Sunday 30 November 2008

Bleurgh

A head full of cold and a very busy week at work have conspired to mean no exercise.

Just over a week ago I had a conversation with a colleague who, as a result of a routine healthcheck, was diagnosed with diabetes in the summer. He is not as old as me or as overweight. He is a pleasant chap and he talked quite a lot about the shock he had and how he is dealing with it. Basically he has cut out all sugar, has lost weight and feels much better in many ways.

As far as I know I do not have diabetes at the moment (last blood test did not show it anyway) but my Mum has type II, and I have many of the risk indicators.
Every time I speak to my Mum on the phone she asks about my weight; it makes me impatient, but as both her parents and a sister died in their 50s from strokes I have recently realised how anxious she is about me dying before her.
So the result of all this is that I have a renewed keenness to improve my diet.

So since that conversation I have cut (as far as possible) added sugar foods - so no cakes, biscuits etc and tried to eat more fruit and veg. It has been good and I now don't really think too much about it. 10 days completed - including selling fairtrade chocolate at the school bazaar and on a stall sited next to the cake stall!!

A long time ago Womble wrote 'The changes that work are the small ones that you can stick to and are easy to do, one by one.'

So the sugar has gone - it is not a small change but it is just one change and for me it seems easier to just have not biscuits or cake than say, well I can have one but no more. Losing the habit is better.

Next is cutting down on the fat. I have a lot of bad habits in that department. And I can cut those in small changes - no spread in the sandwiches is this weeks change.

Sorry this has been self indulgent.

4 comments:

Highway Kind said...

I think a lot of our eating is a matter of habit and breaking old habits and establishing new is difficult.

Often, without thinking we will revert to old ways because it is difficult to be alert all of the time.

That is why you have to break things down to a day at a time and only focus on that. If you can check-off 21 consecutive days, the chances are you have established the new pattern and things are then easier.

Anyway this is not a self indulgent post - you know you have the support of all of us here.

Anonymous said...

I think you are doing just the right thing. It is very, very difficult to break the habits of many years, and Highway is quite right - a small change at a time.

You are one of the least self-indulgent people I know so don't worry. And it may repay you to look at a low GI diet and not reduce the fats too much.I have an excellent cookbook by Anthony Worrall Thompson with some really good recipes. He has pre Type II syndrome and has managed his weight and blood sugar using this type of diet. I will bring it to the East Mids RW do...

Meanwhile do look after yourself.

womble said...

:o))

Highway Kind said...

Hope you had a good Christmas and will have a happy New Year