Fear - A Powerful Motivator

I'm not a fan of using fear to get people to do what they're supposed to; however, there are times that it works. Take me for example. I've been really lax for way too long taking care of myself. As a result, my blood glucose levels were dangerously high over a week ago when I checked them after a couple of months of not. As if on cue, enter Dr. Oz. No matter what your opinion of him might be, in this case you need to be grateful to him (Brian) because he scared the hell out of me when I was already in a panic. His show was followed by Oprah's that had him and others on there discussing "Diabetes: The Silent Killer." What really got to me was when he said that high blood sugar is like shards of glass coursing through your arteries. Then he showed an animation of what it does. YIKES!!! PANIC! I started making deals with my body - begging it not to do anything outrageous and give me time to take care of it again.

I got my copy of Protein Power out, made a grocery list, and am following it. My internist told me to read that book and do what it said. I figured that this fear would last at least a month and by then I'd have made enough progress that I'd keep on with it. I don't want to have a heart attack and die. I don't even watch Oprah and Dr. Oz that often but needed to that day and am glad I did. Obviously, I hadn't been testing regularly and at all for too long. Back on that now.

Carbs are kept at or below 30 grams a day with at least 27 grams of protein at each meal. Back to being a science fair experiment. With diabetes you have to eat enough food, often enough, and in the right combination. My readings are in the normal range, but for several days when they were down even in the mid-100's, I had symptoms of low blood sugar during the day because it had been really high. Based on those first morning readings, I know it was higher than it's ever been since I've been testing. It's still too high in the mornings even though it's good during the day. It's been 130-139 the last several mornings which is too high. Any suggestions from any of you who deal with this?

My idea is that I need much more exercise. The treadmills, elliptical machines, and stationary bicycles at my gym have TV's mounted on them right at eye level with cable. I can watch the Olympics while I work out. When the Olympics are over, there are some good choices.

I'm feeling better but not there yet. That took quite a toll on me, and I've been feeling like crap for a long time. Now that I've followed this for a week and am still fearfully motivated, I thought I'd let you know. I haven't even been tempted to deviate. Tomorrow night is the Valentine's House Blend dinner. I'll be careful for sure. Not even tempted. But I will enjoy a delicious meal.