Well, we've done it again! We're marching bravely forward into the unknown territory that is 2016. I wish you all the best of luck! It looks like a bumpy ride to me but I'll take it as it comes and do my best, I recommend that you do the same.
If you are reading this without a hangover or a feeling that you've eaten too much or spent too much money congratulations. However there will be some who have nagging doubts about at least one of these problems. I can't do anything about your bank balance or the hangover, you are quite capable of dealing with those yourself but I can pass on something I have learned during 2015 and which has proved quite surprising. Those of you with a good memory will remember that in April I gave Kath Brown at the butcher's in Gisburn Road a bit of a shock when I collapsed one Friday morning in the middle of doing my shopping. Cutting to the chase, I had fallen victim to a nasty bug that was doing the rounds and doctored myself on the grounds that this was what we used to call Gastric Flu. I made a complete recovery over the next few weeks but in the process I lost about 14lbs and thought Hello! This is handy, let's keep it off. Eventually I lost about 25lbs and got down to what had been my fighting weight in the days when I was in my prime. There was no Forbidden Zone in my wardrobe, everything fitted me! I've managed to keep at that weight since.
Like a lot more older people, I have had a problem for a long time with high blood sugar and in consequence I was classed as Type 2 Diabetic and have been monitored by the Diabetic Clinic ever since. In November the results of my annual blood analysis came though and the nurse informed me that because my blood sugar reading had dropped from 63 to 47 I was no longer technically diabetic but what they call pre-diabetic. The weight loss had cured me! Yippee!
This is where I get personal. We are almost all heavier than we should be, some to a quite worrying degree. Please take notice of my experience, we all know that obesity is the modern scourge but being human we never get round to doing anything serious about it. I was lucky, that nasty little bug triggered me off and the results are fantastic. Carrying that extra weight round affects everything, not just blood sugar. If you are one of my target audience make an old fashioned New Year Resolution and do something about it. I am not medically trained but I can say with confidence that you'll never regret it. Forget diets, just eat what you like but less of it and forego those little treats. You know what they are! If you do you'll march forward into 2106 with less effort and feeling like a different person. Good luck!
1977 with my mate Ted. Not as handsome now but the same weight!
how long did it take you to put it all back on?
