| I had the worst time when I was first diagnosed ... because I was thinking ... "Gee, no more sweets" ... and "Gee, that's a lot of weight to lose" ... and I knew how hard dieting and exercise had been in the past.
After I had lost first noticeable weight, a friend asked how I did it ... because he had problems trying to lose weight.
I told him fear is a strong motivator! ... and filled him in on the diagnosis.
I've never considered it optional to get my bg under control or to lose weight. I knew that a better diet would help me control the bg and would lead to weight loss ... I also knew that exercise of some sort would help with both goals too.
It took me a while to get the exercise part going, because I was just not inclined in that direction. Fortunately, probably because of the fear factor, I had much better luck with the diet aspect.
But ... once I did start walking (I walked with friends at work), I found it easier to get myself going with the physical activity each day.
Now I'm walking 4 times a day (30 minutes in the morning and at night; 15 minutes on each of my two breaks at work) ... and I've done well at maintaining a healthier diet too.
If you are interested, the weight-loss diet was the standard 2000 calorie one from the doc, limited to no more than 60g of carbs per meal. Now, in the maintenance phase, I eat about the same amount of carbs but let myself have more meat (protein) and, on occasion, more fat.
Good luck to all with finding a strategy that works for you!
--Ed  | 
