I've just been diagnosed with type II diabetes. I'm not a professional decorator but I've taken all the Wilton Classes at least once and I love to decorate. I do all the cakes for the family and donate to church bake sales, etc. I was actually trying very hard to expand my reach in the last few months. My fear is that this will keep me from doing what I love. I made cupcakes for a book club meeting today and it was really difficult to throw away the extra cake and frosting. I love sweets 
I guess my question is how do you handle this disease and your hobby or business? Are the two incompatible?
TIA!
maybe you can make sure to have something to snack on while you're baking/decorating? what about sugar free candy to suck on? or sugar free gum? that way, maybe you won't be so tempted to snack on the cake.
my mother was diagnosed with diabetes and it took a little while for her to get used to what she could and couldn't eat. it can be frustrating but be patient and give yourself some time.
i bet if you talk to a nutritionist they might have some thoughts on how to redirect your sweet cravings while baking.
HTH
good luck... oh, and if you like Lorna Doone cookies, my mom can eat 4 of them without her sugar levels budging 
so, give em a try!
I have taken all 3 classes too and have had my health take a turn in the past two years. I do this for a hobby and when I do make stuff it is for a specific person or event. I still make stuff for my family. And take a bite, BITE, of someones just to get my craving done with.
I have seen at one of my local grocery stores, the Sweet n'Low brand of cake mix and frosting. I have not tried it but I am on the border of type 2...pre-diabetic. I have changed my eating habits so far. I have to talk to a diatician to get my #$*#&) together. LOL. I have seen some posts with recipes and icing. Maybe if you just take a fork full of the cake it won't be so bad. 
They only thing that I don't like is the diet pop. Yuck. I have cut out my sugar in coffee and switched to 1% milk and stop drinking pop. I try not to think about it. Instead look for fruits and veggies and some sugar-free candy. I have made a couple of cakes and cookies and have had a taste to get it out of my system. I just tell my self that I would like to see my future grand kids. LOL. I get this stuff from my dad's gene defect. LOL. I also have hypothyroidism and high blood pressure, pre-menopasal and just recently high cholesterol. 
I don't sweat the small stuff any more. Before I was freaked out about it. Now I just say, What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger. Hang in there.
I have yet to check out cook books on it. I am just discovering all the cake and cupcake books and then I'll get to the diabetic ones. LOL. Just remember that you are not alone and when you do feel that way, tell yourself to make a cake and give it to a friend just because (and then take a swipe of icing with your finger.) LOL 
You could also just freeze the cake and frosting for later or make those cake balls and give them away to family or friends. Sorry for the long ramble. I hope I made you laugh (at my situation) and feel better cause you are not alone out here. 
I was an insulin dependent diabetic for 22 yrs. I took insulin about 4 times a day 3 yrs ago I was lucky enough to get a pancreas transplant and have been "normal" lol ever since. But when I had to check my levels daily I also used sugar free products (when I was first diagnosed nutrasweet was not on the market) since it has been available I have sugar free sodas, candies, jellos etc. as far as baking goes if you go on the website for sweet and low or any of the sugar free sugar sites they will gladly send you recipe booklets to help you bake. You can make lovely desserts using these the same way you use reg sugar. I have tried quite a few of the recipes and they are very tasty. I also lost 73 lbs in one year so I would not get the type 2 diabetes (very hard to do and bake) lol good luck and I wish you all the best (have lost my kidneys (had a kidney transplant 5 yrs ago and all is going well) I also lost half a leg but this doesnt keep me down or discouraged. So do what the specialists tell you especially the dietician and believe in yourself and bake away, just follow the guidelines. 
Wow, Darlene! I didn't know they could do pancreas transplants now. That's wonderful.
Theresa
I get really bad migraines if I eat anything with sugar in it. I linked the two together while I was finishing up Course 2. I just don't eat my cakes. I LOVE watching other people enjoy them. It brings me so much happiness to decorate and watch other people enjoy.
You just have to decide that you won't eat it again.
I don't feel like I am missing out. Every once in a great while if I am trying a new recipe I will take one bite. I usually regret it later.
This has not stopped me from decorating. I have been decorating for over a year without eating anything that I make. You can do it! Just decide that this is your hobby and you will have joy from bringing others joy.
There are some things I had to stop making for the first couple of months. I have a hard time not eating cookie dough and I have a really hard time making candy. I had to take a break on those things for a while.
Glad I found this thread! My grandmother was diabetic (she passed away in January). I always looked for recipes that she could eat, that tasted good as well.
I have used the Sweet n' Low Brand Cake mix, the chocolate actually tasted pretty decent. Instead of the ingredients on the package I replaced the water with milk and added 1/4 tsp of baking soda to help it rise. Great results!
However, I frequently get asked about doing sugar free cakes, and since the mixes are so expensive, I usually end up turning down the orders as impossible. I was just wondering, you are experts on this subject, where can I find recipes that taste good that are sugar free. I am looking for cake and icing recipes. TIA!
splenda makes all kinds of little cook books for diabetics.......although from my understanding some diabetics can't have splenda either.......but it's a one to one replacement for sugar in recipes so you can substitute it in just about any recipe!
Yep I have gotten splenda pamphlets in the mail just by going on line and asking. There are tons of diabetic dessert recipes on line. A lot of people are afraid of them because of the aspartame but as I said I've been consuming that stuff since it first came out and even tho I am no longer diabetic I still go the sugar free way as far as soda goes just so I dont get that extra sugar and calories that I dont need lol But I have to agree it is a lot more expensive to cook with so I would do it only for my own family not for customers.
Thank you all for your thoughtful answers. I have yet to have my appointment with the diabetic dietition so for now I do eat sugar-free Splenda products and they are wonderful. Baking with it is another challenge. Cookies seem to come out ok, pies so-so and cakes not so hot. So far I've been able to ignore the cravings when I'm decorating but it's difficult not to taste to make sure that the cake and icing are ok. Anyway, thanks again for all your help.
My mother is a diabetic and it is not just the sugar but also starches and carbohydrates (flour, rice, potato, pasta). The website below has some great recipes and a good almond pound cake that I make for Mom. By controlling her carb intake she was able to discontinue her insulin shots. She's been off the meds for 3 years.
Good recipes:
http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/lowcarb-breads.html
Also, Chef George Stella's wife is a professional baker and created some very nice recipes for his books that are good for diabetics.
I just purchased a book "1001 Delicious Recips for Diabetics" at Barnes & Noble. Most of the desserts call for less fat and sugar than the regular recipes. I made a scrumptious (sp) pound cake and if I had not told people that it was a diabetic recipe they couldn't tell the difference.
I'm sure if you check with your library and bookstores there are a lot of books on this topic.
Good luck!
Leslie
ps that will be a special part of business when it gets going because of all the diabetics out there
LVH
I'm not diabetic, but I can relate. I had gastric bypass 3 years ago and my doctor is very strict - NO sugar at all. Needless to say, I've picked an odd hobby. Chewing a piece of sugar free gum definitely helps.
Also, for those mentioning sugar-free products, most people aren't aware that sugar alcohol is basically just a liquid sugar. Many "sugar free" products are loaded w/ sugar alcohol. Since the body reacts in basically the same way, I'm not really sure how companies get away w/ calling it sugar free, but.. oh well... Just a warning in case you are asked to make a "sugar free" item. I NEVER order anything off a menu that says sugar free - I just don't trust places to keep my from getting sick. If I can't read it on a label, I won't eat it
When you meet with your dietician, be sure he/she knows that you are a cake decorator. Sometimes it is necessary to taste-test, and you'll need to know how to handle that. Your dietician will probably suggest eating some protein along with your sweet treats, or you may be instructed to give yourself a little extra insulin to handle the sugar load in your blood.
Pay attention to your body! If you are like me, you'll feel so darn bad if you eat too much sugar that you'll just learn to stay away from it. I love anything sweet, but I feel so awful after eating junk that it's just not worth it any more. Take a bite, enjoy it, savor it, but stop when you've had a little nibble.
The good news is (if there is any!!) that you've found out about the disease and can take steps to deal with it. So many people live for years with diabetes and do untold damage to themselves because they aren't able to treat themselves. Hopefully you can stick to your regimen and take good care of yourself. Good luck!!!
Darcat,
So happy that you were able to get the transplat. My son (now 23) was diagnosed at 18 with the Type1 and what a learning experience. He was giving himself shots at least 4-5 times daily until he went on the pump. What a wonderful invention? The one thing that seems to be different (at least with his doctor) is as long as he tracks what he is eating and makes sure he takes the proper insulin amount for that - nothing is off limits for him. Doctor says that he is just having to manually give his body what it should be doing automatically. If he eats cookies - his pancreas should produce the insulin but since it doesn't he has to do it for it. I still worry about him and what he might have to face as he gets older. I hope the islet transplats become more perfected for all diabetics.
I have been a type 1 diabetic my entire life. I've been on the pump since 2003, so I can really eat whatever I want to, but I have found that decorating cakes has been the best thing to happen for my diabetes. After doing so much baking and mixing, nothing sweet ever sounds good to me anymore. I don't eat cake at all...period. Ever since I started decorating I just don't want to eat cake, so it's been easier than ever to say no to it.
Diabetes should never get in the way of activities you like to do. You just need to get it under control and go from there. Check your sugar often and it becomes pretty easy to figure out what your body tolerates and what it doesn't. I tolerate icing taste tests (small ones, just to make sure of quality) just fine. I can also eat an entire bag of popcorn with no insulin. However...pretzels? No way, I need more insulin than the carb count says I do. It's just trial and error until you figure out what will and won't make your glucose level rise. You may be able to get through taste testing your cakes and maybe even eating a piece, you never know.
Also, for those mentioning sugar-free products, most people aren't aware that sugar alcohol is basically just a liquid sugar.
Sugar alcohols are neither sugar nor liquid (nor alcohol, for that matter). They are a molecularly distinct class of carbohydrates that the body digests only partially, and, as such, have a much lower glycemic impact than sugar. This partial digestion/lower caloric/lower glycemic impact makes them suitable for diabetics.
It is important, though, to remember, that sugar alcohols are not all the same. This is an excellent article that outlines the differences:
www.mendosa.com/netcarbs
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