Saturday, July 9, 2011

My Plan for Life

Dear Blog,

I'm so sorry I've neglected you so over the last few months.  I can give you a list of excuses but none of them are good enough.  I would like to promise that I will never neglect you again, but that would just get your hopes up, and that's not fair to you.  For now, I'll just promise to think about you often, and occasionally update. 

Love, Barb

Type 2 Diabetes sucks.  For 10 years I've known I had it, and I've taken medication for it (with the exception of a 9 month period where I went temporarily insane)  But in all that time, I don't think I ever really accepted it and I know I've never understood just what it meant.  Up until 2 years ago all it really meant was I had to take a pill every day.  Medicine kept my blood sugar in check, so what I ate really didn't seem to have any effect on my illness.  Well let me tell you, that has changed.  Big Time.  After my recent visit to the Dr. and hearing my latest A1C test results, I've finally... yes FINALLY, decided to take the bull by the horns.  So to speak.  I went to the Diabetes Learning Center 2 days ago and visited with a nurse.  She pretty much laid it out for me; if I continue down the road I was on, in 5 years, I'd be looking at some pretty ugly possibilities.  Things like heart failure, loss of eyesight, loss of limbs, you get the drift.  Well I certainly got the drift.  She suggested some changes to start with, and in August I'll start classes for 5 weeks.  I've decided diabetes will no longer control me.  I'm the boss of me!

So I'm sure you're wondering what changes I'm making....  well let me tell you!

1.  Eat Breakfast.  I learned I'm not taking my medications properly -- some are to be taken on an empty stomach and some with food or after eating.  If I don't eat breakfast, I don't benefit from my meds. 

2.  Count Carbs.  WOW.  Have my eyes been opened!  When you realize a meal should only have 30 to 60 carbs and snacks 15 to 30, it changes the way you look at food.  Take my beloved Hostess Cherry Pies for instance.  Yes, I knew they had sugar in them, and probably weren't too good for me, but sweet baby Jesus - 67 carbs in one pie!!!  I dropped that pie like lit firecracker with a short fuse!  I think a few carbs rubbed off just by being in the same aisle!  There is some good news though --  Miracle Whip is relatively low in carbs!  YES!  You have no idea how big a deal that is to me!

3.  Walk.  She told me I need to walk 30 minutes a day.  Doesn't matter if I break it up into 3 10 minute walks or all at once.  Just get moving.  I started wearing a pedometer, and was surprised at how many steps I take during a day at work.  Over 5000.  So my new goal is to get 10,000 steps a day.  She also recommended a DVD to walk to when the weather keeps my from going outside.  No excuses!

4.  Check my blood sugar levels frequently.  Knowing exactly what effect different foods have on my bs level will help me make better choices.  I'm already seeing positive results, which makes me feel so good about what I'm doing and make me want to do even more!

I found an online tool that I'm finding is invaluable in helping me implement these changes.  The website is www.sparkpeople.com  I already knew about it, and had even registered on it several months ago, but ignored all of the emails they sent, and pretty much forgot about it.  But I decided to check it out again and found specific programs for diabetics.  There's an awesome online food diary that lets me journal everything I eat no matter where I am - there's even an app for that!  It tracks calories, carbs, fats and protein, and breaks them down by meals, and snacks.  That has been a huge advantage

So that's it.  For now anyway.  My new life plan.  Today is day 3 and I can't really explain why, but I feel different.  Mentally, physically, all around better.  I think I like being in control of my life for a change!

2 comments:

  1. How's your plan going? I've stayed on my plan for 3 whole days!!!! TaDa!

    ReplyDelete
  2. your question inspired a new post :) YAY for 3 days!!!!

    ReplyDelete