So. Back at the very end of February, 2008 I made a very uncharacteristic trip to the doctor's office. (I hadn't had a prescription medication in over four decades!) I had a sudden and upsetting allergic reaction to some oil of old lady cream and had a huge ugly carbuncle of sorts on my neck. Minor surgery was performed in the doctor's office and the next day I was pronounced a diabetic! No other symptoms except a high blood glucose number in a standard blood test and no other bad numbers in the entire list of results. When I asked what I had missed or what I should do....the doctor flipped his hand in the air and said "I don't know what to tell you."

Well I went home and sat alone in my kitchen completely overwhelmed by this news. I felt old, useless, just generally horrible. My oldest child is a critical care nurse and she said..."Mom, you're overweight. You can control this by losing some weight." I knew this, of course. And now I had the smack in the head I needed to get my body on the right track for the next half century my DNA says is likely available to me.


After weeks of research I've developed a plan that works for me. My blood glucose number (which I check twice a day is in the normal range...but I'd like it a little lower for my comfort zone) and I've lost 19 pounds in seven weeks. Lots more to go.


I know myself well enough to know that I have to have a planned "Pick & Stick" meal for breakfast and lunch or I will get too creative ( I own hundreds of cookbooks and LOVE to cook) and my "diet" will suffer. As so many have said before me...this is a lifestyle change. And it has to be. Along with losing weight, I feel great! So I must be doing something right.


So. My "Pick & Stick" breakfast is a half container of vanilla soy yogurt with cinnamon, a half of a banana, a cup of tea, and a slice of my homemade (by machine...more on that later) whole wheat/oat bran/ flax bread spread with a tablespoon of Simply Jif (low sodium, low sugar). I look forward to this EVERY morning (Sunday morning I get a little creative). Lunch is a salad (lots more on this) and dinner is different every night.


My youngest child is a computer whiz and she suggested I blog about my diet....specifically my daily lunchtime salad. So here we go!

This is today's salad! And it was yummy! I was in a bit of a rush (I was typing for church.) so I was very glad I had some prepared items at the ready. Already washed was a bag of red leaf and Boston bib lettuce. And already cooked was about a 1/2 cup of green beans. I grabbed two giant mushrooms, a campari tomato, and a mozzarella stick. I cut up the mozzarella stick and the tomato and the mushrooms and dumped them into the large bowl in which I mix my salad (a Rachel Ray garbage bowl!). Then I dumped in the green beans (I cooked extra a few days ago just for salad making.) I dumped about 3 cups of lettuce on top and about two tablespoons of Paul Newman's Olive Oil and Vinegar dressing and mixed. Next I mixed a can of my favorite solid white tuna with a little mayo and some chopped celery. As you can see they look nice together. Also on the plate are 3 whole grain crackers (complex carbs, you know!) and ta-da delicious, beautiful salad. I added a nice mug of hot tea (cold and overcast here today) and the daily crossword puzzle and I settle into my seat by the window for a relaxing lunch....even though it wasn't the slice of pizza I was craving. Or a cheesesteak!