Thursday, January 7, 2010

New Year's Thoughts...

I seem to remember less and less about my childhood. I need to start writing about what happened when I was a kid, before the memories fade to nothing. Heck, I just need to write more often. I know that I am a better writer than most, but I am not cultivating that gift. Time to start writing and stop wasting time.

I have some new years goals. They are as follows.

1) Lose 38 more pounds. I weighed 225 when I married Suzette in 1992, but allowed myself to get huge. I have since lost quite a bit of weight and have been able to keep it off. I weigh 257 right now and want to weigh 220. Once I reach that goal I will re-evaluate how I feel and look and then consider if I need to lose any more.

2) Start blogging 3 times a week. Whether it is on this one or Random Rumblings, I need to write more. I am considering starting a third blog that might include some creative writing.

3) Get my diabetes completely under control. I have neglected this for far too long. This is the most difficult one. Most of the foods that I eat are high in fat and carbs, the latter of the two is what raises my blood sugar. I finally went to the doctor just before Christmas and have the meds needed to start. I have begun to change the way I eat, but it is proving much harder than I thought. My blood sugar has stayed stubbornly high, despite my seeming work at lowering it. But if I want to be around much past 50, these are changes I must make. I owe it to my two girls and my wife, not to mention me. Of the three goals, this is the one that I need to enlist the Lord's help in.

Its amazing how the body starts to crave the things that you are trying to intentionally deprive yourself of. The problem is that I have no substitutes. When I was first diagnosed, I quit drinking sugar drinks. This took only a little effort and I have never really had any trouble with relapsing. In fact I love the fact that I can drink as much diet drink I want and it has no effect on my weight or blood sugar (unless I drink to much caffeine). How do I replace potatoes, toast, hamburger buns or flour tortillas? This is going to be a struggle. But as I told my students just yesterday, nothing worth while is easy! Its time to live my own advice.