For the foreseeable future, my diet must follow some strict guidelines. I cannot wake and sit down at my computer; I must go outside and walk a mile to wake my muscles and excite my cells. I should be aware of sleeping a proper amount, not eating too much, reconcile that fasting should be part of my routine, and finally accept that the American healthcare system is not here to keep me healthy but instead deal with me once I’m a lucrative body in need of desperate repair.

Nobody in the healthcare profession has informed me about fasting. As a matter of fact, I’ve been told I can nearly eat what I want, though in moderation. I would like to get a continuous blood glucose monitoring system, but there’s no certainty that my insurance will cover it. The luxury of knowing just how food is affecting me at any given moment is incredibly valuable for me and would help me regulate my diet. Meanwhile, the traditional glucose test strips are a cash cow for manufacturers, hence why you see on street corners across from pharmacies people ready to buy diabetes treatment supplies from those who would rather sell them and buy other necessities instead of monitoring their disease.

Lunch in a restaurant is nearly impossible unless I find a list of places that have high-protein or Keto options on the menu. Dinner is a dilemma as no matter where we go; the portions are too large for my wife and me. Here in our 50’s the caloric count of a meal is far too often too high. Should we decide to share a meal, we face the disapproving glare of the server, who believes they just saw their tip reduced by the cheap old people, which is only made worse if we don’t order alcohol. If the look of disdain were all, we’d deal with that, but seeing the adjacent table have four server visits for our single one lets us know quite clearly that we are in the bad seats.

One upside to having the amount of free time I currently have is that I can afford to make a lot of our food at home. This offers us access to incredibly healthy dishes such as the super yummy chicken feet bone broth I recently cooked up. I can take a mile walk before breakfast and then a two-mile walk afterward. Before or after lunch, I can head out for another mile or two, and then after dinner, I’ll try for two more miles. I have time to research viable options for treating diabetes, though without doctors sharing what’s at the cutting edge, I don’t always know what to look for. We can afford books, supplements, doctor appointments, gadgets, foods, and experiments to learn what works to treat my diabetes, which I doubt many can.

So, while there are pros and cons, I at least have options. I’m growing increasingly frustrated that our version of laissez-faire capitalism is perfectly fine with allowing people to become profit centers. This is only possible in a population that is largely under-educated not only about diet but also the long-term implications of the abuse they are suffering due to their own ignorance from industries interested in profits at all costs instead of the general welfare of a country. I think about this in terms of a time such as World War II when the population was supposed to make sacrifices for the betterment of the entire earth, and yet today, corporations are allowed to practice a kind of fascistic exploitation of people for the enrichment of an elite class.

To return to my story, on September 24th, eight days after the phone call that told me my A1C had jumped to 9.5% and that I’d gained 6 pounds since I was last weighed at my doctor’s office, I had to see my doctor. I had been told initially that I was coming in to learn about going on insulin, but that’s not what happened.

I stepped on the scale and was hoping I’d lost a few pounds. Instead, the person taking my stats was as surprised as I was that I’d lost 10 pounds in 8 days. Then I showed my doctor that my glucose level for the past five days was averaging 119, down from around 240 a week before. She reminded me that it was what I maintained over 90 days that mattered but agreed that I didn’t need a change in medications as long as I could maintain my change in behavior. She also saw the importance of me being able to constantly watch my glucose levels and wrote a prescription for a FreeStyle Libre Constant Glucose Monitor though there’s great uncertainty if my insurance will authorize its use.

I’m seriously astonished by my progress, incredulous even. I feel that my motivation for success has been amplified and that the next 22 days, while they’ll certainly be difficult at times and tedious to the point of boredom, will let me see the potential results behind my efforts. I’ll continue to do my best to keep my caloric intake under 1,400 calories, I’ll set my Fitbit minimum goal to 15,000 steps (about 7 miles), and I’ll do a full 24-hour fast once a week and at least one 18/6 fast per week. The 18/6 fast is where one fasts for 18 hours and then eats during 6, so let’s say I eat dinner on Thursday night, I won’t eat again until lunch on Friday, and then dinner before 6:00 p.m.

If I’m below 220 pounds over the next few weeks, I’ll consider this a huge win, and I have no reason to doubt that I can get there. While it has taken me three years to fully integrate the lifestyle changes I’m living with, I feel that quality of life is worth every bit of sacrifice. I only wish I had known all this 40 years ago when I first embarked on a daily food indulgence and abuse regimen attacking the future of my well-being.