About this time last year, I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, an event that rather significantly has now adjusted my life. Initially, the direction from the doctor was some medication, and an effort to reduce and eliminate sugared foods. For the first 6 months or so, this worked well – my blood sugar levels dropped, though not that far, and not to last. Realistically, I became overconfident with the medication, and lazy with the diet. Over time, this “improvement” faded, and several months ago, the prognosis was not good.
As an adjustment, the doctor instructed me to adjust the medication from the $5/month I was on, to much more drastic $400/month choices. Not surprisingly, this was not a welcome change – that is a significant impact on the budget, and one that my current medical coverage does not cover.
Alternatively, my doctor told me to a) eliminate sugar, b) eliminate carbs, and c) exercise. This was the same recommendation I had had before, which of course met with similar resistance. However, facing the increased bill for the medication, it was enough to motivate me into action.
Changing the diet was actually rather simple and fast – with the support and help of the wife, we developed alternate meals plans to include variety, while maintaining the goals. Effectively, my intent is as close to zero sugar or carbs as possible for any meal, While not possible in every case, I would say we have seen a 90% or more reduction, without any real sense of “missing” the foods. Sure, I could go for some fries, or a baked potato, but I can also live without without much annoyance.
At the same time, I started a daily walking routine, initially aiming for at least 1 mile per day, and ramping up from there. I walk specifically 5 days a week as work and my schedule permits, then two days off to rest and recover on the weekend. Over the last 3 months, that has ramped up steadily, and I am now up to a stable 4 miles per day, broken into several 30 minutes walks during the day.
For reference, I restarted my current journey 3 months ago, with a body weight of 317 pounds, and an A1C of 8.3. My blood sugar level averaged 180-190, with scores in the 160 to 230 range. As of Saturday, I have taken my latest 3 month blood test, which is pending the results. My daily blood sugar average is now at 120, and ranges from 90 to 140 – it hasn’t been over 160 in a couple of months. I don’t know how much weight I have lost (since our scales are in storage), but I have a checkup with the doctor in a week to review both my A1C and weight.
