Generally, things are going well. I'm down to 192 lbs, now, for a total weight loss (so far) of 41 lbs. I recently re-evaluated my target weight goal and have determined, based on the "accepted" standards, that I need to be at between 160 and 175 lbs for my height, which is 6 ft. Given that, I have another 17 to 32 lbs left to lose. But, my opinion is that the loss of another 32 lbs would be too extreme, in my case. So, I'm drawing the line at 170 lbs for my "ideal" weight. Depending on how much muscle I add in the intervening weeks ahead, that could be adjusted upward to 175 or even 180. I'll just have to "play it by ear."
Where my blood pressure is concerned, I'm doing well today, at 120/81. My systolic is right at the upper limit for "normal" and my diastolic is one point above that limit. Again, this is with medication, so, I still have a long way to go.
My blood sugar has been yo-yo-ing up and down a bit since the McDonald's episode. It did return to the eighties and nineties, as I predicted it would, but, I did a little snacking on pepperoni slices and that got me messed up again. Yesterday, before dinner, I was at 73 - the lowest my blood sugar has been since I was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic. However, two hours after dinner, it was up to 118, which is 5 points above normal. Then, I had a meal late last night, not long before bed, and paid the price for it this morning when I tested and found I was still at 117. Consequently, my after "brunch" reading was 124. But, I'd just returned from a 2 mile walk, so the exercise may have tempered that a bit; notice it was a rise of only 7 points.
So, the moral of this story is that I need to stay on track with my diet. I have now pretty much nailed down those things that make my blood sugar rise and I am now better prepared to avoid them. After all, even though my blood sugar is coming under control, due to my change in diet and exercise, I am always going to be a diabetic; i.e., my body is particularly susceptible to insulin resistance. So, even when I'm down to my ideal weight, I can still never indulge myself in the sugar-infested grain and dairy-based foods that most other people eat.
That's fine with me, though, as I am committed to the Paleo Diet for the rest of my life. It may also be that, once I do reach my ideal weight, my insulin resistance will be effectively gone. Even then, that doesn't mean I can go out to Braum's and stuff my face with an ice cream cone. Nor would I want to. I know, now, what grains, dairy and processed foods will do to me, so why would I want to harm myself for a few minutes of culinary pleasure? Yes, I could probably do so and get away with it, every once in a while. But, when once in a while becomes every day, I'll be right back to where I was when I weighed 233 lbs, had type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high triglycerides. The smart - the mature adult thing to do, is to stay away from these "foods" completely. After all, they were never supposed to be a part of the human diet, in the first place.
