Going Natural - Part 1

Myth, Mystery, Truth, or Money Grab?

Many of you can tell by my post I am a big fan of doing things the natural way and it has worked for me to a degree.  However, I do it with a lot of research and using some of the products myself.  In this series, I want to explore some of these natural methods to help us control our blood sugar levels and some of the good and bad with the products on the market.

Before getting into that, there has been much going on in my life and I just want you to know that I am in the middle of a struggle to get myself back to my blood sugar control of 4 months ago but I am trying to be a balancer of life and health - not easy and I want you all to know - taking medicines would be easy but they scare me as much as having an elevated blood sugar level.  I am not going to go through everything - just know that I need your support and prayers at this time to bring me strength.

Before going on, we have added many new readers to this blog and again I am blessed you are all here and want to say thank you and welcome.  I am also getting more and more comments and people reaching out to me.  I also want to thank you for that as I want this blog to be my journey but to share with you and hope it helps someone.  We have added readers from Romania, Portugal, Brazil, France, and Spain.  Welcome to all the new readers and you can register to be notified of new posts by putting in your email address - no one uses it and for sure I do not.  Many have reached out and have exchanged emails so we can have conversations and my email address is bob.dant@gmail.com.  Please feel free to reach out for private questions or things you want to say.

If you follow the comments people post you will find out our little group has lost one of those individuals we have been praying for - Dora.  She is a diabetic who lost the battle to this horrible disease but since she was suffering and had lost her legs, I know she is in a much better place and is in a place where there is no more suffering.  I am truly happy for her, but sad as we have lost one of loved sisters.  Along with Dora, who was in a nursing home,  the nursing home also lost one of the care givers to this disease along with the flu.  One of the care givers contracted the flu - went home and had a low and collapsed into a coma and did not recover.  In other words, a young person who was a type 1 diabetic, contracted the flu, and lost their life because the flu illness drove him to a low so significant, he collapsed and died.  We pray for him being in a more blessed place as well and saddened that he went as such an early age.

I also ask that you continue to pray for the passengers of MH370 and that soon and very soon we can solve that mystery.  Please keep these people in your prayers.

Natural Products 

Let me put this in a few simple statements that might outline our dilemma  and what I believe us diabetics must face:

1. We must trust our doctors with our health
2. Most medical doctors do not know alternative medicines and approaches
3. In the USA, a doctor can be sued for not following traditional medical approaches - so they do not take any risks leaving the risks to us
4. Big pharmaceutical companies makes billions off us diabetics - if you think not - look at the stripswe use each day and if you are lucky they are 35 cents per strip - making those items is less than 2 cents.  Want to read more about this market - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769893/ 
5.  Natural products are not regulated by the FDA - buyer beware
6. Outside the United States, other countries participate in monitoring research around alternative approaches and natural products

So for the majority of us it boils down to "Who can we trust?"  The answer is those close to us and those who have tried certain products with success.  That is why I write this blog - maybe a little help from someone who has tried the products.

In this series I will unveil those products and the companies that appear to deliver sold products.

I will also share sources of information that I have not tried and they might not work as well.  However, that does not mean they will not work.  One thing I am sure of in my research - there are many vultures out there will to prey on our bodies, fears, and our disease management program.

I have shared a lot regarding books about drugs and why I changed my course of action.  I will share other articles and information from those I am also learning to trust.  I will leave the rest up to you to decide.

I do caution you that in this series and approach - please read and also make sure you pay attention to my series on listening to your body and testing.  I also encourage you to listen to your doctor and have a good conversation with them if you are going to try something new.

We will discover everyone's claim that they can reverse diabetes and I am not sure what that means - especially now and in the current situation I find myself.  I will also talk about products that help curb our sweat tooth, help our bodies process better, and some research by these natural Doctor's, and yes they are also doctors but practice a different form of disease management.

God, please be with us through this series and help us to discover the truth about our disease and some of the natural methods you gave us in the very beginning to help with this disease.

Bob,

Managing Goals

Goals Can - Friend or Foe

By the time you read through this post you will understand where I have been and why I have not posted again for a while.  I do look forward to getting back to a regular schedule of posting 2 -3 posts per week.  I am hoping for 2 during the week and then Sunday to pay respect to God and what he has done for me.

I have not been keeping track of my diabetic statistics and again you will find out why in a moment.

I do want to welcome all visitors and we continue to attract new ones even when I take time out from posting.

I also ask you continue to pray for the 239 passengers on Malaysia flight MH370.  I also ask that you continue to pray for Gabby and that his conflicting diseases can be managed to a successful recovery.

Original Goal Posting

Set goals be realistic was my original post on setting goals and being realistic.  You can refer back to that post to see what my long term vision and goals entailed.

But if you do not want to go back - basically I was outlining how I want to get back into playing golf on a competitive basis as a reward for my work in getting my health under control. I think it is important to have these dreams so that when we are down or when the disease appears to be winning - we have some tools and weapons to use to fight off depression, anger, frustration, or any other down feelings.

When Goals Conflict

So I have basically two major goals I am working towards - health management and playing golf on a competitive basis again.  There are other goals and things I want to do but one is a needed goal and the other in my mind is a reward goal.

This past month these two goals were in conflict with each other and that is not good.  The goal of competing again was not clear or specific enough to measure - that is when a goal can go wrong.  I stated I wanted to be able to compete and in the beginning it meant just go out there and be able to play a couple of days at a tournament, not get tired, and post a respectable score.

Does not appear to be harmful at that level. Last week, I competed in my first event that meant something - The Tennessee State Sr. Olympics Qualifier.  If I could land first place in my age bracket I would go on to Nationals and if I posted a qualifying score of 80 I could go to nationals.  For me, to post an 80 is no problem as I have been practicing and knew I could do that.

All the time a goal change was happening in my mind and I did not recognize it and did not keep it in check or manage it.  My mind switched from thinking about competing and being respectable to "Let's do this and go to Nationals!"  I had set an unofficial goal and a goal not well defined in my mind.

I started spending each waking hour and moment on practice and that along with some unplanned time management scenarios, I was not getting to the gym as regular as I needed to and also found myself eating more on the course versus out of my kitchen.  My "healthy" goal started to take a back seat to my golfing goal - all because I was not planning or managing to the original goal.

So my weight has gone up a couple of pounds and my blood glucose levels have increased - to levels back last year when I was early in my journey.

So there I am stuck in a mindset where my mind, heart, and soul is driving out goals that I was not prepared to handle or manage properly.

The good news is, I did successfully qualify for Nationals next year - but at what price and was it all worth it. Now that it is all over, I would say no.  It is a big deal to be going to Nationals but not at a price of missing my health goals - so while the golf goal was helping me manage my health goal - it was a friend.  However, when it dominated and I forgot my health goal - it was an enemy or foe!  

BEWARE OF GOALS WEARING A CLOAK OF GOODNESS WHEN THEY ARE TRULY CLOAKED IN DISASTER.

In the Moment Goal Management

During the course of play - I did use some very good methods to overcome events that were impacting my golf game and I think explaining how I got through the round then can be matched to how we can use Goals and Goal Management to help us with our disease.

I am a member of the American Diabetes Association as you are aware.  Marty98 (we have handles) posted a comment a while back to someone who was struggling and Marty98 said something I could relate to - Managing In The Moment. She was discussing how she sometimes uses this just to get through the day - like okay "Now it is time to tie my shoe" and she focuses on the moment to get through it.

In golf, we call that "Managing your score, one shot at a time."  This is what got me thinking, how do we use these special techniques to help us get through our daily events and through life without this disease getting us down.

In my round of golf I was teamed with someone who would not stop talking and thought he was "Mr Know It All."  Now to a guy like me, that hurts as I know I am Mr. Know It All and I want no competition.  Not actually true but some of my close friends would find this funny.

So I was bothered the first day and shot a horrible score which took away the concept of winning.  So My goal on day 1 was to win but by the end of the day, I had a new goal - just qualify.  All along neither of those goals matched my original goal but they were the ones in my head that day.

On the second day I was paired with him again in the cart.  I was bound and determined I was not going to let him bother me.  To qualify, I had to shoot an 80 in my age bracket.  So I started off well but 3 holes into it he was getting to me again and I shot a 42 on the front side.  That meant I had to stay very clean for the back nine and shoot a score of 38 which is only 2 over par - the perfect score in golf.

As I made the turn or started to play the back nine, I tried to put myself in the moment and play one hole at a time.  As luck would have it, I boogied hole 10 and was now at the point I could only drop 1 more shot in the next 8 holes.  I was really in a bad way now and had to tighten my focus and goals.  I switched to one shot at a time and worked on taking the score out of my mind.  It was almost like "okay time to tie your shoe now."  But in my case it was I am here now and how do I get this ball in that hole in regulation.

I was successful in "living in the moment" or "one shot at a time" and it helped me reach my over all goal - qualify for Nationals.

How Does This Apply to Diabetes 

I think they are very similar in many ways and managing the "beast" within us is an every second job.  However, none of us can live that way and things do get in our way so we must be prepared to change and adopt as life throws us curves.

Blood Glucose Level

We have a meter, a finger prick, and an instant reading on how our blood glucose level is at that given moment.  We can live in this moment to decide what to do.  If it is high, maybe a little walk to bring it down is important.  If I am a little low, maybe I need to eat something.  Or maybe it is okay but I have not eaten for a while so should I consume some food or not and how much.

The meter can be used to define for us a current situation and then we train ourselves to live by the reading.

On a longer term basis, we have our A1c that is a 60-90 day average of our blood glucose reading.  I am always amazed at this knowing our bodies know how important all of this is to be able to have an average built into our blood DNA.  This helps us establish a more realistic goal - what do I want to be at the next test.  We reach this goal by monitoring our meter and making sure we monitor our blood glucose level "in the now."  It is simple then to monitor - go in, take the test, and see how we are doing with our goal.  Much like my qualifying 80, I am okay - could do better but I reached my goal.  Or maybe I did did not qualify and what can I do better the next time.

From there it is time to look at the next visit and determine what the new goal will be and how will we manage to that goal.

Life's Interfering Moments

Like my golf game, life throws things at us on a regular basis - just to keep us on our toes.  When these events hit - like our meters, we need to manage through the moment or take one shot at a time - okay breath, relax, deal with the change, and put a new course in place.

Many times people ask what I do in these situations when frustration hits, or depression comes calling, or maybe I am happy and want to celebrate.

There is no easy answer and since I am in computers and not a psychologist ,  I am not the one to answer the question.  However, I do have some things that I use to help manage through the event and stay the course:

1. Change is going to happen, learn to embrace the change and put a plan in action.  If you know the Serenity Prayer, you learn to accept the things you cannot change and change the things you can.  In simple terms, learn to know what is in your power to control and manage, the rest give it up to your Higher Power to help guide you through those times

2.  Breath or relax.  Make you first reaction to a change as taking a breath and slowing down your mind so you are in control not your emotions.  Give you mind a chance to do what it does best - rationalize what it knows and move you out of harm's way.  Often times we fight this and that causes us to stay worried as we have no plan to manage the moment.

3. When depression sits in, I have learned to identify it quickly.  I am lucky as I am not clinically depressed - so keep in mind, I am not talking to those who are.  I am talking to those of us who can manage it on our own.  Once I identify I am depressed, I get myself up and usually go exercise to get the mind and body working again.  Or I read a good book or listen to Christian music - find something that lifts you up.

I hope all of this makes sense.

May God grant us the ability to live in the moment and not think of the past and worry about the future.  May he allow us the wisdom to know how living in the moment and making each moment a success will allow us to reach our goals with success.  May he also help us set goals that make sense for us and not the other guy.

Bob,

 

Time Out From Diabetes

Thinking of Extended Family

Weight:            185

Morning FBS:  126

Tonight:             93

Daily Meal:

Breakfast was green drink

Lunch was a large taco salad

Evening meal was veggie meat balls with 1/2 cup spaghetti and scalloped potatoes.

Bedtime snack was an apple and handful of chips

Day two is looking pretty good.

I have had some requests and comments over the past couple of weeks that went into my spam box - mainly because someone added a link to their blog and my blog engine sees that as spam so it took me a while to find the spam folder and respond.  If you want to leave a comment on this blog, and you want to make sure everyone can see the comment, please do not add links to outside sites.  You can send those to my personal email address.

Just getting back into the community and watching the news had me thinking of our readers as an extended family and how much we should keep them in our minds and prayers.  So instead of adding anything about being diabetics and adding new topics, I thought today I would dedicate this post to individuals I know and those reading this blog.  I want to send up my prayers for them and also ask you as readers to do the same thing.

Malaysia

We have several readers from Malaysia and everyone must now know about the plane that went missing 11 days ago and how it might now be a hijacker event.  Either way, there are hundreds of people on that plane and are either suffering at the moment or have perished.  I hope none of our readers are on that plane or have family members on the plane.

Heavenly Father, please find it in your heart to be with those passengers and help them find a little comfort in their potentially terrible situation.  If they have perished, please find it in your heart to take them home.

Ukraine

We also have several people from Ukraine that read our blog.  It should not matter to us who is right or wrong in the current situation.  I am sure some people will feel more comfortable in the Russian family and others feel better aligning with the EU.  It would have been nice in my mind if the people would have had an open and honest opportunity to vote their hearts.

Heavenly Father, we ask that you be with the people in Ukraine and if this is truly their desire then let the region move back to peace.  I pray that our readers are not in harms way at the moment.

UK

From an earlier post you found out I had a friend in London who is suffering from an inoperable brain tumor.  He is doing well and I do not get to spend that much time on the phone with him and it has been a couple of years since I have had the chance to be with him.

Heavenly Father, please be with my friend in London and continue to reward him with a good life with you and his new found partner.  I also want to thank you for the years he has been given and how you have helped extend his life and his quality of life.

US 

This list is made up of friends, family, ADA members, and readers of this blog.

My wife suffers from deteriorating ligaments and muscles in her thumbs.  There are days she cannot use them.  Her only relief is to fuse them and lock them in place.  Not a good option for her at the moment.

I have just found out that a very close cousin of mine has cancer of the throat and the same cancer on his lungs.  He just started treatment today.

I have a long time friend who has been battling cancer and is always in a fight state as they cannot completely clear  the cancer as it finds locations in the body and hides for a while and then comes back.  His life is a constant on and off switch.

A military friend from 40 years ago is a Vietnam veteran and now has Parkinson disease from Agent Orange.  Killed in that crazy war and did not even know it.  He is in good spirits and I got a chance to see him this past Christmas vacation.

My partner at work was just told they are going to finally replace his knee and that is actually great news as he can hardly walk and is on heavy drugs.

Marty and her husband Gabby need our prayers as Gabby's health continues to be up and down.  Marty is the one who often adds a lot of comments and is a walking talking dictionary when it comes to diabetes and a very good supplier of comments on this blog.

Dora is an individual we have mentioned before and a person who Marty helps bring a little happiness into her life as Dora lives in the same home as Marty's mother.  Dora is slipping and now has cancer.  She has lst body parts because of this disease - so she has had a troubling life.

Dolores is a friend from the ADA and while she is not struggling at the moment or complaining, she has heart problems along with diabetes.  Something that happens to a lot of diabetics.

There are countless people on the ADA and they have other serious issues and battle health issues along with diabetes.

 

Heavenly Father, while we know you do not bring these diseases and troubles upon us, we do know and believe you can help us deal with the trouble daily.  The Bible tells us to bring our problems to you and lay them at your feet and you will help.  We ask now that being relief to our extended family members.  Especially those like Dora who are nearly that glorious moment when she will be coming home to a peaceful life with you for eternity.  We ask that you provide relief while she prepares for her journey to cross over into eternity.  For others that are battling and still have a solid foot on this side of that journey that play an important role in the reduction of their suffering and help them life as fruitful life as possible.

We also thank you for each day you give us and each meal we are provided.  We thank you for the roofs over our head and the opportunity to be an extended family with you in the center.

Bob,

Diet or Meal Planning? Part 9

Pulling It All Together

Based on a few comments from my last post on this subject - readers appeared to be a little confused and I apologize for that.

I want to clarify something - I did not mean just pick one of these diets and follow it or that losing weight is the goal.  As I said, I hate the word diet when most of these "diets" also talk about how much to eat, exercise, and other life style elements.

So what did I really mean?  I will cover that in a moment.

I want to take this moment to welcome our newest readers that have joined since we last welcomed readers.  We have picked up several readers in Germany, Poland, Indonesia, Holland, and the UK.  I cannot tell who you are; but, I can see the countries viewing the blog and based on the number of increased readers from these countries.  Welcome and please feel free to add commetns for all our readers to see or send me comments to bob.dant@gmail.com. 

Diet Food Groups

The concept of the different diets is to find those that help you with maintaining a healthy eating life style that might help your disease, say cancer, or high blood pressure, or diabetes.  As I mentioned, I selected the Mediterranean Diet for several reasons:

1. My wife uses the basic foods in this diet plan and has for many years - I felt important we can share like foods as a couple
2. I have posted before that there are some very strong research that a Vegan diet helps diabetics control blood sugars as animal products cause cells to reject glucose absorption
3. I tried being a Vegan and found I still like my meat so how do I balance that craving
4. The diet plan is more about the food groups allowed versus following a very strict diet or meal plan

Mediterranean Food Group - I have highlighted the foods I like

Vegetables

Artichokes, beets, brussel sprouts, carrots, celeriac, collard, dandelion greens, fennel, leeks, lettuce, mache, mustard greens, Okra, Peas, Potatoes, Purslane, rutabaga (turnip), shallots, sweet potatoes (yams), zucchini, swede, scallions (spring onions), radishes, pumpkin, peppers (red, green, yellow, orange), Onions (red, brown and white), nettles, mushrooms, lettuce, kale, eggplant (aubergine), cucumber, chicory, celery, cabbage, broccoli, Arugula (rocket).

Fruits

Avocado, tomatoes, apples, tangerines, apricots, strawberries, cherries, pomegranates, clementine mandarines, pears, dates, peaches, figs, olives, grapefruit, nectarines, grapes, melons and oranges

Grains - I try not to eat many of these except brown rice

Whole grain breads, barley, millet, oats, rice, polenta, bulgur, couscous, buckwheat, durum, wheatberries and faro.

Fish and Seafood

Yellowtail, abalone, clams, cockles, crab, lobster, flounder, eel, octopus, squid (calamari), oysters, mussels, mackerel, tilapia, salmon, sea bass, tuna, sardines, whelk and shrimp

Poultry and Eggs - not my favorite except eggs and I am allergic to them

Chicken, guinea fowl, duck, chicken eggs, duck eggs, quail eggs.

Cheese and Yogurt

Brie, feta (fetta), Corvo, chevre, ricotta, parmigiana-reggiano, manchego, pecorino, haloumi, Greek yogurt and flavored yogurt.

Nuts and Seeds

Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachio, sesame seeds (tahini) and walnuts

Legumes

Cannellini, chickpeas, fava (broadbeans), kidney, green beans, lentils and split peas.

Herbs and Spices

Anise, zatar spice mix, chillies, basil, garlic, fennel, bay leaf, clove, lavender, cumin, oregano, mint, marjoram, sage, pul biber (also known as halaby pepper, aleppo pepper and flake pepper), parsley, rosemary, savory, thyme, sumac and tarragon

Meats

Pork, beef, lamb, mutton and goat.

Sweets - remember in an earlier blog - I love sweets

Creme caramel, baklava, tiramisu, sorbet, biscotti, chocolate, chocolate mousse, Turkish delight, kunefe, gelato and fruit tarts.

Water and Wine

People of the Mediterranean generally drink around six glasses of water per day plus 1-2 glasses of red wine (one glass each with lunch and dinner).

So I selected the food groups I like and now I start to look for ways to fill out my meal plan.  This entire series was about foods we need to add and those we need to eliminate or reduce.  Notice this diet does not allow the adding of salt - some do.  So I can have other spices in the foods I eat.

The next step is to come up with some dishes you like and then combine them into meals that:

1. Produce the right level of calories
2. Introduces the right nutritional values
3. Adds the right blend of vitamins to help your body

Remember the posts and series on "What Does My Body Want From Me?" was about knowing how your body reacts to several life events - including eating.  Some people call this as Eating By The Meter, in other words test before and after eating - see what the food is doing for you.

Balance in exercise and other activity.

My Day Today

I was 110 on the meter tonight.  I spent two hours in the gym with one hour on high treadmill work and burned 700+ calories along with lifting weights for 1 hour another 400+ calories.  So you must know what you burn in a day along with what you take in.

I want to lose a little weigh again so 1,100 calories being consumed and I want to be around 1500 calories means I should think about consuming 2,200 - 2,500 calories.

Today I consumed about 1,500 calories and I will explain in a minute; so after exercise tonight I was running 110 on the meter but my body was crying for some calories so I needed to eat something for my body.  So given the meter at 110 and needing calories, I could afford some carbohydrates along with a little fat to help sustain the body needs.

My meal plan for the day started with my Green Drink (about 40 calories and 10 carbohydrates).  My noon meal was a very good salad with lettuce, peppers, onions, berries, and an egg.  One of my favorite salads.

My evening meal was a serving of scalloped potatoes.  Again, low in calories but higher in carbohydrates because I was going to work out.

At the end of the day - I am not totally balanced on intake and outgoing calories along with other nutrients I need.  In the end - it is about knowing your body and following the proper portion of the foods from the diet plan you have selected.

I know many of you do an excellent job of cooking for yourself or your family - and having a basic plan does not eliminate hard work in planning what you eat, exercise, and other life style factors.  For others, having a diet plan does not reduce your need to work hard as well.

I hope this helps a little - as I continue my journey I will keep you posted how my meal planning is working out.

God, grant us the knowledge to know and take care of our body, mind, and soul.  As much as we think about feeding our body, we must also feed our soul as we do not live on bread alone.  We must also stimulate our minds and you have provided us a book to help stimulate our minds as well.  We thank you for providing the basics of life to allow us to live the life style we want and what our body wants.

Bob,

Diet or Meal Planning? Part 8

Life Throws a Lot Of Curve Balls

This past month I have been finishing up a project.  Many of you know I work in the technology industry and have been working for the past 18 months on a large project for a major health care company - well we finished it this past week.  The last month we have been rolling out 2-3 clinics a week as we got behind on time and budget and just had to get it done.  I had many 65-70 hour weeks.  Nice money but can be hectic.

In the meantime, we have still continued to add readers.  I am just grateful this continues to reach people.  And at least one person has now stepped forward and stated this blog was a great find for them and they have learned a lot.  I am grateful for that as that is still my desire.

I want to finish up this series and then evaluate where I will go with the Blog and more information.  I have found another amazing book that has some good ole' fashion methods of helping with diabetes and how to avoid medicines while staying in control of the beast within us all.

I have not been testing regularly and will get back to a journal starting Monday as I have to get my self back on track and ready for the golf season.

Diets

I will not try to steal anyone's thunder or take their material without giving them credit.  This post will be a lot from the following link as they cover the hundreds of diets out there and even rated them on how to find the right diet for you.  

US News completed an article on the top diets out there and I used this site to help me determine the diet plan I will be using - and I hate that word - I want to call it meal plan.

I have selected the Mediterranean Diet and it is not necessarily the right one for me but my wife has been following this meal plan her entire life, more greens than meat, no red meat, and lots of fruits.  She is very healthy and has great numbers when she goes to the doctors.

US News Rankings

"U.S. News evaluated and ranked the 32 diets below with input from a panel of health experts. To be top-rated, a diet had to be relatively easy to follow, nutritious, safe and effective for weight loss and against diabetes and heart disease. The government-endorsed Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) snagged the top spot."

If you have been following this series, I have taken a lot of material from the US Government public material.  They push the DASH diet and most of the material drives towards that diet in the end.  Sense high blood pressure is use a mate with diabetes and also a stand alone disease, it just makes sense we all should be worrying about our high blood pressure as well.  This is the more balanced diet for general purposes.

US News Top Ten - along with the link to the article and study - each of the diets below have a link.  Enjoy the reading.

DASH Diet

DASH was developed to fight high blood pressure, not as an all-purpose diet. But it certainly looked like an all-star to our panel of experts, who gave it high marks for its nutritional completeness, safety, ability to prevent or control diabetes, and role in supporting heart health. Though obscure, it beat out a field full of better-known diets.

TLC Diet

Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes, or TLC, is a very solid diet plan created by the National Institutes of Health. It has no major weaknesses, and it’s particularly good at promoting cardiovascular health. One expert described it as a “very healthful, complete, safe diet.” But it requires a “do-it-yourself” approach, in contrast to the hand-holding provided by some commercial diets.

Mayo Clinic Diet

This is the Mayo Clinic’s take on how to make healthy eating a lifelong habit. It earned especially high ratings from our experts for its nutrition and safety and as a tool against diabetes. Experts found it moderately effective for weight loss.

Mediterranean Diet

With its emphasis on fruits and vegetables, olive oil, fish, and other healthy fare, the Mediterranean diet is eminently sensible. And experts’ assessments of it were resoundingly positive, giving this diet an edge over many competitors.

Weight Watchers

Weight Watchers is a smart, effective diet. It surpassed other commercial diet plans in multiple areas, including short- and long-term weight loss and how easy it is to follow. It’s also nutritionally sound and safe, according to experts. Among its pluses: An emphasis on group support, lots of fruits and vegetables, and room for occasional indulgences.

Flexitarian Diet

The Flexitarian diet, which emphasizes fruits, veggies, whole grains, and plant-based protein, is a smart and healthy choice. It outperformed many of its competitors, with particularly high scores in nutritional completeness, easiness to follow, and long-term weight loss. One panelist noted that this diet is “a nice approach that could work for the whole family,” and another described it as a “very good” plan.

Volumetrics

Volumetrics outperformed its competitors in many categories. It earned particularly high marks for being safe and nutritious, and experts said it could have a positive effect on heart health and diabetes. “This is an eating plan that everyone can benefit from,” one expert said.

Jenny Craig

Jenny Craig drew praise from experts for being easy to follow, nutritionally complete and safe, and for offering dieters emotional support. But these experts were lukewarm about its potential to bolster heart health or help diabetics. Experts also noted that Jenny Craig’s cost could be a roadblock for some.

Biggest Loser Diet

The diet received high marks for short-term weight loss, safety, and soundness as a regimen for diabetes, and it was rated moderately effective for heart health. But many panelists felt that in a sea of diets, it’s not overly special, and one said it’s merely “capitalizing on the name” of the popular TV show.

Ornish Diet

The Ornish diet got a mixed reaction from experts. On one hand, it’s nutritionally sound, safe, and tremendously heart-healthy. On the other, it’s not easy for dieters to adhere to the severe fat restriction the diet demands.

Traditional Asian Diet

The Asian diet is a reasonable choice for an eating pattern, landing around the middle of the pack of ranked diets. Experts handed out high marks in nutrition and safety, but doubted the plan’s ability to deliver short- or long-term weight loss.

Top Meal Plans for Diabetics

From the article, they also classified the diets according to your needs or conditions.  Since we are all diabetics or most likely diabetics, I thought knowing the top diet plans for our condition was important to outline.

"Diet is a crucial tool for managing diabetes, and weight loss can help people who are overweight prevent Type 2 diabetes. The experts who rated the 32 diets below evaluated each one on its ability to both prevent and manage diabetes. The Biggest Loser Diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), an eating plan endorsed by the government, came out on top."

As I have stated many times, we must all live our life in the easiest possible method or it gets difficult to manage.  My wife lives the Mediterranean diet before it was even a known diet plan.  So for me, her shopping and mine will match up better if I am on this plan.  So I have chosen based on my personal needs and best method - you must do the same.

Biggest Loser Diet

The plan, which revolves around healthy eating and exercise, tied for the top position as a diet for managing or preventing diabetes. The approach is generally viewed as an ideal eating pattern for both.

DASH Diet

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, edged out several other diets as a diabetes weapon, in the judgment of our expert panelists. Its emphasis on whole grains, fruits, and veggies matches the sort of nutritional prescription that diabetics frequently hear their doctors recommend.

Engine 2 Diet

The Engine 2 diet earned 3.5 stars, tieing for third place in the diabetes category. The plan should help dieters drop pounds—and being overweight is one of the greatest risk factors for developing diabetes. Plus, it includes a fitness regimen, which is key for diabetes prevention and control.

Flexitarian Diet

The Flexitarian diet earned an above-average score in the diabetes category. Eliminating meat typically leads to consuming fewer calories, and losing weight—and keeping it off—is essential for preventing type 2 diabetes.

Mayo Clinic Diet

The diet’s eating guidelines and fitness advice are a compelling combination for preventing or controlling diabetes. Its focus is on coaching dieters to develop healthy, lasting habits around which foods they choose to eat and which to avoid.

Ornish Diet

The Ornish diet is a good option for preventing or controlling diabetes, experts concluded. It’s low in saturated fat and cholesterol, which matches the guidelines of the American Diabetes Association, and it has been found to lower A1C level in diabetics, a positive signal of better control over blood sugar.

Vegan Diet

As a diet for managing diabetes, veganism is a smart option, some experts said. It could also help prevent the condition, since it helps dieters drop pounds—and being overweight is one of the greatest risk factors for developing diabetes.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet

The Anti-Inflammatory diet earned a respectable 3.6 stars for diabetes control and prevention. It’s based on a Mediterranean-style diet, which can reverse metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors that can lead to diabetes. However, some experts noted that diabetes patients should exercise additional caution, since daily protein is “on the high side.”

Mediterranean Diet

Experts gave this diet relatively high marks when it comes to preventing or controlling diabetes. Research suggests a healthy Mediterranean-style diet can reverse the metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors that can lead to diabetes.

Vegetarian Diet

On the whole, experts think the vegetarian diet has real ability to help prevent or control diabetes. Followed right, the diet emphasizes many of the foods Americans should eat to maintain a healthy, disease-free lifestyle.

Meal Planning Software

I tried to find some good software that helps - but they all come with a price.  Since I found all of them on the internet and do not really want to push any based on that fact - I will let you do you own research in that area.

I do plan on selecting one of those products just to see how they work.  I do plan on building a software product for us diabetics.

For now I think it important for you to select a Meal Plan and a Lifestyle.  Most of these diets come packed to help you in both areas.  But pick one, study it, sit down with your support team and develop an Eating Lifestyle just like you have for exercise.

We have diabetes and managing Lifestyle elements  like eating, exercise, medications, supplements, and stress are critical.

God thank you for bringing in groups like US News who produced such a wonderful comparison of all the diet plans today.  Help us to understand our bodies and help us select the one plan that is right for us.  Please guide us in our new path and give us the strength and courage to stay with our new Meal Plan.

Bob,

The Value of A Higher Power - Part 4

Teaches Us How To Live - And To Die

FBS - 02/16/2014 - 135.  I am still running high and trying to get back to norm.  However, last night I played cards with our new neighbors group and I had great cards and great food - so I won at cards and lost the meter game.  By the way I was high man and my wife was high lady - a good night for the Dant's and the cards.

BP - 02/16/2014 - 139/78 - not bad after giving up my medicines and not taking anything over the past 2 weeks.  I will have to monitor closely as now it has returned to normal and I have to be careful.

This sure seems like a morbid topic or it could be.  But I think it a fact of life us diabetics live with constant life threatening events like losing limbs, heart failure, and many other related illnesses and threats on our life.  Therefore, I think it valuable that we have a higher power who can help us deal with both subjects.

David's story

I have a close friend and partner in London.  A few years back David was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.  Doctors told David he had till the end of the year to live and his diagnoses come in June - 6 months to live at the longest.

I struggled with what I was going to do as I knew I was going to see him but what would I say, how would I handle the situation, and how would I say goodbye.

Then as I discussed this with my Higher Power - God, I received a simple answer to my question.  Go see David and take him the Book of Life and Death - the Bible.  I went to see David on his birthday - or the day after - in August.  The first night I was there I presented David with the Bible I had wrapped to give him as a present.  Before giving David the Bible, I explained it would either be the best gift he could receive or it was going to be a disaster for both of us.  I did not know David's belief system - yet I knew he knew mine.  So I was afraid David would be offended and might take my meaning wrong.

I should have known that if God sent me the message then it would be OK.  It turns out God did know best.  David and I had a solid discussion about how the Word of God teaches us how to live and how to prepare for death.  My intent was to remove or reduce David's burden knowing he only had 6 month's to live.  We also discussed his childhood and how his parents took him to church but when he become older he moved God out of his daily life but still believed.

So David and I agreed that only he and God would decide when he was going to leave this earth and we as a team were going to spend time preparing David.  I explained to David that I think my God loves it when his children lean into him for help and comfort.  So going to church and reading the Bible and using it for comfort - I thought was just what he wanted.

Well, David's story could take a blog all by itself - but we should cut it short here.  David did pick up the Bible and went to church with me that Sunday.  After I left, David had many thoughts and figured it would not hurt to get to know God again, so he went back to his church that his parents took him to.  At a Sunday service, David ran into a female friend he used to work with and they liked each a lot when they worked together.  Long story short - David has a new life and a new soul mate.  The two of them now enjoy a lot of time together, travel together, go to church together, and share each other's life threats and successes.

Yes, much to my surprise and David's surprise; God did use me to send a message to David, Time to start living, not dying.  David listened and he is living.  Yes, he will die like all of us - but not until he and God decide.  When he does, we both know where he is going.  By the way, I had an hour chat with David today and he is doing great although London is getting pounded with bad weather.

Love at first site

Many of you might know I am a Catholic and my wife and I also attend a non-denominational church.  So we go to two churches on Sunday. Today, like many times the sermons were the same and each reminded me of the small things we should do in life to live as our High Power wants us to live.

Love at first site and what does that truly mean.  We were asked in the Catholic service if we believed in love at first site - and there was a split.  Father went on to explain how God sees love at first site and how the things in us do not allow us to see other humans for who they are and not to prejudge - but see them as his children.  If we come to meet someone with prejudice, anger, hate, and any other mean attitudes, how could we see the other person with love when all of that exists in our heart.

In the ADA community, we have an individual who posts things and gets beat up by the professionals and I am not sure why - other than his means of doing that do not come across right to the other members.  I think if they saw him as someone who was near death and pulled himself back out of his situation or if they saw him as someone who did that a certain way and had a certain believe, I think they would not be hard on him - they would actually congratulate him for fighting back.  You see, he appears to have different thoughts than many of those on the site.  Does that make him a bad person, no just has different thoughts.  So my God ask me first to see him as a Child of the King and then start there.  If I disagree I can do that without being mean or prejudice.

Us diabetics go through this all of the time and so do many people with ailments.  It is like when I am at a party or place for the first time and say "No thanks, I am a diabetic"; people will stop to think and then treat me different.  Why is that, I am a human being who happens to have a disease that cannot be cured call diabetes.  The reason, they have no knowledge of the disease and their first impression is I am a person who has not taken care of myself and therefore I am a bad person.  Too bad the world usually judges a book by its cover first.

Our Higher Power teaches us to love unconditionally and accept those around us for who they are. If we march through life being frustrated we are diabetics and carry a chip on our shoulder - we might miss seeing Love at First Site.  We might miss that small moment  when we get a chance to enjoy a small slice of life and create a moment.

Building friends

In the other church, the lesson was on building friends and how studies are now saying that friends and close friends are what gives long lasting life and helps manage so many ailments.  The concept is that building close friendships allows one to be free of mind and find support in others.  You did hear me right, having close friends can help with many ailments.

The example used was David and his relationship with Saul's son - Jonathan.  David and Jonathan had a life time friendship that was a priority to each in their life and that friendship helped them accept the adversity of life.  The friendship turned out to save them both in the end.

There are friends we have had for life time and we should nourish those relationships and also create new ones.  A person who has two or three close friends they can share their frustrations and joys with, be honest with, support and get support is invaluable in this attempt of ours to fight this disease.  Our friends will never judge us a bad because we are diabetics.

For me, I think the internet and communities allow us to develop a different kind of close friend - one we share the same situations (like diabetes) so we have the ability to generate close friends and share with each other, our ups and downs.

Back to the person who the community is a little rough on, then it does not always work out that everyone is going to be friends - some people will be and some people will not be friends.  We need to chose our friends so they bring these things to our life; support, openness, honesty, and the ability to express our deepest thoughts with someone who cares.

So if you have diabetes and reading this - join a group, build some relationships, get involved with those that suffer from the same disease - it will help.  Do not try to fight this as a lonely person, you must reach out to your High Power for all they provide, learn to live, get some friends, and go through life noticing love at first site in all of life's little moments.

 God grant us the ability to learn how live and die.  Give us the first love site we need to go though life and enjoy all the moments we are presented and to get the full view of the benefits we have received.  May you fill our hearts with lots of friends to help us manage our emotions along with our blood glucose levels.

Bob,

Diet or Meal Planning? Part 7

What should we increase in our diet

Again, I must apologize for taking so long to get back to this series - it is very important in managing our diabetes to manage what we eat, to make sure our bodies are getting the right supplements, and other nutritional products.

Some house keeping before getting into the topic.  People continue to find this blog and I want to welcome everyone to a blog that simply is designed to pass on what I have done and managing diabetes in my life.  I also want to thank my loyal readers for sticking out my time off.

I also want to take this time to ask you to lift up a couple of people to your higher power.  Dora and Gabby could really use your prayers at the moment as they are struggling with effects caused by diabetes and other diseases.  As I have said in the past, I thank God I am only diabetic.  I also ask that you lift up Lyndol as he has numerous illnesses and some procedures coming up.  Please add these people in your conversations with your higher power.

Where have we been on this subject

Since I have taken so much time off, I should do a little review.  The following list will allow you link back to the previous posts in this series.

Do I watch what I eat or plan what I eat - that is the question

http://robertdant.blogspot.com/2013/12/diet-or-meal-planning-part-1.html

Other Valuable Nutrients

http://robertdant.blogspot.com/2013/12/diet-or-meal-planning-part-2.html

USDA and HHS Guidelines - Introduction

http://robertdant.blogspot.com/2013/12/diet-or-meal-planning-part-3.html

Balancing Calories To Manage Weight

http://robertdant.blogspot.com/2013/12/diet-or-meal-planning-part-4.html

What Foods to Reduce

http://robertdant.blogspot.com/2013/12/diet-or-meal-planning-part-5.html

Unloading Fats

http://robertdant.blogspot.com/2013/12/diet-or-meal-planning-part-6.html

Again this series is based solely on the FDA and HHS guidelines.  Not that they are the only guidelines but they have some great information.

What the guidelines say about what we should add

"A wide variety of nutritious foods are available in the United States. However, many Americans do not eat the array of foods that will provide all needed nutrients while staying within calorie needs. In the United States, intakes of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, milk and milk products, and oils are lower than recommended. As a result, dietary intakes of several nutrients—potassium, dietary fiber, calcium, and vitamin D—are low enough to be of public health concern for both adults and children. Several other nutrients also are of concern for specific population groups, such as folic acid for women who are capable of becoming pregnant. Recommendations are based on evidence that consuming these foods within the context of an overall healthy eating pattern is associated with a health benefit or meeting nutrient needs. Guidance on food choices for a healthy eating pattern generally groups foods based on commonalities in nutrients provided and how the foods are viewed and used by consumers. The following recommendations provide advice about making choices from all food groups while balancing calorie needs.”

Here is what I and many Americans are guilty of - not knowing.  We have stopped buying products from farmers as it is cheaper to buy in large stores - so many of our products are picked long before they ripen by the nature of the product.  We have a tendency to take on way too many foods that have large amounts of preservatives.  I have lived outside the US and in many countries, you stop and buy your food each day so it is fresh as they do not have the preservatives we do have in our food in the US.  I think it is important for us diabetics to understand the food we eat and be careful.

I have two people in the ADA I trust and learn a lot from, Marty who has made comments here and Dolores.  Each have their focus in life and are amazing people in how they manage their diets, foods, and, supplements.  Marty can cook up anything from nothing and make it taste like a desert for the king.  Dolores has spent a long time getting to know supplements and vitamins our bodies need because we do not have the proper food intake.  She grows her own stuff so she knows the quality of the supplement or herb.

I find encouragement from both of these people and admire what they do.  If I had 10% of their courage and tenacity - I would be healthy - I have so much to learn.  Marty and Dolores, I know you read the blog - try not to shoot me for mentioning you - you are truly amazing and I think people should know that.

Key recommendations

Individuals should meet the following recommendations as part of a healthy eating pattern and while staying within their calorie needs.

Increase vegetable and fruit intake.

Eat a variety of vegetables, especially dark-green and red and orange vegetables and beans and peas.

Consume at least half of all grains as whole grains. Increase whole-grain intake by replacing refined grains with whole grains.

Increase intake of fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, such as milk, yogurt, cheese, or fortified soy beverages.

Choose a variety of protein foods, which include seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds.

Increase the amount and variety of seafood consumed by choosing seafood in place of some meat and poultry.

Replace protein foods that are higher in solid fats with choices that are lower in solid fats and calories and/or are sources of oils.

Use oils to replace solid fats where possible.

Choose foods that provide more potassium, dietary fiber, calcium, and vitamin D, which are nutrients of concern in American diets. These foods include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and milk and milk products.

Recommendations for Specific Population Groups

Women capable of becoming pregnant

Choose foods that supply heme iron, which is more readily absorbed by the body, additional iron sources, and enhancers of iron absorption such as vitamin C-rich foods.

Consume 400 micrograms (mcg) per day of synthetic folic acid (from fortified foods and/or supplements) in addition to food forms of folate from a varied diet. 

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding

Consume 8 to 12 ounces of seafood per week from a variety of seafood types.

Due to their methyl mercury content, limit white (albacore) tuna to 6 ounces per week and do not eat the following four types of fish: tilefish, shark, swordfish, and king mackerel.

If pregnant, take an iron supplement as recommended by an obstetrician or other health care provider. 

Individuals ages 50 years and older

Consume foods fortified with vitamin B12, such as fortified cereals, or dietary supplements.

My wife has been following these recommendations for years and she is very healthy - I might have been wise to listen to her a long time ago.  When I was a young man in the military, I had the opportunity to serve in Okinawa.  It was hard on me but it was the start of teaching me how to live with and understand people from other nations.  I always knew the Okinawan people lived a special life - now look they are trying to sell me the fact I can get that life in a bottle.  NO YOU CANNOT AND PLEASE DO NOT FALL FOR THESE FALSE STATEMENTS.  I do not advocate buying everything - no what and why you are buying something.

Do you want to know why the Okinawan people live longer, think of this live style and you will get it.  They all have community gardens and they grow their own food.  They share their crop with the community so there is a lot of natural products delivered daily - NO PRESERVATIVES.  They do not lock their homes as they are not worried about each other stealing or entering someone's home.  They live a very peaceful life with little stress.  They do not drive to work and live high stressed lives, they fish, they farm, they build homes for each other, and they live as family units taking care of each other.

YOU THINK YOU CAN PUT THAT IN A BOTTLE - NOT!  What is important and you should understand, what supplements are they putting in the bottle and will they help your situation.  

I think for now I will end this discussion as the aspect of what we should add to our food is critical and there is a lot of material and foods to add.  We have an idea of what to remove and what to add.  I think it is time to move on to the discussion of meal planning and what we can do.

The next post will be a small research on the Diets that exist out there and which ones might work given what we have discussed up to this point.

Although I detest the term Diet because it is associated with "limiting" something versus planning something.  However, in many circles or with legitimate Diets, they are attempting to help with meal planning.  Therefore, discussing some of these diets in the next post will help with meal planning.

God, please grant us the "will power' and knowledge to know what our bodies need and what we need to add to our food intake.  Give us the ability to listen to others and to learn from their successes and failures. 

On a personal note, God thank you for keeping my readers in my life and for them sending me messages and caring for me.  Thanks you for this opportunity to share my thoughts and how important you are in my life and in my Diabetes management.

Bob,

I Am Back and I Am Blessed

Where has Bob been?

I will get to all of that in this post but first want to thank those that were concerned and reached out.  I also am still amazed as this blog continues to find its way into the lives of people around the world.  I hope the material is / has helped someone to reach my level of success with my journey or even just helped them accept that being a diabetic is not a a hopeless state to be.

Morning fasting Blood Sugar levels:

02/10/2014 - 155
02/11/2014 - 116
02/12/2014 - 133

Yes that is horrible but when you find out what I have been up to I am good with these and actually shocked they might be this low.

Where was I?

My wife and I try to take Christmas and spend it with her aging parents in Florida.  She goes down there 4-5 times a year but Christmas is my time to go and spend a couple of weeks.  This year, I am on a contract that allows me to work remotely so I decided to take an extended time in Florida and try to rebuild my batteries as I was getting ready for some heavy work schedules coming in February.

During this time, I was going to put out a few posts but my machine at home shut down with a power outage and I had no access to my pc.  I have a laptop for my contract I am on hat machine but the machine belongs to my client and I can only do things back on the local servers when using their pc.  I can use the browser and log into my pc at home remotely but when it is not one it does not work.

So I apologize for no posts or contacts.

Why am I okay with my numbers being so high

When I went to Florida I thought what a good time to analyze my body and run some tests regarding my diabetes.  I am still a diabetic and have some solid proof that it is not cured, but I can put it under control.  I also bought a new book that has some great information regarding natural methods for controlling diabetes.  Many of the things I have been doing are in the book.  The book is Miracles From The Vault, Anthology of Underground Cures.  It is fascinating to learn of the science studies that have been conducted and have proven there are some natural cures out there for diabetes, cancer, joint ailments, and many other diseases.

I am cautioned about the word cures for diabetes but do understand what it means to remove cancer and be cured.  I will share this information in a series of blogs along the way.

Back to my tests.  I was going to be out around 6 weeks so thought I would see what thing appears to be the one thing that holds my BG level in check - not to hold you in suspense but I am convinced it is the supplements.

Test One - Remove Regimented Exercise

When I started my exercise program I had already dropped my BG level.  I have always suspected that exercise is more about life style and long term health.  DO NOT GET ME WRONG - EXERCISE IS A MUST.  So keep up the exercise for your mind, body, and soul.  However, when I was in Florida and did not exercise - my BG levels did not change much.  One could argue it was the first week and the long term effects were still in place.  I think it is my return that is convincing.

Test Two - Remove diet concerns and add back exercise

I stopped my green drink, stayed with the supplements, and added in a couple of trips to the YMCA but more importantly I took up Hot Yoga or went a few times.  It is AWESOME and I plan on adding it to my program back in Nashville at some point in time.  Once again during this phase my BG levels did not change much.  So now I was eating normal food, things I would stay away from in my former life.  What was changing was my weight.  Not a big surprise, but exercise was not helping that much with keeping my weight down.  Yup I did gain 10 pounds over the 8 weeks I was gone - ouch will take the same time to get it back off.

Interesting thing, I am now at the same place I was back in September when I had my first doctor visit and was at  187 pounds and A1c was 6.4 with Fasting Blood Sugar levels about what they have been the past two days.

So is diet important - yes it is and the series I will finish on meal planning, I think the key is meal planning not diet.  I am a big fan of what my Dad taught me - "If you do not stand for something - you will fall for everything."  I think when you are not planning your meals and watching your food intake - you will random buy and intake bad food.

Test Three - all bets off and have a good time, no supplements, no exercise, but I was cautious on food intake

Needless to say my BG level shot up.  I did have a scoop of ice cream each and every day for the second week.  I am sure that is the major contributor to the 10 pounds.

So why do I think it is the reduction of the supplements that was the real tool.  When I returned home on Sunday I started taking the supplements again and have only had one chance to go exercise and my BG levels are starting to come back down.  Please keep in mind, when I discuss my supplement regiment, I am including my green drink and the power foods I put into the drink.

I think a good supplement program is important in controlling our diabetes.  This is all I did originally when I started to lose weight and also drop my BG level.  After this trip - I am even more convinced of it.

The book I mentioned also confirms this with some good science to back up why.

I am not saying drop your medicines and go to supplements.  I am saying it is going to be the long term brick I keep in my foundation of fighting this disease.  I would encourage you to talk to your doctor about a good supplement program.

Why am I blessed - I am a diabetic?

Most of you know I do not feel that way.  Yes, I am a diabetic but to me this is so small when put it up against those wounded warriors, people with no jobs, no medical insurance, other severe health problems, and so many other life situations.  So I have diabetes, I guess it is my small cross to bear but I do have so many other blessings.

My dog had surgery to remove cancer before I left.  We could not leave before Christmas because he had a severe infection and had to go back into the hospital.  When this happened, my son changed his plans and rode with us to Florida, so I got two days in a car with him.  See, one small thing with my dog gave me a day with my son - what a blessing

 My father-in-law was placed in the hospital twice while I was in Florida.  He is okay and had some minor issues.  But through the process I think he continues to learn of the value of his eating habits and taking care of Mom.

My mother-in-law had to have some deep facial cancer removed.  She is okay but it was hard to see such a loving face cut and left with a scar.  She is 84 years old, double stroke patient, and suffers so many things but she still has the soft looking skin of a 60 year old.  She looks great - so when they cut her face it was a shocker.  However, she did not appear to mind as much as she was excited to get the cancer removed.  I think her state of mind that we sometimes get frustrated with was a small blessing to help her accept the surgery.

I have my own business and have had my ups and downs in this bad economy.  While in Florida, I had to work to keep my current contract requirements completed and to complete proposals for two more opportunities.  God must have been on my shoulders as I landed both of those contracts and they will be good long term revenue for the company.

I had one week of time with my wife in a quiet little community, Cedar Key, in Florida.  Our hotel room faced west and we saw some of the best sun sets.  The entire week was a blessing to get that much time with my wife - she is so much fin to be with and times like this make me wish I had more time with her.

God, I want to thank you for the people you have placed in my life and the blessing they bring.  I am also grateful for your support in landing the new contracts.  But most importantly, the week you gave me with my wife and the times we shared are priceless and I thank you for that time.  

Bob,

Where is Bob?

Lost?

I must apologize and I will update everyone in another week.

My home machine was corrupted and I could not get to it or my blog.

I am now going to be on vacation until February 9th and will not have my PC with me.

I really appreciate everyone's reaching out and sorry I could not get back to you.

Give me one more week and I will be back.

Things are good with me and going extremely well.

I miss all of you and hope God has been taking care of you during this past month.

May God watch over all of us for the next week but I ask God to grant me a quiet week to regenerate as this past month has been extremely stressful but good. 

Bob,

The Value of A Higher Power - Part 3

Unconditional Forgiveness

To my many readers, I am going to ask for your forgiveness later on.  Several of you have wondered / worried about me and I apologize for that.  This is not Sunday but a good time for this post.

Before going on, it appears we have added Sweden to our country list while I was out playing hooky.  I want to welcome you to this blog and also to new beginnings for the year.

FBS -111 - A very big surprise since I pretty much decided to take off a couple of weeks and forget I was a diabetic.  If you do not listen to any of my advice - make sure you never do that.  Once in a while is okay; but, this long is like trying to get back in the game again after losing my star player - I am finding it difficult.  I will share what I did today to jump start the program again.

God's Promise of Forgiveness

As you know, I have mentioned before I am a Catholic Christian and therefore have two Higher Powers, God and Jesus.  One is my Creator and Father and the other is my Lord and Savior.  Both have brought forgiveness into my life in a big way and have promised to do so.  One of my favorite versus really puts it all on the line in a simple message:

"Philippians 3:13-14. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."

To me this sums it all up in one sentence.  God allows us to forget the past (our sins and transgressions) and look to the future and to gain the ultimate prize.  There are no questions asked when we say we are sorry and move on - he has and does forgive us with no conditions attached.

I can only hope that your Higher Power does the same for you.  You might ask?  Why is the act of forgiveness so important to a diabetic.  I am experiencing this very blessing at the moment, forgiving myself for taking a break.  I know I am a diabetic and I should not take off two weeks - even though I was mainly good - closing an eye to my condition can only put my body in jeopardy and that is not what He wants me to do.

However, stopping the insanity and starting the turn around - I know he has my back and will once again provide the courage I need to move forward and to get back on the straight and narrow as He did earlier this year.

Forgiving Ourselves

If our Higher Powers can forgive us for our errors and mistakes, then we surely can learn from that and learn to forgive ourselves.  I find this to be very crucial for us diabetics.  We must understand we did not ask to get on this ship nor sail this rough sea; but we ended up getting aboard for some reason.

I have experienced this myself - thinking there was something wrong with me and I am a weirdo because I am a diabetic.  Shying away from a desert, or telling little lies why we cannot partake in the sugar feast, is nothing more than blaming ourselves for our disease. 

A fellow American Diabetes Association (ADA) community member says it best "Hello, my name is Bob and I am a diabetic,"  No remorse, no regret, straight forward, and pure honesty.  This is easier said than done if we have not forgiven ourselves for our condition.  Many of us were born with the defect or we got it through genes.  Some of us, like me, did the damage to myself by not eating right or taking care of myself when I was younger.

For many years I felt stupid, dumb, should have known better, or thought I was just an idiot.  I could go no where as long as this was my thought pattern.  I had to change this pattern before I could change my approach to managing or living with my diabetes.  I was fortunate to have a daughter bring forth tough love and help put me on the right track.

But her tough love was not the drive, it was simply the spark that started the turn around journey.  I had to look myself in the mirror and say, it is okay you have not taken care of yourself for many years; but, today is the day you put that behind you and look to the future - just as I am taught by God, forget the past and place your eye on the real prize - get your diabetes under control today.

So here I stand before you again, looking in the mirror knowing that taking two weeks off is not good.  But this time I am smart enough to say time to forget and move forward - but again these types of events need a kick in the pants to help me get started.  Along came my wife, daughter, and son (my huge support team) and they knew I needed a kick or jump start. So they asked me to join them for Hot Yoga.  Now if you have never experienced this you should.  I am hooked as it was a great way to get back into the game.

Hot Yoga involves being in a room where the temperature is 105 degrees - yup that is a little warm.  You then spend 90 minutes doing basic yoga poses; but nothing is basic in that heat.  The instructors just ask that for the first time you manage to stay in the room for the 90 minutes and try the poses and learn to breath.  I can only say this goal is a lot more difficult than you can imagine.  During the session, about 50 minutes into the 90 minutes, your brain starts to run wild and you start to lose focus.  To make it, you have to focus and just learn to breath - then it works out.  Each pose or set of poses is completed two times.  Towards the end I was resting for one of the poses and trying to do the second repetition.

At about the same point my mind was wondering and starting to lose focus, my son Brian turned around and gave me a stern look to sit down for a set.  It was good timing - I needed the break.  At the end, people where giving me a high five and congratulating me.  Obviously, I felt good about my self and at that point in time I knew I was going to get back in the game and go back to controlling this beast.

I had added two new people to my support team - the instructors who encouraged me to make it.

Forgiving each other

As our Higher Powers and My God teach us to forgive ourselves, they also teach us to forgive one another for our mistakes.  This too is very important to us diabetics.

I am asking for your forgiveness as well.  Not that I took two weeks off, or I decided not to be a diabetic for two weeks; but, I left for two weeks and did not leave the proper message that I would be out.  Some of you had to worry about me and for that I am truly sorry and ask for forgiveness.  I have learned my lesson and in the future I will make sure I do not leave you worried any more.

When we are looking to forgive each other, we must think of our close support team.  Again I am speaking from experience.  For many years I would get frustrated and close to angry when reminded I was a diabetic and that maybe I should not have the desert or the second helping of mashed potatoes and home made gravy - yummy.  When I would not eat or take my medication and my lovely wife Kathleen would try to support by encouraging, I would take it as nagging.

We must learn to forgive those around us who care and are trying to do the right thing for us.  For you men out there, you must swallow your pride and allow your better half to be your support team.  I think we have the biggest problem with this - Mother Syndrome I think.  I am no psychologist but it sure felt to me like Kathleen was trying to be my mother.  I had to ask her to forgive me but to do that, I had to realize I had to forgive her for caring and trying to get me to do the right thing.

For our friends who eat anything in front of us or drink heavily while we drink water or diet sodas; we must forgive them and not feel bad to be around them.  They did not give us this disease and contrary to popular belief, MISERY DOES NOT LOVE COMPANY!  It is your disease - deal with it!

In my mind when we forgive those around us, we make it easy for them to forgive us.  When there is no black spots in our hearts we can focus on the real enemy - DIABETES!  We can all bond together in a loving manner to bottle up the beast and put it on ice and control it.  We most likely will not kill it in my life time - but someday - maybe - just maybe - we will kill the beast within us.

In the meantime - we live together in harmony to bring as little stress in our lives as we can and work to control our diabetes with the help of our Higher Power and Forgiveness; of ourselves and of each other.

What have I been doing

You already know my dog had surgery and had a malignant tumor removed about a week before Christmas.  Then the day before Christmas we noticed he was swelling and bleeding a lot.  We took him back up to the vets and he had a serious infection.  So Mac had to spend his Christmas on the hospital.  The good news is he is doing a lot better now from all of that.

Both my children, Sarah and Brian, come home for Christmas.  Lydia also joined Brian and made it a very special Christmas get together.  So we had 4 great days as a family and during those 4 short days my attention was on my family and my Super Support Team! 

After Mac got out of the hospital we headed for Florida to spend a month with Kathleen's parents who have retired to Florida.  I can work remotely at my current contract, so it is more about working remotely versus a vacation.  The good news was our son decided to go to Florida for a little retreat before going back to Boston.  We were once again blessed to have a couple of days with our Son while we drove to Florida and he road with us.  We put him on a plane back to Boston just tonight.

While in Florida, I have had the opportunity to play a round of golf with my son and enjoy hot yoga with my entire family.

During all of this, I had to have a conversion done for my contract at Walgreens over New Years.  The conversion did not go that well and my team spent 48 hours straight (12/31 - 01/01) getting the conversion completed on time. Then we slept for a day.      

I am also working on proposals for two new contracts and that is taking a lot of time.  So I have been extremely busy.  

These are all my reasons but are not good excuses for not telling you where I was at so you did not worry.  Again, I ask for forgiveness and looking forward to the new year.

I still owe you the ending series on meal planning and hope to have that completed next week.  In the meantime, thanks again for the forgiveness and I look forward to our continued relationship and new beginnings.

May God grant us the power to forgive ourselves and to forgive each other.  May he give us the ability to forget the past and keep our eye on the prize of the future.  May he give us the courage to move beyond being upset with ourselves and wisdom to know we are humans and make mistakes.  May he help us to understand these mistakes are okay to learn from and move on.

Bob,