Lady Macbeth Was Wrong!

Hello. So it begins, again.

Here I am, back after an 18-month sabbatical from writing in this forum. So much has changed, and yet ... has it, really? Our government's economy is still in the tank. Our nation's political divide is still evident. The Detroit Red Wings are a dominant hockey team. Geico is still making humorously obnoxious television commercials.

When looking at my personal life, again, it seems like the differences between January 2010 and August 2011 are cosmetic at worst. I'm still teaching high school in West Palm Beach, although the courses have shifted from debate, speech and British literature to debate, speech and drama. I'm still plugging along in the '97 Toyota RAV 4.

But there has been one very significant shift in the World of Gaba. The paradigm has been adjusted because of years - decades - of dietary abuse combined with a lack of consistent physical exercise. This culminated with the official learning last Thursday that I am type 2 diabetic.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and many more are unaware they are at high risk. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can lead to diabetes complications.

The scariest part about this was, I was not shocked. I've been overweight for years, and the combination of fatty/sweet/unhealthy foods and inconsistent trips to the gym (or even non-gym physical activity, like mall walking) made this inevitable. I knew it. And yet, I did nothing (or, more accurately, almost nothing) about it, until my personal physician presented me with a six-page analysis of my blood work.

Cholesterol - high.
Triglycerides - high.
Insulin Resistance Score - high.
Glucose - high.
Hemoglobin A1c - high.

While the official notice came Thursday, this did not happen overnight. This was a ticking time bomb, always there, evident to everyone around me - including myself.

The past four days have been a combination of reflective thoughts and proactive changes. I have gone through my freezer, fridge, and cabinets, and removed virtually anything and everything that can not, must not, be part of my dietary future. Gone are Knorr's noodle packs, white rice, cans of Chef Boyardee, and other foods that are high in sugar, carbohydrates, sodium, etc. These have been replaced by skinless chicken breasts, low-fat ground beef and ground turkey, Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers frozen meals (still high in sodium, I know), whole grain pasta. Friday, I spent two-plus hours in the Publix aisles, peering at every nutritional label, using my iPhone to go on-line and look at nutrition guides.

I have also returned to the gym. I actually returned several weeks ago, after what seemed like five gallons of blood was tapped from my arm in mid-July. I have been going 3-4 times a week now, working first on cardio and building up my stamina, then adding strength training. The combination of better eating and working out since July 14 has seen my weight dive-bomb from an unhealthy 275 to a still-unhealthy (but not quite as bad) 259. My goal is to hit 200 by Labor Day 2012, which is 13 months away. (Losing a pound a day, which I did the last half of July, is not, IMHO, a realistic pace to maintain. But it sure feels good!)

"What's done is done, it cannot be undone," Lady Macbeth opined in Shakespeare's world centuries ago, in an attempt to help her husband from worrying about his recent (as in, just a few moments prior) killing of his cousin, King Duncan of Scotland. What she means by "what's done is done" is exactly what we mean by it today - there's no changing the past, so forget about it. Unfortunately, her words were inaccurate then, and are in today's world. What I have done in my past has made me the man I am today, and I was neither proactive enough nor caring enough about my own health to make the changes that were so evidently needed.

Well, that is no longer the case. Yes, what's done is done, but when it comes to being type 2 diabetic, it can be undone, it will be undone. Better diet + consistent workouts = lowering those numbers by mid-November. Regardless of the results, the revamped lifestyle is just that - my lifestyle, my future. I cannot go back to the fast foods, the pizza, the other ingredients of my personal destruction. All I can do is look forward with a positive attitude. And that's what I intend to do.