The weight is over.

When I started blogging I put away bad foods. I mean, how could I write about my struggles with diabetes and continue to eat all of the things that were causing me to have such high sugars? I've ignored the doughnuts in the break room. Refrained from cakes, cookies, cupcakes, etc. Just said no to pie. No cheeseburgers or shakes or tubs of Fro-Yo or Yo-Yo or Yogo with Reese's sprinkles on top. None of that. And you know what? Good sugars to report. I'm watching my portions, counting my carbs, and gradually, ever so gradually, adding some exercise in to boot.

So why am I gaining weight? I haven't weighed myself in awhile, because I was eating so much crap. I mean, why would I? But, I thought I felt my pants fitting just a bit better, so I hopped on the scale. Up five pounds since my last doctor's visit. Why? I remember the days of yore. Eight glasses of water a day, bananas and proteins and the weight would drop. Success at the old Weight Watchers meeting! I was a Weight Watchers groupie, always anxious to share some tried and true tidbit with my colleagues. They were so eager to hear about my gadget for tracking points or how I made a smoothie for zero points. I was a superstar.

But it's not so easy these days, and one of the reasons is insulin. Many people don't like to take insulin because it can cause weight gain. I like it though. I've been on other drugs and they were crazy expensive and made me queasy (probably from how much they cost!). When I went on insulin it felt to me like an answer to a prayer. It was affordable and it is administered in proportion to your carb intake. Just like how it works in your body. It's a synthetic insulin, but it's just like the insulin that all of us (except those Type 1 folks) have in their bodies anyway. Plus, five pre-filled pens of insulin are still less expensive than one month's worth of Byetta (a Type 2 pen).

I'm also rounding the corner on a milestone birthday. The older we get, the more difficult it becomes to take off those pesky pounds. And accompanying that upcoming event is menopause. Hormones become wacky and can have a big effect on weight. Wee-haw!

So, I guess I can run but I can't hide. I'm going to have to buckle down and get serious about the exercise. It's the only thing that can move the numbers on that scale in a downward direction. Things are better — lots better. But they can improve. It's time to make it happen.