Resolving 2009

I'm not a huge fan of making resolutions, because I find them very hard to remember, let alone keep. A few years ago I resolved not to make any more New Year's resolutions. At first I thought that was pretty funny. But by promising not to make any changes in my lifestyle I was cutting off my nose to spite my face. I did make a couple last year but don't remember what they were (quit smoking? Not. Save money? Not. Declutter house? Not so much).


With little fanfare, here are some sensible resolutions I may or may not keep:

1. If I don't quit smoking I won't save over $3000 per year (plus my life). I'll at least make further attempts to read Alan Carr's Easyway to quit smoking book.


2. I'll test my blood sugar more often. Some days I don't test at all, let alone before breakfast and 2 hours after meals.


3. I'll take my medications when I'm supposed to. And eat when I'm supposed to. And eat WHAT I'm supposed to. Maybe that's too many at once...


4. I will start walking 30 minutes or more a day. And do some yoga, and use the rowing machine. And continue to stay off high heels.
5. On a related note, I'll either use my fitness club membership or cancel it.


6. I'll do more work-related reading. I'm part of a very interesting project and I have a whole book about it. I'm on page 8 of 542.


7. I resolve to buy only winning lottery tickets.


8. I think I've resolved in the past to keep in touch with friends more often. I haven't done very well with that -- I'm surprised that anyone talks to me any more. But I'll try again.


9. With the wet weather this past summer I didn't do anything with my gardens or yard (but that's an excuse, not a reason). I did get bumper crops of grapes and raspberries, so made plenty of jam and jelly for gifts and personal consumption. This year I promise to plant some vegetable and herb seeds early enough to get them hardened off and in the ground by Victoria Day. And if I do buy more perennials, I promise to plant them instead of just leaving them in their plastic pots to their fate.
10. Well, part of the reason for planting only perennials is to have a low-maintenance garden. But I should at least do SOME maintenance, like spreading the topsoil, mulch, and compost that I bought last spring.
11. I can't do much more than I already do with conservation, except sell the house and move to a shelter (that's not funny, though). But I can protest over-packaging by either not buying over-packaged goods or leaving the packaging with the store (unlikely!). I've registered 54 acts of green already. You can, too. I'll continue to bring my reusable shopping bags to the stores until I run out of plastic bags to put Green Bin and garbage in.
12. I can't really resolve to watch less TV or fewer DVDs. But I should watch the shows I do like, which probably amounts to The Rick Mercer Report and This Hour Has 22 Minutes on CBC.
13. I'll try to be kinder to my mother and my younger brother and his wife.

That's probably enough for now. I'm off to eat breakfast.

Christmas vs. Diabetes

It's hard to be diabetic at Christmas. Especially if you have a sweet tooth, escalating carb cravings, and uncontrolled high blood sugar. My mom has given us an orange and a box of Smarties in our stockings for years. (She used to collect or buy little items and put them in -- and now that I'm in charge, I stuff my family's stockings; this year it was pencils, sharpeners, pens, notepads, sugar-free gum, cosmetic samples, pairs of socks and knee-high stockings, keychains, and other little items, and Mom got a little bottle of cream liqueur.) So this year I got the usual box of Smarties, an orange, a pair of knee-highs, and a bamboo spoon. Not that I'm complaining or anything. Stocking stuffers are a lot of fun! (Did I mention that both my brothers are now Type 2s?)

But please, even a box of Smarties can set off a chain reaction that has me gobbling anything with sugar or starch. It's amazing to me that my mind is screaming at me, "Slow down; no, STOP EATING THAT SHIT!!" Even if I've eaten a healthy dinner and have no appetite for veggies, I'll fill my face with pastries and other treats. It doesn't seem to be a matter of will-power. I can't have just one...

And the kicker -- I was given a box of Lowney's Chocolate Covered Cherries by a family member (I've been T2 since January 1995 and everyone knows it). I don't even like them. Did I toss them? Take the unopened box to work and share them? No, I ate them. All. By myself. Cursing myself bitterly as I shoved them in my mouth and wiped my sticky fingers on my jeans. I can't believe I've been blogging on and off on this for a year now and have made no progress; have even deteriorated. Systems analysis tells us we need data, which gives us information, which leads to knowledge and understanding, which leads to wisdom. I have the first three; it's the last two I need to work on.

But there's some good news on the horizon -- results of the low-glycemic diet for reducing HbA1c show positive results (but knowing low GI foods plus recognizing the glycemic load of foods is also important). http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081217/gi_diet_081217/20081217

I've mentioned the very wise David Mendosa's website before (http://www.mendosa.com/). He was onto low glycemic index foods for years before the supposed experts (http://www.mendosa.com/gi.htm).