So that’s the question that I’ve been asking myself. AM I a dedicated diabetic or not? Make up your mind Kathy! Either do it or don’t — damn it!
Obviously, I haven’t been too dedicated lately. Oh, I don’t mean to my diabetes — that’s been going along pretty well. I’m talking about my blogging. You see, the reason I started this blog in the first place was to keep me on track in terms of my diabetes (and hopefully impart some words of wisdom on the topic). I thought that if I blogged each day — or at least three or four times a week — I’d stay more focused. Obviously, I haven’t been too successful/committed/dedicated lately. But that’s about to change.
Thanks to Bill at “Simple Living Over 50,” a wonderful blog on WordPress, I’m back on track! As of this morning, probably around 7 a.m. (it’s 1:15 a.m. now), along with my post, I’ll be listing my blood sugar number and my weight! Yep, I think it’s a great idea (Thanks, Bill!), and I’m stealing it. I’ll post both at the end of…well, at the end of whatever comes out of my brain.
Posting my blood sugar, along with my weight, will keep me honest — just another form of accountability, I guess.
Sorry about my lack of pictures, folks. Planning on getting to Apple to cure this dilemma. Somehow, I just haven’t gotten there; life gets in the way. No excuses!!!
My last post was December 4th. I’ve been slightly distracted — a brief hospital stay (thanks to my wacko heart), and side effects of a new medication, kept me from posting. BUT, I’m back in action and really happy and grateful to be writing again!
So, dare I bring up Resolutions for the New Year? If you made any, have you kept them?
Many moons ago I stopped making resolutions. Why, you ask? Simple. I rarely kept them and then suffered remorse, which resulted in doing MORE of what I had resolved to do LESS. 🙂 I decided that a more positive path would put more balance into my life. Focusing on BALANCE — that’s the answer! Every area of our lives, food, exercise, family, work, all require balance.
The question is, How do we manage this juggling act, we call life? I have some ideas on this topic. I’ve tried many methods to get this miss-mosh of a life in order. Some have been somewhat successful, others might be referred to as a dismal failure. What’s imperative is that we KEEP ON TRYING! Here’s a suggestion, based on something that I always need to do: MAKE A LIST…
There’s no way to have balance in our life, if we don’t know what it is that we value. So…
1. MAKE A LIST— not in any specific order. Do you value Work, Fun (recreation), Health, Friends, Spirituality, Family? Any others? Write them down.
2. O.K., now take another sheet of paper and place it next to the list you’ve just completed. Write PRIORITIES, at the top of this page. Don’t rush. Think carefully.
3. Now, take your first list and write those things that you value, on your PRIORITIES LIST, in order, of course, of priority! How important is each one to you, and where should it fit in on the list? Don’t worry, you can’t make a mistake — this is YOUR list. [Actually, I found this the most difficult part — What? You don’t want FUN to be your #1 priority???] 🙂
4. Next, take your list of priorities, and and create a chart that will allow you to manage your time in relation to your priorities. Write the amount of TIME (hours, minutes) that you are willing and able to devote to each. Hmmm, is this exercise starting to make you feel uncomfortable? Don’t panic, you’ll figure it out, and nothing is written in stone. Time is fluid, and sometimes we’re forced to make adjustments.
At this point, you’ve carefully examined your list of priorities— you’ve committed, in writing, those things, tasks, and people that you value the most AND, you’ve established the amount of time that you’re able to devote to each. GOOD FOR YOU!
I CAN DO IT!
For ME managing my diabetes HAS to come FIRST on my list, and I imagine on yours, as well. Most of us Type 2 diabetics have learned that, if we don’t put management of our diabetes first, nothing else falls into place.
Reflecting at the end of the day (I journal) has helped me to see what area(s) need to be improved.
My journal helps to keep me on track!
Making time to do those things that make us happy, bring enjoyment to our life, is IMPERATIVE.
We only go this way once, folks! At least, I think so…
HAPPY NEW YEAR, dear readers, and may 2016 bring laughter, love, and good health into each of your lives — Oh, and BALANCE too!
I’ve been on the roller coaster ride that can be DIABETES! For the last week, I’ve been plagued with cravings. It started last Tuesday when I decided to join a friend for lunch in a diner. I asked for a to-go box and immediately put half of my food in it for later or for the next day. Good start, right? 🙂
We had a great lunch. Talked and talked — solving the problems of the world. 🙂
And then it happened. The waiter approached us and asked if we’d like dessert. Almost ALWAYS I say, “no thank you.” So what caused me to cave on this day? 😦 I asked him what the selection was, but that wasn’t good enough. I had to go over to the cases wherein the delectable delights resided. As usual, they were screaming — “Kathy, pick me, pick me!” After a process of elimination, I chose a mile-high chocolate cream pie. Oh, the absurdity. I almost took a picture of the pie, when I realized that I was elevating it to deity status! Definitely going over the edge, I considered taking another dessert home for later. Ugh. I didn’t do it.
I ate every morsel of that pie and on the way home allowed remorse to seep into my being. By the time I pulled into my driveway, I was miserable. After an hour, I started to feel sick — nauseous. WHY did I do that to myself? It never fails. Each and every time I make a BAD decision, regarding food, I slip into an abyss of misery. The rest of that day was a waste. I couldn’t think of anything positive to do to reclaim my happiness. I was too busy feeling sorry for myself.
Wednesday morning, I got up bright and early and walked. THIS will be a good day. The bank, the Post Office, food shopping took up my morning. I only had half an hour before yoga, so NO time for lunch. I’ll eat later; that’ll be fine. DUCK! Here it comes — driving to my yoga class, I pulled into a 7-11 and purchased a really healthy snack — not one, TWO candy bars! I downed them in the true fashion of a sugar addict — FAST!
Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of Absolute Yoga in Woodbury for my class, feeling angry with myself. Really disgusted. I confessed my “downfall” to my teacher. She’s terrific, and we talked about it. I KNOW every single thing she mentioned, but was unable to put it into practice at that time. The good news is that our conversation, coupled with a great session of yoga, put me back on track.
Trust me — it hasn’t been easy. The cravings are still torturing me, but I have more strength, for now — one day at a time. My refrigerator is stocked, so that when a craving strikes, I have sugar-free Jello on hand, along with fruit and nuts. I’m ready! Also, walking in the morning is helping to start off the day on good footing.
The CURE for self-pity is gratitude. I have so much to be grateful for — I have Type 2 Diabetes; BIG DEAL! It could be a LOT worse, and I’m grateful that it’s not.
I’m DEDICATED to winning each battle and to have a good and healthy life.
I was in a department store this morning and observed a young boy asking his dad about a man who was in a wheelchair. Why? What happened? Why? Why? Why? He was filled with questions. His father kept it simple. “Sometimes, when someone has a hard time walking, or can’t walk at all, they use a wheelchair to get around,” he said, pulling his son over to a cashier farther down the row. He knew what was about to happen with his six-year-old son.
A couldn’t hear them anymore, but it was obvious that this young boy had more questions. I watched as his dad, leaned over and explained what he could. He was a caring, young father, and I admired how he handled his son’s basket of questions about this difficult topic.
This scenario put everything into perspective for me. I’m usually on the “Gratitude Train,” but there are those moments when I slip off into the poor me’s. It doesn’t last long, and oftentimes I’ll be privy to something like what I saw today — which allows me to climb right back on!
It’s the old story: Walk in someone else’s moccasins, and invariably, you’ll take your own shoes back!
Here I am, grateful that I have Diabetes — could be a LOT worse, my friends. 🙂
Another day #1 began with breakfast. Today had to be different, smart. So I set out to formulate a plan.
I’m really NOT good at getting up early. Definitely improving, but not perfect. The plan begins:
Get up bet 7-7:30 Take blood sugar, eat breakfast, walk for one hour, back home and shower. Take blood sugar again. O.K., now that’s a good start. Planning the rest of the day and making SURE to have lunch, while including regular glucose monitoring, will lead to a successful day for this diabetic.
Isn’t it frustrating, when you know EXACTLY what to do, and you DON’T do it?
Planning = TIMING meal schedule properly.
Nobody ever said this was going to be easy, but I know that when I plan my meals and schedule out my day appropriately, the day ends in success — good numbers and a smile on my face.
What a great summer we’re having. Remember to BUY LOCAL! I’ve been shopping my local farm stands, and they’re chock full of fabulous fruits and veggies. Take advantage of the abundance of these fresh, colorful and healthy fruits and vegetables.
Zucchini was never my favorite, but when I had my first zucchini fry, it was LOVE. BUT, I’m pretty much off fried foods, so I had to search for an alternative. Baking was the answer. We can still have the foods we want, without the tons of oil. Perfect!
What’s better than FRIED zucchini? “FRIED” zucchini — just bake them. I was at Meyer’s Farms the other day, and I bought Golden Zucchini. The color was amazing. Much brighter than the usual yellow zucchini.
GOLDEN zucchini, RED and YELLOW tomatoes from Meyers Farm!
Here’s the recipe (it’s a video). This one uses parmigiana cheese (you can skip it, if you’d like). Baked zucchini fries are awesome — try it, you’ll like it! 🙂
Today was one of those days. It was great! I woke up early, had a healthy breakfast and moved on with my day.
Lunch came along and I wasn’t really hungry, but I ate anyway — just a chopped salad, mesculin greens, carrots, red onions, sliced red tomatoes, and beets. I ate the rest of it with a piece of grilled chicken for dinner. Small portion for lunch, medium for dinner. A tall, icy glass of water, and I’m good to go.
After dinner, I made some sugar-free chocolate pudding, added a dollop of Redi-Whip, and I was one happy camper. Need to shop tomorrow for some fresh fruit!
I walked a great deal yesterday, because I was in the city. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for today, but I’ll fix that tomorrow by starting out with a walk in the morning, and hopefully another at night. It makes a world of difference in my attitude as well as my waistline.
I love color. Any color — reds, greens, oranges, browns, purples, yellows! You name it — I LOVE them all. Colors make me happy!
Take rainbows, for instance. The anticipation involved in just viewing a rainbow — what’s at the
What’s waiting for you at the end?
end of it? The colors are pale and serene and invoke a feeling of calmness.
What about the bright color of beautiful Black Eyed Susans? The incredible shades of yellow and
Black-eyed Susans on the East End!
brown can put a smile on your face, especially if they’re in abundance.
The BOLD colors of vegetables in the summer can light up my life! They reflect the joy of the summer harvest. They’re absolutely MOUTHWATERING!
RED onions, YELLOW onions and WHITE garlic from Meyers Farm!GOLDEN zucchini, RED and YELLOW tomatoes from Meyers Farm!
Precious gifts from the soil of Long Island. There’s no place I’d rather shop locally for my vegetables than Meyer’s Farm in Woodbury.
It’s easy to THINK POSITIVELY and eat properly with these on my kitchen counter. Today is another Day #1, and it will absolutely, positively be a great day!
Diary of a Dedicated Diabetic 