Progress - Slowly But Surely

I'm not diabetic.

That was my mindset when I began my type 2 diabetic journey earlier this year. Since then I've come to terms with diabetes being part of my life. In fact, I'm beginning to appreciate that I'm very lucky - at this point I'm med-free. That said, I won't fight the meds when the time comes. Initially, it felt very strange to focus on my own needs. I had always put myself at the bottom of the priority heap, but it feels good to focus on my own health and I'm feeling stronger. Happier.

Meal decisions are becoming easier. Easier being the key word. I no longer yearn for what others are eating. Who am I kidding? To be honest I don't yearn quite as much. Frankly, I would still like that pizza, hamburger bun or the handful of caramel corn. Despite my initial reluctance, I'm finding that lettuce wraps, salads and the like are quite tasty. Mom would be proud.

Two of the biggest lifestyle changes I've made have been diet, of course, and exercise now plays a big role in my day. As the pounds are falling off with my improved eating habits, I'm feeling more inclined to stretch my arms and legs. I've morphed into that annoying enthusiastic mother at scouts meetings that actively participates in EVERYTHING. The more physical the activity, the better. My son's school occasionally has parent participation gym class; so I've been joining him for Zumba whenever my work schedule permits. I haven't had this much fun being active since I was a teen!

Let's see, what other progress have I made? A more polite person has emerged. Instead of my previous response of "Are you trying to kill me?" when a person offered a treat, these days I'd be more likely to say "None for me please, but thank-you for offering."

A monitoring mantra has also emerged: "It'll be over in less than a minute." I've found that keeping tabs on bgs is key (despite my doctor's instruction that I don't need to test - sheesh). My willpower just isn't strong enough to do away with testing. If I know I won't be testing before or after a meal I find myself slipping into former bad habits. So silly, I know there's no fooling my pancreas or liver, but it feels like a "free" meal. The testing process has been an issue. Who out there truly enjoys testing? Nobody. It's not that it is terribly time consuming or excruciatingly painful. It's just one more thing to do, amongst a thousand other things to do.

Motivation to "walk the walk" will be key in the future. I'm far from perfect (who is?) and I've got a long road ahead of me on my diabetic journey. In the meantime, day by day, I'm making progress.