Prediabetic: HOW I GOT BACK TO "NO DANGER"

I was at the front desk of one doctor's office when the voice mail came from the other doctor:

You're pre-diabetic.  Avoid processed sugar.  Avoid processed flour.  Uhhh.  okay.

I knew how it happened to me:  too many Lara bars, getting back onto the Ice cream.   Oh, and my croissant sandwich and croissant without sandwich addictions.



I had to get serious:  Have a plan.

Got on the web for advice.

 Lose 5% of your body weight.

  

Okay,  I had a secret target -  137 pounds.   Other women consider that number a good reason to hide indoors forever. )  But I had frequently weighted more than that, even in high school.  And at one job, I had gained 40 pounds.

Into Body Mass world and went right to the top guys:  the National Institutes of Health.


BMI Categories: 
Underweight = <18 .5="" span="">
Normal weigh= 18.5–24.9 
Overweight = 25–29.9 
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

Español Your Height:  (feet) (inches) Your Weight:   (pounds) Your BMI:

Yikes.  I was not only pre-diabetic, but even after losing five per cent, they call me overweight.

Ice cream went. (Memories of secret toffee chunk ice cream supper.)

I found a year-long program on line, decided it would devour my life.  But it suggested that I should

Lose 7 percent of my weight,  So I lost another 2% from original. 

My daughter got on board, and we all ate only coconut sugar and almost none of it.

 

Another phone from doctor's office.  Sugar still high. Desperate, I read labels as seriously as life insurance, focus on any mention of sugar.   There is sugar in everything.  Everything sour, sweet, hot. Crackers, potato salad. 

Here's my current plan:

Bananas or multi-grain bagel at Starbucks.
Half or less of a Lara bar per day.
No artificial sweetener (can increase our natural sugar hunger.)

Made sure that sugar was down at the end of ingredient lists.   

Dip 10-grain bread in olive oil.  Lettuce wrap sandwich.
I grind plain peanuts at my grocer's.  Helps with the Lara craving.

I put 2/3 of a teaspoon (that's teaspoon) of sugar and 1/2 cup frozen berries in my oatmeal.
I dip strawberries in a bit of the low-sugar coffee yogurt from my grocery.
My only wheat has loads of seeds & grains.
Did I mention I eat a banana? 

The B plan

Back up from the table (this one is still tough when the 10 grain bread is so good.)

The E word

Plug in the coffee maker and march out the door to walk at least 15 minutes.  (With my feet, 15 minutes can be plenty. )

 
I always park far away.  Lugging all this healthy food means several long trips to and from the car.

Luckily a doctor who didn't even like me hooked me up for physical therapy.  I actually did their  indoor exercises, hanging onto the back of my reading chair so as not to fall on my face.  I got more PT by saying  the word "balance" to my primary doctor.  Just like the bed-cercises I've mentioned here,   turns out you actually have to do the PT exercises at home. I did.

THE BEST PHONE CALL:  You are no longer in danger of diabetes.  

Nuff  said.

I wish you health.