AWOL but on track

Well, a lot has happened since my last blog.

I was told that my blood test in December showed I was pre-diabetic - why they didn't tell me at the time I have no idea..... it wasn't until about a month ago they happened to mention it! Apparently I was as high Hba1c value as I could be without being diagnosed diabetic - you'd think that would be worth a mention, wouldn't you??

All I can say in their favour is that basically they had already headed me in the right direction (referral to Slimming World) because at the same blood test my cholesterol was 5.7 and they were threatening me with statins. My blood pressure was also sky high because of all that was going on with Dad, so losing weight was obviously the way to go.

I've not had time for SP, sorry folks!, but I have stuck with my lenient version of Slimming World. With all that was going on, I couldn't cope with being as stringent as SW required, but I saw an article they had about coping with holidays by allowing yourself an increased syn limit - you may or may not lose, but you shouldn't gain too much. That seemed like a way forward for me, I doubled my syn limit and found I could cope with that. If nothing else it would rein in the comfort eating impulse while I worked through the first stages of grieving.

Now for many people, doubling your syn limit would NOT work! I think it has only worked for me because I have such a large amount to lose (I was 87lbs/6.5 stone over the absolute top of the healthy weight range for my height). I tended to lose on alternate weeks, but the regains were always slightly less than the losses so the overall trend has been downwards.

Amazingly, over 6 months on double syns I have lost nearly 2 stone (I am hoping I might get that when I weigh in on Wednesday). My cholesterol has gone down from 5.7 to 5.2 and they have stopped threatening me with statins. They tell me I am prediabetic still and won't tell me numbers - I hope I am no longer right at the top of the prediabetic range but until I can wheedle the numbers out of them, I don't know.

I now have probate, so Dad's stuff is now officially mine, athough his house is not yet registered in my name.

I have started sorting out his stuff (there's lots of it!) but his garden is getting out of my control - eek! Gardening is good exercise, right? Just wish I knew anything about it!