Phew!

Sorry I have been absent for so long, but I have been on a very intense learning curve, I have been turning my life around, battling with nurses and doctors, I gave up battling with them quite early on, I just nodded and agreed and carried on with my research and regime, this is all in the regards of diabetes!

I have given up my old way of living in many ways, I eat low carb, high fat -ish, I exercise every day on top of my usual ambling through the woods and fields, this usually is swimming and a bit of gym, swimming and gym usually 3 days a week, the days I do floornworkmat home, or get a good old sweat on dancing about for half an hour, and stepping.

My food is delicious, first time in my entire life that I have looked forward to having meals, and not feeling tired after eating, but energised and happy!  To achieve this I have had to apply my self stoically, against not only my inner voice, but unhelpfully  other people's loud voices, it's funny how everyone has an opinion, even when they have not a clue what they are talking about, I have spent months testing my blood sugars 6 times a day, reading scientific papers where they are available, reading, reading and reading, experimenting with recipes and foods to see what suited my body, and basically what suited me personally, I ended up giving advice to my doctor when she noticed my finger nails, hair and skin looked fabulous.

That was my latest doctors appointment, one that I had to insist on, to measure my BG numbers for the last 3 months and I really wanted to see what had happened to my cholesterol, as I have been eating much more natural fat than I ever have, also eggs.  Even though everything I had found out assured me that my cholesterol would be better, I could not quite believe it, after all, it has been rammed down our throats so to speak that fat is bad, all our lives, well the last 30 anyway, funny how  we are all still getting fatter given the amount of low fat substitutes every one eats!


So, after the doctor said to me well the meds are obviously working, and me correcting her, I have not taken any medication whatsoever, she looked most surprised staring at the computer screen, looking back at me, and she gave me the news, I am back to pre diabetic numbers and my cholesterol is low, but high on the LDL! I have also lost 3 stone, that is 19.050kg and 42lbs, I am back to the weight I use to be when I was 25, and I almost feel like I am 25 too!

This is all the good news, the bad news is, I have spent a fortune on a new wardrobe, as absolutely nothing fits me, it has been fun though, finally I match the inside me with outside me.
It also seems that I have managed to do this without looking haggard in th face, going from 12 stone to 9 stone in 9 months I would have thought would do that to some one, my skin is still bouyant, I have not gained any wrinkles, infant the opposite, I have noticed that even my eyelashes have become longer.  None of what I have done has been difficult once I got the sugar out of my system, and understood how horrible it made me feel, I have been more full up and satisfied, then ever before, I don't need to snack, and I have wonderful energy I have not had in years.  I also sleep well and wake up well.

I wish I had known much of this when my father was alive, I could have helped him, well tried my brother thinks he would not have taken any notice, which I guess is true, like many other people I have met along the way, one girlfriend who was over on a visit from Hong Kong, who has already had a small heart attack and has been diagnosed with diabetes at the Same time, looked horrified when I told her what I had been doing, she wanted to know, because she did not recognise me from a distance, she asked why, I told her and that's when she said "oh! I was diagnosed with that a few years ago, but I just took the medication, thought it was a bit like a bad case of dandruff". She is not
a stupid person generally, had a good education, so I was surprised at her attitude.  I tried to explain as she seemed very interested in my transformation, when I had finished she proclaimed, she could not possibly manage that as she liked carbs with her carbs, well yeah so did I, to me though it is a no brainer, surely changing the way one eats to save an actual organ inside your body, and all the complications that can bring, has got to be better than pouting and stamping your foot, and proclaiming " I like bread with my chips" or something equally ridiculous.

All the losing weight and healthy looking everything else, is just a side effect of eating a healthy diet, I was not looking for it, all I wanted was for my pancreas to get better.  It's a healthy diet for me personally, other people can tolerate all kinds of things, even other diabetic people, it is a very individualistic type of illness, many other diabetics can eat porridge, or brown rice, I am hoping, as time goes by I might be able to tolerate theses things too.  I do not suggest, that low carbing is a good way to go for Anyone else, it has taken much trial and error on my behalf, and a bit of a wing and a prayer, especially the fat intake.  It's been hard work folks, I know I can do this for the rest of my life, and I know I will always be tweaking my diet and finding more and varied ways of eating, for me that sounds exciting.

I seem to remember mythering about the weather the last time I was here, well, it's been the most wonderful summer we have had in years, I have enjoyed every moment of it and so has Poppy!

This is her wanting to go out for a walk, but not wanting to bother me, in case I said no.

It's been great weather for this too, makes me very happy.

Some things I see walking to and from the woods in my village

Not terribly exciting, but very authentic.

Just like to say thank you for all the support I have received via e mail and comments, you are all. Wry kind.