Almost the 12th day of Christmas, signaling the end of the holiday season. Epiphany, the arrival at the manger of the 3 kings, is celebrated today; when it's celebrated on Jan. 6th, that's the 12th day.A wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah, solstice season this year, full of family, friends, and frivolity.
And this is my big test winter in the Glucose Garden. Last year I gained 17 pounds from September to April. Taking off weight when you get older is a bear. It's just not like the days of my youth when pounds came on easily and came off easily, too, with a revved up metabolism.
So in early October, when I got a diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy, I took on the fear of God, so to speak. No more fooling around.
I've cut out sweets. I've cut out processed foods. I eat vegetables, fruits, and protein. I limit carbs and what carbs I eat are healthy ones. I'm limiting sodium and caffeine. Breakfast is oatmeal and fruit. Lunch and dinner are 2/3 vegetables and 1/3 protein. A morning snack and afternoon snack are fruit and a little cheese for protein, or nuts.
No deprivation. Foods I like, but foods that are good for me, good for diabetics.Learning to say no.
My friends who are Sweet Takers who will take out of my hands and away from my pantry the sweets I am gifted with.
The 17 pounds...all but 3 of it is off. Still overweight, 20 more is resolved to go to reach a healthy weight.
What is good, over this "holiday season," starting with Halloween and its candy glut, Thanksgiving and its sides and pies surfeit, and Christmas with its cookies, is that I have not gained weight.
In fact I continued slowly ounce-by-ounce over the holidays, to take off more of last winter's Big Gain.
This required a lot of Nos. No thank you. No, thank you. No thank you.No no no no no.
And yes yes yes yes. Yes to steamed artichokes, grilled salmon, kale, green beans, mushrooms, turkey...and dates, pistachio nuts, almonds.
More exercise. My foot doctor in December challenged me to go to the gym 3 times a week.
I've almost been doing it. Bike riding now, machines later. Tai chi class and practice.
Walking more with the help of a Christmas present from my brother Pat and his family, a gift card with which I bought a FitBit.
I'm not convinced that a FitBit isn't a step-brother to a criminal ankle monitor, but it is useful.
It monitors activity as steps and miles. It records food eaten and water drunk. You log it in.
It monitors sleep too, but last night I decided not to keep track to that. Thinking too much about sleep is not conducive to restful sleep, I think.
It's very hard to take a selfie of a FitBit in action.
Its readout (at left, the shiny rectangle) flashes when you tap it but tapping and shooting a picture can't happen at the same time.
You can connect to friends on FitBit. Here's my friend Mary G, at right, at the Wolfington Hall Christmas party at Georgetown.She's beating me every day in steps and miles, the little dickens.
I can't let her keep getting away with that.
Here's another good goal for 2015.
