Also Have High Blood Sugar

Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:
I was married for twelve years to someone with whom I was
increasingly less in love. He became diabetic. Not the kind who takes
good care of himself, but the kind who would eat two bagels with
cream cheese plus a couple of Danish for breakfast. The idea of
caretaking someone who wasn’t taking care of himself made me crazy.
I have a sweet tooth too, but not like that. One day ten years ago I
heard myself imagining what to do with his life insurance money. I
knew I had to get a divorce. Today I saw him in the market. His
basket held two pounds of butter, cookies, bread, and lots of
processed foods. He told me casually about his heart and kidney
problems. I told him good luck and fled. I went home and got on the
scale, and am freaked out about my own health. I’m 30 pounds
overweight. I don’t want to become him.
Also Have High Blood Sugar

 
Dear High Blood Sugar:
Looking in the mirror of your past is a great wake up call. So listen to
what you’re being told. Immediately take an inventory of your life.
Look at your daily schedule, when you move your body, and what you
put in your mouth. Be careful to examine every aspect of your life,
from the mindless way you eat cookies at the office to what you buy in
the market. Pay attention to simple things like choosing the stairs
instead of an elevator. Don’t be in a rush. Take a week or two to really
observe and log your behavior. You don’t need to rush to change, but
pay very close attention.

 
Get your doctor to give you a checkup and support. Then decide what
changes you are willing to stick to. Don’t try to fix it all at once. But
decide on two things, one food and one exercise that you will do daily
for a month. If you screw up, do better the next day. Keep a log. If
you can commit to a plan like weight watchers, do it. But set your
baseline and watch yourself transform.