Diabetes Update!

Rented a car and drove 5 hours each way to see my new Endocrinologist @ the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN again. He couldn't be more pleased!

After all the fighting to get the Dexcom G6 G6 Continuous Glucose Monitor and the expense of buying the FreeStyle Libre sensors out of pocket he says I don't need either. (I will use the remaining sensors for the remaining 28 days). Low blood sugars are no longer a concern... he says they won't happen with just Metformin. He wants me to do just one finger stick a day at different times to make sure things continue the same and get an A1C in about 3 months - Primary can do it close to "home".

For now he doesn't really need to see me again!

Diet and Pancreas both working...

That is amazing news, I need to start doing something physical myself to finish off my weight loss. Seems I have leveled out, but lost 30 to 35 lbs since I started school in February.

Great going Marc.

That is amazing news, I need to start doing something physical myself to finish off my weight loss. Seems I have leveled out, but lost 30 to 35 lbs since I started school in February.

Great going Marc.

Pete E.!

Great job Marc! I cant recall what have you done that's resulted in your weight loss? I do pretty good at dropping weight for a couple weeks then lose motivation and gain it back.

I'm the same way Rob I was down about 20 lbs but I gained 13 back. I just turned 30 in October and plan on getting pretty serious about it this year. When a 60+ year old driver can run circles around me it's been a real eye opener

I'm the same way Rob I was down about 20 lbs but I gained 13 back. I just turned 30 in October and plan on getting pretty serious about it this year. When a 60+ year old driver can run circles around me it's been a real eye opener

Rob.

So I came up with my own diet. Of course it started with a fast/cleanse for my surgery preparation and a gradual return to solid food. Don't recommend all that but hey! If you fast (Yom Kippur, Ramadan, etc.) or give up things for Lent, or just get a stomach flu - these are all great ways to get started!

I just gave up most carbs and made smart substitutions. Instead of a giant burrito I went to a bowl - easy on the rice and beans. Instead of a sandwich I had a wrap. Instead of a BLT with the bread and a ton of bacon and mayo I made a nice salad and put 4 pieces of bacon crumbles on it. Satisfied the bacon desire at a much lower calorie and carb count.

Thinking about your "plateau"... fortunately I didn't have that problem but if I did I would just drop a few more things. If eating sandwiches go to wraps. If wraps, go to a bowl. If at a bowl, less rice and beans and more veggies and meat. Unless you are fasting there is ALWAYS SOMETHING you can swap out for something better!

On another diet years ago I learned portion control - this is also key! 4 oz. of red meat, 6 oz. of poultry or pork or 8 oz. of fish are about the same calories. If really hungry eat the fish. If craving a steak make it a petite fillet. If craving a sweet, eat it! But don't eat 10 and don't do it every day!

Just because it is on a plate doesn't mean it has to go in ones stomach! Eat 1/2 and take the rest home. Dining out gets much more reasonable! Leave the "sides". Drop the foods that you eat addictively. Used to eat veggie rice crisps with spinach artichoke dip from Costco. Tasty, reasonably healthy and affordable. But I would eat 30 - 45 "chips" with dip and then 15-30 more as snack chips. About 3.5 units of insulin per 15 chips, plus more for the dip. That had no business going in my cart on my diet. I even threw away Alaskan Wld-Caught Salmon Lox to avoid the bagel carbs.!

Eat to Live don't Live to eat!

One trick I used years ago was to open the peanut butter, inhale it deeply and close it up and put it away! (Pretending I ate it). 5 minutes later I had had the "experience" but not the calories! Or put a little on celery, not a huge PBJ sammich!

Just find what works for you and stick to it. Eventually the positive results feed the process - like a feedback loop. I now buy 34" waist pants, down from 38" most of my adult life. I like the way my gut looks in the mirror. I enjoy getting on a scale at the gym.

Eat less (and smarter). Move more. It's a pretty simple concept really!

When a 60+ year old driver can run circles around me it's been a real eye opener

Bobcat... you mean me? I'm not a Driver... I just play one at company training camps!

(Drivers can back! - At least that's what they keep telling me!)

Congratulations Marc... I'm really struggling right now with weight loss. I have three or four good days and then when a stressful day hits I medicate with food. I have a lot of things on the peripheral going on besides driving. Really proud of your persistence. I've got to find the determination. My blood pressure is still in the acceptable range but I need to lose weight. The good thing is I have cut the sugar out. I don't even drink diet drinks anymore. It's unsweetened tea and straight coffee instead of the diet dew

Congratulations Marc... I'm really struggling right now with weight loss. I have three or four good days and then when a stressful day hits I medicate with food. I have a lot of things on the peripheral going on besides driving. Really proud of your persistence. I've got to find the determination. My blood pressure is still in the acceptable range but I need to lose weight. The good thing is I have cut the sugar out. I don't even drink diet drinks anymore. It's unsweetened tea and straight coffee instead of the diet dew

Junkyard, I feel your pain. I often think that food obsessions are one of the hardest with which to deal.

There is no magic answer, no silver bullet. For me it comes down to making better choices more often. And when I "give in" (writing this sitting next to the empty plate where a small slice of strawberry cheesecake briefly rested), I try not to go too far astray food too long.

I wish you nothing but the best as you struggle to find what works for you!