GUY’S GOTTA TALK ABOUT…TYPE 2 DIABETES #14: Just MOVING Helps…

For the first time since I started this blog eleven years ago, it’s going to be about me. I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes two weeks ago. While people are happy to talk about their experiences with diabetes, I WASN’T comfortable with talking about diabetes. My wife is Type 2, as are several friends of ours. The “other Type” of diabetes was what caused the death of my Best Man a year after my wife and I got married. He was diagnosed with diabetes when he was a kid. It was called Juvenile Diabetes then. Today it’s Type 1. Since then, I haven’t WANTED to talk about diabetes at all. But…for my own education and maybe helping someone else, and not one to shut up for any known reason, I’m reopening my blog rather than starting a new one. I MAY take a pause and write about Breast Cancer or Alzheimer’s as medical headlines dictate; but this time I’m going to drag anyone along who wants to join my HIGHLY RELUCTANT journey toward better understanding of my life with Type 2 Diabetes. You’re Welcome to join me!

I remember a really, really old joke that as a kid, I used without thinking: “Yo mama's so fat, when she sits around the house, she SITS AROUND the house!”

The phrase and ones like it have a fascinating history – I’m a word-geek, so I liked this.
Anyway, it got me to thinking about the weight I’ve gained since I was a teenager. At my physically mature adult, the LIGHTEST I’ve ever been was when I returned from West Africa. Admittedly, I’d had malaria at one point, and the number of snacks and cookies and candy bars and popcorn and…well all the rest – was severely limited by, um…NOT EVEN BEING THERE. When I returned, I weighed in at 150 pounds.

At the beginning of the Summer of 2023, I almost crushed the scale at 260 pounds. I was, quite literally approaching "laying AROUND" the house!

Today, I weigh 244.2 pounds.

How did I do it? Did I drink Kombucha Fermented Tea Drink? I DID drink a 16-ounce bottle last week in two glugs. But, no. I’d lost the weight before then.

Did I join Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Livea, Noom, Optavia, Mediterranean Diet, Atkins, Whole30, New Mayo Clinic Diet, GOLO Diet, My Fitness Pal, LoseIt!, FatSecret, Fooducate, Strides, PlateJoy, Fitbit, Cronometer?

Nope. I HAVE done Weight Watchers and use their meal tracker right now; I was part of a Nutrisystem study designed to entice men into the program; I use several Atkins products (most notably their bars; and that’s about it. I started using Strava two years ago – I love biking, and for free, it tracks my route, how many miles I’ve ridden and how much time I’ve spent on my bike each week, for the past year, and total back to when I started biking. (My longest ride was 14 miles. My current average weekly mileage is 24 miles; my average number of rides/week is five. Since early spring (March 27), I’ve gone out riding 76 times, for a total of 47 hours and 27 minutes; and I’ve gone 398 miles!

All of the above is NOT to toot any horn I might have. My intent is to encourage you to move in the way you love most: walk, swim, bike, dance, yoga, ANYTHING THAT GETS YOU MOVING. Then figure out what a good pace is for you. For the first year, I rode every other day, once around the Lake (4.09 miles).

Later, that got boring, so I discovered four rides that were LONGER than four miles – 7.65 (Old Farm); 9.04 (Golf Course); 5.14 (Library) and 8.66 miles (River). I’d ride the Lake one day; skip a day, then one of the other four. Skip a day, a different one of the other four. This Spring, I found THAT was boring – this past summer, I rode the Lake, the next day I rode one of the Four; skipped a day, then did Lake, different one of the Four. I’m doing around 20 miles a week!

It's made a difference in my A1c as well: January 23 = 7.6; April 23 = 7.1; June 23 = 6.7…

So, my secret is to find something that gets you moving AND you love. Add together, repeat.

I don’t offer a Money-Back-Guarantee; but I CAN offer hope. I don’t offer a Program, but I’m offering a suggestion and the possibility that you CAN do it yourself! (Oh, BTW, my wife and I occasionally have a Dairy Queen treat! Based on my Weight Watcher tracker, ONE medium Peanut Buster Parfait hits me with 38 points! That’s ALL of my daily Points!

But, what-the-heck. Once or twice a month? I’m not beating myself up. I’m Human. And I’M slowly gaining control over my Type 2 diabetes. Wanna join me?

Source: https://www.forbes.com/health/body/best-weight-loss-program/; https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-weight-loss-apps; https://www.strava.com/get-started?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=RSR_B_SR_AllUser_US&utm_term=strava%20app%20running&utm_content=Brand_Running&gclid=CjwKCAjwjOunBhB4EiwA94JWsF16_TZQzNj_PLwpzbtVxjn9_zc1CioOgsDmIhxUoMm6eXyQoNjI0BoCHv4QAvD_BwE (Stick with the Free stuff. That’s all you really need – or go crazy! There’s plenty of crazy stuff there to pay for!)
Image: https://www.hcd.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/living-well-with-diabetes.jpg