It's time to make the change

At the prompt of "Aunt Blue Bell" I am ready to get this blog support group going again. It's been a long summer, busy with work, kids activities, our oldest daughters' wedding and spending time at big lake, as much as we can. We entertained friends and family over the long week(end) surrounding the wedding - 8/8/08 - and we let our self control somewhat slip along the way. I shouldn't say "we," as I can only speak for me, and I know that I did well maintaining my own through the late spring and summer.

I have a new doctor treating my diabetes. She has put me on some new medications to help assist with my resistance to insulin and to help control my cholesterol. She is a young doctor from Pakistan, and her gentle, yet knowledgeable and no nonsense nature was just the prescription I needed from my endocrinologist. She asked me, point blank, if I wanted to stay on the insulin pump. Frankly, I hadn 't ever given it much thought, assuming that living with diabetes would mean being on insulin for the rest of my life, and I have the pump, so why wouldn't I just keep using it? But she gave me some food for thought. She's put me on metformin to affect the insulin resistance of my body and told me that since it has only been six years that I have been taking the insulin, my pancreas may still be able to produce enough insulin if I can decrease my resistance. Medication, exercise and weight loss will help . . . hmmm, guess I've always "known" the path. I've been on metformin for one month, and tricor for my cholestorol as well. I go back to see her in early December. I am now starting to see my blood sugars lower in the normal range again. Exercise and weight loss are to follow.

Now, about the exercise. We've as a family joined the YMCA. Marc is taking swimming lessons, and Rachel, Vickie and Micaela are anxious to start using the one by our house, and their cards will also allow them to use one within walking distance of their mom's house. Michael and I are also looking forward to starting a program to tone, tighten and help shed excess pounds. I've had some health issues that have kept me from venturing out in my usual mode of walking through the temperate months. I look forward to feeling better soon, and learning to play racquetball with Vickie. She's promised to teach me. If they have cameras on the courts, it will be one we can sell for cash, as I am sure it will be site to behold. I'll keep you updated as we work out our exercise routines.

Michael's last report at the doc was excellent, he's lost a few more pounds, down one pant size, and his medications are being absorbed. His A1C (test which measures average blood sugar levels over 3 months) was 6.2, the lowest its ever been. 6.0 or lower is where doctors want to see it. Mine was 6.8, so I'm hoping the change in medication helps get mine back to normal.

I am eating healthier, not healthy by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely with a healthier outlook. Our gluten free focus has helped make our meals more nutritional when we eat at home, and limits our family from eating out so often. We have found a few restaurants, whose gluten free menus are good, not just lists of what they serve that is gf. We like Biaggi's, Carraba's, Chili's and a new pizza place that offers a gluten free crust - Pudgy's Pizzeria. We tried it out last Monday, the pizza was awesome, and Michael ate perhaps a bit more than he should have in one sitting, but watching the joy in his face as he devoured his favorite - pepperoni, green olive and extra cheese - was awesome. He hadn't eaten pizza since February. (which could explain his keeping up with weight loss and my stalling!)

I experimented with gluten free bread baking from scratch last week. I made hamburger buns to go with sloppy joes for my brother-in-law's retirement party. They tasted good, but they were so dense you could have used them for hockey pucks. Michael said they were okay hot out of the oven with butter and slathered in saucy sloppy joes. Not sure he'd use it for a hamburger yet. I used a recipe from glutenfreemama.com and her almond blend flour. Our neighbor manages the local Hy-Vee, and he's stocking the shelves with the gluten free mama flours now. I found a cornbread mix that we really like from gluten free kitchens. I've also adapted my chili recipe to use kidney beans in place of chili beans and Tones Southwest Chipotle seasoning to add extra zest.

Other updates: Vickie has passed her driver's test and now has her license. She and I share my car, this week,with Michael away in Vegas, she's getting her first round of independence by driving herself to and from school without a parent in the car. She's itching to go further and we're holding the reins tight to let her get accustomed to driving on her own and paying attention to the road. If the driving age is ever on a ballot to be raised, I think I'd vote for it. It's nerve wracking to think of these young drivers, with no fear of anything, out on the road, "finding their way in the dark." I don't know how my parents got any sleep when I was behind the wheel . . . Marc started Kindergarten and loves it. He misses his old friends but is making new ones. Vickie watches two neighbor kids and Marc after school every day. She's being really responsible, making good money and loves the kids. Marc will take sign classes again along with his swimming lessons, and he signed up for coed basketball for kindergartners at the Y. His games start in Oct. He has his jersey and wants to sleep in it every night. Not sure I am ready for this new stage of his development, but I guarantee you if he has my talent for the hoops, there will be entertaining moments on the gym floor to come!

Once upon a time, some of us set a goal to lose 10% of our body weight by Christmas. I think it is still doable if those of us who sat down and made to goal set our minds to it. My goal, lose 10 lbs by November and the rest before the holidays. Fellow b-hoppers, are you in?

Thanks, Blue Bell, for getting us motivated again. Your prompt was just what I needed to get back on track. And, I need to know - "who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?" Not me, must have been you!