Day 1

The Back Story:
On June 15th of this year my mom (48) was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. On June 17th when she met with her doctor to discuss a treatment plan the doctor mentioned that if my sisters and I don't lose weight as well, we'll be facing the same issue. Truth is we've known for years that Mom was a border-line diabetic. We've also known that we'd end up there too if we didn't make serious changes. It took this diagnosis for my mom to commit to the changes necessary for her health. As for me, it took my mother's dose of reality to make me aware of my own: If I don't make some serious changes now, I'll be paying for them later. And seeing as I'm more overweight now than my mom ever has been, I doubt I have until I'm 48 to fix this.

The Plan: "Eat Like Mom for a Month"
Sounds simple, right? Well, yeah, it kind of is. The only problem will be self control, but it's a big one. I over eat, stress eat, and I've even been known to eat when I'm bored, all without thinking about it. Lucky for me this food plan is about quality and not quantity. There are only a few basic rules: No Sugar (except what's naturally found in fruits and veggies), No Starch, and No Liquid Calories. Protein and Fiber are a must.

I can't stress enough the fact that this is NOT a diet. This is a Lifestyle Change. My sisters and I have committed ourselves to Mom's strict Diabetic diet only for the month of September. However, psychologists claim that it takes 80 repetitions of anything to make a habit. The way I see it September has 30 day and 90 meals, so by the end of the month we should have formed a habit. With a little effort, I think this one month might change our lives forever.

About Today:
Well, I'm not even to lunch yet, but so far so good. I ate my Reduced Sugar Oatmeal for breakfast. And I've had some string cheese and beef jerky when I've felt hungry. I've never made it a week on a diet that left me hungry all the time, so I'm really glad that Mom gave us so many ideas for high-protein "hunger busters". It's also great that I can have all the fruits and vegetables I want.

I'm at work today, and I've already realized that being here will be my biggest challenge. It's not like they keep junk food in the house, but they have plenty of stuff I can't eat, and I'm welcome to eat it. The temptation isn't too strong, and supposedly the first ten days will be the hardest. I'll be praying for self control all month, I'm sure.

I'll post links to my sister's blogs as soon as they get them set up. Hopefully this evening, but it might have to wait until tomorrow.