Hi everybody,

Who knows when I last posted, I know it's been months. Sometime last spring or early summer things became so unmanageable and overwhelming I decided to rake everything off the table except my mother and my job. If you've forgotten - I am my mother's primary caretaker, she's 95 and I live with her so she can stay at home. She's in pretty good health all things considered. But it's a huge responsibility and I've had to work really hard to keep from getting crushed by it. We have a home health aide now three mornings a week and that has made a huge difference. She's like a member of the family.

I never let go of the program. I came here to read whenever I could and stayed with breakfast, lunch, good snacks, and a light dinner. Sugar keeps fading little by little. But even though I have not done this by the book, taken many detours, tried things "my way", experimented - I feel very good about my food these days. I think all the trial and error was necessary to find my way. I'm not "there" yet but I can comfortably maintain the progress I've made for now.

The big change lately has been a gym membership and hiring a personal trainer. I've never been a lazy person but I've never exercised at all except for a little walking. So this is a big commitment for me. I frankly didn't think I would last a week but now a month later I'm loving it in a perverted kind of way. ( I hate to sweat!)

I've spent years working on my diet, I always thought that what I ate was the source of all my craziness. Food is a lot of it but not all of it. I've completely neglected exercise and I finally decided to get off my butt and do something about it.

The good news is it's working beyond my wildest dreams!! I have more energy, I'm thinking more clearly, I don't get so upset over every little thing. I know these are also symptoms of my sugar addiction but I think sugar is only part of it for me. I have to do both.

I don't know how much I will be able to participate here, I've missed being part of the conversation and I want to do as much as I can. I'm so glad you are all here and I'm so grateful for this website and all the support and help and love that's here.

It's good to be posting again!

Gigi

PS And thanks Kathleen! If not for you I'd still be a miserable lump of humanity!