Health Concern Prompts Action

You've probably heard the saying "When life gives you lemons make lemonade." Last December 22 I got some interesting news from my family doctor. He said my annual physical was excellent except for one anomaly in my blood readings. Something called Hemoglobin A1C was high, a reading of 6. It measures sugar content over the past three months. Dr. Coffey said it's supposed to be 5.6 or lower. My reading indicated "pre-diabetic."

He was as surprised as I was. I run 5 kilometers three times a week. Three other mornings I do half an hour of calisthenics and weights followed by half an hour of cycling or power walking up an 11% grade. The doc said he wasn't sure he believed the reading. "You're not overweight, you exercise pretty rigorously and there's no family history of diabetes?" "That's right, I replied." He had me come in three days later to give another blood sample. It came out 5.9. "Now I believe it" he said. "Get rid of the carbohydrates," he told me. "How much?" I asked. "Slash them by 80%!" was his answer.

Wow. I got to work. A lot of things would have to go. No bread, rice, potatoes or pasta, let alone things like cookies or ice cream. I started reading labels at the store and looked up carb counts online. Fruit and fruit juices are high, for instance. No apples or oranges in my lunch anymore. Even peas and beans are high for vegetables. I cut back cereals from 6 mornings a week to three. I switched from 1% cow's milk to almond milk.  I eat a lot more nuts, vegetables, lean meats and salads. I snack on cottage cheese or peanut butter.

I don't want to get diabetes if I can avoid it. I've heard the stories. Toes and feet amputated, blindness, heart attacks. Nuh-uh.

Yesterday I went back for a follow up. Its been three months. I got on his balance scale and weighed in at 154 pounds. I'd shed 18 pounds over the past three months. I'm not eating less food; I've just cut out a lot of the carbs. It hadn't seemed to me or the doctor that I was overweight, but obviously I was carrying plenty around that I didn't need. The A1C reading? Well, it still came in at 6.0. But the doc says it's over a three-month period and may not have caught all of any recent reduction. I'll go back in three more months, at the end of June, and get another reading. I'll let you know if there's been any progress. Either way, the weight loss alone has been a bonus. It looks like I've made some lemonade!