It's been a while

It's been a while- a year and a half since I last posted here. I have been around and I have been working on loosing weight. I came back because I saw some comments from my last post and it inspired me to come back. Hopefully I can keep this up.

In two years, what has happened: diabetes.

This is possibly the best thing that has happened to me because it made me really take responsibility for the food I choose to eat. It has been almost a year since my diagnosis and it has done wonders for my weight. It has not been easy, but I have taken off almost 20 pounds in the past 9 months because of the changes I have made to my diet. Between cutting sugars and sticking with Weight Watchers I have been more successful in these 9 months than I have ever been in my life.

The first thing I did was cut out high fructose corn syrup. It's was in virtually everything I ate. It's actually not in candy, but it is in ketchup, bread, canned soups, cookies, yogurt and more. I cut out soda entirely and went to seltzer water for the fizz. I have been making more of my own meals rather than buying frozen meals because of this. I have I have done nothing more than cut out the high fructose corn syrup right now and it has made the 20 pound difference.

The high fructose corn syrup problem has been one I love to talk to my family about. My parents have been watching the labels and choosing better foods and my extended family, even though they are not aware of my health issues, have heard my rant about them and keep it away from me. The last time I went to visit my parents my mother displayed her food purchases with pride so I could see how important this was to her.

I have also been working on eating until I am satisfied. I have been a fast eater for years and I tend to want to sample everything and then have more of what I really liked. I would also walk away from the table feeling like I was ready to split in half. Now I stop eating as soon as I stop feeling hungry. I am working on slowing down when I eat so I can be truly satisfied when my mind tells me I am.

Now that I know I can loose this weight I need to take more control over my diet. This is easy in winter. Cooking bring much needed heat to my apartment. I need to cut my cholesterol as well. Less carbs and sugars has meant more fat so I have to watch that as well. I also need to figure out the exercise thing. A friend suggested dance classes to get me back in shape. I know I would do better if I had someone to workout with, but most people are in much better shape than I am.

All in all, I am on track for success this time. I hope I can do it and I hope I can keep this blog updated with my efforts.