up bar in the living room and started doing chin-ups.