A little over two years ago my Dr. diagnosed mild initial type 2 diabetes. It runs in my family and I have seen my mother, sister, grandfather and aunts ravaged by it. I don’t want to be the next. I was already an active person, but had slacked off due to business stresses for about 5 months and gained weight. I determined to reduce diabetic indicators and cholesterol numbers, get my energy back. I am coming up on the age when my dad had his bypass, so that’s another factor. BTW, I have a background in biology and health science, though not currently working in that field.

1) Cut out most simple carbohydrates (starch, refined flour). But not Atkins fanatic. Nobody can sustain an Atkins diet. Most iterations of the Atkins diet are not that healthy. Not enough fiber due to lack of vegetables. Too much fat. White flour, white rice, refined corn products are the biggest culprits. I try to keep sugars and carbs under 100 g for a meal. Above that precipitous blood sugar rise is triggered.

It was a realization that so much of that junk had next to no nutritional value. Starch is essentially tasteless. Starch is easy to identify - gummy and white. Starch needs other flavors to make it palatable. Why not eat other things that have actual taste. It is a cheap filler that substitutes for more expensive and more healthful ingredients. I’m a capitalist, but the food industry should be considered a bunch of criminals.

Add spices to food to increase interest. Hot sauces, salsas, garlic, pepper, oregano, basil, mint, nuts…experiment. Years ago I saw a cool book called 'The Chile Pepper Diet'. Add hot sauces to make bland diet food interesting to eat.

2) Completely cut out sugar, high fructose corn syrup, etc. Increase good fats from nuts, fish, olive oil. I might have a diet Coke once in a while or some Crystal Light or Splenda in my tea, but I’m working towards reducing artificial sweeteners just out of principal.

3) I found a simple scheme for blood sugar control in a diabetic cookbook called ‘rate the plate’. 1/4 of the plate can be covered with carbohydrate (preferably complex carbs) food, 1/4 of the plate with protein/fat food (meat entree), 1/2 the plate with vegetables. I actually love vegetables so that was not hard to do. This is an easy plan to stick with that does not starve. I also try to include two or three substantial snacks a day such as fruit or a protein bar.

Beware, most protein bars are loaded with sugar, fat and carbohydrates. I found a few such as the Detour Carbwell and Pure Protein brand products that are under 5 g sugars and carbs, very low fat and taste good. I especially like the Pure Protein brand. Very good.

4) Look up glycemic load. It is much more valuable concept than glycemic index. More realistic as it takes into account portion sizes and factors like fiber content. It will allow you much more leeway than just counting GI numbers. You will find that most fruits are OK to eat. They add sweetness, flavor, nutrients and fiber to keep things moving.

5) Ramp up exercise. At present I lift about three times a week and do cardio, abs and calves on the alternate days. I vary cardio between several exercises to keep interest. Face it, cardio is a pain. I rollerblade when the weather is right, bike on an indoor trainer, use an inexpensive elliptical trainer, second hand rebounder, jump rope, heavy bag work. Cheapest things to start with are a jump rope and body weight or elastic bands/tubes fro resistance exercises. Then to free weights. Run the dog. Good for the both of you even if just for short sprints. The more you do the more you will be able to do. Think of a long term goal of how you want to look, feel, think about yourself.

6) Look at junk food and say “I don’t eat that” instead of “I can’t eat that”. Will make you feel much more in control instead of the diet controlling you. Also the condition gives me the impetus and excuse to only eat “what will not kill me”. “What do you want to eat for dinner”…”something that will not kill me”. You will look at food differently when you realize the damn stuff is killing you. What is hard to comprehend is that almost 3/4 of the food in the average supermarket is starch based junk.

7) Do not pass up breakfast. Oatmeal with yogurt, peanuts and fruit. Scrambled egg beaters or egg whites. Don’t be terrified of eating the occasional whole egg. Even oatmeal with egg substitute cooked into it. Sort of french toast taste. Oatmeal is a complex carbohydrate that digests slowly so your body can use the energy instead of quickly converting to glucose then the excess to fat.

I cook most of breakfast in the microwave.

I don't like mushy gray overcooked oatmeal. I like it soft and grainy - a little chewy. 1/4 cup rolled oats (not quick oats) in m'wave proof bowl, add peanuts and raisins or banana, barely cover with water, M'wave for 1:40 min. Top with 1% milk and 2 tablespoons of low/no fat, low/no sugar, fruit/flavored yogurt.

Egg beaters same way. Sometimes add onion, peppers, chopped ham, jarlesberg. M'wave for 1 min. If still soupy add a little extra time. I learned many years ago to add al ittle glop of milk to scrambled eggs to keep them light and not rubbery. Works great with egg substitute as well. Serve with Bacos, salsa, hot sauce, catsup...whatever you like.

I am not a coffee conniseur. I came to it late. Actually it is a substitute for the cocoa I had to give up. I drink it with 1% milk and no sugar. Cafe au lait. I have Splenda with my tea. Sometimes, especially the hot summer I just have ice water. I stay away from traditional orange/apple/grape/fruit juices. Nothing but heavily sugared water. Blood sugar level will hit the roof.

Watch out for traditional breakfast foods. A bagel is the equivalent of about 4 slices of white bread. Your blood sugar will skyrocket, stress your glucose management system and the excess stored as fat. Beware of ‘whole grain’ breads. Most are primarily white flour disguised with some brown chunks. The glycemic load of most are actually higher than plain white bread.

Lost 30 pounds within 6 months, diabetic numbers are in the normal range, cholesterol is in the normal range, though for diabetics it should still be about 20 points lower. Work to do.

Still have pizza occasionally, leave most of the crust. Sandwiches, subs hamburgers, don’t eat half the bread if possible. Not afraid to leave starches behind. I do like tortilla chips and Cheez-its. More work to do. My wife continues to buy things I don’t eat. You have to be independent minded these days to be fit with all the counter influencing forces around. Even loved ones want to poison you with their kindness. Dig in your heels and resist as much as possible.

8) Read everything you can. Some stuff is trendy garbage. Look for the books that talk about health improvement instead of weight loss. Improve your health, strength, wind, joints… and your weight will naturally come under control. I bought a couple of body building books at first, but most of what I have read and learned comes from the library and the internet. A book that rings true is Sylvester Stallone’s “Sly Moves”. The guy talks about almost 50 years of keeping fit. He’s 60 now and has a lot of good ideas, fun to read.

9) Get a $10 set of body fat calipers. Much more reliable than hi-tech body fat measuring scales (uniformly inaccurate garbage). Started at 25% BF. Down to as low as 14% BF. Currently about 17%. Goal is about 10-12%.