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| Montage: Finger prick test, stethoscope, exercise stick figures on title frame, Red "X" over sugar cubes, a couple walking in the woods, Dr. stethoscope, blood glucose meter, clipboard held by female Dr. writing on "Life Insurance" health plan, laptop. |
G’day everyone,
A friend lost his leg to diabetes, and he was dead a year later. A college mate went to bed one night and woke up days later out of a diabetic coma; completely and forever blind. Diabetes is simply dangerous.
Decades of eating like a dumpy teenager has caught up with me. I now have Type 2 diabetes, a scourge I vowed never to have. Too many people I know are struggling with diabetes. I scoffed, always judging the lifestyle choices of others while ignoring the warning signs within mine.
So what? Just live with it?
No, not me. Inspired by my father’s willpower to quit smoking, I choose to be equally headstrong. He tossed his remaining cigarettes into a trashcan and never looked back. He admits that the addiction was strong, but his willpower remained steadfast.
Similarly, the moment I learned that my Hemoglobin A1C score was awful, I chose a completely new lifestyle. Sure, my new reality is fresh and naive, but I absolutely refuse to succumb or give in to the diabetes albatross.
I only drink water and occasionally the glass of skim milk. Gone are liters of sodas, bags of delicious chips, ice cream, everything containing high-fructose corn syrup, fruits (for now), and rice, bread, and pasta.
Oddly, in the past, I focused on the denial I was enduring to satisfy a stupid diet. I suppose somewhere in the back of my head, I found solace in the belief that I would have my fun foods and drinks back soon, but that I’d consume a lot less of them. Sweat, ache, smile, starve ... and I’d struggle down to my goal weight.
Not this time. I might allow myself a once-a-month treat of a chocolate-covered cherry as a reward for something, but gone are my binging days and thoughts of getting around to getting back in shape. I want to live a healthy, productive, and prosperous, and long life. My only chance of success, then, is to reinvent me.
I steadfastly believe that people don’t change their behaviors until something profoundly tragic happens to them. Without such a character-changing event, we bounce off of stimuli and eventually settle back to our equilibrium behaving much like a pendulum. To effect a permanent change, something so negative, so shocking must happen to us that we permanently disrupt our equilibrium. We thrust or throw ourselves into the uncomfortable and unknown because we believe that doing so is a better choice than remaining passive and accepting.
We either get on with living, or we get on with dying, but either way, we get on with it. I’m not succumbing to a future controlled by diabetes. My stupid, yet comfortable, choices to date, put me in this mess.
A second blow: diabetes and my remaining eyesight.
While researching diabetes, I learned that it can cause blood vessels, those feeding the retinas can atrophy. Blood vessel walls can thin and rupture, and they can grow abnormally. These are all outcomes that can further damage the tiny amount of eyesight I do have left.
That was enough for me. It was as if a switch turned off inside me. Immediately, I lost any cravings for sodas, chips, candy, ice cream, and the like. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and added sugar are my mortal enemies. Former-favorite dishes filled with pasta, rice, or bread are of no interest to me anymore.
My nurse recommended the South Beach Diet (R). At a hefty price of over US$300 per month for their special meals, I chose to just eliminate or drastically reduce all carbs that easily convert into sugars or fats. With a home full of kids, it seems that carbohydrates are our primary food source.
My lifelong plan, then, is to focus on eating lean meats, vegetables, and minuscule portions of starches. I continue to drink skim milk or water, but I’ve even given up all caffeine because of its apparent negative impact on weight loss.
My results?
It’s only been two weeks, but as my father quit smoking cold-turkey, so have I with sugary, carb-loaded foods. I haven’t craved or missed them a bit. Sure, it would be nice to enjoy a slice of cake, a handful of chocolates, or a thick shake, but I don’t care any longer. I don’t crave such things at all. They (I) drove me toward self-destruction, and I hate them for it.
So, I’m eating better and working out almost every day. I’m not approaching this as a fanatical fad diet; rather, it’s become my profound change in lifestyle and I welcome it. I feel better, I don’t have caffeine-withdrawal headaches any longer, and I’ve lost a bunch of weight. No, I’m not starving, by the way. I stop eating when I no longer feel hungry where I used to stop only once I felt full. It’s a different mindset.
I want to live longer than diabetes often allows. I want to keep my body parts. I want to keep my remaining eyesight, no matter how awful it is.
I offer my story, not as a tale of woe or dire warning, as that won’t influence anyone to change their behaviors. Instead, read it as proof that even an old hedonist like me can instantly create a better future for myself than anyone can change. It’s all about willpower and remaining headstrong.
Have a nice day,
Hi Bob, How are you doing with this? I hope you are still trying your "new life" approach. My husband was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes last year, and I still catch him sneaking snacks he shouldn't have and having sodas. I guess you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. You mentioned you dad's smoking habit. I quit smoking almost 30 years ago after at least 3 serious attempts. I honestly think that when I surrendered the habit to God, well, that was the turning point. You don't need smoking to live, but you need food to live, so that's a complication. You can't just quit food. And food that is "bad" for us is everywhere. I am living with chronic kidney disease, so I need to avoid salt to the extent possible, dairy, and a lot of foods I love, like potatoes and spinach. I drink almond milk and a lot of water. I gave up all carbonated drinks and can't have any dark colas. Since doing that, my kidney function has improved. I think I may have gotten the initial damage from taking too many NSAIDs (a type of pain reliever). But I will never know for sure. What has really helped is joining an online support community. Like you, I do have an occasional "bad" food, like an single scoop ice cream cone once in a blue moon. Anyway, I wanted to write you a note of encouragement, and tell you to take it one day at a time, a line I am sure you have heard many times before. By the way, for some reason, my subscription to your blog got cancelled, so I resubscribed. Voila, here I am!
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