'U' are preaching to the choir here...

Sisto, you need to work with your doctor to set your own goals. Everyone is different. What is ok for one person might not be for another. That said, and just for the sake of conversation, as a pre-diabetic on no medication, here are the goals which my doctor set for me. Waking up (fasting level) 85-110 mg/dl Before meals (4 hours) 90-120 mg/dl 2 hours after meals less than 130 mg/dl My problem is hunger and pickiness as to foods I like. I eat quite a bit of peanut butter (6 carbs per 2T--watch out some has added sugar) and nuts which are high in fat and have carbs too, but I don't have a weight problem. Wheat Thins/Nabisco makes a flatbread which is 12 carbs for 2 crackers which I can melt some cheese on, making a good snack. Half and apple, glass of milk makes a good snack. Eating out, make a good choice, and if it's not a good choice, only eat half, take the other half home for another meal. Besides carb count, quantity eaten is important too. When half a croissant might be ok, a whole one might be over the edge. Sandwich, just eat half. I make soup and stew and use a small amount of barley for the carb part of the recipe. I don't miss pasta, potatoes, rice, and I do eat 1-2 pieces bread daily. I miss the quantity of fruit I used to eat. I miss the big 8 oz. glass of milk at dinner, which I can have but then something else has to go. I fail when the family goes out for frozen yogurt, because I have some too. I failed the other evening when the family ordered delivered pizza, but most of the time I do pretty good. We'll find out for sure when I have the next a1c test. Sorry to ramble on, but it feels good to share with people who are "in the same boat."

Still chasing my tale at work so don't forget me. Hope you enjoy these. Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder. Somehow I feel better,even though I have it!! Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests: I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing. As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full. So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over.. The Coke is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need water. I put the Coke on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, But first, I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do. At the end of the day: the car isn't washed the bills aren't paid there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter the flowers don't have enough water, there is still only 1 check in my check book, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys. Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.... Do me a favor. Forward this message to everyone you know, because I don't remember who I've sent it to. Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!! MAN I'M TIRED! A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife stayed home. He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed: 'Dear Lord: I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife merely stays at home. I want her to know what I go through, so please allow her body to switch with mine for a day. Amen.' God, in his infinite wisdom, granted the man's wish.. The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman. He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate, Awakened the kids, Set out their school clothes, Fed them breakfast, Packed their lunches, Drove them to school, Came home and Picked up the dry cleaning, Took it to the cleaners and Stopped at the bank to make a deposit, Went grocery shopping, then drove home to put away the groceries, Paid the bills and balanced the check book. He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog. Then it was already 1PM And he hurried to make the beds, Do the laundry, vacuum, dust, and sweep and Mop the kitchen floor. Ran to the school to pick up the kids and Got into an argument with them on the way home. Set out milk and cookies and Got the kids organized to do their homework, Then set up the ironing board and Watched TV while he did the ironing. At 4:30 he began peeling potatoes and Washing vegetables for salad, breaded the chicken chops and Snapped fresh beans for supper. After supper, he cleaned the kitchen, Ran the dishwasher, Folded laundry, Bathed the kids, and put them to bed. At 9 P. M. He was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren't finished, He went to bed where he was expected to make love, which he managed to get through without complaint. The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said: -'Lord, I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my Wife's' being able to stay home all day. Please, oh! Oh! Please, let us Trade back.' The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied: 'My son, I feel you have learned your lesson and I will be happy to change things back to the way they were. You'll just have to wait nine months though. You got pregnant last night.' Have a good weekend!

Yesterday I finished Turtle Feet: the making and unmaking of a Buddhist Monk by Nikolai Grozni. I started it in May and it just sat there staring at me while I dove into a bunch of mysteries. Yesterday, I decided that enough was enough, and, having a bit of time on my hands, sat down and finished it up. From the flyleaf: "In his early twenties, Nikolai Grozni, a celebrated Bulgarian music prodigy studying jazz piano at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, was struck by a malaise - some form of spiritual ennui - that suddenly robbed him of his passion for music and of any direction in life. He turned to meditation and Buddhism for answers, and eventually traveled to the Dalai Lama's university in Dharamsala India, where he quickly became fluent in Tibetan and took the robes of a Buddhist monk." It was an interesting book - not fascinating - but interesting. I think it would have meant more to me had I ever felt the way that Grozni felt. Now I can give my full attention to Chocolat... except that I am headed to the library in two minutes to look for the Iris Murdoch that Siobhan so kindly suggested, and Arthur and George that everyone has been discussing, and to put in an ILL for an English Murder. Have a super day everyone! The weather here is superb. PAM