I am in the pre-program start up phase of the dietary program I’m in. It includes bloodwork, preparing the kitchen, and other prep work. I received my lab tests this morning.

Each year I fear that this will be the year they find diabetes or pre-diabetes. Each year when the bloodwork comes back with my numbers in the right place, I breathe a sigh of relief.

This year was different. Scarier. I took the test at my highest weight in more than a decade after seven months of comfort-eating in self-isolation. I’d gained a huge amount of weight. I know that obesity and diabetes go hand-in-hand and that Covid-19 makes diabetes even deadlier. It was as if I were skipping into a minefield holding hands with the devil.

My father died from diabetes and the complications of diabetes. It is a dreadful disease and one I don’t ever want to get or see anyone else I love get. According to the CDC, “close to half (40%) of the adult population of the USA are now expected to develop diabetes during their lifetime.” That means close to half the people in our country will suffer and die from this dreadful disease.

We are not alone, by any means. Diabetes and obesity are spreading across the world. It’s expanding across the EU. That’s not the worst, though. Some experts say that by 2030, over 85 percent of the world’s diabetic patients will be in developing countries like India and the countries of the Middle East.

We have a plague of diabetes that has been slowly extending its range of misery across the planet. Add to that the current Covid-19 pandemic which unevenly targets those with co-morbidities like diabetes for more severe cases, and the picture it paints is grim.

I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night panicked about this. Finally Steve said, “Why not do something about it if you’re that worried.” He was right. And now I am. But first I had to face my bloodwork.

I hope you understand why I felt such profound relief at seeing my blood sugar still in the normal range this morning. My cholesterol was too high (201), but not as high as I expected. I feel very lucky and more determined not to scare myself this way in the future by taking good care of my body, starting by taking this program seriously.

The upcoming week is all about setting up my kitchen and myself for success. I’m getting help from the doctors and administrators. So far I’m very pleased with the program and look forward to good results.

I hope you are taking care of yourself, also. Be well friends!