As I was dressing this morning and stepped onto the scale (a near daily habit) I smiled as I saw the number appearing there. It reminded me of the years past when the number wasn't so low -- I thought I'd take a moment to share my journey.
I want to start by admitting that I've never been a very large person. I know I've been blessed with a good metabolism and parents who taught me good habits for weight management. I'm posting this on my Diabetes Blog because I believe my weight gains/loss are often tied with my diabetes.
All through high school, my weight stayed in right about the same place. I went through periods of diet or exercise (never combined, but I'll explain why) with little fluctuation. I determined that it was just the weight my body liked to be at. It was bigger than I wanted to be, but I saw little I could do about.
Now as for the why just diet or just exercise. At this point in my life, I was using insulin from a syringe to manage my diabetes. I was on a combo of NPH (long acting insulin that peaks after a certain number of hours) and Humalog (a fast acting insulin that works quickly and doesn't peak too bad). NPH was taken in the morning and evenings.
Exercise is critical for diabetics, just as it is for anyone who wants to remain healthy. Exercise can lower blood sugar levels -- sometimes dramatically. The problem I kept running into was that when I exercised, I'd drop low. This would create a need to drink juice or eat some sugary item which, of course, also contained calories. The good I did in exercising was undone in the calories that I'd have to eat later. The NPH insulin, once in, can't be withdrawn -- so while I could be active, I'd have to compensate for it later with food.
Anyway, fast forward several years. I still maintained the same weight. I'm happy to say I didn't gain weight after high school. There was no freshman 15 (I was very afraid of that -- I felt if I put on the 15 pounds often associated with college then I would have to consider myself not just a bit bigger than average, but overweight. The fear of gaining probably kept me more cautious, thus I was okay) added to my belt. I still wasn't able to lose weight and had just about given up on trying.
Finally, I graduated from college. I got a job with much more respectable insurance than my current state plan. The new insurance policy would cover 80% of an insulin pump and the insulin pump supplies. My old policy required me to be in renal failure before they'd consider covering it. I had a doctor that didn't want me to spend 7 days in the hospital in order to train on the pump. The stars aligned, and I got my pump.
Now I had the power to exercise, drop the amount of insulin I was receiving and thus diet at the same time. Since getting on the insulin pump (thats when I thinking the pounds started coming off) I have dropped 13 pounds from those high school/college days. Not only can I diet and exercise (when I'm being good -- right now I'm a slacker), but I can choose how much to eat more freely than before. If I am not hungry, I'm not required to eat anyway. I feel better about the way I look, and more confident in my bodies chosen weight.
Now, I probably can't attribute everything to the insulin pump. Prior to the pump I started making some difficult but beneficial choices about what I ate. I stopped eating out at fast food restaurants (completey for a time and now if I need to get something in a hurry, I choose wisely -- Subway type places, or if a more fatty chain, I make sure to pick items on the menu that I know the fat content already). I avoid fried foods (with the exception of some pastries -- can't go completely cold turkey... maybe some day) in general. I've found restaurants will allow me to substitute the fries that come with their sandwiches with fresh veggies. It isn't that I never indulge -- its that I indulge less in those things which don't satisfy.
Through this process I learned that my body is pretty smart. If I follow it, I'm usually happier. I was once told that food was going to waste whether you ate it or not -- meaning, you don't have to finish something just because its in front of you. By following my bodies ques, I feel healthier and stronger. I try to pay attention to the signals it sends me. Stop eating once you are no longer hungry -- not when you are necessarily "full." That sort of thing. Its proven effective. I've also learned to distinguish better between appetite and hunger. Cravings can be ignored -- hunger shouldn't be.
Anyway, after getting married I put back on about 2-3 pounds. I've since gotten back on track and back down to my "wedding weight." I wouldn't mind losing a few more, but I feel pretty good about whats happened. I laughed at myself a bit when I found myself worried about the slighter higher number on the scale, realizing it was still 10 pounds below my old weight.
As a final P.S. -- my last A1C was a 7.1. Its still not perfect, but its the best I've ever had in my diabetic life. I'm really pleased with the progress. A little more tightening up of the control and I'll be in the approved range for "good" control. (Between 7-8 is not called uncontrolled or controlled... about 8 is uncontrolled, below 7 is controlled -- at least, thats how I've always understood it)
Just thought I'd share! Hope all is well! I'm out of here.
Last But Not Least
10 years ago
