Diabetes and Heart Disease Prevention Program End

In January I started a second tour of the Diabetes and Heart Disease Prevention Program. At that time I signed a paper committing myself to attending classes with the program through out the year. Today, after the end of the class, we were informed that funding had not been renewed. The program came to an immediate and abrupt end. I offer my fond farewells.

1. I didn’t learn nearly as much from this go around as the first time through. I think that is perfectly natural.

2. I didn’t loose as much weight. My first time through I lost 40 pounds. This time I lost 15 pounds.

3. I think part of that came down to motivation. I wasn’t as afraid of my physical condition this time.

4. A lot of it was that I started from a better place. My weight was already lower than before and my mobility much better. Not that I hadn’t done some back sliding, but my situation the second time was not dire.

5. I had been thinking I didn’t really need the program anymore anyway. In the two years between I had gained back a lot of weight, but I had also lost an additional 30 pounds.

6. Will I be filling in my calorie counting book now that I don’t have to hand it in? Not tomorrow!

7. But maybe the next day.

8. The main thing I learned this time through is to start my future diets at 1800 calories.

9. The problem with diets is that the body adjusts. The more you starve yourself to get the tonnage off, the more you have to starve yourself.

10. By the time I got down to my lowest weight I was at 1200 calories a day, which is considered the minimum healthy allowance for adult females.

11. I was starving.

12. I was hoping this time I would learn a trick that would allow me to lose the excess baggage without getting quite so extreme. Although there was noting specific in the program, I did get a few clues from the way my body has reacted to various things. I think I can take it from here.

13. Which is a really good thing. Because from now on I will have to.