Diary of a Dieter in spite of Diabetes

Two weeks ago, I decided to officially begin my diet. I enrolled in Health & Nutrition senior seminar that is required in order to fulfill credit hours. I have already graduated college, but won't receive my diploma until this class is complete. The teacher for this course is a registered dietitian and has been teaching my classmates & I of diabetes & cancer for the past week. Both these diseases are in my family, so I have wrote messy notes trying my best to keep up with her PowerPoint.

For an outside assignment, we were instructed to take a diabetes quiz to see if we were at risk. I put in my age, height and weight. I clicked I got more exercise than the average person, due to the fact I live on campus. I walk to class as much as possible and go for evening walks. And, I am starting to learn how to play such sports as basketball and tennis. When it said it was a medium risk for diabetes, I knew I had to do more. While a close family member has diabetes, I will do what's in my control to prevent it. I have to kick my healthy eating more into control and get more exercise.

So, I began a plan. I went to Staples and purchased a notebook that would fit into my purse. I began a nutrition book, looking up the major food groups and writing down what was in my food. In essence, this will be helpful to me in the long-run. It's going to help me shop better and make better eating choices. This is also where I plan to put nutrition information from restaurants. Furthermore, I bought a pedometer, which is going to track the distance I walk. There is a page in the notebook where I also track my fitness goals.

When I first bought the notebook, I went to Mypyramid.gov and developed my personalized nutrition plan. It personalizes which foods you should have more and which foods you should eat less. It also gives tips for cooking and preparing your foods. Mypyramid tells you which foods to eliminate out of diet. For instance, for my diet plan, Mypyramid said to choose 100% wheat bread over wheat bread rather than white bread. It also gives you an idea of which foods are high in sodium and fat. This is a great place to start if you're looking to start a diet.

The first week, I was not completely organized. I was walking, but I would get tired and quit after a mile and half of walking. Sunday (my weigh day), of week two, I was discouraged to discouraged to discover I had gained four pounds. However, week two was successful. I walked 3-4 times a week and many times a week. I drank more water than usual, ate more salads and I had taken off those four pounds.

I'm excited for my journey to lose my 30-40 pounds. On the outside, I probably look normal, but I am not happy with my weight. I have the energy to get these next 26-36 pounds off, but that's going be half the battle. I can't revert to my old habits that have helped me regain my weight. Eight years ago I lost almost 60  pounds, so I know I can do this again. It's the courage I have to see the end goal and the success to reach that goal. I will reach that goal.