Don't Say I Didn't Warn You

We're 7 months into the new administration, and I would like to take a few minutes to make sure everyone out there knows the facts. I know there are many of you that supported Mr. Obama for president, and I would expect that most did because "he wasn't George W. Bush." I get that, I really do. That's probably why Bush beat Al Gore to begin with, people were just tired of Bill Clinton. I know what you're thinking, "This is a diabetes blog!" All I ask is that you stay with me a bit and you'll see the connection when I get to "Obamacare."

There are many, many disturbing things this president and his allies in Congress have done, but what's scary is how much more he wants to do but isn't telling you. And no one else is telling you either. Conservatives often rail about the "liberal media," which members of the media then brush off as preposterous. I would challenge you to research this independently and find that, regarless of the source, you'll find that about 80% of national "mainstream" media journalists say they voted for Obama, and that 60% of them describe themselves as "very liberal." There is an agenda, don't pretend there isn't. Terry McCauliffe, head of the Democratic National Committee, readily admits that the liberal media helped Obama get elected. (It's on Youtube, check it out.)

The two most important pieces of legislation in recent memory are either already in the Senate or being written as we speak: Cap and Trade, and Health Care Reform. Here's what you need to know about both.

Cap and Trade is supposed to be about cleaner energy and a focus on renewable resources. Here are the facts:

1. The bill was debated for exactly 5 minutes in the House, which seems rather short for a bill that is 1400 pages long, not to mention that House Democrats added 317 pages at 3am.

2. The bill will double the cost of the average American's electric bill. DOUBLE. And that's just an Obama administration estimate. The reason for this is that the people who wrote it, ultra-liberal Democrats from the Northeast don't USE coal energy! Their homes are heated with oil! This is an energy tax folks, plain and simple.

3. An EPA official can walk into your house and inspect it for "energy efficiency." If it doesn't pass, you get a fine and have to spend thousands to upgrade your home.

4. You will not be able to sell your home until the EPA gives you approval to do so. In other words, it has to meet the EPA's standard for being "energy efficient" or you can't sell it. So now your home you wanted to sell for $150,000 will now cost $160,000 or so, depending on how much you have to spend. Inflation, anyone?

5. China and India don't have Cap and Trade, which means that what remains of American manufacturing will shut down virtually overnight and move (along with American jobs) overseas. And the cost of American products? You got it, through the roof.

6. Remember what happened to the price of food when oil went through the roof? Same exact thing. Obama wants everyone to buy an expensive energy-efficient car (despite the fact that Americans obviously don't want them). If you're banking on ethanol, forget it. It costs $1.25 to produce $1 worth of the stuff.

7. And finally, not to worry too much, because in order to get this monstrosity through the House, the Obama administration bought off moderate Democrats with billions in "exemptions" and pet projects. So some people will get something out of the deal.

Healthcare Reform: This one's actually much simpler to oppose than Cap and Trade.

1. Imagine the politician you hate the most. For some of you, it's George W. Bush, or Reagan, or Carter, etc. Now imagine that person in charge of YOUR healthcare.

2. Name one well-run government agency that always stays under budget. Just one.

3. Private insurance WILL fail if there is a government plan. If you owned a business and were spending huge sums of money on healthcare premiums, wouldn't you unload it as long as you knew there was a government "safety net" healthcare plan? You bet your bacon they will, and as employers bail, private insurers will go kaput. When that happens, the 50 million people projected to be on the plan will balloon, along with the $1.7 trillion price tag.

4. When the cost skyrockets, as it no doubt will, the call will come to contain costs. How many of us have struggled to explain why a pump or CGMS makes sense over NPH. Now imagine explaining that to a government bureaucrat that thinks you just take a pill to control diabetes. It's simple economics to a bureaucrat; the cost of a person on a pump in a year with fast-acting insulin and supplies will easily top $10k. NPH and syringes may only cost hundreds. If you didn't know anything about diabetes and your job was to contain costs, which would you pick?

Finally, I just want to reiterate how dangerous of a financial crisis this country is in. Ever heard of George Soros? He's the ultra-liberal billionaire founder of Moveon.org, and he's saying we're doomed to runaway inflation within 20 years. Warren Buffet? Heard of him? Richest man in the world and Obama voter. Let's just say he's having second thoughts. According to the polls, most Obama voters are.

By 2019, our debt to GDP ratio will have grown from 59% to 82%. That's bad. And people won't loan you more money when your debt ratio is that high. That's bad too. In other words, our debt won't be sustainable, and that's just with the stimulus money. Some 80% of the stimulus has not been spent. It's not too late folks to stop it. It's not too late to stop Cap and Trade, and it's not too late to stop government healthcare. You don't even have to admit you might have missed on this one, just don't miss in 2010.

I know we all look at California and the mess that it's in. California is what Obama wants for all of us. Many of California's major employers have fled the state because of its high taxes and liberal agenda. Where have they gone? Texas.

Liberal-run California was issuing IOU's because it's broke. And in conservative Texas, we're wondering "What recession?"

Bring on the Lows

So I have been very, very good on my diet for several days now. I've had light breakfasts of egg beaters, turkey bacon, and a slice of whole wheat toast. Lunch has consisted of lean protein and vegetables or salad and a banana or apple. And dinner has been grilled chicken or pork with steamed vegetables. I like to throw in a few "sugar-free" cookies afterward for dessert. Of course we all know what that means. No sugar = lots of carbs. I've done yoga, kickboxing, running, and walking to get more exercise.

I haven't seen a lot of difference on the scale just yet, but I know it will come. The biggest difference has been my insulin intake and the improvement over all in my blood glucose readings. Before my diet, I was using 80-100 units of insulin per day, 48 of those in basal. Now I am using 40-60 units per day total. And I'm also having lows. Lots of them, too. In particular I've had a low BG every night for the last three nights, and today I had a pretty nasty one at work. I literally had to sit in my cubicle and wait for the Coke to kick in, because I lacked the energy to stand.

My old endo, whom I miss terribly, always said that lows were an unavoidable by-product of good BG control. And he's right, they're going to happen, but tonight my wife took my pump and made some basal adjustments, so hopefully that will help reduce the quantity and severity of the lows I've been having. That's the advantage of having an endo that lives with you.

So here's to better BG control, and hopefully some pounds are melting away!

The 3-foot diet buster

So I've done pretty well so far on my 3 day-ish diet. I've managed to cut down on my calories, get in a good run or two the last couple of days, and today I even did yoga! Me, yoga! Tonight I prepared a meal of pork and steamed vegetables. The olive oil added more calories than we needed, but it was good. And then the doorbell rings.

Remember those chocolate chunk cookies you bought from that little girl selling them for her school? Well darned if she didn't show up at the worst possible time, right after a meal of lean protein and steamed vegetables. And then, right before me, were rows upon rows of perfectly portioned balls of chocolate chunk heaven. I opened the box and looked upon them like Rottweiler on a pet rabbit.

I closed up the box as best as I could and put them into the freezer for another time. I've got too far to go at this point to enjoy even one chocolate chunk cookie. Not CHIP, but CHUNK.

I have been enjoying the fantastic blood sugars that have come along with eating better and working out more. I don't think I've even gone over 200 mg/dl since Saturday, which for me is pretty good, especially lately. I'll never forget my new endo telling me that he wanted me to go to a diabetes education class. Me? Diabetes education?? I could only offer the feeble defense that I knew WHAT to do, I just wasn't doing it. I am looking forward to that day when I return and show him my sub-7 A1c.

As long as no more kids show up at my door with more cookies.

Apathy in New Braunfels

One of the things I really liked about Brenden's soccer team in Lubbock, the Comets, was how supportive (and VOCAL) the parents were. In a close game, you could really count on hearing their voices rise and cheer and coax their boys on toward victory. When we were behind (which didn't happen often) and not playing well, you could count on each of those parents letting their boys know how they felt about it.

I was tough on those boys, tougher than I probably should have been for their age, but I wasn't mean by any stretch. I wanted each one of those boys to play beyond what they ever thought possible, and play that way every single minute they were at practice and at games. In short, I taught them to WANT it more than the other team. We had some good players for sure, but the Comets won because they were disciplined, in superb physical condition, and they wanted to win more than their opponent did. They knew how and when to dig down and play that much harder. I didn't allow any goofing off or screwing around in practice. Getting out of line, or horsing around led quickly to a round of "drop-downs," which is a form of kid-torture disguised as a conditioning drill where the boys had to run about 200 yards or so and drop to their chest with the blow of every whistle. I was a bit of a dril seargeant, but I just wanted them to be the best, and the parents had my back.

The reasoning was simple, the best players would always be the best, and I wanted the less talented ones to be better than the other kids simply by being tough, aggressive, and in shape. I'll never forget little Tyler. He was by far the littlest kid on the team every year, but he very quickly earned the nickname "Scrapper." He was little, but he was tenacious and tough, and he was every bit as good as some of the best players on other teams because the Comets wouldn't let him be anything less.

Now fast-forward to soccer in New Braunfels. You'd think you were at a tennis match! The parents sit on the sidelines and quietly applaud at appropriate times, with an occassional outburst of outrage if someone dared to touch another player. Unbelievable. I've never seen a more uninspired bunch of players and parents in all of my life, and it's a serious drag on Brenden. Brenden likes discipline and order, and there is neither in practice or in games. I was sitting in for the coach this weekend and, I swear, I had a kid tell me "no" when I asked him to do something. There was not a single Comet that would have DARED to tell me or any of my assistant coaches "no." We haven't won a single game this year, and the prospects aren't looking good. The Comets would have beaten any of the teams we've played 10-0, and that's no exaggeration. I'm seriously considering forming my own team next season, and fill it in with parents and players that feel the same way I do. I'd be thrilled to take a team full of misfits, castoffs, and blue-collar players that WANT to be better, and WANT to win.

And I bet we would.

Thanks for tolerating this little bit of ranting. Having a great week, and oh by the way, I've ran a total of 2.5 miles this weekend, so we're getting there.

Re-booting, part 2

I need a pedicure, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. And I need highlights in my hair. And I need to color the gray out of my goatee. And I need a tan.

I need lots of that stuff, but chances are I will only do....none of them. Pedicures aren't really recommended for us diabetic types, but I hear they're pretty awesome. As long as there's no coloring or painted flowers involved, it shouldn't be more of a challenge to my manhood than I could handle. But really it's all a part of my life re-boot. I mentioned yesterday that I needed to change a lot of things; the most important of those things being eating right, exercising more, and being in better general health.

The second part to starting again is having a better self-image. Right now I think I am a fat, sloppy pile of doo that loses his breath walking up the stairs and can hardly tie his shoes. That's really bad, and the problem is that it's reality. I've decided that rather than beginning with walking, I am going to go straight to running. Tomorrow after work, I'll get in the truck and measure a mile, and then two. A guy I work with used to be pretty heavy, and he started out by just running and going for it. And it worked! So tomorrow morning the weights begin, and tomorrow night the running begins.

My life reboot involves some other things, but let's see if I can't tackle these things first. Besides, I need you people coming back for more.

Control-alt-delete

I need to reboot, and I need to reboot lots of stuff.

I have gotten miserably, unbearably, ridiculously, and unnecessarily....plump. I've watched as my pants size has grown from a comfortable 34 to a decidedly snug 38, and to reach 40 would be nothing short of tragic. And surprise, surprise, my BG control has suffered as well. It's not really that I am eating poorly, in fact I would argue that I am eating much better than I was when I worked at the car washes. Gone are the days of the Double Whopper with Cheese for lunch and the day-long snacking. I eat a decent breakfast, a healthy lunch (that The Scooter Store happily subsidizes), and just whatever for dinner. The difference is my activity level has dropped to nearly nothing. I've gone from being semi-active and working out regularly to sitting in a box all day. People's asses are like goldfish, they grow to fit to their environment. My ass is now the shape of a large leather chair.

So here's the plan, and it is just a plan so far.

Part 1:
I've bought a nice gas grill, and I've set an ambitious goal of planning meals for the week on Sunday, and buying all the ingredients to cook throughout the week. I'll continue to eat the healthy option at work for lunch, and breakfast will go down to a single breakfast burrito. Soft drinks are out. Only water or sugar-free lemonade.

Part 2:
Each morning will begin with a trip to the gym, without fail. Not only do I feel better after working out, but I'll look better too. I've always had great success losing fat when I lift weights, and muscle burns blood sugar much more efficiently.

Part 3:
Every evening after dinner will be walking time. Within a couple of weeks, my goal is to make the transition from walking to running. Ideally, I will be running 2 miles after dinner in about a month.

Counting pounds isn't really my goal. In fact, if I do it right, I may only lose about 10 pounds at most, and I may even maintain or gain a couple of pounds, but if it's muscle, then that's all good. Amy always says that it's not about how much you weigh, it's about how you look.

To recap, here are the goals:

1. Eat a small breakfast every day. Healthy lunch option. Pre-planned healthy dinners.
2. No more diet soda. Only water or sugar-free lemonade.
3. Lifting weights five days per week.
4. Daily walks that turn into daily 2 mile runs.
5. Size 32 pants. That's the big one.

Wish me luck!

My Son, George Costanza

Fans of the television show "Seinfeld" will remember good old George Costanza. He was plump, balding, and unabashadly neurotic. He did have one particular gift though, he could in a moment's notice identify the nearest and best bathroom from any point in New York City. He was the Dewey Decimal system of urinals in Gotham. That's where my son, Brenden, comes in.

Brenden, you see, is a little quirky himself. He won't anything slimy or at all "smooshy." In fact, his Papa once remarked that he was the only kid he'd known that could stick a cracker with a fork. He insists on cleaning any kind of grime off himself immediately, and yet he'll throw his clothes into a pile wherever he has finished with them.

The other thing that Brenden does, no, that he is quite compelled to do, is to investigate every restroom of any facility that he visits. Race tracks, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, Starbucks, other peoples' houses, you name it. If it's got a potty, he's going to investigate it. Quite what he hopes to learn is beyond me. Like many parents of kids with diabetes, we feared he was going a lot, and that he might be afflicted with the disease. Fortunately, he just seems to be taken with the intracacies of all things procelain.

Is he secretly checking out each place to test its suitability as a tornado shelter?

Is he planning to write a bathroom book about bathrooms?

Does he like to compare flushing sounds? Each time comparing detailed notes about volume, quantity, and speed in case someone ever asks?

Is he starting a toilet trading card line?

Who knows? And I don't dare ask him. He'll kill me when his mom or Papa tells him about this.

He's a good kid. Straight A's, soccer stud, awesome big brother, and the handsomest little man I have ever seen in my life. In pictures, he's usually compared to Ben Affleck (the JLo version, not the newer, shaggy one) and to Elvis.

But for now, he's my little George Costanza, and I love him.