Ken Gordon was interviewed on OBP this morning--I didn't catch it but a couple friends heard it and passed along the info (cute friends). He's owner and chef of a popular local restaurant, Kenny and Zukes, who found out this year he has type 2 diabetes. He writes a weekly column in the Oregonian about his process of making lifestyle changes to reverse his diagnosis. Mom cut out a few of them for me a couple months ago and I liked it, and now I've read them up until his latest. I like how he talks about his experience of finding out, and his struggles and successes.
I was talking to my friend Craig today about how my own progress was going. He said he's noticed I look more vibrant, I smile more, and my whole demeanor has changed. It was so nice to hear. As we talked more and I was telling him about the six week end, he asked why I'd stop at six weeks. "Because I can't stand the thought of eating this rigidly any longer than that!" I answered. He made me really re-think what this is all about. "Why would you stop if you feel so good? If you think of it as having a definite end, it's likely you will go right back to eating the way you did," he said. I thought about this and decided there was real truth to that. It made more sense to him once I explained that the six weeks was an intentional amount of time that this doctor recommends for your body to "re-boot" and metabolize food differently. But it still made me think about why I am really doing this. We decided I'd think of the six weeks as a measure rather than an end. When six weeks is done, the book dedicates a chapter to easing other foods back in. If my body is ready for that, based on my blood sugar readings, I can start. If it's not ready, I'll keep doing this. As I exercise more, continue to lose weight, and continue to stabilize my numbers, I will see when it may be okay to add other things back. Nanis, my diabetes nurse, called today after reading my three weeks of food and glucose tracking. She suggested I do this as well. She doesn't want the six-week marker to be a set-up. She told me I was doing a great job, but that she's a realist and wants to make sure this is sustainable.
BUT. Today, I'm good. Today, I'm doing it. And that is what matters the most. Each day I do this is a success. I've started the ball rolling, I see how much better my life feels, and I have more and more incentive to continue to be healthy!