Hey folks,

I thought I’d make an update about the Journey. I had a check-up with my doctor the other day and it went really well. For the most part, my blood sugars are in the normal range a couple hours after I eat. It’s the fasting test that’s still high. Not crazy high like it was before, but higher than it should be. My doctor was happy with the weight loss I’ve had so far and impressed with the progress made on the sugars. He upped my dosage of the Metformin and said between diet, exercise and the medications, it should have the fasting numbers down in the right range in a few months. So, all in all, a good report card from the doctor.

I’m setting goals for exercise and food intake. The food has been the hardest part to do though. Let’s be honest. I didn’t get overweight in the first place because I made good choices. I like to eat. That’s just how it is. It’s not really a comfort thing and I don’t stress eat, which is good, but I just like the flavors of foods that I love. The trick is going to be getting used to enjoying smaller portion sizes. I have lost a good amount of weight, but I’d have dropped a lot more by now if I’d stop eating too much. I’ll own that one. That’s 100% on me and my lack of self-control when it comes to food I love.

What I’ve got to do is cut down on the foods I eat, at least at first. That’s harder than it sounds. Instead of two burgers when we BBQ, I need to only have one. I have been really good at removing a lot of unnecessary carbs from my diet. I cut out soda and don’t miss it at all. I cut out chips and candy. I can’t remember the last time I had a candy bar. Honestly, I don’t really miss them either. Most of the time, I just drink water. Occasionally, I’ll get an energy drink, but I’ve found a couple of really good zero sugar brands that I like. Still, for the sake of my blood pressure, I keep those to a minimum too.

I’ve been trying to eat more veggies and less starches/carbs. If we go out to eat, I get steamed veggies instead of the usual potato-based side. That’s tough, though. I love me some mashed potatoes and French fries. I’m Scots/Irish. Potatoes are in my genetics. Well, potatoes and whiskey, but that’s another story. The point is, it’s been easier than I expected to replace certain things in my diet, but others have been a bit tougher. So, we’re looking for things that make better sense for me. Like finding a good BBQ sauce that isn’t loaded with carbs/sugars. We’ve tried a few, but most are either tasteless or funky tasting. We’re also still looking for a good low carb pasta. Before anyone suggests it, I know about people that substitute cauliflower for all sorts of things. That probably won’t work for me. I hate cauliflower. Always have. If I have to die on a hill, it’ll be this one. I’ll just have to eat less pasta unless we find a good low-carb version.

I also learned something from my dietician. Low-fat options are usually terrible for people with diabetes. Why you ask? It’s because they have to replace the fat with something to make it taste good and that’s usually some type of sugar. Don’t believe me? Check some labels. For example, Regular Lays Potato Chips actually have less carbs that the Baked ones. It’s true. Same with salad dressings and most other things. Reduced fat is replaced with sugar. Dieticians have also learned that fats weren’t as bad for you as they originally thought. So, if you’re like me and you cholesterol is good, then watch those low fat options. They’ll hurt your sugar numbers far more than they help.

So, that’s where we’re at. This is such a big learning process for me but I’m highly motivated to beat this. Exercise and diet are still my best tools, so I’ll keep the majority of my focus on that. The weight will continue to come off as I’m exercising more. The spinal ablation really helps with that. I didn’t feel like exercising before because everything hurt when I moved. I’m walking farther and pushing my boundaries. Let’s face it, I’ll never be a marathon runner. But I can be a much healthier version of me. Besides, I hate running.

The Journey continues. Lessons are learned and improvements are made slowly, but consistently. Little changes add up to big results. Thanks for checking out the blog and for all the words of encouragement. They mean the world to me, folks. Well, time to run. Harley the Wonder Dog is looking at me like, “Hey, dude! Get up and grab the leash! It’s time for a walk!” Harley is my exercise buddy. He’s always excited to go for an adventure down a trail or through the neighborhood. I guess I’d better listen to him.

DA